John McLaughlin

John McLaughlin of Doncaster, England, is a key figure in the development of “fusion” music. He won the Grammy Award for Best Improvised Jazz Solo in 2018. John also had an impressive list of artists with whom he had collaborated at one point or another. While being on this list is hardly a reason to rub shoulders with rock royalty, there aren’t many guitarists who can claim to have shared the stage with Miles Davis. McLaughlin played on Miles’ most famous album, Bitches Brew.

John McLaughlin

Steve Morse

Steve Morse is the founder of the Dixie Dregs and the lead guitarist for Deep Purple since 1994. Morse was born and raised in Ypsilanti, Michigan. In 1986, Steve Morse joined the famous rock band Kansas as the lead guitarist. The albums Power and In The Spirit of Things were released while he was a member of the band. Although he is now a member of the Flying Colors supergroup, Morse claims that when he was with Deep Purple, his bandmates forced him to ride in a particular vehicle because he would continuously play guitar as they went from gig to gig.

Steve Morse

Peter Green

Peter Green was a co-founder of Fleetwood Mac and was born in London, England. Mr. John Mayall, the British blues godfather, hired him in 1965, a man who found more than a few guitarists on this list, and his career took off. In reality, the guitarist in John Mayall’s band who Peter Green replaced was none other than Eric Clapton, who, as you might expect, was further down the list.

Peter Green

Robin Trower

Trower grew up in Southend-on-Sea, Essex. Due to his Jimi Hendrix-like skills and his alleged capacity to bend notes better than any other player alive, he was considered one of the very best guitar players in his day. However, when he was a member of the famous band Procol Harum in the 1960s, his guitar playing became even more popular. The album Bridge of Sighs, released in 1974, is widely regarded as Trower’s pinnacle achievement. In the 1980s, Trower formed a band with Jack Bruce, the bass player for Cream.

Robin Trower

Tom Morello

Tom Morello was born and raised in Libertyville, Illinois. Before becoming a rock god, he attended Harvard University and received a BA in Social Studies. In the 1990s, Morello met Zack de la Rocha. They later formed perhaps one of the most successful and influential rock bands of the 1990s, Rage Against the Machine. Rage Against the Machine performed outside the Staples Center Convention Center in Los Angeles in 2000, which was hosting the Democratic National Convention. As the show progressed, the audience became increasingly enraged and violent, eventually resorting to throwing rocks at one point.

Tom Morello

Paul Gilbert

Gilbert was born and raised in Carbondale, Illinois. In fast guitar playing, he is best known for his speed and stylistic versatility. Gilbert was called to fill in as a guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne, the legendary metal-monster when he was just 15 years old in the early 1980s. At the time, Ozzy’s manager and producer were adamant about not bringing in a child to play guitar for a man who had previously led Black Sabbath. It wasn’t over, though, until Ozzy’s producer heard Gilbert perform. Gilbert relocated across the country and joined the band soon after. Most guitarists on this list would never be able to combine speed picking with legato and Spanish guitar techniques in the same way that he does.

Paul Gilbert

Malcolm Young

Malcolm Young was born in Sydney, Australia, and at the age of 20, he and his brother Angus co-founded Australia’s biggest rock band, AC/DC. Malcolm continued to play rhythm guitar while Angus took the lead. According to legend, they chose the name AC/DC after seeing the letters on the top of their older sister Margaret’s sewing machine. By the late 70s, Malcolm and his band were touring Europe with the band Black Sabbath. It was said that they didn’t get along with Black Sabbath very well.  According to one story, when things got heated, Sabbath guitarist Geezer Butler pulled out a knife on Malcolm.

Malcolm Young

George Harrison

Another great artist was a forerunner to his time. This founding member of the Beatles died in 2001 at the age of 58 from throat cancer, which he attributed to years of smoking. Harrison was the first Billboard Century Award winner in 1992. Signifying Harrison’s “critical role in laying the groundwork for the modern concept of world music.”

George Harrison

Michael Schenker

Michael Schenker, the legendary guitarist, was born in the small town of Sarstedt, West Germany, in January 1955. He was dubbed “a legendary figure the history of metal guitar.” The German guitarist was also a founding member of the Scorpions, a rock band. In the mid-’70s, he and his brother, Rudolf Schenker, formed the UFO band. Overall, Schenker has left and rejoined the UFO band at least three times and has written a song after each reunion.

Michael Schenker

Duane Allman

Howard Duane Allman was the founder and leader of the Allman Brothers Band, a band that allowed him to play with his brother, Gregg Allman. Duane was tragically killed in a motorcycle crash that smashed his internal organs. He was only 24 years old when he was dead. He was well-known for his expressive slide guitar playing and improvisational ability on the instrument. “Live at the Fillmore East” by the Allman Brothers is widely regarded as one of the best live rock albums ever recorded.

Duane Allman

Paul Kossoff

Paul Kossoff was a guitarist who was in high demand because of his uncanny timing and complex ability to solo. He was a member of the famous band “Free” and was in high demand as a guitarist because of his uncanny timing and complex ability to solo. Unfortunately, Kossoff started to use drugs when he was 15 years old. He died of a pulmonary embolism on a flight from Los Angeles to New York on March 19, 1976. He was only 25 years old when he was passed away.

Paul Kossoff

Keith Richards

Keith Richards, arguably the best rhythm player in history and one-half of the “Glimmer Twins,” is a co-founder of the Rolling Stones with his partner Mick Jagger. Richards was dubbed the creator of “rock’s greatest single body of riffs” on guitar by Rolling Stone magazine in 2011. Richards was also the inspiration for Johnny Depp’s character, Pirate Captain Jack Sparrow, in the Pirates of the Caribbean films. This is what sets him apart from everyone else you’ve met.

Keith Richards

Billy Gibbons

Billy Gibbons, 70, is the lead guitarist and lead singer of ZZ Top, in case his beard didn’t give it away. Early in his career, Gibbons founded The Moving Sidewalks, which served as an opening act for The Jimi Hendrix Experience, allowing him to become close friends with Jimi. Billy Gibbons’ genius is undoubtedly responsible for ZZ Top’s Texas blues boogie sound, which is now selling out concerts all over the world.

Billy Gibbons

Joe Bonamassa

Here’s why Joe is on this list. Joe Bonamassa famously opened for B.B. King when he was just 12 years old. B.B. King said that when he first started playing, the audience fell silent for a moment as they realized it was the child who was making those sounds. However, once the truth was revealed, the audience went insane, and Bonamassa has been performing in front of large crowds ever since.

Joe Bonamassa

Mick Taylor

Mick Taylor, another product of John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers school of producing rock guitar gods, was the blues virtuoso Mayhall had been looking for. Taylor continued to perform with The Rolling Stones until 1974, demonstrating that he was a mix of Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. Slash, the guitarist for Guns N’ Roses, has stated that Taylor had the most influence on him as an artist.

Mick Taylor

Dave Mustaine

Dave Mustaine was Metallica’s first lead guitarist. He was born in the city of La Mesa, California. Mustaine was fired from Metallica on April 11, 1983, due to his alcoholism, substance addiction, violence, and feuds with James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich’s founding members. Despite this, he achieved great success in his career as a result of the band he founded, “Megadeth.” He is known in his band for both singing and playing fast, amazing lead lines. Isn’t he incredible?!

Dave Mustaine

James Hetfield

Here’s James Hetfield, speaking of James Hetfield! Hetfield is a guitar monster who hails from Downey, California. Hetfield is credited with inventing the sound of ‘speed metal,’ as well as instilling in the music industry an unrivaled spirit of rage. Hetfield went to rehab for substance abuse in 2001. He’s been residing in Vail, Colorado, since then.

James Hetfield

Pete Townshend

Townshend co-founded The Who, one of the most influential rock bands of all time. He wrote in his biography about growing up in London shortly after WWII, “I wasn’t trying to play beautiful music. I was confronting my audience with the awful, visceral sound of what we all knew was the single absolute of our frail existence—one day, an airplane would carry the bomb that would destroy us all in a flash. It could happen at any time.”

Pete Townshend

Kirk Hammett

Kirk Hammett, a member of Metallica, was recruited when he was 16 years old as a replacement for Dave Mustaine, Metallica’s previous guitarist. After frontman James Hetfield approached Hammett, his parents put him on a plane to New York to meet with the band. The band was not impressed by the kid as he walked into the venue, but they hired him on the spot as soon as he nailed the solo for the hit “Seek and Destroy.”

Kirk Hammett

Chuck Berry

Chuck Berry, a Rock and Roll pioneer, was born in 1926. In 2017, he passed away at the age of 90. “Berry contributed three things to rock music: an irresistible swagger, a focus on the guitar riff as the primary melodic element, and an emphasis on songwriting as storytelling.” Joe Lynch wrote. There is no doubt that today’s rock music would not be what it is today if it weren’t for Chuck Berry.

Chuck Berry

Steve Howe

Howe is the lead guitarist for the progressive rock band Yes. After leaving The Velvet Underground, Howe was the lead guitarist on Lou Reed’s first solo album, further cementing his reputation. Howe had a successful solo career after leaving Yes. He was enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.

Steve Howe

Rory Gallagher

Rory Gallagher was a blues and rock star who was born in Ireland. His albums have sold more than 30 million copies around the world. Gallagher died tragically on June 14, 1995, at the age of 47, from a failing liver caused by alcohol, narcotics, and an MRSA infection. Because of how well he plays the blues, he has influenced a lot of blues guitarists.

Rory Gallagher

Zakk Wylde

Zakk Wylde began his musical career as a member and lead guitarist of the small band Stone Henge. He eventually auditioned for and was hired as Ozzy Osbourne’s lead guitarist, a position he held for a long time. He’s also a member of the Black Label Society heavy metal band, where he sings lead. Wylde is well-known due to his undeniable stage presence. Ozzy used to say that it was difficult to get the crowd’s attention to him when Wylde was on stage.

Zakk Wylde

Frank Zappa

Frank Zappa, who died of lung cancer in 1993, was a master of nonconforming free-form improvisation. Zappa was a prolific artist, releasing more than 60 albums with his band, Mothers of Invention, and as a solo artist. Zappa is a self-taught guitarist who is regarded as one of the most influential guitarists of the new era. In his later years, Zappa led orchestras and recorded jazz and classical music albums.

Frank Zappa

Yngwie Malmsteen

Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck, better known as Yngwie Malmsteen, was born in 1963 and rose to fame in the 1980s for his neoclassical metal style. With 20 studio albums under his belt, Yngwie Malmsteen remains one of the most prolific artists working today. In 2018, he signed with Mascot Records and is showing no signs of slowing down!

Yngwie Malmsteen

John Petrucci

John Petrucci, who was born in 1967, is best known for his work with Dream Theater, of which he was a founding member. Every “Top Guitarist” article and post in magazines on the internet will include Petrucci’s name. He is best known for his ability to incorporate classical and jazz phrasings into rock chord progressions, resulting in a sound unlike anything else in the rock world today.

John Petrucci

Prince

You might not think of the late musician Prince as a shredder, but his guitar playing could make anyone’s jaw drop. Prince was known for his ability to master various musical styles, including disco, punk, R&B, new wave, soul, pop, and psychedelic. Prince is one of the best-selling musicians of all time, with more than 130 million albums sold by his adoring fans.

Prince

Synyster Gates

Synyster Gates is the lead guitarist for the band Avenged Sevenfold. Total Guitar named him the Best Metal Guitarist in the World in 2016 and 2017. He’s a big jazz fan, and Django Reinhardt, the legendary gypsy guitarist, is one of his biggest influences. He also mentions Danny Elfman, the frontman for Oingo Boingo, as someone he admires. His brother-in-law, M. Shadow, is the lead singer of Avenged Sevenfold.

Synyster Gates

Carlos Santana

Carlos Santana was born in the Mexican state of Jalisco. He walked onto the Woodstock stage, virtually unknown, and blew the audience away. His band Santana rose to prominence in the 1960s and 1970s, pioneering a fusion of rock and roll and Latin American jazz. He won a Grammy, a Billboard Century Award, and numerous other accolades.

Carlos Santana

Angus Young

Angus Young is another member of AC/DC. His active appearances, schoolboy-uniform outfits, and take on Chuck Berry’s duckwalk have made him famous. Young is 65 years old, and his playing style is heavily influenced by blues, power chords, and Scottish folk music. His ability to play one-handed arpeggios is shining well in his solos!

Angus Young

Dimebag Darrell

Dimebag Darrell of Damageplan has never had formal guitar lessons, but his style is legendary. He used the major third to add dissonance to his minor key tonalities in his riffs and leads. He had incredible picking ability as well but preferred legato phrasing. On December 8, 2004, during a Damageplan concert at the Alrosa nightclub in Ohio, something terrible happened. A deranged fan jumped onto the stage during the first set and shot Dimebag Darrell several times. The guitar legend was pronounced dead on the scene. He was only 38 years old when he died.

Dimebag Darrell

B.B. King

B.B. King, who was born in 1925, was the first to introduce a sophisticated guitar solo style to the world. He pioneered new techniques for electric blues by using string bending and vibrato. B.B. (short for Blues Boy) was the undisputed “King” of the blues guitar. He was a lifetime friend of the blues and one of the greats of all time. King died in 2015 while sleeping at the age of 89.

B.B. King

Mark Knopfler

Knopfler is the co-founder, and his little brother, David, of the rock band Dire Label, number 70, was dubbed a virtuoso. He is a finger-style guitarist, a four-time Grammy winner, and a three-time University of Music Honorary Doctor of Music. Sultans of Swing, from Dire Strait’s first album, is an absolute masterwork of guitar showmanship.

Mark Knopfler

Randy Rhoads

Randy Rhoads, who played with Quiet Riot and Ozzy Osbourne, was a major influence on neoclassical metal. He is credited as an influence by hundreds of well-known guitarists. He died tragically in 1982 while on tour with Ozzy Osbourne at the age of 25. A few band members, including Rhoads, were flying in a single-engine plane when it collided with the top of the tour bus, spiraled out of control, and killed everyone on board.

Randy Rhoads

Gary Moore

Gary Moore, yet another alumnus of John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, has been described as an absolute virtuoso. He had success in several bands and as a solo artist. He had eleven solo Top 40 hits in the UK as a recording artist. In 1993, he collaborated on an album with former Cream members Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker. Moore died of a heart attack in his sleep in 2011 at the age of 58.

Gary Moore

Tony Iommi

Tony Iommi is a founding member of Black Sabbath. He changed his playing style after an accident in a factory where he worked as a teenager. He lost the tips of his middle and ring fingers on his right hand. He also went on to become one of rock’s greatest guitarists of all time.

Tony Iommi

Joe Satriani

Joe Satriani has been nominated for a Grammy 15 times. Satriani made a living as a guitar instructor before becoming a rock god, even teaching a young guitarist named Steve Vai at one point. His breakout album, Surfing With the Alien, which features the iconic illustration of Marvel Comics’ Silver Surfer on the cover, cemented his reputation as one of the best instrumental rock guitarists of all time.

Joe Satriani

Jeff Beck

It’s hard to argue about guitarists that played with The Yardbirds. All the members of the Yardbirds were Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page. Jeff Beck is a true guitar genius whose work spans blues rock, hard rock, and electronica, among other genres. He is now 75 years old and shows no signs of slowing down. He’s been seen playing with Johnny Depp at live shows recently.

Jeff Beck

Steve Vai

Steve Vai was born in Carls Place, New York, in 1960. He began his music career at the age of 18 by transcribing a complicated Frank Zappa song on notebook paper and submitting it to the artist. After reading the page, Zappa mailed a plane to Vai, who flew a few to Los Angeles and joined the band. Vai is another virtuoso who has been described as a very individualistic player.

Steve Vai

Ritchie Blackmore

Ritchie Blackmore is a co-founder of Deep Purple and a highly accomplished guitarist and composer. Single guitar notes are hard-punched, combining his free-flowing jamming style with softer, almost pipe organ sounds to create a sound that hasn’t been duplicated. He is renowned for his fantastic riffs and classically inspired solos, and he is now 75 years old.

Ritchie Blackmore

Slash

Slash is Guns N’ Roses’ lead guitarist. He has received critical acclaim for his guitar playing since he began his career in 1981. He shared the stage with some of the world’s best guitarists, including Lenny Kravitz, who described him as probably the best guitarist he’d ever played with. Slash later went on to form Velvet Revolver, a supergroup band.

Slash

Alex Lifeson

Alex Lifeson is the guitarist for Rush, a progressive rock band from Canada. He plays the mandola, bouzouki, and mandolin, as well as electric and acoustic instruments. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. Lifeson, who is now 67, enjoys being a painter, a restaurant owner, and a licensed pilot.

Alex Lifeson

Brian May

Brian May is the lead guitarist and one of the founding members of the legendary Queen band. May is known for his soaring guitar solos and ability to combine rock and roll and classical music styles. Regardless of which band he’s in at the time, his distinct voice is instantly recognizable. Queen as a band was put on hold for almost a decade after Freddie Mercury’s death. On the other hand, Brian May has resurfaced since then, bringing Queen back to the forefront of rock once more.

Brian May

Stevie Ray Vaughan

Vaughan was a key figure in the revival of the blues in the 1980s. David Bowie, who chose Vaughan to play guitar on his new album Lets Dance in the mid-’80s, recalled his lightning-fast fingerpicking. Vaughn was an instant hit, and opening acts included The Stray Cats and Eric Clapton. He died in a helicopter accident in 1990, at the age of 35. He is still remembered as a legendary guitar player.

Stevie Ray Vaughan

Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton is God. -Or at least that’s what the graffiti scrawled once declared on London houses. Eric Clapton is the first artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three times. He is a member of The Yardbirds, Cream, Derek and The Dominos. Clapton has won 18 Grammys, and more than 100 million albums have been sold worldwide.

Eric Clapton

David Gilmour

Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour is for sure legendary. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Pink Floyd took their transformative sound from their roots as a blues/folk band and turned it into an acid rock genre that no other band could match. As new fans of the band emerge, the albums Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall continue to sell millions of copies each year.

David Gilmour

Eddie Van Halen

On the guitar, the founder of the hard rock band Van Halen is an absolute beast. Edward Van Halen and his brother Alex were discovered by Gene Simmons of Kiss and form one of the most successful rock bands of all time, fronted by David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar. Van Halen was voted number one on Guitar World magazine’s list of the greatest guitarists of all time in 2012. He passed away on October 6, 2020.

Eddie Van Halen

Jimmy Page

Jimmy Page is the founder of the rock band Led Zeppelin. But guess what, though? He was in The Yardbirds too (as were Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck). As a twenty-year-old in the 1960s, he was among the most sought-after session guitarists in Britain. Now 77, Page was inducted twice into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Jimmy Page

Jimi Hendrix

In his 27 years on this planet, Jimi Hendrix became one of the most unique and critically acclaimed artists of all time. He took the stage at Woodstock, but due to his lack of fame at the time, he only performed for a few people. Jimi Hendrix is regarded by more people than any other guitarist on the planet as the greatest guitarist who ever lived. His ability to create sounds never before heard on a guitar is legendary. At the age of 15, Jimi Hendrix is shown with his first guitar.

Jimi Hendrix

John Mayer

Most of you are probably familiar with him as the pop star who is best known for his hit song “Your Body Is A Wonderland,” but did you know he can also play some mean guitar solos? In fact, Stevie Ray Vaughan is the reason he started playing guitar in the first place! With artists like John Mayer, you can be sure that the blues isn’t dead in this day and age!

John Mayer

Mateus Asato

Despite the fact that he has yet to release an album of his own, this incredible six-string virtuoso has taken the world by storm thanks to his viral Instagram videos. Mateus Asato, a guitarist from Campo Grande, Brazil, who now lives in Los Angeles, is a name you may have heard of. The Brazilian guitarist, who is known for his amazing chord-melody arrangements, has since toured as a session guitarist with a variety of pop stars.

Mateus Asato

Jake Bowen

Jake Bowen is one of three guitarists in Periphery, a progressive metalcore/djent band. In 2016, the band was nominated for a Grammy Award for best metal performance for the song “The Price Is Wrong.” Here is a fun fact, did you know that Jake Bowen is actually the nephew of Dream Theater guitarist, John Petrucci? We bet most of you didn’t know that!

Jake Bowen

Scott Lepage

Polyphia’s Scott LePage is one of the band’s two guitarists. If you’re unfamiliar with the band, they formed in 2010 and have progressive metal as their roots. They first gained notoriety as a result of their heavy sound. Later, their sound became more mainstream, eventually blending guitar with rap/hip-hop music to create a unique sound.

Scott LePage

Tim Henson

Tim Henson is the other guitarist of the band Polyphia. The riffs he and Scott LePage wrote together had a significant impact on the guitar scene today, as they contributed to the formation of the new trap/hip-hop guitar sound. Polyphia is currently in the studio working on their fourth album, which will be released in 2021. Henson gained notoriety after posting several clips of himself playing guitar on Instagram.

Tim Henson

Plini

Plini Roessler-Holgate is a guitarist and songwriter from Australia. He first released music under the moniker Halcyon before switching to his given name. As a progressive metal guitarist, he is known for his incredible guitar work; in fact, Steve Vai has referred to Plini as “the future of exceptional guitar playing.”

Plini

Aaron Marshall

Aaron Marshall is a guitarist from Canada who is best known for his band “Intervals.” In 2011, he formed the band as a creative outlet in Toronto, Ontario. Aside from his work in his band, one of the things that people admire about him is how melodic his guitar playing is, as well as how beautiful his riffs are.

Aaron Marshall

Tosin Abasi

Oluwatosin Ayoyinka Olumide “Tosin” Abasi is a Nigerian-American guitarist best known for being the lead guitarist and founding member of the instrumental progressive metal band Animals as Leaders. Tosin’s band is known for their intricate music, which includes abrupt time signature changes and difficult rhythms. He also popularized a technique he calls “selective picking,” as well as playing guitar with the bass technique known as “thumping.”

Tosin Abasi

Javier Reyes

Javier Reyes is best known for his work in the bands Animal as Leaders and Mestis, where he plays 8-string guitar. Having studied classical guitar, he combines traditional Spanish influences with progressive metal riffing. As one of Animals as Leaders’ guitarists, Reyes has demonstrated his mastery of the 8-string guitar by playing complex passages while remaining relaxed.

Javier Reyes

Tom Quayle

Tom Quayle is a British guitarist who hails from Leeds. This incredible guitarist is known for his quick, fluid legato lines and his ability to play over complex jazz chord changes. He rose to prominence thanks to YouTube, and his popularity grew even more after he auditioned for Guitar Idol 2008. He recently collaborated on an app with David Beebee, a guitarist from Leeds. Guitarists can use the app to learn how to play over chord changes.

Tom Quayle

Martin Miller

Martin Miller, a professional musician and an inspiring and knowledgeable guitar teacher from Leipzig, Germany, is making a name for himself as a professional musician and an inspiring and knowledgeable guitar teacher. Miller has been playing guitar since he was a child, having grown up surrounded by music and guitars, but he took it seriously in his teens. He first rose to prominence thanks to Youtube, where his incredible playing garnered a lot of attention.

Martin Miller

Guthrie Govan

Guthrie Govan is an English guitarist and guitar teacher who is best known for his work with The Aristocrats, Asia, GPS, The Young Punx, and The Fellowship, as well as his solo project Erotic Cakes. More recently, he has worked with Steven Wilson and Hans Zimmer. He won Guitarist magazine’s “Guitarist of the Year” competition in 1993 with his instrumental piece Wonderful Slippery Thing. The track demo earned him a spot in the live final, which he won over a number of other competitors.

Guthrie Govan

Derek Trucks

Derek Trucks is a Grammy Award-winning guitarist, songwriter, and the founder of The Derek Trucks Band. He joined The Allman Brothers Band as an official member in 1999. He formed the Tedeschi Trucks Band with his wife, blues singer/guitarist Susan Tedeschi, in 2010.

Derek Trucks

Steve Lukather

Steven Lee Lukather is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger, and record producer best known for being the only remaining founding member of the rock band Toto from its inception in 1976 to the present day. Lukather, a prolific session musician, has recorded guitar tracks for over 1,500 albums, representing a wide range of artists and genres. Given his extensive experience as a session musician, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of him without even realizing it.

Steve Lukather

Shawn Lane

Lane began playing piano with his sisters when he was eight years old but did not take up guitar seriously until he was ten years old. At the age of 12–13, he began intensive practice. He’s also collaborated with Ringo Starr, Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Reggie Young, Joe Walsh, Jonas Hellborg, and a slew of other musicians on two studio albums.

Shawn Lane

Cory Wong

Cory Wong is a Minneapolis, Minnesota-based guitarist, songwriter, and producer. He has released several works as a solo artist and in collaboration with others. His musical background spans several genres, including jazz. He shared the stage with Vulfpeck, Stay Human, and Chris Thile, in that order. He released several albums in 2020, including Live in Amsterdam, a collaboration with the Metropole Orkest, and Meditations, a Grammy-nominated new-age album with Jon Batiste. He is best known for his work with the band Vulfpeck as a guitarist.

Cory Wong

Rob Scallon

Rob Scallon is a musician who rose to prominence on YouTube as a result of his videos of him performing metal songs with unusual instruments (an example of which would be a banjo). His YouTube videos cover a wide range of topics, from comedic music skits to educational videos teaching viewers about instruments they may not be familiar with.

Rob Scallon

Nili Brosh

Nili Brosh is a guitarist and songwriter who is Israeli-American. Brosh graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2009 and immediately began teaching in the college’s summer guitar programs. Through The Looking Glass, her debut album, was released the following year, and featured a guest solo from Andy Timmons. In 2010, she began performing with The Iron Maidens, as well as guesting with Stu Hamm, Andy Timmons, and The Aristocrats.

Nili Brosh

Orianthi

Orianthi Penny Panagaris is an Australian musician, singer, and songwriter who rehearsed with Michael Jackson in 2009 for his ill-fated This Is It concert series and performed with Alice Cooper’s touring band. She also won Guitar International magazine’s “2010 Breakthrough Guitarist of the Year” award. In February 2009, Orianthi performed as Carrie Underwood’s lead guitarist at the 51st annual Grammy Awards, and Underwood invited Orianthi to join her band. Following that performance, Orianthi was approached by Michael Jackson’s management for an audition for the This Is It concerts.

Orianthi

Nita Strauss

Nita Strauss is a rock musician from the United States. She is Alice Cooper’s current touring guitarist and also has a successful solo career. Strauss began touring with her own band as a teenager, and in her junior year, she dropped out of high school to pursue music full-time. Strauss’ career began with the Iron Maiden all-female tribute band The Iron Maidens, but she went on to perform with a variety of rock bands, including Consume the Fire, Femme Fatale, and the video-game supergroup Critical Hit.

Nita Strauss

James Burton

James Burton has been in the industry for a long time and continues to tour as well as provide studio backup for a variety of singers. Burton began writing music when he was 14 years old, when he wrote “Susie Q” for rockabilly Dale Hawkins. During the 1950s, the amazing American guitarist had a huge impact on rock. He is now a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and has been named one of the 100 greatest guitarists by the Rolling Stones.

James Burton

Thurston Moore

62-year-old Thurston Moors rose to prominence in the 1980s, when he was best known as a member of Sonic Youth. Outside of the band, he collaborated on a number of solo and group projects. Moore was also the founder and CEO of the Ecstatic Peace! record label. He was also named one of the top 100 guitarists by the Rolling Stones. Moore’s music has been said to have influenced several generations.

Thurston Moore

Joe Perry

Joe Perry is the stage name for Joseph Pereira. The American musician and songwriter is best known for being the lead guitarist and founding member of the rock band Aerosmith. The band has been dubbed the “Greatest American Rock Band of All-Time” by many. Perry has 600 guitars in his collection. Pretty impressive, right?

Joe Perry

Roger McGuinn

Roger McGuinn is best known as the frontman and leader of the Byrds, an American rock band. The Byrds were a major hit-making band in the 1960s, combining traditional folk songs with a rock beat. For his work with the Byrds, McGuinn was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He has been praised and adored by millions of rock fans all over the world.

Roger McGuinn