Best Acoustic Guitar Players Of All Time?


Piggybacking on the unique guitar theme, I thought it might be fun to get your list of acoustic masters.

Here is my list:
1. Michael Hedges - This will more than likely be a controversial #1 choice, because I know Michael was heavily influenced by Leo Kottke, but I think Hedges took all his influences to a higher compositional level. He was a total freak on the acoustic guitar and paved the way for so many of the new fingerstyle players. He may not be the best of all time, but he gets my vote anyway.
2. Andres Segovia
3. Leo Kottke
4. Chet Atkins
5. Al DiMeola
6. John McLaughlin
7. Tommy Emmanuel
8. Duck Baker
9. Doyle Dykes
10. Don Ross
11. Antoine Dufour
12. Andy McKee
14. Preston Reed
15. Peppino D'Agostino
16. Pierre Bensusan
17. Billy McLaughlin
18. Tim Sparks
19. Mark O'Conner
20. Tony Rice

I'm sure there's many more I've missed, but I'll leave those gems up to you guys!
128x128dawgbyte
Nice list. I agree with you on Michael Hedges. One of the best concert experiences I have ever had was watching Hedges play "Low Spark of High Heeled Boys" on the guitar. I would add Harry Manx to the top 5 on your list. He does some phenomenal things with acoustic instruments.
Norman Blake. Sean Persinger. Richard Thompson. Chris Proctor. Richard Leo Johnson.
In terms of originality, I'll mention another of the neglected female players, Kaki King.
Pentangle deserves a special place on this list. Bert Jansch and John Renbourne are both astonishing players

Marty