3 Non-Rock ‘n’ Roll Guitarists Who (Arguably) Played Better Than Van Halen, Hendrix, Clapton, and the Rest of Them

When folks talk about the greatest guitarists of all time, their selections usually only consist of rock ‘n’ roll guitarists. While the genre certainly does have some of the greatest of all time, what about country, blues, bluegrass, and jazz? Those genres have equivalent, if not better, guitarists than rock ‘n’ roll, but that is merely a matter of opinion. So, to broaden the scope of that conversation, here are three non-rock ‘n’ roll guitarists who are (arguably) better than Van Halen, Hendrix, Clapton, and the rest of them.

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Tony Rice

There is no other genre that plays with the same speed and tenacity as bluegrass music—that is the premier facet that sets it aside from all guitar-oriented genres of music. One of the superheroes in the genre is the departed Tony Rice, who, to us, made the speed of Van Halen’s playing look like slow motion.

Don’t get us wrong, that previous sentence is a bold one. However, after you listen to songs “Nine Pound Hammer”, “Fast Floyd”, “Freeborn Man”, “Manzanita”, and “Bugle Call Rag”, you just might be able to see eye-to-eye with us.

Albert King

The foundation of rock ‘n’ roll is the blues, which is common knowledge. However, the rock ‘n’ roll guitarists who were inspired by the genre were the ones who captured the large majority of the limelight and applause. That being so, many people have overlooked the talents of Muddy Waters, B.B. King, and Albert King.

The soul of rock ‘n’ roll and the sounds that make your body cramp up, is the very soul and sound of King’s music. When listening to his tracks, you will constantly be in a state of amazement, as there are no strict melody or chorus breaks. Rather, it is just sheer vibes the whole time.

Jerry Reed

Jerry Reed is by no means an underrated musician, but the depth of his skills seeminly go unnoticed by those who aren’t musicians themselves. To us, Jerry Reed isn’t just one of the best guitarists of all time, but also one of the greatest musical innovators of all time. There isn’t a genre line he couldn’t cross, and when he did, he fused his trail seamlessly.

Thanks to his unique claw-style of playing and ability to jump into any genre, Reed played and wrote for the best of them. We could give you the laundry list of credits he acquired throughout his career, but you really only need to watch one video, and that is the video above.

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