Chuck Berry plays a show in St. Louis every week, either at Blueberry Hill or another venue. Every week pretty much. The guy is 83. Small venues, and they sell out every week.

He's still amazing.

You Be so lucky to be in St. Louie!

I'll let this stand on it's own

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Only went through the first page or two and can't believe that no one mentioned Roy Buchannon I guess it's all on the genre. I'm sure the four fiingered Diego Rheinhart (sp)was listed somewhere in here too. Will look at the each page when I have some down time. If not mentioned you don't guitar players.
Bill

Anybody mention Doc Whttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdUrg2Cqxdwatson yet?
Woops. How do i Get that to play on here?
This computer stuff baffles me.

Django Rheinhart:) But you're right, he has to be mentioned in any discussion of great guitarists. He only had the use of two fingers on his left hand and completely reinvented chord fingerings for himself. A must listen for any guitar player!

Tele players will swear by Roy Buchanan and Danny Gatton. There are LOTS of guitarists that could be on this list but haven't been mentioned yet. Depends on who/what you like.

Cheers

-e.

2 spring to mind

Jimi & Chuck

big up !

I don't know if I mentioned this somewhere else in this thread or not yet-

I used to play Jazz, played drums... one time Larry Coryell came to town.. Larry was one third of the great trio that was John Mclaughlin, Paco de Lucia, and himself. The man has played with everyone under the sun.

I ended up playing a few sets with him... it was was just amazing... the feel that you would get when the rhythm guys are just locked up... comping over his solos was so much fun. He'd throw a rhythm out there and I'd throw it back, and it was like everyone just knew what it was all going to sound like before it was played. That kinda talent just spreads to people when they play together.

I vote for Jerry Garcia (and he only had nine fingers)
Peter Frampton is also a favorite
Duane Allman

Frank Zappa..........

Sorry, still have to say Roy Buchannon. I cried when I read that he killed himself by hanging himself in a jail sell in Virginia after being busted for public intoxication in 1988. I was 43 then. Get a copy of the "Livestock" albumn you won't regret it.



YouTube - Roy Buchanan - Blues Shuffle (Instrumental)

YouTube - Roy Buchanan - Can I Change My Mind

Bill

buddy guy
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Buddy was and still is great. Back in the 60's he played with Muddy Waters along with another of my favorites Elvin Bishop best known for "Fooled Around and Fell in Love" but I liked him best when he was with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and then later on his own with "Traveling Shoes" which had one of the best verses (excepting Randy Neumann).............."These hard headed women dont' hear a word I said, gonna get me a baseball bat and standarize their head"..............the Video of Fooled Around is a good one:

youtube elvin bishop - Google Videos

youtube elvin bishop - Google Videos

Hey Willy

With all the guys you've cited, you must dig Michael Bloomfield..?

Regards

-e.

+1 Michael Bloomfield
.
Hon. mention: Leo Kottke, John Fahey, & Miss. John Hurt.
My three favs.

this guy has totally not gotten enough respect in this thread. He's my favorite:
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Bloomfield was great and if he had lived beyond 1971 I'm sure would have been near the top of the list. Most folks think you have to be black to really play the Blues but there were a lot of white blues guitarists who IMHO could really rock the house dowm. Quite a few have already been mentioned - Clapton, Hendrix, Page, etc and a few who haven't. I particulary like the British Blues Bands from the 60's. I had the good fortune of living in Europe from age 17 - 20 and saw many great bands at clubs in Frankfort, Munich, Heidelberg, Amsterdamn and London (I was an AirForce Brat) as well as going to LeMans 3 times and hitchiking to most of the Gran Prix cicuits in the summer and ski bumming during the winter. One of my favorite bands back then was Chicken Shack - doubt many know what band it spawned and who the lead singer was. Unffortunately my great lifestyle ended in 66 when I was selected to serve by the Selective Service Administration.

YouTube - Christine Perfect with her Chicken Shack -Mean Old World

Favorite of All Time No but....
 

If you are not one of the 65 million that have already watched this piece on Youtube...take a look....he's good for an amateur sitting in his bedroom playing a"classical" piece...


YouTube - guitar

Not sure if you mean his playing died in '71, because he actually OD's in 1981. I saw him at a small hall in San Diego in 1980. He was kind of a shell of his former self, but he could still play. I still have some Bloomfield/Kooper albums on vinyl in the garage.

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how about this guy?

Talented, but...
 

I think we'd need to hear a lot more of this guy before proclaiming him "Best Ever".

For me, it's not what you can do as much as "what do you have to say?".

-e.

Your right nostatic. I'm a 3 finger typist and hot the 7 instead of the 8. Super Session is one of my all time favorite albums. Did anyone connect Christine Perfect?

Bill

Not the best guitarists in the world but the concept of taking street musicians from all around the world and dubbing them all together sends chills down my back in their rendition of "Stand By Me"

YouTube - Stand By Me | Playing For Change | Song Around the World

Then they threw in a couple of pro's including Bono and a really wild man guitarist from Israel named David Broza in a rendition od Bob Marley's "War". hmmm wonder why Bob never got mentioned, he put out some great stuff -"No Woman No Cry" recorded in London is fantastic. Another guy who passed on way too early.

YouTube - War/No More Trouble | Playing for Change | Song Around The World

Joey Santiago is pretty handy, under rated and no stunt guitarist....<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5mvn0U4lS24&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5mvn0U4lS24&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>

Anyone mention Brian Setzer?
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Did anyone mention Stevie?
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Clapton...BB king.....Hell there is not BEST Guitar player! No such thing!
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I'll second that but too many different styles to pick a "Best of All Time". I like Steve Howe of ASIA and YES!

Feff

I always liked this guy
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Fantastic. Thanks.

I vote Steve Vai.

Saw Tommy Emmanuel recently. While I wouldn't say he is the best ever, he sure gives a great one man show.

(Steve Howe is still having a lot of fun too, but it makes me feel old to see them lay down carpet for him on stage)

How many of these players could play a show independently (no backing anything, or rhythm anything) for 2.5 hours and still have a full sound?

Bryan Sutton and Tony Rice

Yep... if you have cancer put down the doobie and go to the doctor!

Steve Vai
Joe Satriani
Paul Gilbert
Steve Morse
John Petrucci
Eric Johnson

Those guys are some of the best ever and it's pretty easy to make a case for any one of them.

Typical of PPOT "who's the best ____" or "what's the best ____" threads, this one has long since devolved into a contest to see who can name the most obscure, yet relatively decent, guitarist.

That's called so-fist-ication ;)

There is this dude in the Kyrgyzstan, you fly to Kabul, take a bus to Duashanbe, a car to Kanibadam.

and there...

on the corner is a coffee shop....

Where the greatest guitar player ever plays.

His name is Bob.

Bob's 13 year old nephew is a better pure guitarist, IMHO ;)