Mt. Rushmore of Hard Rock/Metal Guitarists

[Samsara]

When I heard it was Tony Iommi's birthday, it got me thinking about the proverbial Mt. Rushmore of hard rock/heavy metal guitarists, and who would be on mine. I gave myself the following criteria:

1. The guitarist must have been innovative with the instrument...lauded for the way they played it, and changed the game in some fashion.

2. The guitarist must have crossed over to mainstream appreciation. Meaning, it can't be a guy no one has heard of who is great...the person must be someone who achieved worldwide acclaim for the songs they wrote.


>>>>Based on that criteria, I could only come up with three:

Jimi Hendrix
Tony Iommi
Eddie Van Halen

Again, totally subjective. I mean, I know the guitarists on here would cite Jeff Beck. But for me, I just don't think the Yardbirds and his solo work really go the worldwide acclaim criteria I set forth. Maybe that's wrong, but that's how I view it. I couldn't tell you one song he wrote that I remember off the top of my head. Although I realize how influential he was.

I think what struck me, was that I was able to choose one guy from the 60s, two guys from the 70s, but yet I sit here and I really don't know if I could pick out a guy from the 80s, 90s, 00s, 10s, or 20s. Not that meet both criteria. I thought about Satriani, Vai, Dimebag, a ton of guys. But...should they be on that Rushmore with Hendrix, Iommi, and EVH? Not in my mind.

So anyway, thoughts on who is on your guitarist mt. rushmore, and why? Any thoughts on guys/gals from the 80s until now that should merit consideration? (Don't say Petrucci - love him, but no).

[HOF]

It’s hard for me to judge mainstream appreciation probably, but has Tony Iommi ever been recognized in the mainstream? I doubt many non hard rock/metal fans could name him. Heck, I only know him as the guy from Black Sabbath. Couldn’t tell you anything else about his playing, personality, or influence.

I’d guess guys like Angus Young, Slash, or Joe Perry might be more recognized by the broader public. Maybe Richie Blackmore just because of Smoke On The Water.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Richie Blackmore?  James Hetfield? 

I would have Dimebag up there.  Along with Hetfield, they completely changed how rhythm guitar was played in heavy genres to this day. 

[Kram]

When I heard it was Tony Iommi's birthday, it got me thinking about the proverbial Mt. Rushmore of hard rock/heavy metal guitarists, and who would be on mine. I gave myself the following criteria:

1. The guitarist must have been innovative with the instrument...lauded for the way they played it, and changed the game in some fashion.

2. The guitarist must have crossed over to mainstream appreciation. Meaning, it can't be a guy no one has heard of who is great...the person must be someone who achieved worldwide acclaim for the songs they wrote.


>>>>Based on that criteria, I could only come up with three:

Jimi Hendrix
Tony Iommi
Eddie Van Halen

Again, totally subjective. I mean, I know the guitarists on here would cite Jeff Beck. But for me, I just don't think the Yardbirds and his solo work really go the worldwide acclaim criteria I set forth. Maybe that's wrong, but that's how I view it. I couldn't tell you one song he wrote that I remember off the top of my head. Although I realize how influential he was.

I think what struck me, was that I was able to choose one guy from the 60s, two guys from the 70s, but yet I sit here and I really don't know if I could pick out a guy from the 80s, 90s, 00s, 10s, or 20s. Not that meet both criteria. I thought about Satriani, Vai, Dimebag, a ton of guys. But...should they be on that Rushmore with Hendrix, Iommi, and EVH? Not in my mind.

So anyway, thoughts on who is on your guitarist mt. rushmore, and why? Any thoughts on guys/gals from the 80s until now that should merit consideration? (Don't say Petrucci - love him, but no).

I was going to say Satriani or Yngwie, but I guess they don't quite fit your criteria.  Guthrie Govan is the best guitarist I've ever seen but he's certainly not "mainsteem".  Maybe Ritchie Blackmore or Jimmy Page?

[HOF]

^ Oh yeah, Jimmy Page for sure.

[hefdaddy42]

I’d guess guys like Angus Young, Slash, or Joe Perry might be more recognized by the broader public. Maybe Richie Blackmore just because of Smoke On The Water.

You're right, but none of them were what I would call "innovative" with the instrument.

Samasara, I like your list.  I would probably go with Hendrix, Van Halen, and Page. 

[Kram]

How about Randy Rhodes?  Too short of a career?

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Rhoads is just an evolution of EVH for the most part. 

[hefdaddy42]

Rhoads is just an evolution of EVH for the most part.

I agree. 

[HOF]

I’d guess guys like Angus Young, Slash, or Joe Perry might be more recognized by the broader public. Maybe Richie Blackmore just because of Smoke On The Water.

You're right, but none of them were what I would call "innovative" with the instrument.

Samasara, I like your list.  I would probably go with Hendrix, Van Halen, and Page.

True. I guess it’s hard to find guys who were both innovative and widely known outside of their circles.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

I guess it’s hard to find guys who were both innovative and widely known outside of their circles.

I'd also add influential though.  For example, Tom Morello was innovative and widely known, but his lead and effects style didn't really catch on. 

[Kram]

Rhoads is just an evolution of EVH for the most part.

True.  I'd probably go Hendrix, EVH and Page then for Mt Rushmore.  They're not my favorites (Govan, Petrucci & Lifeson), but probably the most innovative/influential of all time.

[El Barto]

I think Blackmore probably needs to be up there for being the pioneer of neoclassical rock guitar. I'd probably consider RR more a disciple of Blacmore than EVH.

Also, I personally wouldn't put Hendrix in the hard rock/metal category. If you're going to do that then you screw SRV out of the discussion.

[Nachtmerrie]

I’d guess guys like Angus Young, Slash, or Joe Perry might be more recognized by the broader public. Maybe Richie Blackmore just because of Smoke On The Water.

You're right, but none of them were what I would call "innovative" with the instrument.

Samasara, I like your list.  I would probably go with Hendrix, Van Halen, and Page.

True. I guess it’s hard to find guys who were both innovative and widely known outside of their circles.

How about The Edge. Not a great technical player by any means but I would say his playing on albums like Achtung Baby is pretty innovative and distinctive.

[Samsara]

Great feedback and choices by everyone. Like we all know, so, so subjective. I thought about Perry and Slash...both derivative. GREAT, but derivative.

And I think...there's a difference between distinct and innovative. I mean, we all can name a ton of guys because of their signature, distinct sound. But that doesn't, at least for me, make them innovative.

I thought about Page a lot. Also thought about Blackmore a lot. I think both fall just shy of the three I mentioned for me. I also thought about The Edge. Same thing...not really innovative to my ear. Distinctive, not innovative.

Hef - push on Page here. Because I really thought about it. But if I leave Beck off, why would I put Page on? Just because the songs he wrote were more identifiable? What did he do, innovation-wise, that puts him on that pedestal with Iommi, Hendrix, and EVH? And I am a huge fan, just want to hear your expanded thought on Page in that context.

El B - not sure how putting Hendrix on screws SRV. SRV is amazing for sure. I mean, make the case for SRV. Why would he be on there? I mean, I'm an SRV fan, and while I think he's very distinctive, I didn't really feel he was innovative. Took blues guitar to a whole broader palette, but at the end of the day, he wasn't a game changer, in my view, like Hendrix was with the instrument.

[Samsara]

Here's a crazy thought. I'm not necessarily a FAN of his, but what about Tom Morello? Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave. His style of playing is distinct, took the guitar sound to a different place, blended genres, etc. I am not sure he'd make my Mt. Rushmore, but...

As for James Hetfield, yeah, he crossed my mind. But to be honest, I don't really think his style of playing is much different than his influences. He just played faster. Great rhythm player, and at least to me, great songwriter in the 80s, but...not quite the game-changer to be put on Mt. Rushmore.

[pg1067]

This is a hard one for me.

Hendrix and Van Halen are no-brainers.

I think Jimmy Page needs to be there.  I think he's at a different level than Beck.  Beck is a guitarist's guitarist, but outside of a couple Yardbirds songs (that Beck may or may not have played on), I don't think I could name a single Jeff Beck song.

The "mainstream appreciation" thing leaves Iommi on the sideline, and that criterion is tough for any hard rock/metal guitarist to surpass.

Slash and Angus Young are probably the closest as far as mainstream appreciation, but I don't think either of them has been even remotely innovative.

Hetfield?  Maybe, but I suspect the average person knows "the singer from Metallica who also plays guitar" rather than "James Hetfield."  Blackmore might be the closest in terms of both criteria.

Of course, if you expand it beyond hard rock/metal, there are probably plenty of viable candidates.

[Samsara]

P - yep, see, I had to put the metal/hard rock qualifier in. Otherwise, it gets crazy. lol.

[TAC]

I would have Dimebag up there.  Along with Hetfield, they completely changed how rhythm guitar was played in heavy genres to this day.

Yeah, but Dimebag never crossed into the mainstream, which was one of the requirements of the OP.

[Samsara]

I would have Dimebag up there.  Along with Hetfield, they completely changed how rhythm guitar was played in heavy genres to this day.

Yeah, but Dimebag never crossed into the mainstream, which was one of the requirements of the OP.

It's weird with Dime. I went back and forth on him. To the metal world, he was "mainstream" for sure. But the general public wouldn't know who he was or the band he played for. Everyone knew Van Halen, Hendrix, and Black Sabbath.

It's a very subjective topic with objective parameters which make things really difficult. I get it. Trust me, I'm a huge fan of Dime. I have a framed art print of him shredding over the door of my den at home. But given the parameters I set, he didn't quite get there.

Another one was Brian May. Certainly crossed over, certainly is distinct. But did he innovate in such a way that changed the game? To me, no, not really. Which bumps him, too. Crazy.

[TAC]

I would have Dimebag up there.  Along with Hetfield, they completely changed how rhythm guitar was played in heavy genres to this day.

Yeah, but Dimebag never crossed into the mainstream, which was one of the requirements of the OP.

It's weird with Dime. I went back and forth on him. To the metal world, he was "mainstream" for sure. But the general public wouldn't know who he was or the band he played for. Everyone knew Van Halen, Hendrix, and Black Sabbath.

Yeah, if you wanted to put him on one's Metal Mount Rushmore, fine, but he definitely cannot be included with how the OP is worded.

[Adami]

I’d say May was very innovative. But like Tom Morello, it’s just kind of them doing that style. There isn’t an army or generation of players that sound like either of them.

[HOF]

I actually think Robert Fripp is a great candidate for this. Schizoid Man was kind of a foundational heavy metal tune, he has had a broad influence on multiple genres (metal, prog, pop, ambient), and he crossed over into the mainstream to an extent playing with Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Brian Eno, Daryl Hall, Blondie, etc. I don’t think a ton of people outside of the rock world know him, but I think at times in the past he’s had an impact on more than just the hard rock/metal/prog worlds.

[Phoenix87x]

First ones to come to mind

EVH
Jimmy page
Stevie ray Vaughn
Jimmy hendrix 

[emtee]

I think if you asked some of the guitarists listed here, they would say Chuck Berry played a role in how they approached their instrument.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

I think Blackmore probably needs to be up there for being the pioneer of neoclassical rock guitar. I'd probably consider RR more a disciple of Blacmore than EVH.

Yeah, maybe.  But by the 80s guitarists were being influenced by Yngwie about as much as Blackmore.  And by the 90s the neoclassical sound went almost entirely underground to Euro metal and maybe some US prog metal and such. 

Also, I personally wouldn't put Hendrix in the hard rock/metal category. If you're going to do that then you screw SRV out of the discussion.

Hendrix was closer to hard rock than SRV though, and much more frequently cited by players for his more over the top soloing, feedback, whammy usage and such.  SRV was just turbo-charged Albert King. 

How about The Edge. Not a great technical player by any means but I would say his playing on albums like Achtung Baby is pretty innovative and distinctive.

Not even close to hard rock outside of an isolated track or two though, and Gilmour, Fripp, Summers, Lifeson, Echo & The Bunnymen and others were doing similar things at the same time or earlier, he just made it even more accessible. 

Here's a crazy thought. I'm not necessarily a FAN of his, but what about Tom Morello? Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave. His style of playing is distinct, took the guitar sound to a different place, blended genres, etc. I am not sure he'd make my Mt. Rushmore, but...

Already mentioned him, but his normal riffs are just rehashed 70s rock riffs, and his weirder DJ-style effects that actually were unique never really caught fire among other guitarists. 

As for James Hetfield, yeah, he crossed my mind. But to be honest, I don't really think his style of playing is much different than his influences. He just played faster. Great rhythm player, and at least to me, great songwriter in the 80s, but...not quite the game-changer to be put on Mt. Rushmore.

He really made the high-gain, palm-muted, chugging, downpicked, heavy-handed attack, single note, and pedal tone riffing style like no one else before him.  Heavy riffs started becoming dramatically different after him. 

I would have Dimebag up there.  Along with Hetfield, they completely changed how rhythm guitar was played in heavy genres to this day.

Yeah, but Dimebag never crossed into the mainstream, which was one of the requirements of the OP.

I guess it depends upon how you define "mainstream".  Maybe not quite as much as some of the others, but they still sold over 20 million records, and you can still hear "Walk" in particular in public places on occasion.  Heck, my mother, who knows practically nothing about heavier music, had heard of him.  But sure, weaker on that criteria than some of the others.

I think if you asked some of the guitarists listed here, they would say Chuck Berry played a role in how they approached their instrument.

Yeah, but also, not even close to hard rock. 

[wolfking]

A shame Gary Moore never crossed into the mainstream.

[Stadler]

Great feedback and choices by everyone. Like we all know, so, so subjective. I thought about Perry and Slash...both derivative. GREAT, but derivative.

And I think...there's a difference between distinct and innovative. I mean, we all can name a ton of guys because of their signature, distinct sound. But that doesn't, at least for me, make them innovative.

I thought about Page a lot. Also thought about Blackmore a lot. I think both fall just shy of the three I mentioned for me. I also thought about The Edge. Same thing...not really innovative to my ear. Distinctive, not innovative.

Hef - push on Page here. Because I really thought about it. But if I leave Beck off, why would I put Page on? Just because the songs he wrote were more identifiable? What did he do, innovation-wise, that puts him on that pedestal with Iommi, Hendrix, and EVH? And I am a huge fan, just want to hear your expanded thought on Page in that context.

El B - not sure how putting Hendrix on screws SRV. SRV is amazing for sure. I mean, make the case for SRV. Why would he be on there? I mean, I'm an SRV fan, and while I think he's very distinctive, I didn't really feel he was innovative. Took blues guitar to a whole broader palette, but at the end of the day, he wasn't a game changer, in my view, like Hendrix was with the instrument.

Page; what he did with the SOUND of Led Zeppelin is as innovative as anything he did with the intrument (though he also  incorporated a Celtic sound into the more traditional blues that came out of England in the mid-60's.  None of those other guys - Wood, Richards, Beck, Clapton, Blackmore - had that angle.  But back to the SOUND.  That was almost all him.

My Mt. Rushmore:

- Van Halen
- Hendrix
- Blackmore
- Page

Rhoads is the next on the list.

[MirrorMask]

2. The guitarist must have crossed over to mainstream appreciation. Meaning, it can't be a guy no one has heard of who is great...the person must be someone who achieved worldwide acclaim for the songs they wrote.

Does anybody who isn't a metal / rock fan even knows who Tony Iommi is? Ozzy Osbourne is the only recognizable name for people outside our world.

[lonestar]

Ok, going to throw an odd one out, and he doesn't qualify on the notoriety level, but for innovation he can be credited to having the first heavily distorted guitar chords which led to pretty much all of heavy metal. In fact I'd consider it the first song that led to metal....Dave Davies of the Kinks and You Really Got Me, 1964 I think.

[Dream Team]

I like Stadler’s list but I would substitute Hetfield for Hendrix for reasons already mentioned.

My PERSONAL metal Mt Rushmore would be:

JP
Het
Tipton
Michael Romeo

[Stadler]

I actually think Robert Fripp is a great candidate for this. Schizoid Man was kind of a foundational heavy metal tune, he has had a broad influence on multiple genres (metal, prog, pop, ambient), and he crossed over into the mainstream to an extent playing with Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Brian Eno, Daryl Hall, Blondie, etc. I don’t think a ton of people outside of the rock world know him, but I think at times in the past he’s had an impact on more than just the hard rock/metal/prog worlds.

You won't get any argument from me.  I think he's the second (behind Collins) biggest RnRHoF snub so far. He fucking created an entire genre.  That Rolling Stone hates that genre, notwithstanding, but I'm surprised he hasn't gotten more love given his affiliation with RS darling Peter Gabriel.

[wolfking]

I like Stadler’s list but I would substitute Hetfield for Hendrix for reasons already mentioned.

My PERSONAL metal Mt Rushmore would be:

JP
Het
Tipton
Michael Romeo

Tipton would be close to my first picked for my personal rushmore too.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

I think we have a difficult tension if this is half a metal list and we're also looking for "mainstream" breakthrough.  In that sense, there's very little to choose from, because not much actual metal has ever become truly household music.  If Iommi and Dimebag aren't well-known enough, then it's really only a hard rock list. 

[wolfking]

2. The guitarist must have crossed over to mainstream appreciation. Meaning, it can't be a guy no one has heard of who is great...the person must be someone who achieved worldwide acclaim for the songs they wrote.

Does anybody who isn't a metal / rock fan even knows who Tony Iommi is? Ozzy Osbourne is the only recognizable name for people outside our world.

Thing is, while the conditions are there, the title of the thread is Rushmore of 'hard rock/metal' guitarists.  This in itself limits the mainstream criteria of the thread also IMO.