I find it curious that no one has mentioned one of my heros: Ted Nugent. Guitar god or not? No one, these days, knows what band Ted started in, but everybody knows his name. He just doesn’t get the reverence that Hendrix/Clapton/et al get.
There are so many guitarists that are better than the “legends” technically. Some that come to mind are Steve Morse (of the Dixie Dregs, who also played briefly with Deep Purple and Kansas), Buddy Guy (who Hendrix cancelled a show one time to go see) and Steve Lukather (on just about every hit to come out of LA in the last 20 years).
Legends such as Hendrix, Page, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Clapton, etc… were all fans of Buddy Guy, (who continues to win Grammy’s in the blues catagory) and they have all been quick to acknowledge his virtuosity. But he doesn’t get played on the radio every waking minute and they do, which is why everyone knows them. It is sad that people like Buddy don’t get the recognition that they deserve but I think it really boils down to exposure.
If you want to hear a fantastic guitarist that is just starting to get the recognition he deserves, check out a gentleman named Jimmy Herring. He has played with The Allman Brothers and Fish, as well as a greatful dead tribute band called “Jazz is Dead” He is truly one of the best new talents of the instrument.
Let’s not forget Charlie Christian and Django Reinhardt, who were soloing guitarists before almost everyone already mentioned was born.
i got the new cyclorama cd the other day. it has some gread guitar on it. tenacious d and john wait add a cool twist to the album also. anyway, just thought the people who mentioned styx may want to know.
Yes, Frida’s_Boss, Cyclorama is out. It’s a really excellent cd too. MUCH better than Brave New World…
To me, Clapton IS a second-tier player. Even by the criteria offered in this thread. Not very technical and not very emotive IMO. If you dont have at least one of the two you’re doomed to be second tier.
Then again, I am someone who thinks that noted Romantic composer Berlioz was also not very emotive, even though that is one of his supposed best features! (he is, however, one of my favorite composers, his Requiem, while absolutely cold, is the most beautiful piece of music ever. compare to Mozart Requiem, one of the MOST emotive pieces I have ever heard.)
According to these criteria:
– Emotive
– Technical
The only famous player who satisfies both of these is Gilmour. The soloes from the wall are absolutely transcendental. They are JUST technically flashy enough to let his brilliance show, while have enough grounding in blues tradition to give a solid groundwork for the emotions expressed in the deviance from them.