My Favorite Guitar Players (Part Three)

So far I’ve chosen, Chet Atkins, Martin Barre, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour, Jimi Hendrix, Steve Howe, Terry Kath, Jimmy Page, Les Paul, Pete Townshend, and Joe Walsh. Jerry Reed Hubbard, professionally known as Jerry Reed, was an American country singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor born on March 20, 1937, in Atlanta, Georgia. His parents separated when he was an infant, and he and his sister spent seven years in foster homes and

orphanages before reuniting with their mother and stepfather. Reed graduated from O’Keefe High School in Atlanta and began learning guitar as a child, eventually developing into one of country music’s most distinctive instrumentalists. He signed with Capitol Records in 1955 and later recorded for National Recording Corporation before moving to Nashville to pursue songwriting and session work. After serving in the U.S. Army, he married singer Priscilla “Prissy” Mitchell in 1959.

Reed became famous for his extraordinary fingerstyle guitar technique, often called “claw style,” which combined intricate bass lines, rhythmic syncopation, and nimble treble melodies. His guitar work influenced generations of musicians, and he collaborated with legendary guitarist Chet Atkins on several recordings. Reed wrote songs recorded by Elvis Presley, including “Guitar Man” and “U.S. Male,” playing lead guitar on Presley’s versions.

His own best-known recordings included “Amos Moses,” “When You’re Hot, You’re Hot,” “Lord, Mr. Ford,” “East Bound and Down,” and “She Got the Goldmine (I Got the Shaft).” His 1971 hit “When You’re Hot, You’re Hot” earned him a Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance, and he won two additional Grammys through collaborations with Atkins. Reed also enjoyed a successful acting career,

particularly as the lovable truck driver Cledus “Snowman” Snow opposite Burt Reynolds in Smokey and the Bandit (1977) and its sequels. He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005 and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2017. Reed died from complications of emphysema on Monday, September 1, 2008, in Nashville, Tennessee, at age 71. He was survived by his wife, Priscilla, and their daughters, Seidina and Charlotte.

Prince Rogers Nelson, known professionally as Prince, was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, dancer, and actor born on June 7, 1958, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His father, John L. Nelson, was a pianist and songwriter, and his mother, Mattie Shaw, was a jazz singer. Prince developed an interest in music during childhood, teaching himself piano, guitar, and drums. He attended Minneapolis Central High School, where he concentrated heavily on music and performed with fellow student André Anderson, later known as André Cymone.

In 1978, Prince signed with Warner Bros. Records and released his debut album, For You, in 1978, reportedly playing nearly every instrument himself. His innovative combination of funk, rock, pop, R&B, and soul helped establish the Minneapolis sound. Albums including Dirty Mind (1980), 1999 (1982), Purple Rain (1984), and Sign o’ the Times (1987) established his reputation as one of popular music’s most creative artists. His hits included “When Doves Cry,” “Let’s Go Crazy,” “Kiss,”

“Little Red Corvette,” and “Raspberry Beret.” An exceptionally talented guitarist, Prince could shift effortlessly between funky rhythm playing, intricate melodic lines, and explosive rock solos; his performance during the 2004 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tribute to George Harrison, featuring “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” became particularly celebrated. He also wrote hits for other performers, including the Bangles’ “Manic Monday” and Sinéad O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U.”

Prince won seven Grammy Awards, an Academy Award for the Purple Rain soundtrack, and a Golden Globe Award, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. He married dancer Mayte Garcia in 1996; their son, Amiir, died shortly after birth. Prince later married Manuela Testolini, and both marriages ended in divorce. He died from an accidental fentanyl overdose on Thursday, April 21, 2016, at age 57, at his Paisley Park estate in Chanhassen, Minnesota. His survivors included his sister, Tyka Nelson, and five half-siblings.

Adrian Belew, born Robert Steven Belew on December 23, 1949, in Covington, Kentucky, is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer born Robert Steven Belew on December 23, 1949, in Covington, Kentucky. He grew up across the Ohio River from Cincinnati and attended Boone County High School in Kentucky, graduating in 1967. Initially a drummer, he began teaching himself guitar as a teenager after being inspired by the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix; he never pursued formal music-school training.

Belew developed an extraordinary guitar style built around unusual sounds, using effects, feedback, pitch manipulation, and inventive techniques to make his instrument imitate elephants, rhinoceroses, car horns, and other sounds. After playing in local bands, he was discovered by Frank Zappa and joined Zappa’s band in the late 1970s, appearing on Sheik Yerbouti. He subsequently toured with David Bowie,

playing guitar on the Stage album and contributing to Lodger, and worked with Talking Heads on Remain in Light and their concert performances. In 1981, he became the lead singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter alongside Robert Fripp in King Crimson, remaining with the progressive-rock group for approximately

three decades across several lineups. His other collaborations included Nine Inch Nails, Paul Simon, Herbie Hancock, and Tom Tom Club. Belew also built a solo career with albums including The Lone Rhino (1982) and Twang Bar King (1983), combining adventurous guitar experimentation with accessible pop songwriting. His instrumental track “Beat Box Guitar” received a Grammy nomination in 2006, and his work with King Crimson

earned additional nominations. He later formed the power trio the Bears and participated in projects including the progressive-rock ensemble BEAT, performing King Crimson-era music with Steve Vai, Tony Levin, and Danny Carey. Belew has been married to Leslie, and they have a daughter, Audie. He remains active as a musician and is celebrated for expanding the expressive possibilities of the electric guitar.

Richard Hugh “Ritchie” Blackmore is an English guitarist and songwriter born on April 14, 1945, in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England. His family moved to Heston, Middlesex, when he was two years old. His father gave him his first guitar at age 11 on the condition that he learn to play properly, and he took classical guitar lessons for a year before studying with guitarist Big Jim Sullivan. Blackmore left school at 15 and became an apprentice radio mechanic at Heathrow Airport while pursuing music.

During the 1960s, he worked as a session musician and performed with groups including the Outlaws before cofounding Deep Purple in 1968. His powerful, precise guitar playing combined blues-rock intensity, classical influences, rapid runs, and memorable riffs, helping define hard rock and heavy metal. He created the iconic riff for Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water” and contributed signature guitar work to “Highway Star,” “Child in Time,” “Burn,” and “Lazy.”

He left Deep Purple in 1975 to form Rainbow with vocalist Ronnie James Dio, producing influential albums including Rising (1976) and Long Live Rock ’n’ Roll (1978). Rainbow later scored hits with “Since You’ve Been Gone” and “All Night Long.” Blackmore returned to Deep Purple in 1984 but departed again in 1993. In 1997, he formed Blackmore’s Night with singer Candice Night, blending Renaissance and folk music with acoustic instrumentation. The couple married in 2008 and have two children, Autumn and Rory;

Blackmore also has a son, Jürgen R. Blackmore, from his first marriage to Margit. Known for his fiercely independent personality and demanding leadership, he has influenced generations of rock guitarists. Deep Purple was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2016, recognizing Blackmore’s contribution to the band’s legacy. He remains alive and continues to be associated with Blackmore’s Night.

Glen Campbell was an American country singer, songwriter, guitarist, and television host born on April 22, 1936, near Delight, Arkansas, to a large family of sharecroppers. He grew up in a musical household, learned guitar from his father and uncle, and left school before graduating to pursue music professionally. As a teenager, he performed with local bands before moving to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he joined his uncle’s band.

Campbell later settled in Los Angeles and became one of the most sought-after session guitarists in the music industry. As a member of the celebrated Los Angeles session-musician community known as the Wrecking Crew, Campbell played on recordings by artists including Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, the Beach Boys, and the Monkees. He also toured with the Beach Boys in 1964–1965, temporarily filling in for Brian Wilson. Campbell achieved solo stardom

with “Gentle on My Mind,” “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Wichita Lineman,” “Galveston,” “Rhinestone Cowboy,” and “Southern Nights.” His exceptional guitar talent, especially his clean, precise picking and ability to master complicated arrangements by ear, was central to his success. He hosted The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour from 1969 to 1972 and appeared alongside John Wayne in the 1969 film True Grit. Campbell won six Grammy Awards, received the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012, and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame

in 2005. He married four times and had eight children. In 2011, he announced that he had Alzheimer’s disease and subsequently undertook a farewell tour that was documented in the acclaimed film Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me. He died from complications of Alzheimer’s disease on Tuesday, August 8, 2017, in Nashville, Tennessee, at age 81. He was survived by his wife, Kim Campbell, and his children, Cal, Travis, Kane, Ashley, Shannon, Debby, Kelli, and Dillon.

Sir Brian Harold May, born July 19, 1947, in Hampton, Middlesex, England, is a British guitarist, songwriter, singer, astrophysicist, and animal-welfare advocate best known as a founding member of Queen. An exceptional student, he attended Hampton Grammar School and studied mathematics and physics at Imperial College London, earning a bachelor’s degree in physics in 1968. He later suspended his doctoral studies to pursue music,

finally completing his PhD in astrophysics in 2007. As a teenager, May and his father, Harold, built his famous homemade electric guitar, the Red Special, from inexpensive materials and played it with a sixpence coin instead of a conventional pick. His distinctive guitar sound combines layered harmonies, melodic solos, powerful rock riffs, and orchestral arrangements. After playing in the band Smile, he formed Queen in 1970 with

Freddie Mercury and Roger Taylor; bassist John Deacon joined the following year. May wrote major Queen hits including “We Will Rock You,” “Tie Your Mother Down,” “Fat Bottomed Girls,” “Who Wants to Live Forever,” and “The Show Must Go On.” His guitar work helped define classics such as “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Brighton Rock,” and “Killer Queen.” Beyond Queen, he released solo albums,

collaborated with numerous musicians, composed film music, and continued performing with Queen alongside Adam Lambert. May was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2005 and knighted in 2023 for

services to music and charity. Queen was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. May has also pursued astronomy, stereoscopic photography, and wildlife conservation through his Save Me Trust. He married Christine “Chrissie” Mullen in 1976; they had three children, James, Louisa, and Emily, before divorcing. He married actress Anita Dobson in 2000. May is alive and continues to work in music and conservation.