10 Best Rhythm Guitarists You Need To Know
6. Pete Townshend
When the Who burst onto the London scene in the 60's, every Mod kid seemed to have found their new favorite band. Even though the style and presentation of the band was fairly typical of the times, a hidden guitar beast was roaring from within.
Pete Townshend's guitar work was not only a fantastic foil to Roger Daltrey's shout, but it single-handedly may have invented what we know now as punk. Knowing he wasn't a Segovia, Townshend took his guitar playing to another level with volume and aggression. On the group's landmark single "My Generation," Townshend brought the power-chord thunder that would set the tone for many heavy genres to come while plugging into what would become the definitive rock noisemakers, Marshall stacks.
As the band dominated the rock world with rock operas like Tommy and Quadrophenia, Townshend used his guitar prowess to accentuate bassist John Entwistle's manic runs and drummer Keith Moon's insane drum fills. When the rhythm section wasn't kicking ass, Townshend would fire off chords that were the liberating clarion call of the rock revolution.
Townshend understood that what he was doing may not have been works of musical genius, but the way he could use his instrument to effect change in his band was extremely profound.