To me, the guitar has always been a bit of a magical instrument.  When I was younger I was always more of a “riff” guy.  Songs back then definitely drew me in if it had a loud, heavily distorted and as I’ve gotten older it’s gotten worse 🙂  I still lean towards the heavy but I’ve come to appreciate an even more rhythmic approach too.  That said, this next batch of five includes some heavy rhythm giants along with a shredtastic lead player and a clown prince of guitar.

15.  Ritchie Blackmore

The heavy rock world’s Man In Black, Ritchie Blackmore is the father of one of THE most iconic riffs of all time as well as one of the craftsmen of what we know today as heavy metal.  As the leader of Deep Purple, Blackmore paired heavy riffs with Jon Lord’s Hammond B3 organ and Ian Gillan’s unearthly screaming to create a new sound circa 1970 that has influenced a number of guitarists over the year.  While Blackmore’s rhythm work is stellar it’s his lead guitar that reigns supreme; all full of lightning quick runs interspersed with beautiful melodic passages.  Known for a mean streak as fiery as his guitar playing, Blackmore sacked quite a few Purple bandmates and even more in his stint with Rainbow.  Nowadays, Blackmore is most comfortable playing medieval folk music with his wife in Blackmore’s Night.

Choice cuts:  “Smoke On The Water”, “Gates Of Babylon”, “Highway Star”, “Lazy”

14.  Tony Iommi

Like Blackmore, Tony Iommi can also lay claim to be a founding father of heavy metal as a member of Black Sabbath.  Due to an unfortunate work accident, Iommi lost the tips of two fingers on his fretting hand which caused him to use lighter gauge strings on his guitar and to tune down, ultimately leading to a heavier guitar sound.  Fortunately, Iommi’s handicap did not deter his spirits as he has blessed us with many a fine riff and remains a dependable anchor in the Sabbath machine.  Iommi has a distinct, piercing lead tone that he’ll often add to various songs but mostly he is the master of the mountain moving riff.  Genres such as stoner metal and doom metal owe a huge debt to Iommi based on his riffs and tone, but all metal genres as a whole have benefitted from the classic songs that he wrote.

Choice cuts:  “War Pigs”, “Hole In The Sky”, “Heaven And Hell”, “Die Young”

13.  Pete Townshend

I could watch Pete Townshend play guitar all day.  It’s not what he’s playing, it’s not the guitar tone, and it’s not the song:  the man is pure excitement when he has a guitar in his hands.  Granted, the man is now an old codger these days (however, one who still plays well) but in the Who’s heyday in the 60s and 70s Townshend damn near turned guitar playing into a violent sport.  Guitar destruction, windmills, leaps in the air, slides across the stage, “Birdman” poses…  the guy had it all and then some.  While not a strong lead player, Townshend is an outstanding rhythm player with an almost flamencoesque style at times mixed in with massive, sustained power chords that shake foundations.  His songwriting spectrum is vast as he can amaze you with a beautifully sung and played acoustic cut and chase that with a vicious and angry one full of punk fervor via gritty and crunchy electric riffs.

Choice cuts:  “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, “Young Man Blues”, “Behind Blue Eyes”, “Pinball Wizard”

12.  Alex Skolnick

In my late teens and early twenties my musical tastes had made a massive shift to much heavier music, specifically thrash metal.  One of my new favorite bands at the time was Testament, featuring the awesome lead guitar work of Alex Skolnick.  Skolnick’s style was filled with fast and tasty guitar runs but he had such a melodic playing style and great tone that he stood out from the pack.  A lot of thrash music can be angry and atonal but Skolnick’s playing helped lift Testament’s songs to a whole other level via his virtuosic talents.  Out of many players in the genre, I can actually SING his lead guitar parts in my head!  In the early 90s Skolnick left Testament to pursue other musical endeavors (releasing a jazz CD, guest guitarist in multiple projects, etc) before returning full time to the band in 2005.  A great, all around player.

Choice cuts:  “Disciples Of The Watch”, “Practice What You Preach”, “Return To Serenity”, “Trial By Fire”

11.  Joe Walsh

Clown prince of rock and roll.  Master of the guitar face.  Popularizer of the “talk box”.  Joe Walsh is all these things and so much more.  What I love about Joe is his sense of fun in his playing (that “nyaah nyaah nyaah” lead style), his funky riffs, monumental songs, and overall sense of rhythm.  Rumor has it that the Eagles brought him on board to inject a bit of that fun into a band full of serious and stoic musicians.  Walsh is great all around, whether running the show in his days with James Gang, Barnstorm, and his solo career or being the ultimate team player in the Eagles with fellow guitarist Don Felder.  Walsh has written a variety of great material, from funny, self-deprecating songs to classic rock anthems throughout his career.  As a master tinkerer, he doesn’t tie himself down to a specific guitar, effect, or tone-  whatever fits the song will do!

Choice cuts:  “Funk 49”, “Turn To Stone”, “Hotel California”, “Rocky Mountain Way”