A very difficult question to answer because every era had it"s "stars" from the early 20th century blues & jazz exponents - through to the better known guitarists of the 50"s & 60"s with Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, Clapton and Hendrix through to modern day "Heavy metal maestros" like Eddie Van Halen & Slash from Guns n Roses
Some guitarists listed here aren"t necessarily the most obvious ones which appear on everyone Else's lists.
Bobby Jo: is certainly one of the greatest. He helped to build the basic groundwork for early blues & every guitarist since have been unwittingly influenced by him Born in the Mississippi Delta, Johnson’s life is filled with myths & tales, His songs are full of folklore and mysticism, which only adds to his spooky voice and inventive guitar playing.. He also helped to break down social and racial barriers. In the early 20th century, it wasn"t a great time to be a black man but his music was exploited by white musicians and helped form civil movements of the sixties
Stevie Ray Vaughan: He is often remembered for starting off where Jimi Hendrix finished . The Hendrix influences were alive and plain to hear, but he also mixed in his own influences such as Albert King and his own soul to make it his trademark sound. One of his songs. featured in a Nissan commercial where he was seen playing "Pride and Joy" SRV could play while absolutely stoned, although he played better when he sobered up. ".In Step" his last album before his death a year later.expressed his new found love of life and music.
