Angus Young is one of the most famous and iconic guitar players in rock history.
But was his brother Malcolm secretly the true creative genius?
Known as one half of the Grateful Dead's iconic guitar duo along with Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir
has been active in the music industry since the Dead formed in the mid-1960s.
In the nearly six decades since, Weir has played with a variety of bands, including
as a solo act, as well as in the many post-Garcia iterations of the Grateful Dead.
During his time in the Dead, Weir established himself as the ice to Garcia's fire, providing
stealthy rhythm accompaniment to Garcia's blazing leads.
Despite his fame and success, Weir has been perennially overshadowed almost his entire
career by Garcia.
Garcia's lead playing was always front and center compared with Weir's delicate rhythms,
and for many, the Grateful Dead was really the cult of Garcia.
Even after Weir and the remaining members reinvented themselves as Dead and Company,
it seems like all of the attention goes to Garcia's replacement: John Mayer.
Hopefully someday Weir will get the spotlight and the recognition he truly deserves.
When most people think of Aerosmith, two names usually jump to the forefront: Joe Perry and Steven Tyler.
Often left behind is longtime guitarist Brad Whitford, who joined the band when they were
just starting out and helped co-write several songs, including "Last Child," "Nobody's Fault,"
and "Round and Round."
In addition to his work with Aerosmith, Whitford has been featured on albums by legends like
Joe Bonamassa and Ian Hunter.
Whitford also has composing credits for several bands, including Van Halen among many others.
While Perry and Tyler often receive the lion's share of the credit for Aerosmith, without
Whitford they would be a very different-sounding band.
In addition to his many composing credits, Whitford also plays lead on a number of tracks,
with chops that rival even Perry's.
His driving rhythms made Aerosmith the kings of rock for a time, and they have always been
vital to the classic Aerosmith sound.
Even though he is responsible for some of the most iconic and catchy guitar riffs of
the 20th century, not many people place The Doors' Robby Krieger on their list of top guitarists.
Krieger joined The Doors in their formative years and appeared on all of their albums.
Without a bass player, Krieger was the only member to play a string instrument, but his
innovative and groovy riffs more than filled the gap.
During his career with The Doors, Krieger was often overshadowed by charismatic frontman
Jim Morrison, and he is probably the most overlooked member of the entire band.
Following Morrison's death in 1971, Krieger and the other members tried to keep the band
going, which allowed Krieger to showcase some of his unique writing skills.
Following the end of The Doors, Krieger embarked on a mildly successful solo career, where
he mixes together everything from rock and reggae, to jazz.
While most people only associate Krieger with The Doors, his solo work has earned critical
praise from many corners.
Krieger has certainly proven that he is more than a second fiddle to Morrison and he deserves
much more praise for his musicianship.
In terms of outstanding rhythm guitarists in rock and roll, Paul Kantner is right at
the top of the list.
As the rhythm player in Jefferson Airplane, which he helped found, Kantner provided outstanding
songwriting and a steady, solid presence as part of the vanguard of the psychedelic music
movement in the 1960s.
His guitar playing was a big part of their early success, and gave a unique edge to the
burgeoning "San Francisco Sound" they were helping to pioneer.
After the Airplane dissolved, Kantner was part of its successor, Jefferson Starship,
and he contributed many songs to the group's repertoire.
He also co-wrote the Crosy, Stills, and Nash song "Wooden Ships."
Though he left Jefferson Starship for a few years in the '80s, Kantner rejoined them in
the early '90s and continued to tour with them for another two decades.
He died in 2016 from organ failure and septic shock following a heart attack.
Though he never earned the accolades he deserved, Kantner's rhythm playing is some of the best
in rock history.
As the guitarist for The Police, many rock fans have known the music of Andy Summers
for years.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, he played with acts as diverse as Eric Burdon & the
Animals and Neil Sedaka.
Summers joined The Police in the late 1970s, with whom he would earn several Grammys.
The Police, though one of the most popular bands of the 20th century, had a short shelf
life and disbanded after less than a decade.
And while Sting and drummer Stewart Copeland are largely recognized as two of the greatest
musicians in rock history, for some reason the same accolades seem to escape Summers.
And it's not as if Summers' career stopped at The Police; on the contrary, since their
dissolution he's put out some of his most creative and inventive music.
During his solo career — which has spanned an incredible 15 albums — Summers has branched
out to include many more jazz influences.
Summers truly is a complete musician, and certainly not just Sting's former guitar player.
"I think what really worked musically for The Police was the drawing together of a lot
of contemporary styles – punk, reggae jazz – and bringing it all together."
Even though he has been active in the music industry for more than three decades, unless
you have been following the jam band circuit, you likely aren't very familiar with Jimmy Herring.
Herring first made a name for himself in the late 1980s as the co-guitarist in Col. Bruce
Hampton's The Aquarium Rescue Unit.
Herring is also known for his contributions to Jazz Is Dead, and for his multiple connections
to the Grateful Dead universe.
Herring took over duties for the departed Jerry Garcia during the Dead's incarnation
as The Other Ones, and he also played in Dead bass player Phil Lesh's solo project Phil
Lesh and Friends for several years.
Since the mid 2000s, Herring has also served as the co-guitar player for mega-jam band
Widespread Panic.
Given his incredible chops, it's unfortunate that more fans don't know Herring's name.
Mike Campbell is one of the greatest, but also least recognized, guitar players in rock
and roll history.
He is best known for being the rhythm guitarist in Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers for their
entire career.
While guitarists have long revered Campbell's ability to play driving rhythms and the occasional
solo, he always seemed to come in second to Petty with critics and mainstream audiences.
It's understandable, considering Petty is one of the gods of rock and roll, but Campbell
definitely is deserving of praise all his own.
Besides his work with Petty and The Heartbreakers, Campbell has played with rock legends like
Fleetwood Mac and Bob Dylan.
He also wrote the music for the song "The Boys of Summer," which Eagles drummer Don
Henley recorded after Petty turned it down.
"He had recorded it, again, in his home studio.
So this is one that Petty had rejected."
"He passed on this track."
Campbell also formed a band, Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs, in which he has played
full-time since Petty's death.
Over the years, Campbell has proven himself as a solid songwriter and steady rhythm player,
and he can lay down a technical solo when the music calls for it.
Known by many as a musician's musician, Robert Fripp has undeniably been one of the most
unique talents in rock and roll since the 1960s when his idiosyncratic guitar methods
helped his band King Crimson become one of the progenitors of the modern progressive
rock movement.
His guitar lines mixed rock with jazz and even some classical stylings to create a wholly
new type of music.
He was the only consistent member of King Crimson during their long history, mixing
and matching different musicians over the years to fit his sounds.
Fripp's work is not just limited to King Crimson, though, as he has released a ton of solo albums
and appeared as a guest on other works.
Fripp is one of the most technically gifted players in rock history, and in both 1997
and 2004, Fripp was invited on the famous G3 tour to play alongside fellow guitar legends
Steve Vai and Joe Satriani.
And even in his late 70s, Fripp is still pushing the envelope of his guitar skills.
"Right now I'm working hard on learning a repertoire I haven't had the good fortune
of being able to play before."
As one of the co-founders of AC/DC, guitarist Malcolm Young lived and breathed rock and
roll every day.
Malcolm founded the band with his younger brother Angus in Australia in the 1970s, and
they soon rose to become one of the biggest international acts in all of rock.
However,even though Malcolm was often described as the creative force behind the band's success,
Angus always garnered much more attention.
This was mainly due to Angus playing all of the guitar solos, as well as his penchant
for dressing up like a school boy for his energetic performances.
Yet, without Malcolm, AC/DC would never have risen to the heights they did, and Angus would
not have had the platform to become the rock god he is widely recognized as.
Together, the two wrote the vast majority of AC/DC's songs, including most of their
biggest hits, and Malcolm became known as one of the steadiest rhythm players in rock.
Young died in 2017, three years after retiring from the band due to dementia, though he stayed
with the band as long as he possibly could.
Lead singer Brian Johnson told "7.30,"
"Malcolm started to rehearse the songs that he played for 30 years, every day before a show.
Which is dedication."
Upon his death, tributes poured in from some of the biggest names in rock.
A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Malcolm definitely has a place on the Mount Rushmore
of rock rhythm guitarists.
Rock and roll has long been known as a boys' club, and lamentably only a few women have
managed to break past the patriarchal paradigm and misogyny of the rock world.
One of them is Susan Tedeschi, and despite her being an amazing guitar player and songwriter,
she is regularly overlooked in favor of less-talented male guitarists.
Tedeschi began her career at the age of just 13, and she released her first solo album
with her blues band in 1995, which was rereleased in 1998.
She earned her first of seven Grammy nominations the following year for Best New Artist.
She is also married to guitar legend Derek Trucks, and together they formed the Tedeschi
Trucks Band, winning a Grammy in 2012 for their debut album "Revelator."
Tedeschi plays a distinct brand of blues rock that also incorporates elements ranging from
R&B to soul.
She has been one of the top acts in blues rock for more than 20 years, and hopefully
she will start to be recognized as the guitar goddess she is.
For many people, Kerry Livgren provided the soundtrack to the 1970s — they just don't know it.
As a member of Kansas, Livgren penned classics like "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the
Wind," two of the biggest rock and roll hits of the decade.
He was one of the founders, and played with the band until their initial breakup in 1983.
After Kansas, Livgren formed a new band, AD, which embraced Christian themes but had little
commercial success.
Still, the music showcased Livgren's innovative and unique songwriting abilities.
Kansas reformed years later, and in 2000, Livgren was once again the primary songwriter
for their album "Somewhere to Elsewhere."
Besides his work in AD and Kansas, Livgren has also released several solo albums, starting
with "Seeds of Change" in 1980.
Still, it's his work with Kansas that will forever be immortalized as some of the best
guitar playing in rock history – even though he has never received the accolades given
to other major rock guitarists.
A large man of imposing stature, guitarist Leslie West first came to mainstream attention
in 1970 when his band Mountain released their debut album "Climbing!"
The album included the now-iconic rock anthem "Mississippi Queen," which featured West's
thunderous vocals and guitar playing.
The band, partly named for West's huge size, had played at the legendary music festival
Woodstock the year before, cementing their legacy in rock history.
After “Climbing!,” West would release a few more albums with Mountain and as a solo
artist, but he never again experienced the commercial success that "Mississippi Queen"
gave him.
Still, West was one of the best under-the-radar guitarists of the last few decades, and many
prominent guitarists like Eddie Van Halen have praised his abilities.
Interestingly, it seems like many rappers and hip-hop artists are fans of West's work,
and his music has been extensively sampled by huge acts including Kanye West, Jay-Z,
and ASAP Rocky.
Sadly, West died in 2020 from cardiac arrest.
His legacy is forever tied to Mountain and "Mississippi Queen," but he contributed so
much more to rock and roll during his career.