Although Lee played at Woodstock and was popular in his day, he never became a household name like fellow Woodstock players such as Hendrix, Santana and Johnny Winter. On most classic rock stations you will hear only one of his songs.
2. Eric Johnson
Eric Johnson like Lee is an amazing guitarist with an amazing body of work but sadly most people only know one song. Many of them have only heard of Cliffs of Dover because of Guitar Hero. The chances of hearing Johnson on the radio are slim. He is also nowhere to be seen on Rolling Stones 100 Greatest Guitarists.
3. Sonny Landreth
Sonny is in my opinion the greatest living slide player today. Although having appeared at every Crossroads festival at having fans like Eric Clapton and Mark Knopfler he still very much unknown even among blues fans.
4. Prince
This list wouldn't be complete with him. He was one of the greatest artists of the 80's.But he has notgained as much recognition for his guitar work as he should. His amazing guitar playing is brought out on Let's Go Crazy.
5. Terry Kath
Kath's work with Chicago mainly on their first album The Chicago Transit Authority is some of the greatest playing I have heard in a while. He also shines on The Chicago classic 25 or 6 to 4. Sadly the life of this amazing guitarist was cut to short at the age of 31. Chicago is more known for it's horns but I think Kath made the band what it is.
6. Jimmie Vaughan
Although Vaughan is very well-known in blues circles he never was able to break out of the shadow of his younger brother and is therefor cast aside and often overlooked. He is a fantastic both solo and with The fabulous Thunderbird's.
7. Hughie Thomasson
I think that both Thomasson and The Outlaws who are one of my favorite bands never really got as much attention as fellow southern rockers like Marshall Tucker Band and Charlie Daniels. I think he is one of the best guitarists in the Southern Rock genre. The third best after Duane and Allan Collins.
8. Rick Derringer
With the career Rick Derringer has had you'd think he would be more famous. But that is not the case. Even his two most well-known songs "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo" and "Hang on Sloopy." the latter which he recorded with The McCoys receive little or no airplay on classic rock stations. Derringer is an amazing yet horribly underrated guitarist.
9. Walter Trout
Playing with both Canned Heat and John Mayall's Bluesbreakers in the 1980's you would think that Walter Trout would go on to be one of the best blues guitarists of the modern era. But sadly Trout would not become a well known name in modern blues. His speed and power are a force to be reckoned, having seen him live I can attest to that.
10. Ted Nugent
The outspoken Michigan guitarist nicknamed The Motor City Madman is the final guitarist on this list. Although I don't care much for his politics I don't let them get in the way of what I listen to. I think his politics are what keep most people from listening to him. With a career dating back to the late 1960's Nugent has proven himself to be a great guitarist with classics like "Stranglehold", "Stormtroopin" and "Journey to the Center of the Mind" his hit with The Amboy Dukes. But sadly most people only know him for "Cat Scratch Fever". When it comes to rock Ted can Rock.
Of these ten guitarists only Prince is on Rolling Stones list of 100 greatest guitar players. He is also the only one of these ten to have been inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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