20 Greatest Guitar Riffs Of All Time

20. Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry (1958)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWNykOk2ckE Quick, who's the most influential rock guitarist of all time? Easily Chuck Berry. Even if you don't regard him as one of the most skilled with speed and technique, he made rock guitar what it is today. He elevated the guitar from a backing instrument that played chords to the lead instrument, the instrument for the showman. How did he do this? By hammering out riff after riff, solo after solo. And no single song demonstrates his skill like the above song, Johnny B. Goode. Even today this song is regarded as being one of the best rock songs ever made, eventually being named by Rolling Stone magazine as the #1 Greatest Guitar Song of All Time.

19. You Really Got Me - The Kinks (1964)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtYE7zSOr8Q One of the earliest, most influential rock songs of all time, The Kinks hit 'You Really Got Me' is set apart from all others by its riff. The entire song is quite literally built around that distinctive and iconic riff. In fact, one of the more interesting things about this song is that it was written and recorded before the widespread use of effects pedals to change the guitar's sound. Rather, Kinks guitarist Dave Davies slashed his amplifier with a razor blade, giving the guitar its unique sound in this song. The song found new fame fourteen years later when Van Halen performed a cover version to put on their debut album, and this version nearly matched the success of the original. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HB8WHA3WWz0