Jimmy Page
From humble beginnings, Jimmy Page started out as a highly talented session guitarist, before going onto co-found Led Zeppeling. From there on no further introduction is needed.
Taking blues, rock and folk and placing it in a blender, Jimmy Page has been described as “unquestionably one of the all-time most influential, important, and versatile guitarists and songwriters in rock history”.
Prince
Well known for his “one man band” approach to music, Prince took complete control at a very early age, releasing his first album at just 20. His music crossed boundaries and demographics, from frizzy funk to grinding rock; Prince is a master of diversity and re-invention, whilst constantly keeping all his music uniquely and distinctly his.
His reputation as a song writer, pop star and eccentric sometimes overshadow his raw skill as an instrumentalist though, and Prince’s weapon of choice is the guitar. He even wrote a song all about his love for it, appropriately named, “Guitar”!
Just like his music, his guitar playing skill is diverse, instantly gratifying, but also layered in complexity. From slow and acoustic, to bombastic and loud, it’s all brilliant, and all sounds uniquely and unmistakably Prince.
Kirk Hammett
At any given point, in every town of every country in the world, you can guarantee there are at least a dozen people air-guitaring to a fiery Kirk Hammett solo.
Replacing Dave Mustaine in the original Metallica line-up after his alcoholic tendencies got too much for the band to bear, Kirk Hammett took lessons under now famous Joe Satriani, and when he entered the now legendary band, found his wings.
Noted for his extensive use of the wah-wah pedal, describing it at as “an extension of my personality”. During the 90s, when Metallica had haircuts and changed the direction of their music closer to grunge than metal, Hammett’s solos were downplayed.
They came back with a fiery gusto not seen for over a decade with 2008’s “Death Magnetic” however, which might as well have just been called “Kirk Hammett’s Revenge”
Hammett may not be recognised for being the most technical soloist, but he has a knack for harmony and ‘what just sounds good’, which gives the often bleak and oppressive lyrical content in Metallica’s music a rebellious and human edge. His album is a must have if you ever go on yoga retreat.
Keith Richards
Often regarded as being the best rhythm guitarist in the world, and undoubtedly the driving musical force behind the Rolling Stones, Keith Richards can be summarised in three words. Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity.
Taking cues from Jimmy Reed, Chuck Berry, and other blues legends, Keith Richards is a master of stripping away all the inessentials, until what’s left is just raw and guttural to the bone.
Slash
Born Saul Hudson in Hampstead, an affluent area of London, Slash’s origins betray what he later went on to be: Snake skinned, diesel blooded rock god.
Slash’s entry to the world of rock music is an intriguing one:
“My big awakening happened when I was fourteen. I’d been trying to get into this older girl’s pants for a while, and she finally let me come over to her house. We hung out, smoked some pot and listened to Aerosmith’s Rocks. It hit me like a fucking ton of bricks. I sat there listening to it over and over, and totally blew off this girl. I remember riding my bike back to my grandma’s house knowing that my life had changed. Now I identified with something.”
Thankfully, for anyone who’s ever listened to his melodic crunching in Guns n’ Roses or Velvet Revolver, Slash later when on to drop out of high school when he was 16.
And the rest, as they say, is history
Eddie Van Halen
Recognised for his breakneck speed, flawless fretwork, and sheer intensity, Van Halen is no doubt one of the patron gods of the guitar. The solo in “eruption” shows his absolute mastery of the tapping technique, and has yet to be surpassed.
Allmusic describes Van Halen’s ability as “Second to only Jimi Hendrix…undoubtedly one of the most influential, original, and talented rock guitarists of the 20th century.”
Jimi Hendrix
A virtuosic, flamboyant force of raw magnetic talent, Hendrix could do anything on the guitar, with anything. He played behind his back, with his teeth, and even while the guitar was on fire.
To merely point to such displays is to downplay the immense influence he had on rock and music in general. Hendrix built a psychedelic rainbow bridge between rock and blues that has coloured the shaped of rock and roll ever since.
The few that were lucky enough to see him play live describe it as an “out of body experience”. Never before, and perhaps never again, had an individual been at such oneness with an instrument.