10 Best Classic Rock Guitarists
9. Chuck Berry
Before Chuck Berry, one could argue that there was no such thing as rock and roll guitar playing. Sure, once in a blue moon an artist like Bill Haley would come around with a more raucous approach to his rockabilly tunes, but Chuck Berry took the guitar and really made it sing.
From Berry's early beginnings, the songs he played were your standard blues numbers but with a shot of adrenaline. Now the music was faster and a lot more engaging. Being a solo guitar act, Berry would often use multiple strings to fill out the sound of his guitar, which resulted in fantastic solos from "Rock and Roll Music" to "Johnny B Goode." As the solos became more furious and faster, the guitar no longer was the filler rhythm instrument. This was the sound of the future and the clarion call for what rock and roll would later become known for.
When it comes to who invented rock and roll, Chuck Berry was the example that everyone referenced from the Beatles to the Stones to Zeppelin. While great guitarists were to follow, Berry taught every single rock and roll musician how to play guitar properly.