10 Most Underrated Guitarists In Rock Music History

For every great guitarist that has populated this list, there's an entire different discussion to be had about session musicians in rock and roll. Some of the great musicians tend to not even show their face on the album covers most of the time, and potentially legendary solos tend to just be credited to people on the back of record sleeves. Once you get past the showmanship of rock and roll, Larry Carlton is where you go when you want a lot more depth in your solos.

Compared to the more flashy blues based guitarists that came up in the '70s, Carlton was a student of the jazz world, working with different fusion bands that would come along with the prog scene later on. While his heart may have been in making something a little more intricate, his brand of finesse fit in surprisingly well in the dad rock scene as well, lending his talents to songs like Kid Charlemagne by Steely Dan, putting together the perfect solo over chords that should be reserved for an elaborate big band piece.

After his glory period though, Carlton was always about treating his guitar as a craft, always pushing himself further and trying to find that one extra note during his solos that no one had ever heard before. Every guitarist tends to have their bags of tricks, but Larry Carlton seems to be just as interested to see what music has to offer as he did when he was playing fusion back in the '70s.