Congrats, Alex!!!
Daily Review
The Top 25
1. Carlos Santana
Santana possesses the most instantly recognizable sound and style of any rock guitarist in the Bay Area if not the entire world. He's also proven to be as relevant in the 21st century as he was in the'60s. His fingers haven't lost an ounce of their potency.
2. Lowell Fulsom
During his time in Oakland, Fulsom pioneered what would become known as the West Coast Blues sound. He was also a highly versatile player, comfortable with R&B, funk and pop, and had an eye for young talent, stocking his bands with such promising rookies as Ray Charles.
3. Kirk Hammett
His guitar playing in Metallica anchored a rock revolution. His tone and ability make him the template for thrash lead guitar players, whether he's showcasing his dramatic neo-classical finger-picking or making like an overheated powertool in what was once one of the fastest bands in the land.
4. Jerry Garcia
One doesn't have to be a Deadhead to appreciate Garcia. Captain Trips boasted one of the truly signature sounds in all of rock, often recognizable with a single note. He was also capable of producing utterly mesmerizing leads.
5. Dave Meniketti
Meniketti is an oft-overlooked master of blues-rock who seems always to play exactly what a song needs. He's almost out of place working in hard rock. He's more of a throwback to the old blues players who used both voice and guitar to convey an array of feelings.
6. Jorma Kaukonen
As a member of Jefferson Airplane, Kaukonen defined psychedelic rock for an entire generation with his electric work on "White Rabbit" and "Somebody to Love." He's also a sensational acoustic guitarist, comfortable with folk, country and blues.
7. Neal Schon
Who suffered the most when Journey went from guitar rock to syrupy ballad band? Probably Schon, who came up as a teenager trading progressive, Latin-fused riffs with Carlos Santana. He simply adjusted and became the master of the weepy solos that made girls cry at the junior prom.
8. Joe Satriani
An incredibly influential guitarist, Satriani helped usher in a new era of instrumental, prog-rock and opened the door other greats like Eric Johnson and Steve Vai. He also taught guitar to three other guys on this list (Hammett, Charlie Hunter and Alex Skolnick).
9. Charlie Hunter
Hunter's work on his custom-built eight-string guitar, which allows him to pick both bass notes and guitar chords, truly has to be seen to be believed. Listening to the Berkeley High grad on record just isn't the same.
10. Brad Gillis/Jeff Watson
If Night Ranger had not focused on mass-market material, these guys could've been America's answer to the twin-axe attack of English metal. But like NFL All-Pros who happen to be teammates, Gillis and Watson could play with anyone in the game because they first had to deal with each other.
11. Bonnie Raitt
While splitting her time between SoCal and Mill Valley for the last 16 years, this stellar slide player released some of the best work of her career, including 1994's "Longing in their Hearts" and 2005's "Souls Alike."
12. Freddie Stone
Stone may seem high on this list, if only because of the shadow cast by his big brother and musical genius, Sly. Freddie Stone nonetheless helped develop the chunky-funk that fueled bands like the Commodores and P-Funk in the'70s.
13. Neil Young
The Woodside rocker's style, especially as witnessed on electric, is hardly textbook. Yet, he puts more soul into his playing than basically anyone in the business.
14. Ronnie Montrose
Montrose was a giant in both sound and influence on subsequent hard-rock players. If not for band turbulence, he could've been one of the greats of American rock. There's no better air-jamming guilty pleasure than "Bad Motor Scooter."
15. John Lee Hooker
Although he recorded his signature work while living in the Midwest, "The Hook" had a renaissance period during his later years living on the Peninsula and released such fine efforts as "The Healer" and "Mr. Lucky."
16. Alex Skolnick
While in Dublin's Testament, he was possibly the greatest thrash player in terms of pure ability and technical mastery. He has since gone on to make a name in jazz-fusion and has played with Les Claypool, New Age pianist Dave Eggar and progressive holiday outfit TransSiberian Orchestra.
17. John Cipollina
The Berkeley native, who died at 45 from emphysema, was as important as either Garcia or Kaukonen in defining the San Francisco Sound in the'60s. Cipollina's guitar work, more than anything else, was what made Quicksilver Messenger Service's first two albums so great.
18. John Fogerty
Here is one of those guitarists who uniquely carved a niche with his own sound: bluesy, chunky Southern swamp rock that stood out like a midnight spotlight in the psychedelic'60s. Rolling Stone named Fogerty the 40th greatest guitarist of all-time; no arguments here.
19. East Bay Ray
Jello Biafra got all the press. But it was the guy beside him in the Dead Kennedys East Bay Ray who had the bigger hand in drawing up the blueprint for the second wave of American punk.
20. Larry LaLonde
It can't be easy playing second fiddle to Les Claypool, a man who certainly ranks as one of the top five bassists in Bay Area history. LaLonde, however, was a prime contributor in Primus' demanding prog-funk music.
21. Elvin Bishop
Bishop is a sneaky-great blues and slide player who lives the genre and understands the emotions that prompt the playing. He received his early education in the Chicago blues scene, moved on to the Bay Area after a stint in the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and played with everyone from B.B. King to Clapton to Hendrix.
22. Mimi Fox
In a four-star review of Fox's "She's the Woman," Down Beat magazine exclaimed that the CD is "everything jazz guitar is supposed to be." To that we'd like to add that Fox is everything a jazz guitarist should be.
23. Billie Joe Armstrong
The aggressively catchy riffs of Billie Joe Armstrong were the most important thing to happen to '90s rock next to Kurt Cobain. A thousand pop-punk bands owe him their chops. Though not the most technically gifted player, Armstrong is still pretty darned good. And it's what he chose to do with his playing that made such a difference.
24. Steve Miller
By the time Miller was 12, he was getting pointers from family friend Les Paul. Though his success in the' 70s was of the radio rock variety, Miller started as a blues player in the '60s and knows his way up, down and around a guitar. He's responsible for some of the most famous riffs of the time.
25. Bob Weir
One astute critic (probably Bill Walton) once referred to Weir as the Scottie Pippen to Garcia's Michael Jordan. And the Dead have the championship rings to prove it.
Daily Review
The Top 25
1. Carlos Santana
Santana possesses the most instantly recognizable sound and style of any rock guitarist in the Bay Area if not the entire world. He's also proven to be as relevant in the 21st century as he was in the'60s. His fingers haven't lost an ounce of their potency.
2. Lowell Fulsom
During his time in Oakland, Fulsom pioneered what would become known as the West Coast Blues sound. He was also a highly versatile player, comfortable with R&B, funk and pop, and had an eye for young talent, stocking his bands with such promising rookies as Ray Charles.
3. Kirk Hammett
His guitar playing in Metallica anchored a rock revolution. His tone and ability make him the template for thrash lead guitar players, whether he's showcasing his dramatic neo-classical finger-picking or making like an overheated powertool in what was once one of the fastest bands in the land.
4. Jerry Garcia
One doesn't have to be a Deadhead to appreciate Garcia. Captain Trips boasted one of the truly signature sounds in all of rock, often recognizable with a single note. He was also capable of producing utterly mesmerizing leads.
5. Dave Meniketti
Meniketti is an oft-overlooked master of blues-rock who seems always to play exactly what a song needs. He's almost out of place working in hard rock. He's more of a throwback to the old blues players who used both voice and guitar to convey an array of feelings.
6. Jorma Kaukonen
As a member of Jefferson Airplane, Kaukonen defined psychedelic rock for an entire generation with his electric work on "White Rabbit" and "Somebody to Love." He's also a sensational acoustic guitarist, comfortable with folk, country and blues.
7. Neal Schon
Who suffered the most when Journey went from guitar rock to syrupy ballad band? Probably Schon, who came up as a teenager trading progressive, Latin-fused riffs with Carlos Santana. He simply adjusted and became the master of the weepy solos that made girls cry at the junior prom.
8. Joe Satriani
An incredibly influential guitarist, Satriani helped usher in a new era of instrumental, prog-rock and opened the door other greats like Eric Johnson and Steve Vai. He also taught guitar to three other guys on this list (Hammett, Charlie Hunter and Alex Skolnick).
9. Charlie Hunter
Hunter's work on his custom-built eight-string guitar, which allows him to pick both bass notes and guitar chords, truly has to be seen to be believed. Listening to the Berkeley High grad on record just isn't the same.
10. Brad Gillis/Jeff Watson
If Night Ranger had not focused on mass-market material, these guys could've been America's answer to the twin-axe attack of English metal. But like NFL All-Pros who happen to be teammates, Gillis and Watson could play with anyone in the game because they first had to deal with each other.
11. Bonnie Raitt
While splitting her time between SoCal and Mill Valley for the last 16 years, this stellar slide player released some of the best work of her career, including 1994's "Longing in their Hearts" and 2005's "Souls Alike."
12. Freddie Stone
Stone may seem high on this list, if only because of the shadow cast by his big brother and musical genius, Sly. Freddie Stone nonetheless helped develop the chunky-funk that fueled bands like the Commodores and P-Funk in the'70s.
13. Neil Young
The Woodside rocker's style, especially as witnessed on electric, is hardly textbook. Yet, he puts more soul into his playing than basically anyone in the business.
14. Ronnie Montrose
Montrose was a giant in both sound and influence on subsequent hard-rock players. If not for band turbulence, he could've been one of the greats of American rock. There's no better air-jamming guilty pleasure than "Bad Motor Scooter."
15. John Lee Hooker
Although he recorded his signature work while living in the Midwest, "The Hook" had a renaissance period during his later years living on the Peninsula and released such fine efforts as "The Healer" and "Mr. Lucky."
16. Alex Skolnick
While in Dublin's Testament, he was possibly the greatest thrash player in terms of pure ability and technical mastery. He has since gone on to make a name in jazz-fusion and has played with Les Claypool, New Age pianist Dave Eggar and progressive holiday outfit TransSiberian Orchestra.
17. John Cipollina
The Berkeley native, who died at 45 from emphysema, was as important as either Garcia or Kaukonen in defining the San Francisco Sound in the'60s. Cipollina's guitar work, more than anything else, was what made Quicksilver Messenger Service's first two albums so great.
18. John Fogerty
Here is one of those guitarists who uniquely carved a niche with his own sound: bluesy, chunky Southern swamp rock that stood out like a midnight spotlight in the psychedelic'60s. Rolling Stone named Fogerty the 40th greatest guitarist of all-time; no arguments here.
19. East Bay Ray
Jello Biafra got all the press. But it was the guy beside him in the Dead Kennedys East Bay Ray who had the bigger hand in drawing up the blueprint for the second wave of American punk.
20. Larry LaLonde
It can't be easy playing second fiddle to Les Claypool, a man who certainly ranks as one of the top five bassists in Bay Area history. LaLonde, however, was a prime contributor in Primus' demanding prog-funk music.
21. Elvin Bishop
Bishop is a sneaky-great blues and slide player who lives the genre and understands the emotions that prompt the playing. He received his early education in the Chicago blues scene, moved on to the Bay Area after a stint in the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and played with everyone from B.B. King to Clapton to Hendrix.
22. Mimi Fox
In a four-star review of Fox's "She's the Woman," Down Beat magazine exclaimed that the CD is "everything jazz guitar is supposed to be." To that we'd like to add that Fox is everything a jazz guitarist should be.
23. Billie Joe Armstrong
The aggressively catchy riffs of Billie Joe Armstrong were the most important thing to happen to '90s rock next to Kurt Cobain. A thousand pop-punk bands owe him their chops. Though not the most technically gifted player, Armstrong is still pretty darned good. And it's what he chose to do with his playing that made such a difference.
24. Steve Miller
By the time Miller was 12, he was getting pointers from family friend Les Paul. Though his success in the' 70s was of the radio rock variety, Miller started as a blues player in the '60s and knows his way up, down and around a guitar. He's responsible for some of the most famous riffs of the time.
25. Bob Weir
One astute critic (probably Bill Walton) once referred to Weir as the Scottie Pippen to Garcia's Michael Jordan. And the Dead have the championship rings to prove it.
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