Greatest Underrated Guitar Players Part I

By: Kenny Auyoung
Ask anybody who the greatest guitar players in the history of rock music are, and you'll likely get the standard answers. The big three, Clapton, Beck and Page; certainly Eddie Van Halen; maybe Stevie Ray Vaughn. The metal-heads will cite Randy Rhodes and George Lynch. These are all valid answers, but if you would put forth names like Elliot Easton and Andy Summers, you might be likely to get a blank stare in return.

Too often great guitarists are overlooked simply because they lack the flash of a star like Eddie Van Halen or because they are part of a group that simply has an overabundance of talent and they tend to be moved to the background.

Take Andy Summers, guitarist for the Police. Everybody knows who Sting is, and there is no doubt that he is tremendously talented, as is drummer Stewart Copeland. As part of that unit, however, Summers was often overlooked. What is so amazing about Andy Summers is not only his command of the instrument, but his overwhelming versatility.

From ska to punk to reggae to straight ahead rock and roll, nothing is outside of his ability. His style has been described as minimalist, but that minimalism is a plus, and he is to be credited for not falling prey to his critics and trying to overplay to compensate for a lack of complex layers of sound.

Below, in no particular order, I've listed some of my favorite underappreciated players, and the reasons why I consider them to be great.Elliot Easton (The Cars): Elliot Easton is probably the greatest reason for the success of The Cars. Without Easton's accessible rock guitar cutting through the synth driven Cars sound, they never would have found the mainstream acceptance that they did.

Imagine the spacey pair of Ric Ocasik and Greg Hawkes playing over an equally new-wave influenced guitarist and you have a style of music that would not appeal to people on a large scale. Easton's Buddy Hollyesque sound, however, served to make

The Cars commercially viable. "My Best Friend's Girl" from their debut album is an excellent example of how Easton's contribution was essential in creating hit records for The Cars.

Author Bio


Kenny Auyoung: Webmaster @ GetMeABand.com - Looking for a band? Search through thousands of musician's profiles to find the right band members in your local area. Find musicians, start a band, and play music -


Stay tuned for Part II of Greatest Underrated Guitar Players!