The Greatest Moments in Guitar History
Submitted by blindsider on Mon, 12/15/2008 - 12:44
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- 1908 - Andres Sergovia's first performance
- 1931 - Ro-Pat-In creates the 'frying pan'
- 1934 - Martin develops 'Modern Flat-Top'
- 1936 - Gibson debuts its guitar/amp package
- 1939 - Gibson introduces the cutaway
- 1940 - Django Reinhardt records 'Nuages'
- 1942 - T-Bone Walker cuts 'Mean old World'
- 1948 - Les Paul's 'Lover' released
- 1948 - Muddy Waters goes electric
- 1948 - Bigsby builds a vibrato for Merle Travis
- 1950 - Fender Broadcaster debuts
- 1952 - Gibson introduces the 'Les Paul' guitar
- 1955 - Chuck Berry releases 'Maybellene'
- 1956 - 'Trains Kept A'Rollin' released
- 1957 - Buddy Holly gives America a strat attack
- 1957 - Ricky Nelson rocks 'The Adventures of Ozzie & Hariet'
- 1958 - Gibson ES-335TD unveiled
- 1958 - Vox introduces AC15
- 1958 - Chuck Berry releases 'Johnny B. Goode'. RollingStone calls it the #1 guitar song of all time
- 1960 - 'The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery' released
- 1961 - 'King of Delta Blues Singers' released - Robert Johnson
- 1962 - Dick Dale invents surf guitar
- 1962 - Ernie Ball gets 'Slinky'
- 1963 - The Yardbirds form
- 1963 - Maestro FZ-1 debuts
- 1963 - Sandy Bull's 'Blend'
- 1964 - Fender unveils the twin turbo
- 1964 - 'Beatlemania' sweeps America
- 1964 - Pete Townshend auto-destructs
- 1965 - Dylan goes electric
- 1965 - Jimmy Nolen brings the funk
- 1965 - 'Live at the Regal' released - B.B. King
- 1965 - Rolling Stones get no 'Satisfaction'
- 1965 - Marshall debuts 100-watt amp
- 1966 - 'Eight Miles High' released
- 1966 - 'Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton' released
- 1967 - Jimi plays monterey pop
- 1967 - 'Are You Experienced?' released
- 1967 - Vox introduces the wah
- 1967 - Kustom rocks solid
- 1967 - Premiere issue of 'GuitarPlayer'
- 1967 - 'Beck's Bolero' released. Recorded by Jeff Beck with Jimmy Page on guitar
- 1968 - 'Classical Gas' actually becomes a hit
- 1968 - ElectroHarmonix debuts the LPB-1
- 1969 - 'Led Zeppelin' released
- 1969 - 'Santana' released
- 1969 - Woodstock celebrates peace, love, and guitars
- 1969 - John McLaughlin records with Miles Davis
- 1969 - 'In The Court Of The Crimson King' released - King Crimson
- 1970 - 'Black Sabbath' released
- 1970 - Mesa/Boogie debuts the Mark 1
- 1970 - Maestro debuts the PS-1
- 1970 - Ovation introduces the first piezo acoustic/electric
- 1970 - The Who's 'Live At Leeds' released
- 1971 - G- and 12-string guitar released
- 1971 - 'At Fillmore East' released - the Allman Brothers
- 1971 - 'Led Zeppelin IV' released - Led Zeppelin
- 1972 - 'Smoke on the Water' released - Deep Purple
- 1973 - Robert Fripp introduces Frippertronics
- 1974 - Lynyrd Skynyrd's 'Free Bird' released
- 1974 - Queen's 'Sheer Heart Attack' released
- 1975 - Jeff Beck's 'Blow by Blow' released
- 1975 - KISS' 'Alive!' released
- 1975 - Dimarzio jumpstarts the aftermarket pickup biz
- 1976 - The Ramones invade England
- 1976 - Nady introduces the Nasty cordless
- 1976 - 'Frampton Comes Alive' released
- 1976 - Hartley Peavey CNC's guitars
- 1976 - Al Di Meola goes solo
- 1978 - 'Van Halen' released
- 1979 - Randy Rhoads auditions for Ozzy
- 1979 - Enter the 'tube screamer'
- 1979 - Andy Summers brings texture to the masses
- 1979 - Tascam unveils the portastudio
- 1979 - 'The Wall' released - Pink Floyd
- 1980 - P.R.S. builds the 'golden eagle'
- 1980 - U2's 'Boy' released
- 1980 - 'Back in Black' released - AC/DC
- 1981 - Sonic Youth forms
- 1981 - 'Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar' released - Frank Zappa
- 1981 - MTV debuts
- 1982 - Floyd Rose introduces locking tremelo
- 1982 - Tom Scholz invents the 'rockman'
- 1983 - SRV gives the blues to David Bowie
- 1984 - 'This is Spinal Tap' tells it how it is
- 1984 - 'Rising Force' released
- 1985 - Michael Hedge's 'Aerial Boundaries' released
- 1986 - Run-DMC teams up with Aerosmith
- 1986 - 'Master of Puppets' released - Metallica
- 1987 - Joe Satriani's 'Surfing with the Alien' released
- 1987 - Guns n Roses' 'Appetite for Destruction' released
- 1989 - Team 21 debuts the Sansamp
- 1990 - Ibanez goes for 7 strings
- 1991 - Nirvana kills hair metal
- 1991 - Digitech introduces the whammy pedal
- 1991 - 'Loveless' released - My Bloody Valentine
- 1993 - Jennifer Batten rocks Super Bowl XXVII
- 1998 - Line 6 introduces the POD
- 2001 - 'Toxicity' released - System of a Down
- 2001 - White Stripes storm the airwaves
Author Comments:
I read an article in the April '05 edition of GuitarPlayer magazine listing the '101 Greatest Moments in Guitar History', and here they are. It only dated up to 2001 though, so if anyone has any suggestions on what else deserves to be here, let me know.
I have high-lighted the items I added myself
This is a great list. I have a suggestion for you, in 1974 when Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird" came out. Also, in 1987 when Guns N' Roses Appetite for Destruction was released.
Thanks for the suggestions. I didn't actually do the original list myself, but I'll add a few items
Well three from the Beatles
A Hard Day's Night Album Godfather of the electric 12 rock string sound: George Harrison
Remember, George Harrison was the very first person to use the innovative new Ric 12 stringer on a record and introduced this still exciting 1964 sound to the recording and record listening world. The Byrds, Beach Boys and the newly formed British invasion regiment eagerly waiting their turn under the sun in the wings. Jangle Pop, Folk Rock and Power Pop are not the same without the Beatles using the sound first.
The Beatles "I Feel Fine" recorded in 1964 was the very first use of feedback on a rock record that was deliberate and sustained. It has since become a striking characteristic of rock music, as electric guitar players such as Pete Townsend and Jimi Hendrix deliberately induced feedback by holding their guitars close to the amplifier. Someone said "Space Guitar" having feedback but the track does not have any feedback. Also "I Feel Fine" might be the first track to combine intentional feedback, distortion with riff driven guitar part. Well basically everyone in Modern Rock uses those techniques in the course of the same song.
The Beatles Revolver has the first track Love You to be considered the first Western pop song to emulate non-western form in this case Indian Music in structure and instrumentation. With its use of sitar and tamboura played by George Harrison inspired the use of exotic guitar instruments in Pop Music. Also Revolver is the first album that uses backward guitar solo's and riffs that everyone from the Byrds to Hendrix would use later.
How about:
2008
Kahutz goes on about the Beatles for the 100th time this year.
No one cares.
How about let people or Kahutz have their opinions and respond to it? Pete Townsend not the biggest Beatles fan admits getting the 12 string guitar because of the Beatles and guitarists started using feedback on record because Lennon did on "I Feel Fine". Hendrix was not covering "I Feel Fine" live for nothing.
Scarufiod is a hack anyway.
I've said my piece elsewhere.
Townshend got the 12-string because he saw George Harrison in the Hard Day's Night movie with it. How much that affected his playing, I don't know. And feedback was all over London, Lennon just got it on record first.
I put the Beatles at 1964 already.
Might I suggest including the Who's release of "Live at Leeds" in 1970. Drenched in all matter of guitar, it's considered by many (including myself) to be the greatest live album ever recorded.
1. 1967 "Beck's Bolero" - first released March 1967
2. 1991 Loveless by My Bloody Valentine released - the epitome of shoegaze
3. 1985 possibly Psychocandy by Jesus and Mary Chain released - shoegaze, though nothing SPECIAL really happened here that was not already present about 20 years before.
i know i am missing something....
Good suggestions.Thanks
Where's the love for Queen? Surely Brian May is a far better guitarist than somebody like, say, Kurt Cobain? Even if it's just the 'Sheer Heart Attack' album from '74, but c'mon!
Thanks for the recommendation! I'll be sure to include it
I'm debating putting 'a night at the opera' on here. Think I should include it?
Woohoo!
ANATO could go on there, but it doesn't really showcase Brian's skills as much as Sheer Heart Attack or Queen I. It does show guitar in all of the songs (including some acoustic on '39) but not to the degree of the previous albums.
True dat. It's still one of my favourite Queen albums, but maybe I'll have to let it go