Premier Guitar editors Jason Shadrick and Nick Millevoi are arguing over which 100 guitarists you should know. Together, they dig deep into each player’s catalog to uncover what makes them unique, influential, and important. Will Robert Quine make the list? Probably not. Trey Anastasio? Definitely. Listen each week as they break down iconic tracks, legendary tones, and even let the occasional guest air their grievances.
When it comes to queen of slide guitar Bonnie Raitt, we’ve got something to talk about. On her rootsy first albums—Bonnie Raitt, Give It Up, and Takin’ My Time—she set a bluesy vibe, but covers like Talking Heads’ “Burning Down the House” and Del Shannon’s “Runaway” showed she had more to say. By the late ’80s, she was a pop radio superstar. So if …
Dave Matthews’ guitar playing left its mark on the hosts of 100 Guitarists. In this episode, we’re talking about his unique style and sound and the players who influenced it. From his work leading DMB to his duo performances with guitarist Tim Reynolds, there’s a lot to cover. Speaking of Reynolds, Jason calls on Dave and Tim to return to Luther Co…
Surf’s up—it’s summertime. On this episode, we’re talking about the most legendary, well-choreographed, reverb-drenched surf rockers of all time, the Ventures. They not only created the template for instrumental guitar music, they influenced just about every classic rock guitar hero you can think of. And their catalog is truly epic, so where do you…
You could call John Fahey the Johnny Appleseed of solo steel-string guitar playing, but Black Flag is probably a more appropriate reference. Like the punk progenitors would do many years later, Fahey not only crafted a uniquely rooted musical approach that would be adopted by legions of practitioners, he self-released his records on his Takoma Reco…
Punch Brother and friend of the podcast Chris “Critter” Eldridge drops by to talk about the great Tony Rice. Not only is Rice one of the most reputable legends of bluegrass guitar, he also served as Eldridge’s mentor. Eldridge, who paid tribute to Rice in 2022 with the Punch Brothers’ Hell on Church Street, shares his firsthand stories of listening…
If you were to only know about one country guitarist, you’d want to know about Chet Atkins. On this episode, we’re talking about the man people called “Mr. Guitar”—the Country Gentleman himself—and how he developed his style and transformed the way we approach our instrument. Atkins’ recognizable eloquent sound is full of punchy bass notes, jazzy c…
Guitarist Sonny Sharrock was one of the most forward-thinking guitarists coming out of the ’60s, and his music stayed on the cutting edge throughout his long career. His credits include Miles Davis’ Jack Johnson and Herbie Mann—next to whom he performed in Questlove’s 2021 documentary, Summer of Soul—and his tunes have been covered by Santana and t…
There's a reason Danny Gatton's nickname was "The Humbler." He earned it through sheer Tele mastery. From his limitless technique and musical vocabulary to his command over his sound, Gatton was one of the greatest 6-stringers around. Guitarist Scott Metzger (LaMP, Joe Russo's Almost Dead) is a modern master of the Telecaster vernacular, and he sli…
Professional transcriber Levi Clay has done the deepest of dives into Brent Mason’s hotshot licks. At one point, he undertook the massive project of transcribing and sharing one of Mason’s solos every day for 85 or so days. Mason is, of course, on of the most recorded guitarists in history, who helped define the sound of most ’90s country superstar…
J Mascis is well known for his legendary feats of volume. Just check out a photo of his rig to see an intimidating wall of amps pointed directly at the Dinosaur Jr. leader’s head. And though his loudness permeates all that he does and has helped cement his reputation, there’s a lot more to his playing. On this episode of 100 Guitarists, we’re looki…
Just because Phish got shunned by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year doesn’t mean they’re not one of the most influential bands in rock. In fact, more than 329,000 fans voted for their induction! And Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio has led those legions for over four decades. In this episode, we’re talking Trey and Phish, including how they soun…
We call guitarist Adam Miller in the middle of the night in Newcastle, Australia, to find out what it’s like to play with Certified Guitar Player, Tommy Emmanuel. Miller tells us just how famous Tommy is in Australia, and what it was like hearing him play from a formative age. Eventually, Adam got to open for Emmanuel, and they’ve since shared the …
Growing up in the small town of Montesano, Washington, Kurt Cobain turned to his older pal Buzz Osborne for musical direction. So on this episode, we’re talking with the Melvins leader about their friendship, from taking Cobain to see Black Flag in ’84 to their shared guitar journey and how they both thought about gear. And in case you’ve heard oth…
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Joni Mitchell’s rich, colorful altered-tuning chord voicings have set her work apart in its own musical universe, where the rest of us guitarists either scratch our heads in wonder or have to do dissertation-level research to unpack just how she gets her sound. Dawes guitarist and songwriter Taylor Goldsmith gained firsthand experience with Mitchel…
Growing up in Australia, guitarist Jedd Hughes tells us he dreamed of playing in Vince Gill’s band as far back as elementary school. Now, he lives in Nashville and stands next to the man himself on stage night after night. We’ve invited Jedd to join us on this episode of 100 Guitarists to talk about just what makes Vince’s playing so special. Jedd …
There’s a good chance that if you’re a guitar fan, you’ve seen Nathaniel Murphy’s gear demos—either on his Instagram account, where he goes by @zeppelinbarnatra, or on the Chicago Music Exchange page. His solo arrangements of classic tunes display his next-level technique and knack for clever arranging, and he makes our jaws drop every time he post…
Angus Clark is an expert of all things Tony Iommi, and he has the gear to prove it! The Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Rock of Ages guitarist shows us a couple sweet Iommi tribute SGs as he walks us through Black Sabbath’s discography, breaking down Iommi’s vocabulary, sound, and gear, and how Iommi created some of the most identifiable riffs in all …
From a young age, Derek Trucks was destined for guitar greatness. Growing up around the Allman Brothers scene, he had the greatest schooling any aspiring slide player could hope for. But his playing exceeded just about any expectations, high though they were, as he brought in a vast range of influences and ambition and cemented himself as one of th…
On this episode of 100 Guitarists, we’re talking about Pat Metheny. He’s one of the most commercially successful jazz guitarists to pick up the instrument, and he’s covered a lot of ground throughout his long career. Swinging jazz albums? Check. Arrangement-focused, production-heavy collaborative band records? Check. Noise guitar albums, free jazz …
With a career that extends over 60 years, where do you begin? Jason and Nick tackle Clapton’s extensive discography and try to suss out the different eras of his career. They dive into Cream, his ’70s country-rock phase, the Armani Strat vibes in the ’80s, and so much more. And of course, no discussion of Clapton can be without deep looks into Dere…
In the ’80s, Peter Buck’s clean, chime-y arpeggios defined the sound of alt-rock to come. From the band’s start, his post-Roger McGuinn 12-string style served as the foundation for the band’s simple, plain-spoken approach, offering a fresh take on what an independent band could be and inspiring generations of artists to come. Buck not only found hi…
Neil Young’s ’70s hits are some of the most recognizable radio rock jams of all time. But Neil’s guitar playing continued to grow over the ensuing decades, as he traversed styles from blues to country to electronic to rockabilly and beyond, eventually developing one of the most tonally decadent, fully formed improvisational voices in the entire gui…
There’s no disputing the influence B.B. King has had on the history of electric guitar music. With Lucille in hand—as well as other guitars—he carved out his sound by developing a signature one-of-a-kind vibrato and pick attack. His note choice, phrasing, and feel have basically become the fundamental vocabulary of electric blues. Even more than an…
Guitarist John McLaughlin’s career has been long and winding. From his early solo records and work with Miles Davis, he possessed a unique approach to the guitar that encompassed jazz and rock vocabulary, played with a biting tone and stellar, virtuosic technique. He’s never stopped developing, and we’re covering our favorite highlights of McLaughl…
Across Frank Zappa’s monumental body of work, he injected rock-based music with compositional techniques straight out of the modern classical handbook, as well as groundbreaking studio trickery and a teenager’s wit. To match his untamable creativity, he famously demanded an unmatched level of musical dedication from his players, and his own guitar …
Here at 100 Guitarists, we thought we knew a lot about Allan Holdsworth. But after we did our deepest of dives, we only emerged with more questions: Was Holdsworth the John Coltrane of the guitar? Was he the quintessential fusion guitarist? Why isn’t there a Holdsworth signature Synthaxe? And how do you read his weird chord charts? We might not hav…
Before they hit it big, Heart found themselves ripping club gigs, where they earned the nickname “Little Led Zeppelin.” It’s a moniker that stuck as the band carried the torch first lit by their heroes for decades to come. If you’ve ever seen the Kennedy Center video of Heart covering “Stairway to Heaven” for Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, you know h…
Naturally, every recording Eddie Van Halen ever played on has been pored over by legions of guitar players of all styles. It might seem funny, then, to consider EVH solos that might require more attention. But your 100 Guitarists hosts have their picks of solos that they feel merit a little discussion. Some of these are deep cuts—get ready for some…
In the early ’60s, some of the British guitarists who would shape the direction of our instrument for decades to come all found themselves at a concert by Sister Rosetta Tharpe. What they heard from Tharpe and what made her performances so special—her sound, her energy—must have resonated. Back at home in the U.S., she was a captivating presence, w…
Carlos Santana’s career arc has been a journey. From blowing minds at the far edges of psychedelia at Woodstock to incendiary jazz experimentalism with the likes of John McLaughlin and Alice Coltrane to later becoming a chart-topping star with some of the biggest collaborators in pop and rock, his guitar playing has covered a lot of ground. On this…
Funk-guitar wiz and Wong Notes host Cory Wong flips the script and sits in the 100 Guitarists guest chair. Wong cleared his schedule to talk about one Nile Rodgers’ work on the Halo 2 soundtrack. We were lucky that got him to return our call, but we did move on quickly. Wong is a scholar of all things rhythm guitar—and that means all things Nile. W…
Slayer guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman formed the original searing 6-string front line of the most brutal band in the land. Together, they created an aggressive mood of malcontent with high-velocity thrash riffs and screeching solos that’ll slice your speaker cones. The only way to create a band more brutal than Slayer would be to animate t…
Billy Strings has become one of the biggest drawing guitar players out on the road these days. His music brings bluegrass fans and jam band scenes together, landing him on some of the biggest stages around. Your 100 Guitarists hosts have brought in guitarist Jon Stickley to help them work out their differences—one of us is a jammer and the other … …
Your esteemed hosts of the 100 Guitarists podcast have been listening to Randy Rhoads’s body of work since they learned the word “pentatonic.” His short discography with Ozzy Osbourne has been emblazoned on both of our fingertips, and we’ve each put in our hours working out everything from the “Crazy Train” riff to the fingerpicked intro to “Diary …
Steve Lukather is one of the most documented guitarists in the hit-making biz. He grew up as an L.A. teen with a crew of fellow musicians who would go on to make their livings at the top of the session scene. By the time Lukather and his pals formed Toto, they were already experienced chart-toppers. The band went on to success with hits including t…
Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine is one of the loudest guitarists around. And he puts his volume to work creating mythical tones that have captured so many of our imaginations, including our special shoegaze correspondent, guitarist and pedal-maestro Andy Pitcher, who is our guest today. My Bloody Valentine has a short discography made up of ju…
Stevie Ray Vaughan was a force of nature. With his “Number One” Strat, he drove a veritable trove of amps—including vintage Fenders, a rotating Vibratone cab, and a Dumble—to create one of the most compelling tones of all, capable of buttery warmth, percussive pick articulation, and cathartic, screaming excess. As he drew upon an endless well of de…
There has never been a list of greatest guitar players without the mighty Jeff Beck. From his work with the Yardbirds in the ’60s to his solo work starting with 1968’s Truth, Beck changed the game, constantly redefining the vocabulary and sound of guitar music. On this episode, we’ve brought in Jennifer Batten, who grew up as a massive Beck fan, me…
In this episode, we’re celebrating the thrill of guitarmony, sick riffs, and driving 8th-note rhythms by talking about Judas Priest. Before getting ready for this episode, neither of your esteemed hosts had ever delved into the Priest discography beyond the rock-radio hits and Beavis and Butthead—though we’d both spent our time with Heavy Metal Par…
Best known as the lead guitarist in Wilco, Nels Cline has an exceedingly wide range. The intrepid Jazzmaster-master has tackled everything from the deepest out-jazz and extreme noise to sensitive balladry and all brands of rock. Fittingly, any one person’s list of favorite Nels Cline records are like fingerprints: no two are the same. You’ll be lea…
Shred-meister and Eric Johnson expert Andy Wood joins us to talk about EJ’s best tracks, albums, and more. Whether you’re a fellow expert or don’t know where to start, Andy’s got you covered, from studio albums to live tracks. Come with questions, leave with homework! This episode brought to you by Two-Rock Amplifiers: https://www.two-rock.com/ Fol…
Once the news of the Oasis reunion got out, Sadler Vaden hit YouTube hard on the tour bus, driving his bandmates crazy. The Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit guitarist has been a Noel Gallagher mega-fan since he was a teenager, so he joined us to wax poetic about Oasis’ hooks, Noel’s guitar sound, and the band’s symphonic melodies. What are Sadler’s fa…
Billy Gibbons is an undisputable guitar force whose feel, tone, and all-around vibe make him the highest level of hero. But that’s not to say he hasn’t made some odd choices in his career, like when ZZ Top re-recorded parts of their classic albums for CD release. And fans will argue which era of the band’s career is best. Some of us love drum machi…
There is no more solid, more rockin’ guitar duo than AC/DC’s Angus and Malcolm Young. Whether they make you want to brawl or crank up your amp, if you’re listening to this podcast, you know what we’re talking about. The band’s catalog is so famously consistent, do they have a best song? A worst song? (No.) And what’s the real secret to the brothers…
We can agree that Jerry Garcia’s playing pulled from all directions of the American musical experience to create an unparalleled playing vocabulary that persisted not only at the forefront of the Grateful Dead’s music, where he was most prominent, but also in his solo work with Jerry Garcia Band and in his bluegrass collaborations. Throughout the D…
Tom Petty’s righthand man proved time and again that he could get to the heart of the matter and find the perfect guitar part for a song. But he’s also cooked up plenty of hits as a player and writer for artists such as Don Henley—with whom he co-wrote two of his biggest hits—Stevie Nicks, Roy Orbison, Matthew Sweet, Brian Setzer, and so many other…
It’s a long journey from Kill ’Em All to 72 Seasons, but we made the trip and there’s a lot to talk about. We cover our favorite tracks on every studio album, with the band’s best riffs and solos along the way. There’s plenty we can all agree on—Master of Puppets sits high on the hard-rock altar—and just us much that’s up to debate—is it time for a…
Dan Wilson is a bandleader, teacher, and a Grammy-nominated guitarist who’s played alongside organ-jazz master Joey DeFrancesco and bassist Christian McBride. He’s on the short list of players who are experts of Grant Green’s singular swinging sound. We called Dan to talk about our favorite entries in the Green’s long discography. From trio dates t…
Zakk Wylde is best known for his work at Ozzy’s side. It’s with good reason: He’s blazed that gig with his strong musical personality firmly intact for decades. But on this episode we’re not only talking about his work with the Ozzman, but his solo albums, Black Label Society, Zakk Sabbath, and a few very key guest spots. Supported by EMG Pickups: …