Australian Guitar magazine has compiled a comprehensive list of the 50 greatest guitar players in Australia history in the issue on sale Wednesday 16 May. The magazine pooled a crack team of guitar-playin’ guitar-player lovers: Peter Hodgson, Andrew P Street and Craig White (plus a little input from the Australian Guitar editorial team) to put together what is believed to be the first ever comprehensive list of the 50 finest players.
The top 50 lists features players from genres ranging from classical and funk to metal core, rock, blues and roots. “We’ve not assigned ourselves to one genre, or started checking passports or whether people know their Mixolydian scales or not – basically, if you’re a unique guitar player that spent a good stretch of your time Down Under, pushed the envelope and inspired others to do so, there’s every chance you’re on this list. We’re not ranking the first 40, simply because we’d prefer to bask in the glory of their work than try and compare apples and oranges. That said, we will give you a definitive top ten of the greats, you at least deserve that,” says Australian Guitar magazine editor Lachlan Marks.
Topping the list is ACDC’s, Angus Young. “Angus has the sort of skills that allow serious rock lovers to overlook the fact they’re being demonstrated by a tiny gurning man in his late-‘50s, dressed as a schoolboy,” says Andrew P Street. Fellow top-ten finalist Chris Cheney (The Living End) concurs. “Under the image is a supremely talented guitar player responsible for some of the most distinctive guitar riffs ever … he is one of the absolute all time greats. To me it’s like Hendrix, Page, Keith Richards, you know he’s one of those guys.”
Angus Young’s fellow Top Ten Australian Guitarists Of All Time are no less distinguished and include: Tommy Emmanuel; Ian Moss; Slava Grigoryan; Deniz Tek and Chris Cheney.
Australian Guitar Magazine’s Definitive Top Ten Australian Guitarists of All Time
- Angus Young (ACDC)
- Tommy Emmanuel
- Ian Moss (Cold Chisel)
- Chris Cheney (The Living End)
- Rick Brewster (The Angels)
- Slava Grigoryan (Slava Grigoryan)
- Deniz Tek (Radio Birdman, The Visitors)
- Jim Moginie (Midnight Oil)
- Lobby Loyde (Billy Thorpe and The Aztecs)
- Ross Hannaford (Daddy Cool)
11 to 40 (not ranked)
Malcolm Young (ACDC)
Adalita (Magic Dirt)
Marty Willson-Piper
Mick Harvey (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds & Grinderman)
Tim Rogers (You Am I)
Rowland S Howard (Boys Next Door, Birthday Party)
Ed Kuepper (The Saints, Laughing Clowns, Black Ticket Day)
Spencer P Jones (The Johnnys, Beasts of Bourbon, Spencer P Jones)
Gareth Liddiard (The Drones, Gareth Liddiard)
Brad Shepherd (The Hitmen, Hoodoo Gurus, The Monarchs)
John Butler (John Butler Trio)
Jeff Lang (Jeff Lang and Chris Whitney)
Kim Salmon (The Scientists, Beasts of Bourbon)
Ash Naylor (Even, Rail)
Tom Lyncolgn (The Nation Blue)
Paul Dempsey (Something for Kate, Paul Demspey)
Jim Skiathitis (The Atlantics)
Blackie (The Hard Ons)
Billy Thorpe (Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs)
Dutch Tilders (Dutch Tilders)
Orem Ambarchi (Orem Ambarchi)
Dave Hole (Dave Hole)
Kevin Borich (Kevin Borich)
Charlie Owen (The New Christs, Beasts of Bourbon, The Divinyls, Tex Perkins and the Dark Horses)
Pete Wells (Rose Tattoo)
Frank Gambale (Chick Corea Electrik Band)
Brett Garsed (John Farnham, Nelson, TJ Helmerich)
Diesel (Mark Lizotte) (Diesel, Johnny Diesel and the Injectors)
Daniel Johns (Silverchair)
Darren Middleton (Powderfinger)
John Williams (John Williams)
Jona Weinhofen (I Killed The Prom Queen)
Joe Robinson (Joe Robinson)
Michael Fix (Michael Fix)
Orianthi (Orianthi)
Phil Emmanuel (Phil Emmanuel)
Keith Urban (Keith Urban)
C W Stoneking (C W Stoneking)
Lloyd Spiegel (LLoy Spiegel)
Geoff Achison (The Souldiggers)
Comments
As many have mentioned, this is a crap list; just because some dude plays guitar in a well-known band does not make him a great guitarist. Rolling Stone gets it right by getting peers to nominate. Major omissions from this list are Shannon Bourne, Shane O’Meara and, as someone else has mentioned, Jimi Hocking. Ruins your cred AGM.
whoever picked blackie from the hard ons knows his stuff,blackie was the drummer!
how can you even think of not including Bruce Mathiske in here somewhere you are obviously noy judging on merit at all please listen to his work it will open your ears and eyes
why isnt jeff ling from parkway drive on this list?
where is jeff ling from parkway drive?
dont understand how he doesnt even get in the 11-40.
What? I can’t see Simon Binks (Australian Crawl) on this list!! In my opinion, he was THE best guitarist in the 1980′s
Happy with Lloyd Spiegel being on there. Cant get enough of his blues guitar work.
Anyone checked out a rock/blues/country guitarist by the name of Matthew Hickey from Sydney.Seen him play live a couple of times.Amazing.
Pssh.. The Living End.. Midnight Oil… Cold Chisel…
Utter childs play…
Is this list about our country’s most talented guitarists, or just the most famous 3-chord-per-song top chart wankers of yesteryear?
Paul Wardingham, anybody?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DJldOEoeKA
Angus Young…? Oh dear..
No INXS boys?? Dennis James the best guitarist Ive ever seen…toured with Stevie Wright some years ago…man is a magician
Wow this list is crap…. When are they going to learn, just because someone plays the guitar it doesn’t make them a guitarist and note worthy on a top guitarists list…. For shame
No Paul Coleman? From the Paul Coleman Trio?
Craig Bloxom or Mike Weiley from Spy V Spy ??
Theres about 100 from the 80′s that are quality, but to create a list of 50 would be near on impossible.
Number 1 are Tommy and Phil Emmanuel.
Here’s a name – DARYLL MITCHELL, a Queenslander now long resident in Melbourne as an alternative health therapist. He played with Rusty and the Ayer’s Rockets (so did Keith Urban) , also Big Red and with Jim Keays. An incredible, fluid, fast and powerful player,very musical.
…..Steve McKenna, Tim Rollinson, Kerryn Tolhust, Doug Ford,David Ross McDonald, Dave Briggs,Rick Formosa,Jeremy Oxley, Steve Housden,Tal Wikenfeld,Karen Schaup,Irwin Thomas.
Need I go on?
Mal Eastick, who survived A near death Brain aneurysm and later, multiple hand operations that nearly destroyed his career.Harvey James, John Dallymore, Glenn Proudfoot, Tim Gaze.
You do KNOW there was once a band called Sebastian Hardie, right? So let’s see, that’s Mario Millo, Phil Manning, and exactly who the hell else would you put in their class? Lobby Lloyd played the guitar like a carrott grating machine (but without the subtlety) and he makes your top ten – really? Can’t argue with Mossy and angus, but the rest of them are a surprise and a joke.
This always comes up… Who do YOU like the most ?
I am just glad that Mossy, Brett Garsed and KB came up. They are my faves..
Richard Lara – Screaming Jets, Choirboys
Kent Steedman…….Chris Masuak???
Well where do you start to compile the 50 best of the best guitarists ever in Aust’. I wouldn’t like to try to do it, but in my opinion the word ‘unique’ should be able to be applied to every player nominated.Surely it would have to be someone who can not only play rhythm but does half decent lead work too.Sorry,that isn’t fiar is it? Why, because it would rule out some players that are famous for being guitarists because they were or are currently in pop genre bands! We would have outherwise never heard of some of these players but for commercial exposure! It doesn’t always require unique guitar playing to obtain fame and recognition! There are guitar players that are in this top 50 list that would be embarrassed that they were nominated and the extraordinary Ray Beedle wasn’t! Check him out live and you’ll know what I mean! Oh well,it has certinaly got people talking about who is a truely worthy recipiant of this award and maybe it might draw some attention to some of the players who didn’t make the cut! MG
Mick Harvey wasn’t in Grinderman?..
This lists Australias best known guitarists.
There’s a HUGE difference between who’s most famous & who’s actually the best guitarist.
Pat Metheney once said to an interviewer who was flattering him, “Let’s be honest now; Almost ALL the best musicians in the world are completely unknown!”
Visiting Los Angeles 25 years ago I heard the most incredible guitarist get up & jam a few tunes with some band. Turned out he was originally from Melbourne.
Chris Cheney must have two dicks… Cause he couldn’t be that silly playing with one. Without Chuck Berry… There wouldn’t be an Angus Young.I think Marty Piper Wilson would agree.
Think you missed a few…
I like the Aussies, but they must be crazy to not have Frank Gambale way, way at the top of the list.
Umm, how could this list NOT include Stuart Fraser, from Noiseworks?
Top (pick a number) guitars list are always a sure way to provoke controversy within the guitar community. Despite the fact they are all guitarist, many times it is like comparing apples to oranges. How do you reasonably compare a guitarist that plays acoustic finger style to another that plays pentatonic scale through a Marshall stack to another that can shred Super Locrian licks? Many of these list seem to become a popularity contest as opposed to a real assessment of the guitarist’s abilities. I personally would have put Frank Gambale in the top ten somewhere. I am a fan of Angus and do believe he is a great guitarist for the genre but I also have a great deal of respect for guitarist that have great theoretical and technical command over their instrument.
Must say I’m surprised that there’s no INXS guitarist on this list…they were one of the great guitar bands…what’s up with that? And I thought maybe both Midnight Oil and INXS could possibly have more than one entry for this list. No Eric McCusker either (Mondo Rock)? No Iva Davies (Icehouse)? No Mark McEntee (Divinyls)? Sheesh! Maybe no one counted The Bee Gees as Australian either?
Hi, the guitar poll was good reading. It is always fun to have a good debate on such issues. I would have included Bruce Mattiske. I will be seeing him perform at Chapel on Chapel tomorrow night.
However, John Williams should have been high up in the top ten. He is Australia’s No 1 international virtuoso by a country mile. His exclusion from the top ten reveals a judging bias that detracts from the poll’s credibility..John Mooney Mobile 0429 94 98 98
Well, your list of the 50 greatest Aussie guitarists was bound to be contentious – and I’m sure I won’t be the only one weighing into the debate – but where are all the jazzers? Where is James Muller, or James Sherlock, or Doug Devries, or Steve Magnusson? These are all world class musicians whose facility on the fretboard outpaces many of those rockers you’ve included (I’m not naming names – but you know I’m right). More importantly, they are all artists – with musicianship and musicality in equal measure.
Sure, you’ve made a token nod to the fusion crowd by including Gambale, but not one straight ahead jazz player is included. Jazz is thriving in Australia, and there are so many gifted guitarists in this field that are completely under-represented in the pages of your magazine. When will we see a cover story on any of the four players listed above? When will we see regular features and interviews with jazz guitarists?
Clearly this list was aimed at creating talk and it has well done on that front and I mean that honestly. But Angus Young at No.1 is way off the mark. Tommy Emmanuel would have to be the obvious No.1 closely followed by Chris Cheney a no brainer at no.2. I was very impressed to see Jim Moginie in the top 10 and well deserved. I personally may have moved him to the top 5 but top 10 is fair enough (Chis Cheney’s comments in the actual magazine article are spot on!). But forget the controversy at the top spot the biggest crime this list commits is that Martin Rotsey did not even make an impression on the top 50 let alone the top 10. It is unthinkable that some in the list could even be considered in front of him. He is an incredible guitarist Just look at the work he has done with The Angry Tradesmen and The Break amongst others but the interplay between Him and Jim Moginie as the guitar pairing behind the Oils is the tightest twin guitar sound IN ANY BAND EVER! Listen to them playing the rhythm section on acoustic guitars in US Forces and I rest my case. Name to players as tight as that I dare you.
My comment is I think John Brewster could and should of been part of the top 50 list as not only was he one of the backbone to the pioneers of Australian rock but he really is a fine and talented guitar player and definitely in front of some of those in your list! anyway its all opinions!!!!!
also Mal Eastick
Hi Guys,
You left out Australian Blues guitarists Ray Beadle & Darren Jack
where’s my name you bunch of nerds, lindsay wells @ enmore ffs
Really? It mostly is a list of guitarists who are famous. Some are not even the lead guitarists in their bands. And this fella, JB Lewis from Brisbane, could make almost all of them run crying into the nightm throwing their guitars away- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZUpJq5ubeY&feature=youtube_gdata_player
If you don’t know who Rex Goh is – you know zero about guitar in Australia.
What no Jim Hocking (aka Jimi the Human!)
Shame shame shame
Angus isnt left handed.
Rick Brewster and Jim Moginie in the top 10? Brewster isn’t a flash player by any means and is very basic at that. Moginie doesn’t do much lead wise, as Midnight Oil isn’t exactly what you’d call a guitar oriented band. Kevin Borich and the late Peter Wells should have been included in the top 10, but that’s just my opinion.
I had the privelege of meeting & having a few beers with a Bon Scott lead ACDC after a concert in Canberra in the late 70s, however; I feel making Angus No.1 might just take the gloss off much technically better players than him, like brother Malcolm, the Emmanuel brothers, Ian Moss, Chris Cheney, Kevin Borich, Ed Kuepper & others. Angus himself said that Malcolm was a better player that him. For mine I would have said that Tommy Emmanuel is no.1. Maybe you should have put it out there for the vote & let the populace decide. Keep up the great work.
this list is worse than SPINs top which included skrillex. go neck yourselves.
Where the hell is Peter Northcote on the list. Kirk Lorange perhaps. What was the criteria used obviously not talent I can see albeit they are all good.
How can that be list be complete without the inclusion of Peter Northcote?
I guess each of us wants to nominate those from the age of music we’re more familiar with. What about Harvey James? Stuart Fraser? Geoff Wells?
Tough list.
Jimmy The human is my glaring Exclusion.
No Phil Manning????????? – You guys are on crack!
Great to see Tom Lyncolgn made the list. It is well deserved. The Nation Blue were brilliant from the beginning. Tom’s getting onto this list represents years of dedication to the craft. Congratulations.
Awesome!! I’m glad people in our genre are getting recognized for their talent somewhere! Good job. IKTPQ
Jona Weinhofen, is currently in Bring Me The Horizon. Juuuuuust saying. Unless the band MUST be Australian, then it would make sense.
No Dave Leslie?
You’re having a laugh!
Mal Eastick John Dallymore Phil Manning?Try again guys
Diddo Bro!!!!! Cheers
Honourable Mention:
Davey Lane!
This list of greatest Aussie guitarists is the most absurd I’ve ever seen. We all have personal faves and I have no major beef with Angus being in the Top 10. But by common consensus among Aussie musos & punters alike, Kevin Borich is one of our greatest guitarists, and arguably the best. But he doesn’t even make Top 10!!! Even more appallingly Phil Manning of the legendary Chain & Tim Gaze (Tamam Shud/Rose Tattoo), 2 of our most respected axemen who have topped polls for 40 years, don’t even make the Top 50 (and yes I do know only the Top 10 are the only ones in in (the wrong) order.
And if you really enjoy guitar work how can you forget our early guitar heroes like John Robinson (Blackfeather), John Dallimore (Redhouse/Max Merritt), Dennis Wilson (Khavas Jute) & Kirk Lorange (Richard Clapton/Solo). Or even the ones of a generation later like Jimi Hocking & Phil Para. Obviously this is a list of guitarists in our most popular bands, which has nothing to do with actual talent as a guitarist..or so it would seem??
How else do explain having Chris Cheney (The Living End), Rick Brewster (The Angels) & perhaps worst of all Jim Moginie (Midnight Oil) all make Top 10!!!! Not that they are bad guitarists, they were all more than adequate for their band’s needs, but no more than that and their services have not been in high demand among other musicians. What an utter disgrace.
It would never happen overseas with legends like Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Rory Gallagher etc. So why are our greats from some of our most legendary bands forgotten or ignored here?? This is absolutely an absolutely appalling list..each of those I have mentioned should be in any Top 50 of Aussie players & Manning should be in the Top 10..for his abilities & his influence. Shame shame shame shame shame on you Australian Guitar Magazine
Spot on man!!!!!!
Only just saw this list and am dumbfounded that Manning did not make top 10, let alone top 50!! Also surprised about Jimi Hocking. Saw him at Port fairy folkie this year and just awesome. And just found out he’s coming to W/bool in Feb!!
I love to listen to Lloyd Spiegel, he’s so talented. Whenever I’m in Melbourne I look for him. Other times I try to follow his music on YouTube. Congrats for making the list.
Good to see adalita in the list. Australia’s best rock chick
Where is Stuart ‘Chet’ Fraser (Noiseworks, John Farnham etc.) He is jaw-droppingly incredible, an inspiration as to why I play guitar!
Excellent list. Probably the only one missing that I could think of would be Chris Masuak of the Hitmen
Where is Peter Northcote?
A big miss there guys.
Angus’ sound/style is easily one of the Music World’s most recognisable.
He is undoubtedly Australia’s most FAMOUS rock guitarist.
Is he the best? What makes someone the best guitarist?
Is it chops, mastery of multiple styles, album sales?
One thing’s for sure, whatever awards are heaped on him, I’ll bet my ‘nads Angus would phone Malcolm and say: ‘This is for you, too, bro’.
No Malcolm, no ACDC. No John Brewster, no Angels. No Rick Parfitt, no Quo.
This is a fucking popularity competition !
Well, not much sense here. Like asking “what is the best vegetable?” For what, taste? colour? nutrition? Are we asking about songwriting skills, originality, stage presence …?
People might want to see players like Stu French and Rod McCormack up there.
How about the ubiquitous Peter Northcote? Others will gasp at the omission of players such as Bob Spencer and Dave Leslie. Personally, some of my favourites are on the list, but as to a “ranking” let alone the “Top 50″, well, apart from anything else, as Keith says: “on any given night ……….”
And George Golla?
It’s good to see bluesmen such as Dave Hole & Dutch Tilders but why no space for:-
Phil Manning (Chain) ?
Mal Eastick (Stars etc)
george pederkis ex news boys , current acoustica. would be in top 50 in australia
Where’s Jimi Hocking? Disgrace he’s not there