These 3 Country Artists Are Also Ridiculously Talented Guitar Players

Most country artists are talented singers, and some are also talented songwriters. But then, some of them have another talent as gifted guitar players. While most country artists can at least strum a tune, these three country artists are all amazing guitar players.

Videos by American Songwriter

Keith Urban

Keith Urban was just six years old when he began to play guitar. Growing up in Australia, from a young age, Urban worked at honing his skills as a guitar player. After moving to the United States and pursuing a country music career, his desire to play well only intensified.

Still, for Urban, the guitar playing always goes hand-in-hand with his vocal performance.

“I’ve always seen myself as a duo – I sing and play,” Urban tells Guitar Player. “It’s different from people like Eddie Van Halen, Yngwie Malmsteen, or Slash – I’m not that kind of player.”

Urban is known for putting intricate guitar solos in his songs. His live version of “Long Hot Summer“, from his 2025 High And (A)live album, is almost seven minutes long because of a lengthy guitar solo.

Brad Paisley

Brad Paisley was given his first guitar by his grandfather when he was just eight years old, immediately showing interest in the instrument.

Now, Paisley has his own Fender Brad Paisley Road Worn Telecaster. He also often gives a guitar away at his shows. But for Paisley, he will always be working on becoming a better player, even after all these years.

“I don’t think anybody ever feels like they’ve mastered their craft,” Paisley tells Fender. “You really have to do the work. You have to first figure out the basics, but I always enjoy the process of trying to figure out who I am as a guitar player. I don’t care to copy that many people.”

Vince Gill

Vince Gill is not only a masterful guitar player, but he also makes it look so easy. Gill’s early foray into music included playing guitar for Rodney Crowell’s band, The Cherry Bombs. Gill, of course, was soon part of country music, thanks to his velvet voice.

Gill is now known as one of the best singers of all time. But his guitar skills are also almost unmatched. Gill also amassed a large collection of guitars over the years. Sadly, most of them were destroyed in the devastating 2010 Nashville flood, including some with a lot of personal meaning to him.

Fortunately, his wife, Amy Grant, was able to put the loss in perspective for him.

“Amy saw the shock on my face,” Gill recalls to Guitar Aficionado. “She knew I was just about to completely unglue. She looked at me [and] says, ‘Just remember: all you need is one guitar to make a living.’”

Photo by Tibrina Hobson/CBS via Getty Images