Jimi Hendrix named Rolling Stone's Greatest Guitarist of All Time
By Jeff MillsNovember 23rd, 2011, 5:15 pmComments (20)
Rolling Stone has just unveiled its list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, and, of course, what exactly the word "greatest" implies will be up for debate. The technical-mastery camp, who swear by the digital dexterity of Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and the like, will be disappointed, but it's hard to argue with most on the list, considering they were chosen by a group of voters comprised of Rolling Stone editors and legendary guitarists such as Eddie Van Halen, Joe Walsh, Robby Krieger, Alex Lifeson, Robbie Robertson, and many more.
No surprise with the overall greatest axman in the history of the universe. Even a drunk, tone-deaf monkey could have guessed that Jimi Hendrix would be the guy. As Tom Morello puts it, Hendrix's riffs "were a pre-metal funk bulldozer, and his lead lines were an electric LSD trip down to the crossroads, where he pimp-slapped the devil."
Coming in at number two is "Slowhand" himself, Eric Patrick Clapton, whose blues-based sound is still, says Eddie Van Halen, "the core of modern rock guitar." And rounding out the top three is Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, the second of three ex-Yardbirds to crack the top five. What can you say about Page? He may have dabbled in the occult, but he was no dilettante when it came to crafting indelible guitar licks that still work their sorcery on your defenseless viscera at a time when Robert Plant is singing bluegrass. Rounding out the top ten are Keith Richards, Jeff Beck, B.B. King, Chuck Berry, Eddie Van Halen, Duane Allman, and Pete Townshend. Check out rollingstone.com for the complete list.
Commentarium (20 Comments)
and a severe lack of women
Just playing devil's advocate here, but there aren't exactly many famous, high profile, female lead guitarists in the music world either.
Well I'm glad someone stated the obvious.
Hmm - Ani Difranco? Nancy Wilson (Heart) ? Lita Ford? Marisa Paternoster (Screaming Females) ? Willie Mae? June Millington (Fanny)?
If the list was MOST FAMOUS guitarists, I suppose you'd have a point, Marc. But the list is "GREATEST" guitarists. The women I just listed are at least better than, say, the guitarist in The Sex Pistols or Thurston Moore for crying out loud.
Give me a break. It's like they didn't even try.
And don't get me started on the judges they picked. Tom Morello? Good god. I appreciate his personal ethics and he seems like a good guy, but he is the least inventive guitarist. His pedals do all his work for him.
Oh my god, and Brian May wasn't on it?
RollingStone, though. Why am I even wasting my time? Who actually reads that crap anyway?
Back to Waxpoetics for some real music journalism.
What a fucking pathetic list-- out of the top 20, only one of them has done anything since 1982, and he (Derek Trucks) was just born 40 years too late. Fuck boomers.
Rolling Stone isn't a music criticism rag, it's a making-boomers-feel-relevant-and-respected rag. That shouldn't be surprising -- it's called the fucking Rolling Stone.
Yeah, I thought the hipsters would get their panties in a twist about this. Guess what? Stuff existed before you assholes came along and discovered that you were too cool to give a shit about it.
So true!
hipsters dig hendrix. usually.
Rick Sims should be on the list instead of Jimmy Page.
Yeah, it's true the list skews old, but....it hasn't been a golden era for guitarists in quite some time, has it?
At least they didn't anything severely retarded, like put Jack White at #1.
In the end, it's just another "of all-time" list to sell some magazines, to be immediately outdated the moment they release the next "of all-time" list.
Pete Townsend number 10? The list is a joke. To wit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vF1sVrFCkrY.
Number ten? I could perhaps put him behind Eric Clapton- maybe - but behind the rest of those guitar-monkies? You've got to be kidding me.
two words-
carrie brownstein
Jimi invented Metal and everything Rock knows about the guitar after 1970 came from his psychedelic twisting of what the instrument could do. I paid homage to Hendrix with a portrait called Purple Haze on the anniversary of his passing recently. You can see it at https://dregstudiosart.blogspot.com/2011/09/purple-haze-jimi-hendrix.html and tell me how the voodoo child’s music has influenced you!
How in the world did Warren Haynes fall off the list???
Now you say something