31. Ry Cooder
Soundtrack | Primary Colors
Born in Santa Monica, Ca., Ry Cooder, at the age of four had an accident which left him blind in one eye. He became a bit secluded and began playing the guitar. His biggest influences include Blind Willie Johnson, Arthur “Blind” Blake, Joseph Spence and Curtis Mayfield. Cooder has played on several…
32. Billy Gibbons
Soundtrack | Battleship
Billy Gibbons was born on December 16, 1949 in Houston, Texas, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Battleship (2012), Armageddon (1998) and The Perfect Storm (2000). He has been married to Gilligan Gibbons since December 14, 2005.
33. Prince
Soundtrack | Under the Cherry Moon
Prince Rogers Nelson was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Mattie Shaw, a jazz singer and social worker, and John L. Nelson, a lyricist and pianist. His father’s stage name was “Prince Rogers”. His parents were both from African-American families from Louisiana. They separated during his youth, …
34. Curtis Mayfield
Soundtrack | Armageddon
Rhythm and blues performer/songwriter credited with defining 1960’s Chicago sound in hits like “It’s All Right” and “Gypsy Woman.” His style influenced other artists from pop to hip hop. Has been a quadriplegic ever since he was struck by lighting rig during outdoor concert in New York, 1990. …
35. John Lee Hooker
Soundtrack | The Blues Brothers
John Lee Hooker was born on August 22, 1917 in Clarksdale, Mississippi, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for The Blues Brothers (1980), The Colony (2013) and Kiss the Girls (1997). He was previously married to Maude Mathis, Alma Hopes and Sarah Jones. He died on June 21, 2001 in Los Altos, …
36. Randy Rhoads
Soundtrack | Ghost Rider
Randy Rhoads was born on December 6, 1956 in Santa Monica, California, USA. He was a writer, known for Ghost Rider (2007), Megamind (2010) and Tag (2018). He died on March 19, 1982 in Leesburg, Florida, USA.
37. Mick Taylor
Soundtrack | The Man Who Fell to Earth
Mick Taylor was born on January 17, 1948 in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England, UK. He is a producer and actor, known for The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), Freight (2010) and The Last of the Finest (1990).
38. The Edge
Soundtrack | Gangs of New York
One of the most instantly recognizable and influential guitarists in rock history, The Edge was born David Howell Evans, in Barking, Essex, in 1961. When he was two years old the family moved to Dublin. During his childhood he learned how to play the guitar and the piano. In 1978, the Edge became …
39. Steve Cropper
Actor | The Blues Brothers
If not the most influential guitarist in the Memphis soul music scene, Steve Cropper is definitely near the top. He was a member of Booker T. & the M.G.s‘, wrote songs for and performed with Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin and Sam & Dave (he’s the Steve referred to when they say “Play it, Steve!” in …
40. Tom Morello
Soundtrack | Real Steel
Tom Morello was born on May 30, 1964 in New York city. He has become an influential guitarist due to his work with Rage Against The Machine in the 1990s. Tom got his Social Studies degree from Harvard and went to L.A to start a band. He briefly played guitarist for a band named Lock Up with fellow …
41. Mick Ronson
Soundtrack | Fright Night
Michael “Mick” Ronson was an English guitarist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger, and producer. He achieved critical and commercial success while working with David Bowie as the lead guitarist and band leader for Bowie’s backing band, the Spiders From Mars. Ronson was also a session …
42. Mike Bloomfield
Soundtrack | Sneakers
Mike Bloomfield was born on July 28, 1943 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was a composer, known for Sneakers (1992), Easy Rider (1969) and Rocketman (2019). He died on February 15, 1981 in San Francisco, California, USA.
43. Hubert Sumlin
Music_department | Blues Alive: Recorded Live at the Capitol Theatre
Hubert Sumlin was born on November 16, 1931 in Greenwood, Mississippi, USA. He is known for Blues Alive: Recorded Live at the Capitol Theatre (1983), Lightning in a Bottle (2004) and The Perfect Age of Rock ‘n’ Roll (2009). He was previously married to Willie B ‘Rea’ Reed Sumlin. He died on …
44. Mark Knopfler
Soundtrack | Wag the Dog
Mark Knopfler recorded his first single at age 16, but it was never released, He started the band Dire Straits in 1977, they were signed to Vertigo Records in 1978 and recorded the album “Dire Straits”, which featured their first major hit single, “Sultans of Swing”. Their follow-up albums include …
45. Link Wray
Soundtrack | Independence Day
Rock’n’roll musician Link Wray reigns supreme as one of the best, most important, influential, and innovative guitarists to emerge from the 1950’s. Wray was the creator of the power-chord and was one of the first musicians to experiment with both distortion and the burning fuzz-tone guitar sound in…
46. Jerry Garcia
Soundtrack | The Box
One of the most prolific and iconic guitarists of the second half of the 20th Century, Jerome John Garcia was born in San Francisco, California, USA on August 1st 1942. Garcia, whose mother was a registered nurse and whose father, Jose, was a small time jazz musician, had a troubled childhood. At …
47. Stephen Stills
Soundtrack | Prometheus
Stephen Stills was born on January 3, 1945, in Dallas, Texas. He dropped out of college to play music professionally. He formed Buffalo Springfield (“For What It’s Worth”) with Neil Young and later became part of Crosby Stills & Nash. After they broke up, Stills joined Manassas, then helped to form …
48. Jonny Greenwood
Soundtrack | The Master
Jonny Greenwood was born on November 5, 1971 in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK. He is a composer and actor, known for The Master (2012), There Will Be Blood (2007) and Phantom Thread (2017). He has been married to Sharona Katan since 1995. They have three children.
49. Muddy Waters
Soundtrack | Adventures in Babysitting
Muddy Waters (born McKinley Morganfield) was one of the major forces in contemporary blues. He was instrumental in bringing the sound of the Mississippi Delta to Chicago in the 1940s, where his recordings for the Chess label exerted an enormous influence on both blues and rock musicians from the …
50. Ritchie Blackmore
Soundtrack | Point Break
Ritchie Blackmore was born on April 14, 1945 in Weston Super Mare, England, UK. He is a composer and actor, known for Point Break (1991), Twister (1996) and Almost Famous (2000). He has been married to Candice Night since October 2008. They have one child. He was previously married to Amy Rothman, …
51. Johnny Marr
Music_department | Inception
Johnny Marr made his name as lead guitarist with the cult British rock band, The Smiths, regarded by some as one of the most influential bands of the 1980s. Along with Morrissey, Marr created some of the most memorable and acclaimed songs of that decade, with Morrissey‘s witty, satirical lyrics and …
52. Clarence White
Soundtrack | Two-Lane Blacktop
Clarence White was born on June 7, 1944 in Lewiston, Maine, USA. He was an actor, known for Two-Lane Blacktop (1971), Cal’s Corral (1959) and The Farmer’s Other Daughter (1965). He died on July 15, 1973 in Palmdale, California, USA.
53. Otis Rush
Soundtrack | To Live and Die in L.A.
Otis Rush was born on April 29, 1934 in Philadelphia, Mississippi, USA. He was a composer, known for To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) and Hearts in Atlantis (2001). He was previously married to Masaki and ???. He died on September 29, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
54. Joe Walsh
Soundtrack | The Warriors
Joe Walsh was born on November 20, 1947 in Wichita, Kansas, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for The Warriors (1979), Spy Game (2001) and The Skulls (2000). He has been married to Marjorie Bach since December 13, 2008. He was previously married to Denise Driscoll, Juanita Boyer and Stefany …
55. John Lennon
Actor | A Hard Day’s Night
John Winston (later Ono) Lennon was born on October 9, 1940, in Liverpool, England, to Julia Lennon (née Stanley) and Alfred Lennon, a merchant seaman. He was raised by his mother’s older sister Mimi Smith. In the mid-1950s, he formed his first band, The Quarrymen (after Quarry Bank High School, …
56. Albert Collins
Soundtrack | Adventures in Babysitting
Albert Collins was born on October 1, 1932 in Leona, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for Adventures in Babysitting (1987), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) and Casino (1995). He was previously married to Gwendolyn Collins. He died on November 24, 1993 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
57. Rory Gallagher
Soundtrack | Last Night in Soho
Blues guitarist Rory Gallagher was born in Ballyshannon, Ireland, in 1959 (his brother Donal Gallagher is also a blues musician). He began his career in the 1960s in Ireland, playing in a variety of show bands. In 1965 he formed his own band, Taste, a blues-based rock trio. They had some success …
58. Peter Green
Soundtrack | Frequency
Peter Green was born on October 29, 1946 in London, England, UK. He was a music artist, known for Frequency (2000), 6 Underground (2019) and Jerry Maguire (1996). He was previously married to Jane Samuels. He died on July 25, 2020 in Canvey Island, Essex, England. UK.
59. Robbie Robertson
Music_department | The Wolf of Wall Street
Robbie Robertson was born on July 5, 1943 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is an actor and composer, known for The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), Ladder 49 (2004) and The Irishman (2019).
60. Ron Asheton
Soundtrack | Smokin’ Aces
Ron Asheton was born on July 17, 1948 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. He was an actor, known for Smokin’ Aces (2006), Predestination (2014) and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998). He died on January 6, 2009 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
61. Dickey Betts
Soundtrack | Big Fish
Dickey Betts, born in West Palm Beach, Florida in 1943, was the oldest member of the Allman Brothers Band when they formed in 1969. He shared lead guitar duties with band founder and leader Duane Allman, also playing alongside bassist Berry Oakley, drummers Jaimoe and Butch Trucks, and Allman’s …
62. Robert Fripp
Soundtrack | Children of Men
Robert Fripp was born on May 16, 1946 in Dorset, England, UK. He is an actor and composer, known for Children of Men (2006), The Big Boss (1971) and Power Rangers (2017). He has been married to Toyah Willcox since May 16, 1986.
63. Johnny Winter
Soundtrack | The Accused
Johnny Winter was born on February 23, 1944 in Beaumont, Texas, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for The Accused (1988), Sliver (1993) and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978). He was previously married to Susan Warford. He died on July 16, 2014 in Zurich, Switzerland.
64. Duane Eddy
Soundtrack | Natural Born Killers
Duane Eddy was born on April 26, 1938 in Corning, New York, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Natural Born Killers (1994), Broken Arrow (1996) and Forrest Gump (1994). He has been married to ‘Deed Abbate’ since December 17, 1979. He was previously married to Maureen A Power, Jessi Colter …
65. Slash
Soundtrack | Hulk
Saul Hudson, mainly known as Slash, was born on July 23, 1965, and was raised in Stoke-on-Trent. Both his parents worked in the entertainment business, his mother being a clothing designer (she did some of David Bowie’s costumes) and his father being an art director for a record company. When Slash…
66. Leslie West
Soundtrack | Vanishing Point
Leslie West was born on October 22, 1945 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for Vanishing Point (1971), Spenser Confidential (2020) and The Expendables (2010). He was previously married to Jenni Maurer. He died on December 23, 2020 in Palm Coast, Florida, USA.
67. T-Bone Walker
Soundtrack | The Firm
T-Bone Walker was born on May 28, 1910 in Linden, Texas, USA. He is known for The Firm (1993), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) and The Rainmaker (1997). He was previously married to Vida. He died on March 16, 1975 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
68. John McLaughlin
Soundtrack | Where the Truth Lies
John McLaughlin was born on January 4, 1942 in Yorkshire, England, UK. He is an actor and composer, known for Where the Truth Lies (2005), Biker Boyz (2003) and Cartes sur table (1977). He is married to Ina.
69. Richard Thompson
Soundtrack | Looper
Talented singer, songwriter, and guitarist co-founded the British folk-rock group Fairport Convention in 1967. He left the group in 1971 to perform and record solo and then with his wife, Linda Thompson, with whom he made the legendary albums I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight (1974) and Shoot…
70. Jack White
Soundtrack | Quantum of Solace
Jack played guitar and sang in the band The White Stripes. They released six albums: their self-titled debut — “The White Stripes”, “De Stijl”, “White Blood Cells”, “Elephant”, “Get Behind Me Satan”, and “Icky Thump”, before breaking up in 2011.
White also sings and plays guitar in the band The …
71. Robert Johnson
Soundtrack | The Skeleton Key
Robert Johnson was born on May 8, 1911 in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, USA. He was a writer, known for The Skeleton Key (2005), Chocolat (2000) and Holes (2003). He was previously married to Calleta “Callie” Craft and Virginia Travis. He died on August 13, 1938 in Greenwood, Mississippi, USA.
72. John Frusciante
Soundtrack | Stealth
John Anthony Frusciante was born on March 5, 1970, in New York. He became interested in rock music at an early age. After his parents divorced, John and his mother moved to California when he was seven. When he was nine, his stepfather offered him his first acoustic guitar.
John taught himself how …
73. Kurt Cobain
Soundtrack | The Batman
Kurt Cobain was born on February 20 1967, in Aberdeen, Washington. Kurt and his family lived in Hoquiam for the first few months of his life then later moved back to Aberdeen, where he had a happy childhood until his parents divorced. The divorce left Kurt’s outlook on the world forever scarred. He…
74. Dick Dale
Soundtrack | Escape from L.A.
Hailed as the “King of Surf Guitar, ” Dick Dale virtually galvanized the surf rock sound in the 1950s. An avid surfer and accomplished musician, Dale and his band, ‘Dick Dale and the Del-Tones’, appeared in several of the ever-popular “Beach Party” teen flicks starring Annette Funicello and Frankie…
75. Joni Mitchell
Soundtrack | Two Weeks Notice
Joni Mitchell is one of the most highly regarded and influential songwriters of the 20th century. Her melodious tunes support her poetic and often very personal lyrics to make her one of the most authentic artists of her time. As a performer she is widely hailed for her unique style of playing …
76. Robby Krieger
Soundtrack | Army of the Dead
Robby Krieger was born on January 8, 1946 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is a composer and actor, known for Army of the Dead (2021), Forrest Gump (1994) and Road House (1989). He has been married to Lynn Ann Veres since December 26, 1970. They have one child.
77. Willie Nelson
Soundtrack | The Dukes of Hazzard
This versatile, eclectic, rather wanderlust country crossover star known for his classic ballads (“Always On My Mind”), autobiographical road songs (“On the Road Again”) and catchy rhythms (“Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys”) started out life as Willie Hugh Nelson on April 30, …
78. John Fahey
Soundtrack | Logan Lucky
John Fahey was born on February 28, 1939 in Takoma Park, Maryland, USA. He was a composer, known for Logan Lucky (2017), The Horse Whisperer (1998) and Zabriskie Point (1970). He died on February 22, 2001 in Salem, Oregon, USA.
79. Mike Campbell
Soundtrack | Those Who Wish Me Dead
Mike Campbell was born on February 1, 1950 in Panama City, Florida, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021), Larry Crowne (2011) and Book Club (2018).
80. Buddy Holly
Soundtrack | Big Fish
Charles Hardin Holley, known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born in Lubbock, Texas, to a musical family during the Great Depression, and learned to play guitar and sing alongside his siblings. His …
81. Lou Reed
Soundtrack | V for Vendetta
He formed the group The Velvet Underground with Welsh multi-instrumentalist John Cale, second guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Maureen Tucker in New York in 1965. The group soon became a part of Andy Warhol‘s Factory scene, which housed a great number of the most freaked and experimental …
82. Nels Cline
Soundtrack | Boyhood
Nels Cline is known for Boyhood (2014), Trouble Bound (1993) and Highwaymen (2004).
83. Eddie Hazel
Soundtrack | Lords of Dogtown
Eddie Hazel was born April 10, 1950 in Brooklyn, New York. He died December 23, 1992 in Plainfield, New Jersey. When he was eight years old, his older brother, Sonny, gave him a guitar for Christmas. Self-taught, by age twelve, he was winning guitar contests in Plainfield. Most of the guitarists …
84. Joe Perry
Soundtrack | Armageddon
As co-founding member, principal co-songwriter, electrifying lead guitarist and co-producer of Aerosmith–America’s Greatest Rock & Roll Band–Joe has achieved permanent iconic stature in the pantheon of rock. He has helped to drive his band, over the course of three decades, to sales of more than …
85. Andy Summers
Soundtrack | Copycat
Andy Summers was born on December 31, 1942 in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, England, UK. He is an actor and composer, known for Copycat (1995), The Medallion (2003) and Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986). He is married to Kate Summers. They have three children. He was previously married to Robin …
86. J. Mascis
Soundtrack | Reality Bites
J. Mascis was born on December 10, 1965 in Amherst, Massachusetts, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Reality Bites (1994), Yes Man (2008) and The Double (2013). He is married to Luisa Mascis. They have one child.
87. James Hetfield
Soundtrack | Metallica Through the Never
His parents were divorced, and at a young age, he lost his mother to cancer. He grew up hunting, playing guitar, and was an ordinary quiet kid. Lars Ulrich put out an ad in 1981 in a newspaper asking somebody to jam out and listen to rock music with him and he replied. Lars Ulrich and James hooked …
88. Carl Perkins
Soundtrack | Battleship
Carl Lee Perkins was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist who recorded at the Sun Studio, in Memphis, beginning in 1954. Among his best-known songs are “Blue Suede Shoes”, “Honey Don’t”, “Matchbox” and “Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby”.
According to Charlie Daniels, “Carl Perkins’ songs …
89. Bonnie Raitt
Soundtrack | Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Bonnie Raitt was born on November 8, 1949 in Burbank, California, USA. She is an actress and composer, known for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978), Nick of Time (1995) and Ladder 49 (2004). She was previously married to Michael O’Keefe.
90. Tom Verlaine
Soundtrack | The Diary of a Teenage Girl
Tom Verlaine was born on December 13, 1949 in Morristown, New Jersey, USA. He is a composer, known for The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015), I’m Not There (2007) and Gold (2016).
91. Dave Davies
Composer | Village of the Damned
Dave Davies is the brother of Ray Davies, the lead singer and songwriter of The Kinks, of which he was the lead singer up to 1964, when Ray joined. He was also the lead guitarist and backup singer for the Kinks. As children, both brothers were immersed in a world of different musical styles, from …
92. Dimebag Darrell
Soundtrack | Triple Frontier
Dimebag Darrell was born on August 20, 1966 in Dallas, Texas, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for Triple Frontier (2019), The Big Short (2015) and Lethal Weapon (2016). He died on December 8, 2004 in Columbus, Ohio, USA.
93. Paul Simon
Music_department | The Graduate
Born on October 13, 1941, in Newark New Jersey, Paul Simon is one of the greatest singer/songwriters ever. In 1957, he and high school pal, Art Garfunkel, wrote and recorded the single, “Hey Schoolgirl”, under the name “Tom and Jerry”. After some failures, they broke up. Simon still wrote and …
94. Peter Buck
Soundtrack | Man on the Moon
Peter Buck was born on December 6, 1956 in Oakland, California, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Man on the Moon (1999), Independence Day (1996) and Vanilla Sky (2001). He has been married to Chloe Johnson since June 1, 2013. He was previously married to Stephanie Elizabeth Dorgan and …
95. Roger McGuinn
Soundtrack | Easy Rider
James Joseph McGuinn III was born in Chicago to Dorothy and James Jr. At 14, he took up guitar and soon attended the Old Town School Of Folk Music. He was discovered at 17 and began touring with The Limelighters shortly after his 18th birthday. He later toured and recorded with The Chad Mitchell …
96. Bruce Springsteen
Soundtrack | Blinded by the Light
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen was born September 23, 1949 in Long Branch, New Jersey, USA. His father, Douglas Frederick Springsteen, worked as a bus driver, and was of Irish and Dutch ancestry. His mother, Adele Ann (Zerilli), worked as a legal secretary, and was of Italian descent. He has an…
97. Steve Jones
Soundtrack | The A-Team
Stephen Philip Jones, was born on September 3rd, 1955 in West London. His real father, an amateur boxer, named Don Jarvis left Steve and his mother when he was just two years old. Sometime later his Step-father arrived on the scene, for a time, Steve lived in a house with his parents and …
98. Alex Lifeson
Soundtrack | Small Soldiers
Alex Lifeson is best known as the broadly-skilled guitarist for the rock group Rush, which also features drummer Neil Peart and bassist Geddy Lee. Rush is the most successful Canadian music group in history, and is the third most prolific seller of consecutive (American) Gold and Platinum Records …
99. Thurston Moore
Soundtrack | The Perks of Being a Wallflower
In 1980, Thurston Moore formed the band Sonic Youth as a lead guitarist and singer with Kim Gordon (bass guitars/vocals) and Lee Ranaldo (lead guitars/vocals). In 1981, they released their debut album “Sonic Youth”, which attracted lots of attention for using feedback in music. They later released …
100. Lindsey Buckingham
Soundtrack | Back to the Future
Lindsey Buckingham was born on October 3, 1949 in Palo Alto, California, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for Back to the Future (1985), Twister (1996) and National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983). He has been married to Kristen Leigh Messner since February 15, 2000. They have three children.
