famous players

Let us not forget about Jimmy Page. Eddie Van Halen is another. Slash is a great player. Many others also exist.

Just to add on a few names: Pass, Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits) , BB King, Keith Richards (the stones) , Pete Townshend (the who), Stevie Ray Vaughn...

check out some of thos guys.

now see all those names are ringing bells keep em comin'

now see all those names are ringing bells keep em comin'
Carlos Santana, David Gilmour, Robin Trower, Buddy Guy, Eric Johnson, Jimmy Vaughan, Robert Cray, B.B. King, Albert King, Freddie King, Johnny Copeland, Gary Moore, Steve Cropper, Joe Walsh...which reminds me, I need to go watch the Crossroads DVD again now, thanks. Joe Walsh is pretty far out there, but he did put on a great show at Crossroads.

Besides the aforementioned players, ppl speak highly of Wes Montegomery.

Don't forget Steve Vai, Randy Rhoads and Ywngie Malmsteem (sp?)

just curious as to who i should listen to while im learning.

Listen to as many people from as many genre's as you can.

The list is really pretty long.

Start with the historically important players: Robert Johnson, Charlie Christian, Les Paul, Jimi Hendrix, Andres Segovia.

From there add a few greats from your particular genre.

Once you have a list of 10 or so really good players from your genre, start spreading out to other types of music.

Try to find guys who are "between the styles" type players. You can learn alot about developing your own sound by listening to them. By this, I mean guys like Link Wray, a guy who basically defined punk guitar playing 20 years before punk. Another example of this type of player would be Steve Cropper, he plays soul, jazz, blues, and rock with equal skill and blends them into his own way of approaching music.

Keep branching out, listen to guys on the extreme edges of what you even consider to be music, and figure out what makes what they're doing work.

Jeff Beck, Robert Randolph, Brian May, Tony Iomi...

Let's not forget Duane Allman, don't know if people said Muddy Waters, and Kirk Hammett i guess

Slash, Kirk Hammet, Zakk Wylde, and rest his soul, Dimebag Darrel Abbot

Simon Neil, Dallas Green, Paul from yourcodenameis:milo.

The Edge

If you want to get into more folky styles, Ani DiFranco's guitar work is pretty interesting and melodic.

Chet Atkins, Carter Stanley, Michael Hedges, Doyle Dykes, Tony Rice, Doc Watson, Clarence White, Norman Blake, Steve Kaufman. For you blues fans Reverend Gary Davis, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Blind Blake, John Lee Hooker, Big Bill Broonzy, Mississippi John Hurt, Blind Lemon Jefferson. For the Classically inclined Christopher Parkening. None of these in any particular order with the exception of Carter Stanley who's my favorite, God rest his soul.

Jerry Garcia, Jorma Kaukonen, Steve Howe, David Gilmour, Steve Hackett, Dickie Betts, Robert Fripp, Steve Kimock, Al Dimeola, John McGloughlin...