It will cover a wide time span, from the early blues and jazz days, through the birth of rock n roll, pop, rock, metal, and classical.
Now there is no better debate than who is the best guitarist...well, being one to always add fuel to the fire, here is my number 1 to start it off, Ritchie Blackmore who was classically taught, and then played in bands such as The Outlaws and Screaming Lord Sutch before joining Roundabout in 1968. This band of course, became Deep Purple. From here on in, I won't rank my guitarists, but they are those who I follow, respect and idolise.
Deep Purple went through many personnel changes, but for the first four 'make ups' Ritchie was there as the driving force on music and direction before he left in 75 (replaced by Tommy Bolin) to form Rainbow. This band lasted (with many more personnel changes) through to 84, about which time Deep Purple MkII reformed, and Rainbow again in 94. In 1997 Rainbow became Blackmore's Nights which made a definitive turn towards a Renaissance type of rock, undertones that can be heard in the DP years, and more noticeably in Rainbow.
To me, Blackmore is the quintessential guitarist - talented and driven, with an ego and attitude, and his own man (see the interview about DP playing The California Jam where he refused to go on stage until the sun went down). I have included a couple of clips here, one from Rainbow (this is my favourite live performance Difficult To Cure, note Roger Glover playing bass) and a compilation from Deep Purple (covering MkII and III). I have avoided inserting the obligatory Smoke On The Water, because we all should know how great that is and it isn't the only song that sums the man up...just like Stairway To Heaven is not the only song Led Zep ever did!
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