My top ten All Time list. They are selected because these musicians have moved the medium to a new place, and I have REALLY enjoyed listening to them do it, either live or on recordings. To get on this list they had to have the right combination of soul, melody, technical proficiency and creativity, and lucky enough to have played with the right side men (and women) at the right time in their careers.
1. Jimi Hendrix (reinvented electric guitar)
2. Django Reinhardt (tie, invented modern jazz guitar)
2. Buckethead (tie, reinventing electric guitar again)
4. John Mclaughlin (invented Fusion guitar)
5. Jimmy Page (went over like a lead balloon!)
6. Richard Thompson (perfected rock tinged folk guitar)
7. Jeff Beck (makes his guitar sing like no one else)
8. Stevie Ray Vaughan (The Sound of Texas)
9. Duane Allman (invented southern rock guitar)
10. Carlos Santana (invented Latin rock guitar)
Honorable mention:
David Gilmour (king of the long note)
Adriane Belew (invented animal noises guitar)
Steve Morse (invented Dixie Fusion)
John Meyer (not just your daughter's favorite bad boy)
John Frusciante (Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik)
Martin Barre (perfected Gothic Rock guitar)
Frank Zappa (what chord did you say that was?)