(Reuters) - Legendary musician Jimi Hendrix was named the greatest guitar player in history on Wednesday by Rolling Stone magazine in a list compiled by a panel of music experts and top guitar players.

"Jimi Hendrix exploded our idea of what rock music could be: He manipulated the guitar, the whammy bar, the studio and the stage," said Grammy-winning guitarist Tom Morello in the magazine, citing Hendrix's "Purple Haze" and "The Star-Spangled Banner" as key tracks.

Hendrix is joined by the likes of Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page and Pete Townshend among the top 10, in a list laden with rock 'n' roll icons spanning decades.

The panel of experts recruited to vote for their favorite guitar players included musicians such as Lenny Kravitz, Eddie Van Halen (who was voted No. 8), Brian May and Dan Auerbach from The Black Keys, along with a selection of Rolling Stone's senior writers and editors.

The experts also weighed in on their favorites, with Pearl Jam's Mike McCready calling Eddie Van Halen "a master of riffs" and Joe Perry praising Jimmy Page's "vision of how to transcend the stereotypes of what the guitar can do."

The full list will be featured in a special issue with four special covers of Van Halen, Clapton, Hendrix and Page, and will be on newsstands and online at www.rollingstone.com on Friday. Rolling Stone's top 10 greatest guitarists follow:

1. Jimi Hendrix

2. Eric Clapton

3. Jimmy Page

4. Keith Richards

5. Jeff Beck

6. B.B. King

7. Chuck Berry

http://news.yahoo.com/rol...30594.html

Jimi will always be number 1 in these magazines but Jimi is the shit

I noticed Eric moved up 2 places, i hope EVH is higher. he was fucking 72 or some crap... really?

And hopefully Prince, Frank Zappa, Eric Johnson get some love.

Gunsnhalen said:

Jimi will always be number 1 in these magazines but Jimi is the shit

I noticed Eric moved up 2 places, i hope EVH is higher. he was fucking 72 or some crap... really?

And hopefully Prince, Frank Zappa, Eric Johnson get some love.

Purple Yoda is #33.

These lists should only include living persons, and also have established criteria.

Keith Richards in front of Jeff Beck is a pure piece of fuckery. Jimmy Page hasn;t been relevant since Led Zepppelin's demise. Eric Clapton is stagnant. Jeff Beck is the best in terms of the Rolling Stone Magazine era. Also for all intents and purposes, Keith Richards is walking dead. Jimi Hendrix did not leave enough of a body of work in 4 years to keep being named the best of all-time.

glad to see them honoring Jimi that way. He deserves it, all these decades later.

1.Django Reinhardt

2.Jimi Hendrix

3.Joe Pass

4.Wes Montgomery

5.Prince

6.Joe Satriani

7.Frank Zappa

8.Eddie van Halen

9.Steve Vai

10.Stevie ray Vaughn

All in random order.

Rolling Stone, as always, publishing a shitty list which only includes pre-1975 musicians

pathetic, what a bunch of fuckin' dinosaurs they are...

^

I agree with that sentiment. It's also totally anglo-american blues/rock focused.

BUT Jimi is still no. 1

EC on 2 is perhabs too high but he is a guitar master too

Jimi Page probably also too high (and old) but like Jimi he influenced guitar/rock music a lot

I don't get all the credits Keith gets. I mean yeah he is okay and has his style, but no 4? No way!

Can't really argue with Jeff Beck, BB King, Chuck Berry and Eddie Van Halen.

But yeah they are ALL OLD. It's like a panel of old farts got to together to honor their even older guitar heroes

And I think guys like Carlos Santana, Eddie Hazel, Frank Zappa, Brian May, Mark Knopfler and Prince are way to low on the list.

I dig Hendrix for all he is done and that being said, he should be the undisputed number one. However.....

Rolling Stone does this annually and I think they really do need to find a way to honor modern day guitar virtuosos like Madonna, Lil Wayne, and Andy Allo. Their contributions to modern guitar can never be overstated......

Just my 2 pennies...

COMPUTERBLUE1984 said:

Rolling Stone does this annually and I think they really do need to find a way to honor modern day guitar virtuosos like Madonna, Lil Wayne, and Andy Allo. Their contributions to modern guitar can never be overstated......

Just my 2 pennies...

Doomsday is near.
hahaha
Jimi and Eddie - 2 of my favorites.
Gary Moore unfairly forgotten.

Slash should be higher.

[Edited 11/24/11 10:13am]

I bet they didn't name Runt, aka Todd Rundgren, in there or Ernie Isley.

I bet they have ignored, as always, any post-1975 heavy metal guitarist,... Eddie Van Halen and Kirk Hammett being the predictable exceptions

JoeTyler said:

I bet they have ignored, as always, any post-1975 heavy metal guitarist,... Eddie Van Halen and Kirk Hammett being the predictable exceptions

Right. Rolling Stone are so fucking predictable.

this friday...

there will be blood

I always thought Ritchie Blackmore and Deep Purple were better than Jimi Page and Led Zeppelin. But they never had the exposure Zep had in USA so they rarely get recognized this way

JoeTyler said:

this friday...

there will be blood

RnBAmbassador said:

These lists should only include living persons, and also have established criteria.

Keith Richards in front of Jeff Beck is a pure piece of fuckery. Jimmy Page hasn;t been relevant since Led Zepppelin's demise. Eric Clapton is stagnant. Jeff Beck is the best in terms of the Rolling Stone Magazine era. Also for all intents and purposes, Keith Richards is walking dead. Jimi Hendrix did not leave enough of a body of work in 4 years to keep being named the best of all-time.

what the fuck are you on? crack or meth?

of course Jimi left enough body of work. what are you, jeff beck's personal handjob consultant?

fucks sake

jimi was and always will be the greatest, so just accept the damn fact.

frankly, Jeff Beck in the top7 is a friggin' insult to any amazing/visionary post-75 guitarist

Jeffy is the most overrated guy, EVER

dirtyman2005 said:

RnBAmbassador said:

These lists should only include living persons, and also have established criteria.

Keith Richards in front of Jeff Beck is a pure piece of fuckery. Jimmy Page hasn;t been relevant since Led Zepppelin's demise. Eric Clapton is stagnant. Jeff Beck is the best in terms of the Rolling Stone Magazine era. Also for all intents and purposes, Keith Richards is walking dead. Jimi Hendrix did not leave enough of a body of work in 4 years to keep being named the best of all-time.

what are you, jeff beck's personal handjob consultant?

jimi was and always will be the greatest, so just accept the damn fact.

& Agree.

Timmy84 said:

I bet they didn't name Runt, aka Todd Rundgren, in there or Ernie Isley.

Todd is the motha fucking business on guitar. He gets so little respect -_-

dirtyman2005 said:

RnBAmbassador said:

These lists should only include living persons, and also have established criteria.

Keith Richards in front of Jeff Beck is a pure piece of fuckery. Jimmy Page hasn;t been relevant since Led Zepppelin's demise. Eric Clapton is stagnant. Jeff Beck is the best in terms of the Rolling Stone Magazine era. Also for all intents and purposes, Keith Richards is walking dead. Jimi Hendrix did not leave enough of a body of work in 4 years to keep being named the best of all-time.

what the fuck are you on? crack or meth?

of course Jimi left enough body of work. what are you, jeff beck's personal handjob consultant?

fucks sake

jimi was and always will be the greatest, so just accept the damn fact.

Jimi has 3 albums with The Jimi Hendrix Experience, dozens of live labums. And i have 8 of his post albums... not including his new one. What do you mean not a big enough body of work

You guys might disagree but i have to say

Frank Zappa deserves to be high, Frank is an absolute beast at guitar, he eats it alive and consumes it. He has over 60 albums & his extensive playing is just incredible.

Robert Johnson was once in the top 10 what happened? he is the BIGGEST influence on blues & one of the biggest on rock, he could pick that guitar like a fresh chicken.

Ted Nugent may not write the most poetic lyrics, but he's a madman on guitar. Mixing what he called Little Richard piano speed on guitar, he can shred like no business but is always overlooked.

Albert Collins? Stanley Jordan? Steve Vai? Son house? Glen Tipton & KK Downing? Mark Knopfler? What about other modernist like Steve Stevens? He is one of the most versatile guitar players of the best 3 decades. As is John 5

And no offense to Allman fans, i like there music.. But there guitar skills are beyond overrated good lord...

JoeTyler said:

I bet they have ignored, as always, any post-1975 heavy metal guitarist,... Eddie Van Halen and Kirk Hammett being the predictable exceptions

Kirk is overrated as shit! give me Dave Mustain or George Lynch anyday!

Gunsnhalen said:

JoeTyler said:

I bet they have ignored, as always, any post-1975 heavy metal guitarist,... Eddie Van Halen and Kirk Hammett being the predictable exceptions

Kirk is overrated as shit! give me Dave Mustain or George Lynch anyday!

if this top100 list doesn't feature Musta, then, damn, there WILL be blood

What do yall think of Slash?

angel345 said:

What do yall think of Slash?

He cool...

As you can tell by name i'm a GNR stan Slash is fantatsic & versatile. But he is also a bit overrated.

Eddie Hazel should be higher, definately infront of guys like Harrison. I am no shred fan, but i can't believe Satriani, Vai, Greg Howe etc are not included. And Kurt Cobain? I will never understand why rolling stone has a hard on for his playing.

hhhhdmt said:

Eddie Hazel should be higher, definately infront of guys like Harrison. I am no shred fan, but i can't believe Satriani, Vai, Greg Howe etc are not included. And Kurt Cobain? I will never understand why rolling stone has a hard on for his playing.

So true! Vai, Hazel & Howe are the shit! I still think Greg is a tiny bit overrated... but he is very good though

I give Kurt props for making some of the most notable rifts of the past few decades. But he was sloppy at playing sometimes which honestly gave it that grungy sound. He was good for what he did, but he shouldn't be in the top 1000 greatest guitarist let alone 100.