Black players pioneered the instrument.
In the early days of the guitar’s ascent, the most skilled players were all of African descent.
That means a ton of great artists to choose from when creating a list like this one.
How do you narrow down a list of the best black guitarists of all time to a manageable length?
You have to leave off some amazing guitar players.
Keep reading to see who I chose as the best and most famous black guitarists in history. Do you agree with my selections?
Best Black Guitarists Of All Time
I found it quite hard to narrow all the amazing black guitar players in history down to a reasonably short list. Many great artists did not make the cut, but you can find some of them on my lists of the best jazz guitar players and the best blues guitar players ever.
T-Bone Walker
The godfather of “Jump blues”, T-Bone Walker was faster, more technically proficient, and more forward-thinking than most of his peers. Where others saw nostalgic, perhaps even depressing elements, he saw an opportunity. T Bone made upbeat blues and lent an exquisite tone to the West Coast, and his legacy is tremendous.
Hailing from a musical family, T Bone had started performing professionally by the time he was only 15. In his early twenties, he made his first recording titled Wichita Falls Blues.
That paved the way to a series of accomplishments, leading up to Evening in 1944, Bobby Sox Blues two years later, and numerous other singles until 1975.
Beyond being known as a phenomenal blues player, T Bone would often perform at jazz clubs and be very influenced by the intricacies of the genre. His discography numbers several recorded works that showcase his amazing technical talent like Classics in Jazz of 1954.
T Bone was a remarkably well-rounded musician. When most guitarists tended stick to their guns, he innovated a range of techniques and is partly responsible for cementing West Coast and Jump blues.
Chuck Berry
The legendary Chuck Berry had a remarkably turbulent life before becoming known as one of the most impactful black guitarists to have ever lived.
After working multiple jobs (simultaneously) to support his family, Chuck Berry slowly made his name by playing in local Missouri clubs. He initially cut his teeth while performing in a band that mostly focused on blues and country, laying the groundwork that would later help him develop his own take on blues rock.
He leaned more and more toward R&R vibes the deeper his track record went, reaching his peak with the iconic Johnny B. Goode by the late ‘50s.
Beyond being a remarkably skilled and accomplished guitarist, we owe much to Chuck Berry’s outstanding songwriting talent. Moreover, Berry was among the pioneers of showmanship in rock and roll, bringing a unique aesthetic to an arguably bland scene of big bands of the time.
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker led a life similar to T-Bone and Chuck Berry before becoming a guitar player. Years of hard work in factories and extensive (minor) gigs at local Detroit pubs hardened his soul and resolve, which is something we can hear in his graceful playing.
What makes J.L. Hooker stand out from most musicians of his time is his unorthodox need to constantly switch up the tempos of songs he played live. With an almost pitch-perfect sense of hearing and time, he was uniquely poised to create originals in blues that stood out as much as his character.
After releasing Dimples in 1956, he garnered international renown and became remarkably popular both nationwide and across Europe.
Deeper into his career, he began experimenting with boogie pop and rock, while his unique blues idiosyncrasies remained at the core of his songwriting table. It wasn’t long before he was a coveted collaborator of multiple top-league bands and was even featured in The Blues Brothers (1980).
An inductee of both the Blues and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as well as a proud owner of the Hollywood Walk of Fame Star, he remains one of the most recognized and renowned black guitar players of all time.
Lightnin’ Hopkins
Lightnin’ Hopkins is slightly less commercially popular than his peers, but he is famed as a ridiculously fast black guitarist. His rapid playing style earned him the nickname “Lightnin”, and he could simultaneously play bass, lead, percussion, and rhythm on a single guitar.
According to numerous sources, Hopkins spent remarkable amounts of time playing alone, which necessitated the need to fill out the lack of a rhythm player and drummer. This will probably sound even more impressive when you hear that he was a fingerstyle blues player.
Beyond being a guitarist in a league of his own, Lightnin’ Hopkins was also an exceptionally skilled singer. Or rather: spoken word artist.
He was as imaginative and creative with his fingers as he was with his lyrics, bringing a more poetic approach to a scene saturated with more mundane everyday topics.
Jimmy Reed
Possibly the most prolific black guitar player in the US and beyond, Jimmy Reed has over 25 albums, LPs, compilations, and live recordings under his belt. Not to mention a score of remarkably successful singles.
It took him merely a decade to rise through the ranks of Mississippi blues players. He released at least one single year after year between 1953 and 1971.
Not many music groups, regardless of genre, can boast such consistency. But he maintained such an impressive pace while also vigorously touring across the nation at the same time.
Prince
Prince is one of my favorite artists of all time, mainly because he is the embodiment of musical transformation. He successfully experimented with, and eventually mastered, a barrage of music styles, from funk and rock to R&B and pop to psychedelic rock and beyond.
He is closely tied with Jimmy Reed in terms of prolific writing and recording, if not even superior, with over 35 studio albums and a handful of recordings that were posthumously launched after his passing in 2016.
Apart from being known as an exemplary guitar player with a hugely varied, distinctive style, he was also an actor, producer, dancer, and multi-instrumentalist.
Jimi Hendrix
Not many musicians of any era have attained as much love and fame in such a short period across all compass points as Jimi Hendrix did.
His track record spans less than a decade, and his recorded works number only four albums: three with The Jimi Hendrix Experience and one self-titled album with the Band of Gypsys.
Yet he remains one of the most influential black guitarists to have ever lived, with a larger-than-life character, a gleamingly beautiful soul, and a playing style that was often replicated but never mirrored.
Jimi broke new ground in the world of rock, psychedelic rock, blues, and R&B and continues to inspire generations of young musicians today.
Famous Black Guitarists: Final Thoughts
As mentioned, it was not easy to whittle al the amazing artists down to the ones you saw above. But I did it and this list of the best black guitarists of all time is the result.
What do you think? Did I miss anyone who should be on this list above some of my selection? Were any of mine so bad that they have no business being on this list? Please let me know in the comments below.
Leave a Reply