5 Glam Rock Guitar Legends With Striking Similarities

Glam rock guitarists combined early rock and roll, blues, makeup, and science fiction to reimagine the rock star. They were androgynous, gaudy, and influenced several genres of music, including punk, goth, and glam metal. This list begins with obvious selections but is, of course, far from complete. Consider it a quick primer with two surprises at the end to show how far glam reached.

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Ace Frehley (KISS)

KISS might not have won over music critics, but Ace Frehley inspired countless future rock legends to pick up the guitar. Everyone from Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready, Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo, and Mötley Crüe’s John 5 has acknowledged Frehley’s influence. A rock star, by definition, appears unearthly. And, Frehley, or The Spaceman, as he was known, became the embodiment of the rock and roll superhero for many.

Mick Ronson (David Bowie)

When David Bowie introduced his alter ego, Ziggy Stardust, to his guitarist, Mick Ronson, he became rock and roll’s proto-celestial glam rocker. Ronson and Bowie also co-produced Lou Reed’s Transformer, a landmark glam rock album that, together with Bowie’s The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars, forever changed the look and sound of rock music.

Marc Bolan (T. Rex)

Before Ziggy Stardust landed on Earth, T. Rex released Electric Warrior. Marc Bolan had transformed his band from folk to boogie rock, pioneering a flamboyant new movement. The album shaped The Jam, The Cure, Oasis, and many others. Meanwhile, it established the Gibson Les Paul Custom as the go-to guitar for glam rock. Both Ronson and Frehley played similar models.

Mick Mars (Mötley Crüe)

You can spot the obvious influence of Mick Ronson in Mick Mars’ stage name. Mötley Crüe’s original guitarist and co-founder also played in a Gibson Les Paul Custom, which you can see in the music video for “Live Wire” as fake blood spills from his mouth. Like others on this list, Mars blended classic rock, blues, and punk as glam rock reached the West Coast.

Randy Rhoads (Ozzy Osbourne)

Randy Rhoads helped revive Ozzy Osbourne’s career the day he recorded “Crazy Train”. Osbourne helped pioneer heavy metal, and especially with Black Sabbath, would have been considered the polar opposite of glam. But Rhoads’ stage appearance was based on Mick Ronson, down to his Les Paul Custom guitar. He also played a polka dot Flying V with a matching vest and bow tie. His neoclassical licks would have impressed an alien rock star like Ziggy Stardust.

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