Guitarists From The United States

"A cold shoulder at closing time, You were bеggin' me to stay 'til the sun rose. Strangе words come on out Of a grown man's mouth when his mind's broke. Pictures and passin' time, You only smile like that when you're drinkin'. I wish I didn't, but I do Remember every moment on the nights with you."

"I'm cuttin' ties with things that bind my heart to this world. I love you and I'm willin' but I cannot keep you, girl. Philly by the morning and Ohio by the night, The thing about a long rope is you can't hold on too tight.Wooden floors and coffee cups, Stepped on and all used up. But I reckon that's what mornings are for. And everyone thinks they know me now In these close-minded leave-me towns, But I'm too young to even know myself."

"We won’t know the full impact of a band like Avenged Sevenfold and a player like Synyster Gates for several years, but this is a band that moves the needle with young people in a way most of the players on the list just don’t have the ability to do. No other band on Rock radio is as unafraid as A7X to flex their chops. They helped open doors that huge gateway bands like Black Veil Brides and Asking Alexandria continue to expand. They are one of the biggest metal bands around the globe, and their image may turn you off, but Synyster is a world-class musician who has trained in Classical and Jazz. His style is somewhere between other list selections John Petrucci, Slash, and Marty Friedman, but he does have a special commodity that is truly his own. Slash inspired me to pick up a guitar, and without a doubt, thousands of kids decide to pick one up everyday because of Avenged Sevenfold and Synyster Gates. That should be commended and respected."

"Them doctors and nurses... They couldn't hold me in!"

"A haven woven with warm colors A woolen place to rest your head And a light comes in Forms and binds you To mold and carry you this long way to go"

"I was gonna clean my room, until I got high I was gonna get up and find the broom, but then I got high My room is still messed up, and I know why: 'Cause I got high, because I got high, because I got high."

"The warrant said narcotics and kidnapping The warrant said narcotics and kidnapping Are you kidding? I make my money rapping Why does the warrant say narcotics — well, I know narcotics. But why kidnapping?"

"Another member of the "A-Team," Hank Garland ranks right up there in the list of prolific Nashville studio players. Tragically, Garland was in a horrific car accident in 1961 and sustained injuries that robbed him of most of his playing skill. While the incident effectively ended his recording career at the age of 31, his influence on countless players since continues to this day."

"While players like Travis and Maphis certainly had a definitive style, Grady Martin—considered by many of his peers to be the finest Nashville guitarist of his day—was defined by his versatility. [...] He was an arranger and producer, and, according to some, deserves a similar standing to Chet Atkins as one of the key forces in the development of the Nashville Sound."

"[Rhodes left] behind a legacy as one of Nashville's most influential players."

"It tells you everything you need to know about Stephen Stills that even Hendrix rated him highly. Stills was a guitarist’s guitarist in the era of greats, so it’s no surprise that when he transitioned from rock to folk he became a genre-hopping pioneer. His acoustic wrangling is a fine reflection of the man: fiery, idiosyncratic, and all up front. He wields his guitar like a tommy gun and rattles off rock-infused folk licks and open-tuned melodic rhapsodies for fun. About as dynamic an acoustic player as you’ll ever see."

"As one of the most respected and consistent country artists of all time, Strait ranks right up there with Cash and Haggard. His list of awards is staggering and stretches from the mid 1980s all the way to 2015."

"Merle Travis easily ranks as one of the most influential guitarists of the 20th century. For proof of this claim, just look to "Travis picking"—a style he took from Western Kentucky to the radio mainstream—which has become one of the most commonly used picking techniques across the whole guitar-playing world."

"Wielding an instantly recognizable Mosrite double-neck, Maphis dazzled audiences with tunes like "Flying Fingers" that showcased his prodigious fingerboard dexterity. While not as famous as Chet Atkins, Maphis was still a widely known musical personality in the '50s, owing to his presence on a television broadcast called Town Hall Party. Performing with his wife Rose and a rotating lineup of musicians and special guests, Maphis' guitar trickery was an inspiration to a generation of young country pickers."

"Taking in folk, bluegrass, jazz and blues, Kottke’s driving, ringing 12-string playing is instantly recognisable and one of a kind. Restlessly creative and in possession of a truly singular voice and vision, Kottke’s cult status as a 12-string superhero remains as strong as ever."

"As the co-host of Hee Haw and a mainstay on broadcast television for years, Roy Clark was an extremely visible ambassador of country music in the '60s and '70s. And while many know Clark for his TV work first, that shouldn't diminish his very real abilities as a guitarist."

"When Tritt came along, he quickly became Waylon Jennings’ favorite new artist. Is there a bigger compliment?"

"[Campbell's] impact as a guitar player, musician, and singer transcended genre categorization. That said, for many, he's considered a country star first and foremost, and one that was a bonafide master of the 6-string."

"To any new country fans who think Chris Stapleton is forging new ground by bringing that much soul into country music … where have y’all been?"

"[Campbell] has a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and earned crossover success on the adult contemporary charts, which is no easy task for a country singer. His hits during the 1960s and 1970s earned him status a pop culture fixture."

"[Glen Campbell is] considered one of the finest guitar players to ever front a country band."

"Nobody could have put voice to those great Jimmy Webb-penned tunes like the Rhinestone Cowboy."

"Way ahead of his time, and the forerunner of every top-tapping, open-tuning, harmonic-loving acoustic warrior out there, Michael Hedges was a trailblazer. Close your eyes and you could be listening to three guitarists. Open them, and it’s just Hedges, dancing his way across the fretboard, breaking boundaries for fun. A great talent taken far too soon."

"Bill [Monroe], in some ways, he was very inarticulate about his feelings. In other ways, he was very profound about his feelings. And when you got him into a certain mood where he was being more introspective, he really could be very profound, I felt."

"The first woman to be featured on the cover of Flatpicking Guitar Magazine, Frazier’s talent as a guitarist is much respected in bluegrass circles."

"Gill says that, after leaving home as a young man, he spent his entire savings on a single guitar. One thing is for certain: It was in good hands. He’s one of the best in the business."

"I think we have, just like in society, a way to go for everybody to be recognized equally. [...] But I think women have learned business and honed their craft. They’re great musicians. I think that’s been a very important point for women growing in bluegrass.” For Bradley, Emmylou Harris was one of her first inspirations in music. “When Emmylou came out with ‘Roses in the Snow,’ I was a teenager and that absolutely, that was just it, that was the first real representation of the female artist making one of the best records that ever been in bluegrass, acoustic and roots music."

"Born and raised in the coalfields of Appalachia, Dale Ann Bradley today is one of the most respected bluegrass vocalists, with five IBMA Vocalist of the Year Awards under her belt. She’s got the kind of hard twang of the best Appalachian bluegrass singers, and she’s always one with a kind word and helping hand for new musicians."

"Today, the artistry of George Barnes isn't well-known outside of a small circle of jazz guitarists and aficionados. But his influence runs through the history of electric jazz guitar. Some claim he was the first jazz artist to record with an electric guitar. Barnes was also one of the first guitarists to use the instrument as the only melody instrument in a small group format, accompanied by a rhythm section of bass, drums and rhythm guitar."

"Sure, Gill earned initial acclaim for his work with Pure Prairie League in the late 1970s, but when he went out on his own, the Oklahoma native achieved truly tremendous success. Among his many prodigious musical talents—singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, et al.—Vince Gill can play a Telecaster just about any way there is to play one. With his compressed, snappy tone, he’s a master of country Tele techniques and is at home in seemingly any genre, be it traditional country, bluegrass, R&B, country rock and much more."

"Impeccable rhythm, effortless touch, timeless melodies - Andy McKee is not a man that has any trouble wrenching a beat from a wooden box while lacing spectacularly complex patterns over the top. Technically flawless and with an ear for soaring melodies, McKee’s playing is not necessarily about speed or flash, but rather intent and feeling. His guitar tapping, harmonic pinging, open-tuned goodness has influenced an entire generation of acoustic-wielding troubadours, and for that we are eternally thankful."

"Much of the session work [Atkins] recorded and/or produced in Nashville with artists like Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison and the Everly Brothers laid the foundation for early rock and roll."

"The original and, many would argue, the best. Robert Johnson, bluesman of fabled lore, with his unearthly tone and his deal with the devil, is barely even a real person any more. If it weren’t for the few scant, scratchy recordings we have of him, it’d be easy to let the myth overshadow the man. But those recordings, beamed in from another age, are raw proof of a talent that defies explanation. He did things with his fingers that people are still trying to figure out, and wrote songs that live on in the DNA of all popular music. His legacy, like some Mississippi Van Gogh, far outstrips his lifetime achievements, and he will forever remain the demon king of the delta blues."

"First arriving in Nashville as part of an early '50s incarnation of the Carter Family, Atkins rose to the very apex of the Nashville music scene, helping to architect the "Nashville Sound" as a producer and executive, while recording a large discography of his own guitar work."

"Every solo he plays, however brief, says something, with a captivating mixture of supple technique, bluesy authority and endless invention. You feel that his effortless flow of chromatic sophistication, twangy asides and visceral swing was constantly on tap."

"Though comfortable playing many styles, Atkins was most often associated with country music and the acoustic guitar. [...] A guitar legend, Atkins was elected to the Country Music Hal of Fame in 1973. His musical contributions inspired artists ranging from Eric Johnson to the late Lenny Breau."

"Les Paul's influence on electric guitar (and on recorded music in general) is inestimable. Not only was he a groundbreaking player, but he was also a visionary. [...] Today, "Lover" might sound like little more than a charming novelty, but when Paul was recording it, he was working his way toward studio recording techniques that are still in use."

"Dale had a super underrated drum sound, whether that was live or recorded — he was second to none."

"While Ray Brown could swing heavy with bebop pioneers like Dizzy Gillespie, he's probably best known for part in pianist Oscar Peterson's trio from 1951-1966. Brown's buoyant playing seemed to match Peterson's relaxed attack on the piano. The bassist, who was briefly married to Ella Fitzgerald, backed up the singer, as well as countless other jazz luminaries until he passed away at the age of 75 in 2002. Brown released dozens of discs under his own name from the mid '40s to the early 2000s."

"For all his renown as the creator of modern-jazz guitar, Charlie Christian was a country boy. Steeped in the rich musical traditions of the American Southwest, he began to play almost as soon as he could walk, guiding his blind, guitarist father around Oklahoma City and entertaining with the family band. In his early teens, an encounter with tenor saxophonist Lester Young inspired him to cultivate single-note lines in the manner of a horn, rather than the guitar’s customary strumming. A crucial technological boost to Christian’s pioneering style was the development of amplification in the 1930s. By 1937, he was using an electric guitar and word of his extraordinary ability began to spread far beyond the local scene, leading to an invitation to audition for the King of Swing, Benny Goodman, in 1939. Despite an unfortunate first impression – Charlie appeared in a bright green suit with a purple shirt, yellow shoes and a ten-gallon hat – the new Benny Goodman Sextet came into being there and then. Jazz guitar would never be the same again."

"What can I say about Joey that hasn’t already been said? He reinvented metal drumming for the modern era and brought with him an energy that I have yet to see anyone match, ever. Like someone threw a drum set down a stairwell and it magically sounded good as fuck. His style was so unique, you just know exactly when you are listening to him play. Nothing makes me wanna run through some drywall more than Joey’s drumming. RIP to another goat."

"Robert Johnson is the greatest blues guitarist of all time and one of rock’s founding fathers from the pre-World War II Delta blues era. [...] The first guitar hero, Johnson had the attitude to go with the chops. His tragic death in 1938 at the age of 27 has made him an icon for those who also mourn Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison."

"Kaye’s stellar professional music career began with the sounds of jazz and big band before becoming one of the most sought-after pop/rock session bassists and guitarists, beginning in the late 1950s. During a career that covered over a half-century, Kaye’s bass work was featured alongside music giants like Phil Spector, Brian Wilson, and Quincy Jones. A long-time teacher of the electric bass, Kaye played on Nancy Sinatra’s classic "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" and contributed to the famed Mission: Impossible theme. How's that for a legacy?"

"Chet Atkins was the man. Beloved of the generation of guitarists that went on to be the generation of the ‘60s, Chet was the titan of country music whose flatpickin’, acoustic-ripping playing would give anyone pause to stop, listen and admire. Responsible for creating the Nashville sound and bringing country into pop, as a guitarist his influence was felt far and wide. Solid as a rock, technically perfect, and an all-time great without compare."

"Christian wasn't the first jazz guitarist to use amplification (Eddie Durham, for one, beat him to it), but he brought the electric guitar into focus with his immense talent. Along with making the guitar a viable instrument in Goodman's style of swing, Christian was also a forerunner in the establishment of the musical language of bebop."

"John Coltrane once said, "Paul Chambers was one of the greatest bass players in jazz. His playing is beyond what I could say about it." Chambers played a vital role in both the Prestige recordings of Coltrane, as well as a part of Miles Davis's first great quintet, appearing on the 1959 landmark album, Kind of Blue. Chambers, who died at the age of 33, also released some fine recordings as a leader, namely Whims of Chambers and Bass on Top."

"I started playing bluegrass music at such an early age that it never really dawned on me that I was the only female around at times. I think that was one of the reasons that I fell in love with Alison Krauss so early on. I was nine years old when I got my first Alison Krauss recording and she really became a big hero to me. I remember getting my first Rhonda Vincent album, too. I didn’t know anything about her music, yet, but I thought it was so cool to see a woman holding a mandolin on the album cover. I remember being about nine or 10 and thinking, ‘that will be me someday—a woman mandolin player!"

"When I was growing up people would always say, and it was meant in the kindest possible way, ‘You’re really good for a girl,’ because there weren’t a lot of girls or women playing. Out of this small pond of people, it was surprising to them. In my opinion, you’d have to be pretty unworldly to make a comment like that anymore. Nobody had the success that Alison Krauss had. So, when that happened, I think it started to make it difficult for people to look at women in bluegrass as some kind of exceptional thing. Here was a woman who really blew out the boundaries for the music and really expanded the potential for the music and brought in new listeners."

"If we’d like to be honest about gender in the music world, we need to address all parties. Women need to invest in themselves, hustle for gigs, network, and do the work of forming bands and cultivating their own talents if they would like to be taken seriously. The industry pretty much always rewards women who do these things. I’m not interested in any special handout just for being a woman. But on the other hand, if a woman is doing these things, yet she’s told ‘We already have enough women on the bill, so we’ll call you next year’—now that’s an issue. No one says to a male artist, ‘We already have enough men on the bill!’"

"With his phenomenal ear, Wes quickly grew beyond his influences and developed a style all his own. His knack for melody, groundbreaking use of octaves in a soloing context and intricate chord solos—as demonstrated in his devastating interpretations of standards like “Round Midnight” and “Days of Wine and Roses”—broadened the range of guitar, pushing the instrument into unchartered territory."