Rolling Stone Magazine recently unveiled its list of the 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. However, the exclusion of some names has raised eyebrows, prompting Alex Skolnick to voice his concerns after not seeing Gary Moore on the list.
The list, which originally featured 100 guitarists when it was first published in 2011, has now been expanded to include a more diverse range of artists from various genres and time periods. Skolnick, after noticing certain guitarists were missing, took to Twitter to express his surprise:
“Getting asked about this. Anything I say will draw scrutiny (I swear I don’t consider myself a candidate). So I might’ve missed a few (strange formatting), but did I not see John Scofield? George Benson? Gary Moore? Frampton? (BTW, my pick for under-recognized great is Emily Remler.)”
From rock, jazz, reggae, and country to even Congolese rumba and flamenco, the list, according to Rolling Stone, aimed to represent the vastness of the instrument’s influence. However, the criteria used to curate the list were met with some skepticism. One of Skolnick’s followers also chimed in, saying:
“Uli Jon Roth? Neal Schon? John Petrucci?”
While Skolnick acknowledged that Uli Jon Roth might be viewed as a ‘guitarist’s guitarist’ with limited mainstream visibility, he emphasized:
“I can understand an argument that Uli maybe is more a ‘guitarist’s guitarist’ and lacks the visibility to be included (some might say similar about me, that’s fine), but no Neal Schon? 1 of the BEST. Santana, Slash, Satch & others listed would agree. And massive visibility, too! WTF!”
Another follower noted the absence of Robben Ford:
“Didn’t see Robben Ford. Think he played with some kind of famous trumpet guy.”
Hinting at Ford’s collaborations with other famous names in the industry, Skolnick said:
“Also played for Joni Mitchell. And George Harrison. And Charlie Musselwhite. Inexcusable.”
Gary Moore’s absence from the list particularly stands out, given endorsements of his influence by other artists. For instance, former Alice Cooper guitarist Orianthi lauded Moore for pioneering the ‘blues metal’ genre. Describing him as a unique blend of skill and emotion, she reminisced about growing up listening to Moore’s music.
Similarly, blues-rocker Simon McBride, in a separate interview with Guitar World, revered Moore for his profound impact on guitar solos and credited him for inspiring many next-generation musicians.
It’s also worth noting that on October 13, just days ago, Moore’s ‘Back To The Blues’ was released on vinyl for the first time. You can get it here.
Check out the tweets below.
Getting asked about this. Anything I say will draw scrutiny (I swear I don’t consider myself a candidate). So I might’ve missed a few (strange formatting) but did I not see John Scofield? George Benson? Gary Moore? Frampton? (BTW, my pick for under-recognized great: Emily Remler) https://t.co/qvYucOLojX
— Alex Skolnick (@AlexSkolnick) October 14, 2023
I can understand an argument that Uli maybe is more a “guitarists’s guitarist” lacks the visibility to be included (some might say similar about me, that’s fine) But no Neal Schon?? 1 of the BEST. Santana, Slash, Satch & others listed would agree. And massive visibility too! WTF
— Alex Skolnick (@AlexSkolnick) October 14, 2023
Also played for Joni Mitchell. And George Harrison. And Charlie Musselwhite. Inexcusable
— Alex Skolnick (@AlexSkolnick) October 14, 2023
