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2fngrjoe - 10 December 2010 09:44 PM

Hoopero - 09 December 2010 04:27 PM

Hey guys, lets not forget Alvin Lee. If you look at the footage from Woodstock, no one, not even Hendrix was playing like that at that time.

Well if we throw Hendrix' name out there....gotta mention Rory Gallagher.

Hendrix was asked "How's it feel to be the greatest guitar player"......his response......"I don't know ask Rory Gallagher".

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Can't knock these two names at all including Rory of whom I have a deep respect for his power and emotional depth .

The query was who move you whether an old original like Robert Johnson and those of and around his era of when guitars first entered the equation or even now a days .

Last night I saw a PBS special out of Los Angeles with Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughn with drummer - B3 - and PBass -

To see the power of less if best in Albert's style contrasting the fire and intensity of Stevie Ray was such a lesson to listen and learn and most of all enjoy .

On one hand the sharp pling of the pick and the raking arpeggio type style Stevie had with the machine gunner take no prisoners attack right next to Albert's deep fat human like voicing was like night and day next to one another .

When asked Eric Clapton once mentioned about Jeff Beck's style Eric said :

" with Jeff it's all about his hands and fingers "

A week back I saw a Jeff Beck special tribute to Les Paul and now just the other night I saw these two shows and sure as can be the styles of these two I tend to lean hard towards .

While I listen to these names above through out time I seem to also listen to guys like Robert Johnson and Lonnie Johnson( no relation these two contemporaries ) and Eddie Lang I get the feel they had in their masterful finger styles with a distinct bass line mixed with rhythm and melody trip me out big time as well too .

For two reasons I stopped using a pick about 4 to 5 years into learning the guitar :

# 1 :

Got into Albert and guys like him because I like their earthiness and the way they wheal their powerful thread into a song's innereds

and

# 2 :

I got tired of my fiend guitar buddies ripping me off for my picks after a session ( two to three times a week , heck I did it too ) and then when I looked for one ........................... You get the picture : ) :

Now I'm starting my 13th. year in January on guitar .

Funny now about that fateful day on Oct.12th.98 ( when the last piece of many ) glass came out of my left ring chording finger and finally let me back into the guitar playing game , it seems like the 36 year wait for that miracle to happen was no biggie at all now with 13 years at it on my guitar now

After the second year of learning guitar I actually had nightmares of dreaming I was not able to play guitar at all for about year and the miracle was only still a dream waiting for God to grant me . When I woke from these nightmares the very I first thing I did was look for my guitar , was scary man !
Easy

HR

Just signed up earlier today. After a quick scan of this thread I can't believe that I haven't seen the name of T-Bone Walker mentioned anywhere. Possibly I missed it. He's THE MAN as far as I'm concerned. His influence is everywhere. Just listen to some of his earliest recordings from as far back as the early to mid 1940's. A lot of it will immediately sound familiar as his style & his licks have been copied and re-copied a gazillion times. No T-Bone...no Chuck Berry. No Chuck Berry...well, figure it out from there.

Well, you can't go wrong with the three kings. T-Bone's style was also remarkable, but for me there was/is no finer guitarist than Grant Green.

When he left roots of traditional jazz and started doing his blues/funk thing he was looked down on by the elitist. But that funk is what caught my attention and made me a fan. All the hype was around Wes Montgomery then, and he was a great, but to me no one has come close to what Grant did with a hollow body guitar & a couple of P90's! Nowadays, Grant's genius and playing style is recognized as one of the greats, too bad he's not around anymore.

Since this thread is about blues heros, I have to mention Grant Green's blues/funk in this thread.

Dnt forget peter green !.. b b king said he was the only player to make the hair on his neck stand up !

Albert King. He does more for me than the other Kings, but that may be more a a "whole package" judgement than a guitar comparison.
"You're Gonna Need Me" is about a perfect blues song. Duck Dunn with a laid back blues groove again a stinging guitar. It keeps daring you to turn it up louder.

Otis Rush.
"Homework" is another perfect or close to it blues song.


I agree with a lot of the other names mentioned. Peter Green, Hendrix, Vaughn.


I didn't notice Fenton Robinson or Jimmy Johnson mentioned, both excellent as well. There's been a lot of talented blues guys.

I once read an Albert King interview where he said the best guitarist he ever heard was Neal Schon, from Journey. HOLY SCAT, never in a million years would I've expected that!

Hmmm.. he must have been drunk.

My top man is the incredible Jeff Beck, he just bends all the rules, never ceases to amaze me. I saw him in the sixties with the Yardbirds at a famous breeding ground club in Soho London called the Marquee, seen them all there clapton, beck, page and even stevie winwood was playing incredible guitar in those days with the spencer davis group. wow what an era that was it only seems like 5 mins ago to me, not nearly 50 years.

There's a female player in Austin that really should be mentioned...Carolyn Wonderland...she is really amazing.

As BB King has said, "Peter Green is the only man who ever made me sweat."

Jeff Beck, B.B. King ,Albert King, SRV,are definitely on the top of my list .But someone I really also enjoy ,that I haven't seen mentioned here is Paul Rishell. Unfortunately I.ve never seen him in person, but check you tube, he's worth a listen. And also, his wife, Annie Raines, is a fantastic harp player!

In my opinion, nobody can touch Muddy Waters for blues songs, but his guitar is not the main driving force.

If we are just talking about guitar, it is indeed the 3 Kings

For a dirty pleasure, nobody holds it like Hound Dog Taylor and J B Hutto (both slide)

For sheer breadth of talent, you would need to include Mike Bloomfield (slide, fingerstyle, electric, everything)

For tone that gives me nightmares, it would be Peter Green

If you have never seen them, see Lil Ed and the Blues Imperials. They are so great.

For the unknown wonder, Ron Thompson kick it up and down and then back up again with amazing boogie and slide.

Hi Guys,

Just wanna add one name that may come as some surprise: Billy Cross !

He's been living in Denmark for the last many years and is considered as a substantial part of the local rock & blues scene. Agreed, BC may not have broken through as a songwriter, but IMO he should credited as probably one of the the best cover guitar player.

His touch and feel is fantastic. Especially his slide guitar is incredible.

For those of you guys who may not know him, he was playing with Bob Dylan (Live at Budokan), Link Wray, Meat Loaf and debuted on the original "Hair".

My personal favourites is his past local band Delta Cross Band with covers of some the outmost classics.....

Cheers

JaDe