Hendrix, Allman, King Ranked as Top Guitarists
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Late rock musicians Jimi Hendrix and Duane Allman lead the list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time in the upcoming issue of Rolling Stone magazine.
Hendrix, who invariably tops such polls, received a glowing tribute from Who guitarist Pete Townshend, who wrote that he “made the electric guitar beautiful.”
Townshend recalled that one of Hendrix’s shows was “so profoundly powerful” that he found himself holding hands with fellow devotee and guitarist Eric Clapton.
Allman was hailed by the magazine for transforming “the poetry of jamming” with the Allman Brothers Band, the Atlanta rock group he founded with younger brother Gregg in 1969.
B.B. King, who turns 78 next month, came in at No. 3. “His string-bending and vibrato made his famous guitar, Lucille, weep like a woman,” the magazine said.
Clapton landed at No. 4, followed by Delta bluesman Robert Johnson. Rounding out the top 10 were Chuck Berry, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Ry Cooder, Jimmy Page and Keith Richards.
The survey is featured in the next issue, which hits streets on Friday.
The No. 100 spot went to Kim Thayil of defunct Seattle rock band Soundgarden. Townshend himself was No. 50. Two women made the list: Joni Mitchell at No. 72 and Joan Jett at No. 87.
Stax session guitarist Steve Cropper, who was judged the No. 2 guitarist in a Mojo magazine survey in 1996, was good enough for only No. 36 in Rolling Stone’s estimation. Two spots behind him was Fleetwood Mac’s Peter Green, who had been No. 3 on the Mojo list.
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