Dez's Top 30 Guitarists: #'s 8 and 7, The Revolutionaries

8. New Age Revolutionary: Michael Hedges

Michael Hedges wasn't a household name, but in guitar circles he was acknowledged as a true original. He arrived on the new age Windham Hill label, but there was much more to Hedges's dramatic acoustic style than the New Age tag would suggest. With prodigious technique, an often percussive attack, wild tunings, and a whole new way of approaching the acoustic guitar, Hedges was every bit the revolutionary on the acoustic as #7 below was on the electric. Which is why they kind of belong together on this list. Most of Hedges's releases, unfortunately, do have a New Age sheen to them, which is why I would suggest Live on the Double Planet. Stripped down in the live setting, raw and often beautiful, this is Michael Hedges at his best. He has a sense of humor, too. Check out his groovy cover of 80's one hit wonder Sheila E.'s "A Love Bizarre" or his own fun "Funky Avocado," both on LOTDP. Unfortunately for guitar lovers, Hedges was killed in a car accident in 1997.


ABOVE: Ignore the cheesy, New Age setting. Listen and watch this dude play. This is one of his signature tunes, "Aerial Boundaries." Hedges was one of a kind.


7. Electric Revolutionary: Jimi Hendrix (Jimi Hendrix Experience, Band of Gypsys (sp.), session work, solo)

If I were creating a list of most important or influential, Jimi Hendrix would obviously top the Guitar Mt. Olympus. But this is my list of personal favorites, and #7 is nothing to scoff at! With the electric guitar, there is Before Hendrix (B.H.) and After Hendrix (A.H.) He fundamentally changed the instrument. Even more incredible, there are sounds he made using the rudimentary equipment available to him in the late 1960's that people still have no idea how to replicate. His soloing was unparalleled, but he also was an intricate and wonderful rhythm player. Just listen to some of his quieter tunes like "Little Wing," "The Wind Cries Mary" or "Angel." He was also a great bluesman. The guy could do it all. It is also noteworthy that he has such a small discography (three studio records, one a double, and one live album released in his lifetime, plus a smattering of posthumous releases), yet it is so influential and so uniformly brilliant. His guitar playing often overshadows the fact that he was also an excellent lyricist, engaging singer and talented producer. "Genius" is a label used too loosely, but Hendrix is one of the few in popular music who really qualifies. My favorites? Oh man, the groove of "Highway Chile," the beauty and poetry of "Castles Made of Sand," the transformative cover of Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower," the wah-freakout of "Voodoo Child," the funky bounce of "EZ Rider"...to name just a few.


ABOVE: Many of Jimi's tunes are so familiar, I decided to pick a more obscure one to showcase his talents. This is the slowburn Vietnam nightmare "Machine Gun." It is rather long, but listen to the sounds he gets out of that guitar. By the way, that is the legendary Buddy Miles on drums.