Chet Atkins. A true musician who played polyphonic – he always had bass clef and treble clef in his playing. He took Merle Travis picking to a whole new level. There are a lot of imitators, but there's only one Chet Atkins.

Duane Allman. I just love this guy's tone and the way he came from a blues background, yet he had a jazz approach within a rock context. His playing with Dickie Betts on "Live at the Fillmore" will definitely go down in history as one of the greatest guitar interplays ever.

Jeff Beck. The Picasso of rock guitar! From '50's rock-n-roll, psychadelic, hard rock, jazz fusion, and now industrial, he continues to inspire even the best of us. Check out "Good Bye Porkpie Hat" on the album Wired. Whew!

Barry Bailey. I heard a talented guitarist say one time, "Everything I ever heard Barry Bailey play, I certainly didn't think I could play better". A very classy rock player with a lot of taste. Listen to "Third Annual Pipe Dream".

Eric Clapton. I have the utmost respect for Clapton. A true survivor. Plays better now than he ever has. I still go back and listen to Derek & The Dominos quite often.

Albert King. No one ever bent strings like Albert King. The records he made with Stax Records were stellar. So much soul.

B.B.King. The king of the blues guitar and class. There's only one B.B. Check out "Live at The Regal", and "Spotlight on Lucille".

Freddie King. I love the early instrumental stuff he did. Also the records he made with Leon Russell. A heavyweight player.

Albert Collins. The funkiest of them all. He had an extremely unorthodox way of tuning and playing. I met him once, and he was such a cool guy.

Magic Sam. I've got some recordings of him playing in a small bar in the mid '60's, and he just slays it. Really powerful blues.

Ronnie Earl. Impeccable tone and technique. A guitarist's guitarist.

Django Reinhardt. Overcame the huge obstacle of a handicapped hand, and played as though his life depended on it. Will always be a source of inspiration.

Mark Knopfler. This is the guy who made me buy a Fender Stratocaster. When I heard Sultans of Swing, it was so pure and lyrical, that I just had to have that sound. I love his songs too. They all tell a story.

Wes Montgomery. The classiest guitar player of them all. Just listening to his playing makes you feel more distinguished. And imagine, he played all of that stuff with his thumb. Just incredible.

Jimi Hendrix. Blues from outer space. Also love his rhythm playing on "Axis Bold as Love", and his overall approach on Band of Gypsies was bigger than life.

Eddie Van Halen. I remember where I was the moment I heard "Eruption" for the first time. It was definitely a dividing point in time for rock guitar. It blew my mind!

Johnny Smith. Flawless technique and unmatched chord voicings. He would use horizontal voicings with pivot notes for the melody. "Moonlight in Vermont" is a work of art.

Kenny Burrell. A jazz player who always sounded bluesy to me. I just love the way he plays and sounds.

Phil Keaggy. When I was a kid, someone took me to a church in South Georgia and said "You're not gonna believe this guitar player." He was right.

Jimmy Page. Some people cut this guy down. I don't get it. Jimmy Page is a rock guitar super star. Just listen to "In My Time of Dying", or "Achilles Last Stand". Or even "The Rain Song". He definitely laid a lot of ground work that people are still trying to emulate.

Eric Johnson. If someone could have the Ph.D. in guitar, it would be Eric Johnson. He spent so much time working on tone, technique, and overall sound, it truly shows.

Stevie Ray Vaughan. I really thought I was a good guitarist until one night when I went to see him play. He was bigger than life. I tucked my tail between my legs and really was quite humbled. But on the other hand, I was totally inspired.

Jimmy Vaughan. The first Fabulous Thunderbirds album I literally wore out. He's a fantastic blues guitarist in his own right. He was definitely influenced by Lazy Lester and Jimmy Reed.

Scotty Moore. The second solo in Elvis's "Hound Dog" is utterly brilliant, even today. He had the coolest sounding slap back echo. Rock guitar pioneer.

Danny Gatton. He could burn the rug off the floor. Just floored me when I first heard him. It was jazz, country, rockabilly, rock, all at once. He fused so many things together. Incredible technique.

Rory Buchanan. I met him when I was 11, and I played the album "Loading Zone" many times. A master of what I call "bar room guitar playing".

Otis Rush. The Cobra recordings are true Chicago blues guitar. I see where so many English rock guitar players get the licks from. He played a right-handed guitar upside down. So it's really hard to copy the licks.

Buddy Guy. His playing with Junior Wells is some of the best I've ever heard. Check out the solo on "It's My Life, Baby". Bad to the bone!!

Peter Green. When I listen to Peter Green, I can hear B.B.King and Otis Rush influences, yet still there's this sound totally identifiable as Peter Green. Really great touch.

T-Bone Walker. Most elegant of all blues players. His chordal work is so amazing, as well as his rapid fire single line phrases.

Grant Green. One of my favorite jazz players. Always bluesy, always funky. Very hypnotic.

Muddy Waters. The deepest of deep. His slide work just is so mesmerizing. A true musical force. He's definitely a founding father of blues and rock 'n' roll.

Hubert Sumlin. I just love the way this guy played on Howlin' Wolf records. He had the most wicked tone. Hung out with him in New York City one night, and had a blast!

Les Paul. People often think of him as a bunch of gimmicks and tricks with his multi tracking. But if you dig back further, he could swing as good as anybody. And REALLY play. An icon.

Miles Davis. What? I know what you're thinking – he's not a guitarist. But what I learned from him is how to make the space between the notes count as much or more than the notes themselves. His modal playing and phrasing really shook me to the core.