I will start with the honorable mentions who were all very difficult to not include in the official top 5. We have Eric Clapton, Kirk Hammett, Jerry Cantrell, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Johnson, Explosions in the Sky, Rich Robinson, Dimebag Darrell, Travis Meeks (pre-Meth-ed out phase), The DeLeo brothers and Yngwie Malmsteen. I purposefully excluded Van Halen and Jimmy Page. The former because he has been a jerk in the public eye many times and the latter because of horrific decisions since Zeppelin split, that, and he stole music. I do however recognize their talents.
For those who know anything about playing the guitar you may want to put on an adult diaper before you watch these. Since it was hard enough to get it down to only 5, here they are in no particular order:
Ian Thornley – It is a shame when one of the best is not easily recognized for what they are. Ian Thornley is just such a case. I actually had no problem bringing this man into the top 5 and even thought heavily about just naming him #1. If you need to have an ultimate #1 to make you feel better, just go ahead and say that Ian was it. Whether with “Big Wreck” or “Thornley”, Ian writes and plays amazing stuff. If there is ever anything that I find less than amazing I look at who worked with him on it and, odds are, I will find someone else has come in and mucked things up. If I ever get down and wonder why Thornley has to hang out with that dimwit from Nickelback I just watch something like the video below and all is forgiven.
Stevie Ray Vaughan – Amazing, just amazing. From the stories about him super-gluing his bleeding finger shut mid-song to watching him restring his guitar while still playing to just hearing him play, this man was simply amazing.
Alain Johannes – This has to be the shocker of the bunch, but I thought I would give it to a man who has been toiling in the background while others in front of him get all the credit. He has amazing rhythm and lead guitar parts and has definitely paid his dues. So once again I give him some long overdue credit.
Mike Einziger – A pure genius with his rhythm parts and able to hold his own with solos, Einziger has shot his way into my list. The song I chose to demonstrate Einziger’s skill is one that highlights what he can do with different types of parts and how he can push a song into new places.
David Gilmour – In my opinion, Pink Floyd mostly sucked before Gilmour arrived and made them into what they are known for. His playing has a well thought out feeling to it and the entire second half of the video below is pure mastery of the guitar.
OK, so here’s the part where you tell me why I am wrong or why someone was totally forgotten.