Best blues guitarist, Clapton or Green

Buddy Guy? What a hacker. Ronnie Earl can out play BG with on finger. The original question was Clapton or Green. While Eric had a blues sound to his style, this is not true blues as anyone who studied the blues and plays the guitar knows. Green played more to the original blues masters. T-Bone Walker and players from his era were the blues masters that many guitarists learned from, even Stevie. Stevie brought the blues back to a new audience but even he copied many of has licks from the old blues masters. He was more fluid at playing the blues style then they were and much more exciting. I learned to play the guitar because of Duane and then looked at his roots to discover where he got his chops. He also had great tone and energy to his playing. I cried when he died.

Happy Listening.

Bigkidz, calling Buddy Guy a "hacker" is a pretty big insult to a man that has been admired by and shared the stage with most of the great Blues guitarists of the past 50 years. I'm even sure Duane and Ronnie Earl who is one of my favorites, and very under appreciated would strongly disagree with your opinion of a living legend. You must be a pretty special guitarist in your own right to hurl such BS around. I understand we all are entitled to our opinions, but perhaps you could expand on your opinion of Buddy?

I have been fortunate to see some great blues guitarists live. I saw SRV three times and he was a true force of nature when playing live. As good as his albums are, they do not do justice to his power as a player. I saw Buddy Guy in a small club in Northhampton MA, The Iron Horse about a week after SRV died, and it was a very emotional experience. Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson showed up and sat in as well. I bought several rounds of shots for them during the intermission and got Buddy's autograph on a piece of cardboard from a beer case! Buddyis the real deal. I have seen B.B. King several times and was also fortunate enough to see Albert King when he was still alive. I have also seen Eric Clapton, Otis Rush, Robert Cray, Johnny Winter, and many others from when I lived in Chicago.

I would not want to pick one as the best, there are many great blues guitarists, but they are all different and all with their particular strangths. If I was forced into a corner, I would have to go with SRV, but on other days I might go with Buddy Guy. T-Bone Walker is also one of my favorites

not to start a war but the appeal of clapton mystifies me...imho hes the most overrated of all time. he has technique but no soul and no musicality.

if you want a blues guitarist you have to go with guy or freddy or albert king. and if you want to dig deep and hear someone do things decades before others, give a listen to the otis rush cobra sessions...thats blues guitar.....

duane allman cannot be denied either.....

Blblues68,

IMHO Buddy Guy has not played a lick that was worth anything. His notes don't send a message to me. Sure he played with a bunch of guitar greats but I never found one of his licks to take a solo anywhere special. Listen to T-Bone who played in one position the entire time he played his solos. That basically means that he was limited to the number of notes he could play but when you listen to his solos, most of the time his licks sound very different even though he is using the same number of notes. Buddy Guy uses the entire guitar and he basically says nothing with his solos, same old crap to my ears. I have been play the guitar for 43 years, own 30 plus guitars. I could hold my own with just about anyone when I played regularly. I can send you a copy if you want to hear what I can do. There are so many better guitarist then Buddy Guy, he just bores me to death. There is always something to learn from another but Ronnie Earl blows Buddy away. Just my opinion.

Kbuzz, ever listen to Clapton doing Nobody knows you when you're down and out or the solo for Bell Bottom blues, or even while my guitar gently weeps? Just a few examples of Clapton playing the blues on a studio recording. In the early years he played da blues, not like the originals mine you, but his way, and it was very effective. He is more of a song writer these days and seems to care less about using the guitar as a voice for him or his emotions. Duane was my all time favorite guitarist but don't forget what Dickie Betts can do with a Les Paul. He has one of the sweetest sounds and is a fantastic blues player and blues rhythm player.

Happy Listening.