10 Best Classic Rock Guitarists
6. Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton's work has become a musical encyclopedia for blues rock. No matter what era Clapton was working in, each of his guitar parts were always fantastic runs through the blues tradition.
That doesn't mean that Clapton was a one-note musician though. The work that he did with the band Cream yielded some of the harshest rock of the 60's as the trio pushed the limits of how harsh rock and roll could be. During these years, Clapton's use of effects and amplifiers made him develop a guitar sound that sounded incredibly smooth. Once Cream faded, Clapton's work with his band Derek and the Dominoes saw him playing off of fellow guitar legend Duane Allman, resulting in fantastic guitar anthems like "Layla."
Even if Clapton wasn't always the vocalist in the projects he was in, his guitar always jumped out at you as something unique. This led Clapton to be the one and only guitarist to collaborate with the Beatles on the song "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." When it comes to blues rock, Eric Clapton is up there with BB King and Robert Johnson for his uncanny ability to make his guitar cry in agony in every song.