Great guitar players
 

We all have our favorites and who we consider the best. I have played off and on for close to 40 years. I am far from good but when playing regularly I can pull off an OK at best version of most players.

I just seen this today and there is no way in hell I could even imagine pulling off even an incredibly horrible version. This is seriously a thing of beauty. My only memory of Roy is from Hee Haw as a little kid. I had no idea he could play anything like this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxDQQDF6j0Y

Suzy Quatro
Eric Clapton

My most favorite: Robin Trower

None of this would be possible without Les Paul!

There are so very many superb guitar players it's hard to pick one, or even a few. That said, I think Jeff Beck has always been able to get just about everything that's available out of the instrument.

So many I admire. My favorites are Wes Montgomery and Eric Johnson.

Check out some other duels with Glen Campbell too. Another one who never really got the accolades for being so good, but then again, maybe we are too young to remember/know if they really did back in the day?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_kbgjsuCec

Ace Frehley.

That was a great link. Yes we are probably just too young to remember. Then again neither played a style of music I listened to. I remember back in the 3 channel days(70s here) having to watch Hee Haw and Lawrence Welk as a little kid so never listed to those types of music when I got older.

Country music is actually pretty good when you only listen to the guitar player.:)

That's the thing. There are so many different genres of music it is really hard for some people to pick out who is great and who isn't because they may have never heard of them before nor appreciate their style/talent?
Same goes for drummers, piano players, etc. If it is not your preferred genre of music, it might be really hard, unless you're a talented musician, to pick out who is really great and who isn't?
So many different styles, with some not appealing to others, but it still doesn't mean they aren't really good.
When I personally think of great guitar players, I think of Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai, Randy Rhodes, Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Michael/Rudolph Schenker and numerous other ones. If you had of posted your question without mentioning Roy Clark, I likely wouldn't have even thought about him even though he deserves just the same amount of accolades as many others.

Sister Rosetta Tharp.

I didn't know about her, but saw a video on facebook.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5weeyufMTXk


And, someone I never hear of in the "great guitar player" discussions, but who is famous anyway. George Harrison.
Back when I was trying to play, a friend got the guitar magazines with tab.ANd they had a beatles song or two one issue. Simple stuff right? NO, I looke dat he tab, tried to make my hand do what was needed for the chords. No dice, tried forcing my fingers into place with my other hand... Nope there was simply no way my hand could play that.
Went and watched a video, and yes that was what he was dong and making it look easy.

I'll let ya'll fight over #2.


Because #1 is a no brainer.....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZBlqcbpmxY



Let Jimi take over

Chet Atkins.

I've always been a Hendrix and Santana fan, with a strong nod to EC, but my favorite guitar solo of all is probably this one from Terry Kath, starting at about the three minute mark and lasting for 2:20 or so (the whole song is great):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uAUoz7jimg

Never heard of her either. Funny how that is but I'm sure racism, plus the age difference, obviously, has something to do with that?
Just recently heard this lady, Joanna Connor, and can she play. Not necessarily what I am into but their is no doubting her talent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWter1w4vWE


There is no denying Jimi for sure. Sad that he left us so young as I think what we heard was just a start.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_whI9m0SFys

Also a big Jimi fan. This is my favorite Hendrix song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpbBc30DbQw

I’ve always loved The Kinks. The Davies brothers aren’t looked at like Hendrix or anything but they wrote some really great songs, most of them easily identified from only a few notes.

Supposedly Jimi Hendrix said his two favorite guitarists were Terry Kath and Billy Gibbons.

Lots of great Jimi songs for sure. "All along the Watchtower" (Dylan song) and "Hey Joe" to just name a couple.

Another great band.
Always liked "Wish I could fly like Superman" and "Celluoid Heroes".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp_QkUVZGPc
Great live version here of Celluoid Heroes (Great guitar)
https://youtu.be/gSItDuo8Wss

I like Country too, Was raised on it myself along with Hee Haw.
Was recently just told about this song sung by Hardy. Never heard of him before until a couple weeks ago. Could have something to do with the Canada/U.S. thing as I've discovered before but who knows?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsMB0i5YTOc
Live version is really good too. From the CMA's this year which I didn't watch, unfortunately.
https://youtu.be/_V74Ppu61-c

Cards.

Great cards, Peter.

"Sometimes the greatest way to say something is to say nothing at all"

JT and Chris Stapleton. Excellent song!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MPbR6Cbwi4

This one is pretty tough to beat as well.
https://youtu.be/jZG82iqP06A

This thread would be a failure if we didn't include the other Jimmy. Pretty tough not to name him one of the greatest guitar players of all time, if not the greatest ever.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFZy4ot2O2g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbhCPt6PZIU

Alice Cooper was around all of them in the late 60’s and early 70’s and he said hands down Jeff Beck is the best.

this guy
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S33tWZqXhnk


It's like 3 guys playing. Watch the little trick at 3:18. Playing acoustic is much harder than electric also.

Forgot about Brian May.
This first list has him as number #1, but, like I'm posting here, every list I could find has different choices so it's just one of those things that will never ever be concluded.
https://www.guitarworld.com/features...ts-of-all-time
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/m...arists-153675/
https://www.culturasonora.es/en/blog...s-of-all-time/
https://www.thisisdig.com/feature/be...s-of-all-time/

Don't forget Roy Clark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xssnp7R51A

Along the lines of the recent thread about the most underrated ballplayers out there, I'd like to put forth Tony Iommi as one of the greatest, and most underrated, guitarists of all time. Arguably the Father, Grandfather, and Godfather of heavy metal, all rolled into one. He is the Mordecai Brown of rock guitarists, to tie things into our beloved hobby.

Quite honestly, with no Iommi, there likely would have never been an Ozzy Osbourne as we came to know him.

Fairies Wear Boots - Entire song, but especially starting at 2:40
Paranoid - 1:27
Turn Up the Night - 1:50 (Not that great of a song IMO, but they stuck it in this online article for some reason.)
Snowblind - 2:35 - 3:40 - and especially 4:40
Iron Man - 3:10 and again starting at about 4:40
War Pigs - 3:25 and then especially stating at about 5:26 through the end of the song

https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/tony-io...-guitar-solos/

And their entire debut album, titled Black Sabbath, is unreal and probably their most, and one of all of rock-n-roll's, most underrated albums of all-time. The rain, haunting church bells, and opening chords of the album's first and titular song, Black Sabbath, is to my thinking one of the greatest opening songs to ever launch an album and a band, and immediately let everyone know what they were all about. There really hadn't been anything like this before them. And if you like bass guitarists, listen to Geezer Butler on Bassically starting at about the 14:20 mark, which then rolls into N.I.B., one of Sabbath's best songs that no one really seems to know or ever talk about. At the 23:50 mark it goes into Sleeping Village/A Bit if Finger, which is well worth a listen. And then at 27:40 it morphs into the final song/movement of the album, Warning. You especially want to start listening to it at the 31:00 mark when Iommi takes over and it is basically his solo effort through the next 7 minutes to end the approximately 38 minute long album. Throughout the entire album you hear Iommi playing various styles and influences that aren't necessarily what you'd expect from a straight up, heavy metal, rock band. With the different styles and techniques used, I've always felt this album was more in line with, and deserved to be right up there with, the likes of the Beatles - Sgt. Peppers and the Beach Boys - Pet Sounds albums.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YztzNyDGcpc

And some honorable mentions I haven't heard brought up yet, Frank Zappa and Robert Fripp. I don't think any explanation is needed for either of them.

Thanks Dale, a few more.

Chester & Lester is a great album.

Clapton was once asked how it felt to be the greatest living guitarist. He said "I don't know, ask Prince."

It took this long to get to Ritchie Blackmore? Wow...

Guitarist
 

Since he hasn't been mentioned and is magnificent- Alex Lifeson

Trent King

PS- great call on Terry Kath

I don't have a dog in this fight as I have no music ability at all but I watched this one and Roy was absolutely amazing, the look of concentraton was a thing of beauty. I then watched the episode of him and Buck Trent in Dualing Banjo's. Even at this late age he was great!!

I don't know where I read it, could have been here, but supposedly Prince, due to his agoraphobia/anxiety disorder, never came out to rehearse once with these guys?
He just said let me know what day/time you plan on doing this and I'll be there.
The story goes, on the day of, when this song was getting underway, Prince just arrived, played his part/solo then immediately left afterwards without interacting with the rest of the band?
No doubt Prince could play, and should most definitely be in any argument about one of the best ever, as evidenced here.
https://youtu.be/6SFNW5F8K9Y

I mistook the thread for "underrated great guitar players" :o

Hendrix is my favorite, with Iommi being right up there.

But while we're at it, a few guitar players who didn't get famous for their guitar playing.
Geezer Butler - who uses a wha wah pedal as a bassist, part of his sound
Noel Redding
Paul Mc Cartney - who should maybe be thought of as someone that plays way too many instruments :)
Lemmy.
Greg Lake

Back at guitar,
Jon Butcher
Joe Satriani - who taught, and at has had lots of famous players as his students


With so much access today and so much ability to put oneself out there, it's amazing just how many really good guitar players there are.

Favorite - BB King

Close seconds (Can't number them, all too good)

• David Gilmour
• Frank Zappa
• Jimi Hendrix
• Stevie Ray Vaughan
• Prince

Believe it or not - Glen Campbell.

If you haven't seen the documentary: "I'll be Me". Please watch it. It documents Glen's progression and destruction from Alzheimer's. Toward the end he couldn't remember his wife's name, however, he could still play the guitar amazingly well. The doctor said he could do that because it required no thought on his part. It was a part of his nature and required absolutely no thought. Crazy!

Hell yeah, David Gilmour!! I'll also add Jerry Cantrell and Mike Campbell as Hall of Fame riffmongers.

I love me some Glenn Campbell. Superbly talented.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETkzK9pXMio

Derek Trucks has done some pretty magical things as well

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWmGH6eXZN8

And someone who I think is incredibly underrated, Prince

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWRCooFKk3c

Another one I forgot about who is incredibly talented too.

Not that it reflects his guitar play, other than maybe being extremely talented too, but he is also related to Virgil Trucks if you or others weren't aware of that?
"Trucks is the uncle of Southern rock pioneer Butch Trucks who is the co-founder of the Allman Brothers Band. He is the great-uncle of guitar virtuoso/ having a hot-wife virtuoso Derek Trucks.

https://mopupduty.com/virgil-trucks-bio/

How has Jimmy Page not appeared in a thread discussing guitar players?

Post #22, Peter. :)

Mark Knopfler is #1 for me. So powerful and evocative without being screaming loud and frantic. Similar to David Gilmour in that way but his own distinctive sound and style. Instantly recognizable. I'm also a huge fan of Brad Paisley who probably gets overlooked because of his lighthearted lyrics and the Country genre in general. And I recently saw a broadcast of a John Mayer concert, Atlanta 2022 maybe, and was both surprised and amazed. Man, that dude can play! I read somewhere that Eric Clapton has said of him: "He's a master, and he doesn’t even know how good he is."

Ah right you are Dale.

You already know the performance of his I'm going to link, so I'll let the video do the talking. Close to 11 minutes of musical talent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Pa9x9fZBtY

Yngwie J. Malmsteen

(if you know...you know)

Saw him live along with Triumph.

Which reminds me about Rik Emmett.

Did you see the Triumph documentary that was released this year?
It's a good watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_w05t6qpCY

A lot of interesting choices. Two of the popular picks I feel are terribly overrated, but I will leave that for another day.

You cannot say someone is the best of all time due to so many genres. Also playing loud and fast while acting like you are squeezing a watermelon out your butt does not mean you are great or even good.

Some of my choices:

Brian May
Carlos Santana
George Benson - especially his 1960's recordings on Verve
Paco de Lucia - one of the finest flamenco guitarists
Al DiMeola
Roy Clark - master of the guitar, banjo and fiddle
Glen Campbell - a musicians musician. There are always stories about bands asking other musicians to play on their recordings. One of the great stories of him is he would be in a recording studio working and he would ask bands if he could play with them. This was during the time when the musicians knew who he was, not when he was unknown.

Others to consider:

Sister Rosetta Tharpe - listen to her recording of "Didn't it Rain" which she first recorded in 1947/48. You can see where Chuck Berry, Duane Eddy, Carl Perkins and many others got their style.

Mother Maybelle Carter - mother in law of Johnny Cash. Known for her two finger style of playing. Picking the bass strings with her thumb while fingering the other strings.

Django Reinhardt - a Gypsy/Romani and probably the first European jazz star.

Peter Green - check out 'Hypnotized' by Fleetwood Mac

Steve Howe - rarely mentioned in this category, but a lot of his work on the early Yes albums is quite complex.

Alan Holdsworth - King Crimson and UK

Brian Setzer - re-popularized rockabilly with Stray Cats and his own band

Larry Carlton

Bonnie Raitt - mistress of the glass/bottle slide

Nancy Wilson

Robert Fripp - King Crimson. Ignoring the fact that he is a bit of a richardhead. I saw him perform a private Frippertronics show in NYC in 1981.

Jennifer Batten - mostly known as a sidewoman. Lead guitar Michael Jackson's Bad tour

Steve Cropper - Booker T and the MG's, Blues Brothers and hundreds of top 10 songs and albums. Stax session guitarist who also co-wrote "Knock on Wood", "In the Midnight Hour" "Soul Man" and "(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay".

Link Wray - the original grunge guitar player.

Johnny Ramone - most people dismiss punk guitar as 3 chords fast and loud. A lot of it was, but listen to the Ramones covers of songs like "California Sun", "Surfin' Bird" "Come on Let's Go" (w/Paley Bros) and "Little Bit of Soul"

Rick Derringer - I think he gets no respect. He has been performing for over 48 years. Starting with the McCoys to Edgar and Johnny Winter, Derringer and solo. He also played on quite a few other bands albums - Steely Dan ("Rikki Don't Lose That Number" is about him), Air Supply ("Making Love Out of Nothing at All" his favorite guitar solo), Bonnie Tyler ("Total Eclipse of the Heart"), Barbra Streisand, Todd Rundgren and Meatloaf. I also heard he played on at least one of the songs on "Kiss Alive II". Along with his rock albums he has also recorded blues and Christian albums.

I have been fortunate to have met a number of them (Santana, Benson, Cropper, Carlton, DiMeola, Howe, Holdsworth, Batten, Wray, Ramone and Derringer) and photographed many in concert as well (May, DiMeola, Howe, Holdsworth, Batten, Wray, Ramone and Derringer). I was fortunate enough to photograph Link Wray's last and only U.S. show of the year on October 14, 2000 at Clark University, Worcester, Mass. Most of the 70 or so people in attendance could have been his grandchildren and probably did not know who he was. He signed my rock book and I got his guitar pick after that show.

Attachment 548872

I love the blues/rock/country guitarist.
All the above are greats.
Grew up on Clapton & Stevie Ray Vaughn
I also add Joe Walsh (from the Eagles)
Johnny Lang
Kenny Wayne Shepherd
and the new kid --Marcus King

First, I'm adding a couple videos for you to enjoy to appreciate the instruments, not necessarily the guitars. Sorry it goes off track. This has been a great thread.

I listen almost solely to country music. I have heard with the passing of Glen Campbell, Vince Gill now holds the mantle of greatest country guitar player. Here is Chet Atkins requesting Gill play OKLAHOMA BORDERLINE. Guitar solo starts at 5:20.

https://youtu.be/Stv3ugVFZD8

Chris Stapleton (mentioned earlier with JT....I didn't know JT could play an instrument!) might compete with Eric Church as the best modern/mainstream country musician IMO who could fall under neo-country. Both Church and Stapleton could be outlaw country as well. There is a branch called bro-country and it makes me gag; Church has many bro-country friends. Lainey Wilson, mentioned earlier, is not played on my country station because she is considered too Pop (listeners are surveyed for likes and dislikes and she has not made the cut). Morgan Wallen also is never played.

Since you brought up Roy Clark and Hee Haw, you must watch ORANGE BLOSSOM SPECIAL. My wife plays the viola and she said what Clark does on the fiddle is fantastic.

https://youtu.be/zPmapd7htio

Another country / western musician is Michael Martin Murphy. His most famous song is WILDFIRE, but the instrument solos on CAROLINA IN THE PINES will bring a smile to your face. He started long ago in California with the Eagles and Jackson Browne. Murphy is considered a living legend in Western style music (not the same as country music).

https://youtu.be/c3J1J61VsYM

Finally, if you are from Tennessee, I salute you with ROCKY TOP. This is some fine picking from the Osborne Brothers.

https://youtu.be/_n9prNixjbg

Sent from my SM-G9900 using Tapatalk

this brought a big smile to my face. thanks for sharing!

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I'm biased to rock and roll I like, and I look at the overall body of work:

1. Jimmy Page: the alpha and omega of rock guitar for me.
2. Alex Lifeson: greased lightning on the fretboard. The solo on Working Man, just amazing.
3. Prince: see Clapton's comment above. What he could do in concert when he cut loose was just transcendent. So happy I got to see him.
4. Eddie Van Halen: Eruption. nuf ced.
5. Brian May: a unique sound that worked perfectly with Freddie Mercury's vocals
6. Rossington-Collins-Gaines: had to put them in together because they played as one at the apex of Skynyrd and it was brilliant.
7. Hendrix: would rate higher but died too young
8. Duane Allman: same as Hendrix
9. Angus Young-Malcolm Young: like the Skynyrd guys, they are inseparable to me.
10. Tom Scholz: because of his innovations. Nothing sounded quite like him. Boston is the greatest debut album I've ever heard.

I left off Clapton and Beck because i just don't like their stuff as much.

Kudos also for Johnny Ramone. How different and great was he? Watch other guys trying to play like him. They struggle.

For all I know he was mediocre technically, but for making it work in the context of a hit song, Chuck Berry.

This is phenomenal

https://youtu.be/zqUDWAt0XSE

Agree. For me, the reverse is true as well. There are a lot of technically great players who lack the ability (or willingness?) to project the 'emotion' of the song they are playing. And I personally prefer those that might be lacking in the technical skills but who are able to drive home the purpose of the song they are playing.

People rave about Prince and While My Guitar Gently Weeps at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (I think), but to me, pyrotechnics notwithstanding, his performance had nothing to do with the mood of the song. I agree with you completely, in a vacuum I could not care less about technical prowess.

Likewise, there are many great singers with not so great voices, and vice versa.

Buckethead, seriously.

I assume you're familiar with this song, Adam?
Written and sung by Steve Gaines.
I remember reading/hearing a story where Cassie, his sister, tried to get the band to hear him/take him on but they were hesitant.
They decided then the sound guy, during a concert, dubbed out the rest of the band and solely listened to Steve which he shared with the rest of the band after the fact. It was then, I believe, they let him join.
I'm always torn which is my favorite band, Skynyrd or Zeppelin?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQPqoe5mnbw
https://www.songfacts.com/facts/lyny...t-no-good-life

Took my oldest, then 13 year-old, son and a couple of his friends to Ozzfest in 1999. When Primus hit the main stage, I remember them getting all excited and shouting about Buckethead performing with the group. I honestly did not know who Buckethead was, but quickly found out why they got so excited. Brian Patrick Carroll (AKA Buckethead) is definitely an extremely underrated guitarist who appears to be relatively unknown to a large part of the public at large, despite his many collaborations and accomplishments over many years.

I'm a little surprised that no one as of yet has given any mention to the Motor City Madman, though his politics may have some part in that. As has already been mentioned, technical virtuosity alone does not always a great guitar player make. And politics aside, there is something to be said about listening to the likes of Ted Nugent playing live.

Also, only briefly mentioned so far, Steve Howe deserves a little more attention and credit in my book as well. Someone does not get voted as the "Best Overall Guitarist" by the likes of Guitar Player magazine five consecutive years in a row (1977-81), nor become the first rock guitar player inducted into the Guitar Player Hall of Fame, without being pretty darn good.

As maybe a tangent or aside to this thread, would be curious to hear which and how many of these various acclaimed guitarists many of you have had the pleasure to see and hear perform live. Records are one thing, live performances to me can truly separate the men from the boys.

I like listening to Def Leppard's Hysteria CD and the contrast between the guitarists. Especially on "Pour Some Sugar on Me." You have the technically perfect Phil Collen carrying the piece, but the spirit, personality, essence comes from Steve Clark, with his little bits that sometimes seemed out of tune. One provided the backbone while the other gave the song its emotion.

Julian Bream, Joe Pass, Eliot Fisk, Li Jei (check out her interpretation of Paganini's 24th Caprice on YouTube as a 13-year-old), Johnny Winter, George Van Eps, and Ted Greene because of his dedication to teaching guitar and that I knew personally in the late 70s as he was also a football card collector.

I also enjoy the music of Robert Fripp and Paul Dresher. My favorite in terms of rock would be Jimi Hendrix and the most fantastic guitar solo that plays through my head constantly is "I Heard Her Call My Name" by Lou Reed on the Velvet Underground's "White Light/White Heat."

I guess the best guitarist is the one whose playing is pleasing to a particular listener.

Phil aka Tere1071
A listener, not a player.

Two underrated guys who I haven’t seen mentioned yet are Robert Quine who was behind some of Lou Reed’s best sounds and Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze.
Fripp, May, Knopfler, Vai and Stevie Ray all rank up there with Hendrix and Prince in the top tier.

Chuck
 

As I said above, I couldn't care less how "good" he actually was. When you can generate joy like this, that's what matters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6swgiM9vSEE&t=0s

Another mention of Fripp. For those unaware, Fripp and his wife, Latoya Wilcox, have regularly throughout the pandemic been releasing their "Sunday Lunch" performance videos online for all to see and hear.

Some examples, including their Christmas 2022 release:

https://www.nme.com/news/music/toyah...-lunch-3371713

https://consequence.net/2022/11/robe...k-and-destroy/

https://www.goldradiouk.com/news/mus...-lunch-videos/

Toyah Willcox was originally a 'new wave' singer performing just as "Toyah'. I remember when she first started out in the late 70's early 80's. She had multiple hits in the U.K though she never caught on here in the States. She is also an actress, author and as they say over there 'tv presenter. I believe she may have had some health issues in the last decade or so.

Here's a terrific clip of Glenn playing the "William Tell Overture." There are even other Youtube clips of him playing a portion of this same composition while holding the guitar behind his head!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bhuxkzjuQc

With regard to #4 on your list, Eddie Van Halen was asked by Rolling Stone Magazine in the 1980s how it felt to be the world's greatest guitar player. His response was, "I don't know; ask
Phil Keaggy." Here are a couple of his solo cllips . . .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0T3to3DHLIE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aoDEMETXek

She looks like she's doing pretty good these days though, doesn't she?

Another unique guitarist was Glenn Branca.

How could I forget Elmore James and some of the members of the Wrecking Crew (Tommy Tedesco and Barney Kessel), which also included Glen Campbell?

Phil aka Tere1071
a listener, not a player

Slash and Eddy Van Halen

Chuck Berry and of course his greatest disciple and king of the riff Keith Richards!

I've heard that story before. I watched the LS documentary on Prime(?) a while ago.

Take a look at this one:

https://youtu.be/QxIWDmmqZzY

One of the greatest live performances I've ever seen on video. The guitarists played as one, with perfect synergy and pure rock and roll joyousness. And did they ever know how to close a song! I wish I'd been old enough to go to a show. Best comment in the comments section, referring to the numerous crowd pans of young ladies in various states of undress was "Our grandmas were hot." Our grandmas? More like our older sisters. Sic transit gloria mundi.

I always liked Michael Hedges. I saw him at The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano about a year before his death. Check out the video for Aerial Boundries. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaIN13aDbCc

That is a great clip. I had a few friends back in day who were lucky enough to see the original Skynyrd live in Gainesville Florida. (I believe it was Gainesville?) I forget who all opened for them or who also played during this festival but it was full of southern fried rock bands according to my friends. 38 Special, The Outlaws maybe?

Anyways, I'm curious if you ever heard/read about the story of Skynyrd opening for the Rolling Stones back in 76 at Knebworth?
According to the story, the crowd was rather bored, forlorn and sleepy, but that all changed when Skynyrd came on and woke them up.
All the bands had strict instructions from Mick not to go out on "The Tongue" but of course Ronnie, being the southern rebel he was, paid no attention to that during the playing of Freebird. :D (You can see him pushing Collins and Rossington out onto the tongue even though they are resisting because they knew the rule then he directs Gaines to come down as well)

The following acts, once Skynyrd were done their set, were afraid to follow Skynyrd because they knew it was a very tough, if not an impossible act to follow. They all let a major amount of time pass before they did decide but it didn't matter, according to the story, as no one came close to rocking the place like Lynyrd Skynyrd did, even the Rolling Stones, who played their longest set ever.
https://willhearn.com/2019/10/04/leg...-at-knebworth/
https://patch.com/new-jersey/ridgewo...ic-performance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vm7bkVxBXdA

I’ll second Alex Lifeson. Very underrated. This might be the best instrumental of all time. Check out the first guitar solo at 3:51.

https://youtu.be/eK1hmDpa8bo

Fantastic link and performance. Had the pleasure to see him play in the early 70's when Rush first started touring. Cleveland had a famous bar/band venue known as the Cleveland Agora. And they would regularly have what were called "Monday Night's Out" concerts with up-and-coming acts before they become too big and famous for such a small bar venue. They were usually co-sponsored by Cleveland's then-iconic, and considered at one-time America's #1 rock-n-roll radio station, WMMS, the "home of the buzzard"! Can still remember sitting with a high school buddy of mine on the top of a table, pushed up against the back wall, only about 40-50 feet from the stage, as he led into the opening chords/riff of "Working Man".

In fact, rather than just telling you about it, cursor down in this link and you can actually hear what I was hearing, and seeing, in person while sipping on a beer.

https://www.cleveland.com/life-and-c...d-agora-c.html

And the original, iconic Cleveland Agora Ballroom that was on East 24th Street, just a block north of Cleveland State University, did this type of concert virtually every Monday night. The 35 performances listed in this link are literally just a mere drop in the bucket. And I saw a few of them. Like the Kiss performance also on this list from April Fool's Day in 1974. Oddly enough, a friend from high school and I were sitting at a table drinking 3.2 piss-water beer about 15-20 feet from the stage for that one. And Kiss wasn't even the headliner, they were only the opening act. We were actually there to see Rory Gallagher.

In fact, Rory Gallagher is another very celebrated rock guitarist who was an inspiration and admired by many other musicians of the time. Very blues oriented, and very much a live performer. He almost became a Rolling Stone, and hung out and collaborated with the likes of Keith Richards and Jimmy Page. For example, he wrote the opening riff to "Start Me Up". He was at times referred to as "the greatest guitarist you've never heard of" due to his surprising lack of overall fame, and somewhat early death in 1995 at the age of only 47.

If you like acoustic guitar and blues, check out "As the Crow Flies". For more of a rock sound, check out "A Million Miles Away".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heD3siavZBg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3w0kQ74kZcw

Some interesting fact/tidbits. At the Kiss show, Kiss's finale was "Firehouse" (their first album had just come out and they didn't have any of their big hits yet), and they had some old-fashioned revolving red police/fire department lights going off during the finale, along with a smoke machine. Unfortunately, the Agora was not a regular theater type venue with a high, open ceiling over the stage. Was an old industrial building and really just one big room they built an elevated stage about 3-4 feet above the rest of the floor on. No curtains or anything like that. Kiss had their drum set on an elevated platform another couple of feet or so above the rest of the stage, and additionally on some kind of risers that pushed Peter Criss even higher up during the finale for a more dramatic effect I guess. He just barely made it to the end of the song before passing out from smoke inhalation, as the smoke had nowhere to really go and just accumulated against the low ceiling. He ended up having to be taken to the emergency room. At the Iggy Pop show, Bowie didn't really do anything other than stay in the background and play keyboard for Pop. He didn't want to take anything away from Iggy and his group. And though not on the top 35 list, after a friend and I saw The Babys with John Waite perform at the Agora one Monday night, we went to get coffee and something to eat at the nearby Swingo's Keg & Quarter restaurant, bar, and hotel. It was the place in Cleveland where pretty much all the rock groups and performers stayed when they came to perform in or around downtown Cleveland. Lo and behold, we end up in the booth right next to The Babys and Waite, My God, though a few years older than my friend and I, they acted like a bunch of ridiculous, immature, out of control, 3-year-olds with no parents around. I felt so bad for the waitress taking care of them. I think she would have clubbed each one of them if she could have gotten away with it. LOL But that was why people stayed at Swingo's back then.

I remember that show, and since then I have always thought Roy was the best Guitar player I ever heard.