The Best Country Guitarists Of All Time Ranked

Guitar Country is the twenty-fourth studio album by American guitarist Chet Atkins. It was nominated for the 1964 Best Country & Western Album Grammy award but did not win. It reached number 1 on the Country albums charts. Prior to 1964, there was no separate genre chart for Country LPs, thus Chet’s previous charting albums were on the Pop charts. Numerous future Atkins releases “crossed over” from the Country and Pop charts. The term country music gained popularity in the 1940s in preference to hillbilly music; it came to encompass Western music, which evolved parallel to hillbilly music from similar roots, in the mid-20th century. In 2009, in the United States, country music was the most listened to rush hour radio genre during the evening commute, and second most popular in the morning commute. Here are all of The Best Country Guitarists Of All Time ranked.

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20. Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs

“Flatt and Scruggs were an American bluegrass duo. Singer and guitarist Lester Flatt and banjo player Earl Scruggs, both of whom had been members of Bill Monroe’s band, the Bluegrass Boys, from 1945 to 1948, formed the duo in 1948. Flatt and Scruggs are viewed by music historians as one of the premier bluegrass groups in the history of the genre.^[“

19. Luther Perkins

“Another example of the good old school country players, we have Luther Perkins on the 19th spot. Known for playing in Johnny Cash’s band, he was rather influential in the development of rockabilly music. Perkins was an iconic figure in what would become known as rockabilly music. His creatively simple, sparsely embellished, rhythmic use of Fender Esquire, Jazzmaster and Jaguar guitars is credited for creating Cash’s signature “boom-chicka-boom” style.”

18. Brent Mason

“Brent Mason is one of the most recorded guitarists in history. As well as being a Grammy Award winning artist he is also a 14 time winner of the Academy of Country Music (ACM) Guitarist of the Year Award, and a 2 time winner of the CMA Award Musician of the Year (being nominated every year since 1991).”

17. Hank Garland

“Hank Garland was quite a versatile musician. Aside from country music, he got into the world of rock ‘n’ roll in the 1950s, as it was becoming increasingly popular. Later on, he also got into jazz. This just proves how proficient these old school country musicians were.”

16. Johnny Hiland

“Johnny Hiland is another example of a proficient modern country player. Despite facing nystagmus condition, he started playing guitar at a very early age. Today, he’s one of the most skilled chicken picking axemen in the world.”

15. Ricky Skaggs

“Had commercial success in mainstream country. went back to what he loves-bluegrass. he is so talented that he would be great at any musical genre he would attempt. Although primarily a mandolin player, Ricky Skaggs is one of the best guitarists in the world of country and bluegrass music today. Aside from one very long list of albums he was involved in, there’s a big collection of awards under his belt, all between the early 1980s and today.”

14. Dolly Parton

“Although mostly known for her impeccable singing skills, Dolly Parton was actually one hell of a guitar player. She’s been playing since the age of 8 and is also skilled with banjo, violin, piano, and many other instruments. The Best Storyteller of all time with a voice like an angel.”

13. Danny Gatton

“Just take country music, jazz, rockabilly, and blues and fuse them all together into one unique style. That’s exactly what a guitar master like Danny Gatton did. Now, that guy sure rocked his Telecaster guitars. His songs are all written so well and the lyrics are relatable.”

12. Vince Gill

“I could listen to him every day. Great voice. The song go rest high on that mountian has /is being played or sung at many male funerals. Vince, how about some more new country songs. Don’t retire from singing. Thanks again for the wonderful music.”

11. Keith Urban

“He is so energetic and obviously loves what he does. He’s so humble and loves his fans and is a great musician, songwriter, and entertainer. Keith Urban is a proficient guitarist, bassist, vocalist, mandolinist, banjoist – you name it! Starting his career in 1990, he released 11 studio records, fusing country with contemporary pop and rock music. To put it simply, he’s a real beast on the guitar.”

10. Townes Van Zandt

“Townes Van Zandt comes as one of the greatest American singer-songwriters of all time. Although not a virtuoso that you’d expect to see on a list of the best guitarists on a guitar-oriented website, his music stands out as some of the best in the genre.”

9. Willie Nelson

“Age of singer doesn’t matter while you are listening to music. The way he sings feel like love is heaven which is impossible to describe. The lyrics are powerful enough to create alternate reality in mind while listening one of his songs. Without a doubt, Willie is the most interesting, talented country singer to have sung a song. Love to listen to his voice.”

8. Merle Travis

“Merle Travis is one of the earliest legends of modern American music. His music and style of playing inspired countless other guitar players that came after him, most notably Chet Atkins. Starting his career in the mid-1930s, he’s considered to be one of the founders of modern guitar playing.”

7. Glen Campbell

“Not only an accomplished country artist but was a wonderful session guitarist before he made it on his own. The Wrecking Crew was a name for the legendary collective of session musicians based in Los Angeles. These hard-working instrumentalists are responsible for so many studio recordings that it’s really difficult to keep track of them all. One of the great names that came out of this crew is Glen Campbell. He recorded on about 60 studio albums, which is impressive, to say the least.”

6. John 5

“John 5 is not the first one that comes to mind when someone mentions country music. Nonetheless, he’s clearly pretty great at it. And he never ceases to surprise us. After working with Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson, it’s kind of unusual, yet really satisfying, to see him playing country music. Who could have thought that metal and country go so well together.”

5. Albert Lee

“Albert Lee is just simply a legend. His peculiar use of hybrid picking, his choice of notes, and his songwriting put him up there with some of the biggest names of modern music. Albert inspired many guitar players across all of the genres, making a huge impact on modern music as we know it.”

4. Roy Clark

“You just can’t make a list of country musicians without including Roy Clark on it. Millennial guitar players mostly know him for the legendary “Hee Haw” show, where he shared his music with millions of young Americans, eventually inspiring them to pick up an instrument.”

3. Brad Paisley

“He’s not the best country artist of all time, but you could definitely argue he’s one of the best guitarists in all of country music. Brad Paisley is a well rounded talent. Incredible guitar player, songwriter & good voice! He has made some amazing music.”

2. Jerry Reed

“Not just anyone can hang their hat on Chet’s guitar.” But seriously, Jerry Reed is a game-changing musician that pushed the genre with his style of playing and songwriting. Not to mention that he was also one of the best voices in country music.”

1. Chet Atkins

“It was expected to see The Country Gentleman at the top of this list. First inspired by Merle Travis to pick up the guitar, Chet Atkins built an immeasurably huge legacy, solidifying his place in the history of music. But his style was not focused solely on country music. You could hear blues, jazz, even some rock ‘n’ roll in there. Needless to say, he inspired, and continues to inspire, generations of new guitar players. Dare we say that he belongs up there with the classical music legends? Don’t know, you be the judge…”