Guitarists

Custom Tobacco published an article about the geniuses who advocate tobacco consumption. In that article, a couple of musicians were listed as avid tobacco consumers. Read this article to find out who the top three guitarists are, and how their music was enhanced with the use of tobacco smoke.

How To Determine The Best Guitarists

When you look at music, you have to consider multiple factors. You may instantly think about which artists are at the top of the pop charts. Just because an artist makes it to the top of the pop charts doesn't mean that they have impacted music. Some of the best musicians never even made to the top ten on the Billboard Charts. The three following musicians didn't make it that high up on the charts. Does that mean that they weren't great? Of course not. When determining who the greatest musicians are, you have to ignore the pop charts.

3. Muddy Waters

Muddy Waters is one of the most celebrated Blues guitarists in the history of music. Waters' influence can be heard in all forms of music. Musicians that followed Muddy Waters' career covered many of his songs. Even?the?Jimi Hendrix covered a good number of Muddy Waters' songs, including?Catfish Blues?and?Hoochie Coochie Man. In addition to Jimi Hendrix covering the great Muddy Waters, there were many other rock bands in the mid to late 1960s that covered his songs as well. Although Muddy Waters is one of the most influential guitarists in history, why was?Fathers And Sons?Waters' only song to make it in the?Hot 100??Fathers And Sons?only made it to number 70 in 1969. This means that Muddy Waters wasn't as influential as he was popular, right? Wrong. Although Muddy Waters only had a total of six songs hit the Billboard 200 Chart,?that does not determine how influential he was. Many guitarists who came after Waters have expressed how much of an influence he was for them.

Earl Hooker

Like Waters, Hooker was a slide guitarist. Read more about slide guitar here.?http://www.document-records.com. Hooker's career began shortly after Waters' and his ability to play slide guitar well afforded him the opportunity to play with Waters. Waters' unique sound helped shape Hooker's sound as a slide guitarist.

Jimi Hendrix

The world's greatest guitar player has often expressed how influential Muddy Waters was. If you listen closely to Hendrix's music, you can hear pieces of Waters' style. Hendrix has even paid homage to Muddy Waters by covering a number of his songs throughout his short career.

How?

Correct, Muddy Waters was not the most popular guitarist. However, Waters helped change the face of music. His style of Blues music can be heard throughout decades of Soul, R&B, Hip Hop, and Hard Rock. With a record like that, the fact that Waters never topped the pop charts is irrelevant.

2. B. B. King

Better known as the King of The Blues, B. B. King has made a huge impact on the music world. King's career is probably the longest lasting career for a musician/guitarist. His career lasted 70 years spanning from the 1940s to the 2010s. In interviews, B. B. King had stated that he would play the guitar until he couldn't play anymore. He played and performed for thousands of lucky fans until he died in 2015 at the age of 89. He was a kind, approachable man who was as sweet as his music. With the aid of his guitar, Lucille, B. B. King made it to the?Hot 100 Chart?a total of 30 times. His highest ranking song was?The Thrill Is Gone, coming in at number 15.?The Thrill Is Gone,?which is King's most popular song, has transcended time. Not only have artist covered King's 1969 original hit, but Hip Hop artists have sampled this song. Although King has made it to the?Hot 100 Chart,?he has not made it past the number 15 slot. In fact, many of King's songs never made it to the number 50 slot. So, like Muddy Waters, King could not have been that big of an influence. Also like with Muddy Waters, that is wrong again. With a career spanning across seven decades, it would be outlandish to believe that B. B. King did not influence later musicians. Jimi Hendrix has stated how B. B. king had a great influence on his music.

Albert King

B. B. King was part of the the Three Kings Of Blues. The Three Kings consisted of B. B. King, Freddie King, and Albert King. Without Mr. B. B. King, there would be no Freddie King nor Albert King. Albert King is best known for his iconic standard,?Born Under A Bad Sign.?With B. B. King's influence, Albert King was able to have a great career as a musician like B. B. King himself.

Ice Cube

That's right, Ice Cube was influenced by B. B. King. Not only was Cube influenced by King, but he sampled one of King's songs as well. For his 1991 release?A Bird In The Hand,?Cube sampled B. B. King's song?Chains And Things.?

How?

So, how did King's influence impact music like this? King is one of the greatest guitarists in the world because he laid the foundation for all other musicians to follow. One must respect B. B. King's impact on music because he influenced so many people.?He set the standard and was a tough act to beat.

1. Jimi Hendrix

The Jimi Hendrix is hands down the best musician/guitarist/writer ever. Hendrix only graced the world for 27 short years. He released records professionally under the names The Jimi Hendrix Experience and?Band Of Gypsys?for just three years. He died too soon. With his death, any hope of new Jimi Hendrix music died as well. In the short time frame of 1967 to 1970, Hendrix only made it to the?Hot 100 Chart six times. Hendrix's song?All Along The Watchtower?is the highest ranking?Hot 100 Chart?song, which came in at number 20.?All Along The Watchtower?hit number 20 on October 19, 1968 and held that spot for 9 weeks. Hitting number 20 is definitely a feat, but Jimi Hendrix never made it to number 1. So, he must not be the best right? Wrong. Jimi Hendrix not only inspired a large number of musicians, but he ?assisted in ushering in new forms of music.

Bootsy Collins

The list of musicians that Jimi Hendrix has inspired is near endless. Bootsy Collins has mentioned many times how much of an influence Hendrix had on his music. With some of the world's funkiest hits like?I'd Rather Be With You, Mug Push,?and?Hollywood Squares.?Bootsy Collins even went on to narrate the 2010 documentary about Hendrix titled?Voodoo Child.?

Living Colour

One of the only Black metal bands, Living Colour has also expressed what an impact Hendrix had on their music. Without Jimi Hendrix, Living Colour might not have existed. Black metal and hard rock bands have never been common, but Living Colour helped open the door for modern day Black metal bands. That would not have been possible without Jimi Hendrix.

How?

Just how did Jimi Hendrix inspire these artists? Look to Hendrix's Woodstock performance. In that one performance with Hendrix leading the Band of Gypsys, you can hear a mixture of Soul, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, and of course Funk. Hendrix created amazing sounds with his guitar that allowed him to create all of the genres following the Woodstock performance. In addition to creating these new genres, one should listen to Jimi Hendrix's album?Kaleidoscope.?This Hendrix album has some of the most innovative sounds Jimi Hendrix ever produced. That particular album showcased the new direction that Hendrix was heading in musically. Funk, Disco, Heavy Metal, etc. all followed the that blueprints Hendrix left in this album. Without Hendrix, modern guitarists would not have the knowledge or platform that they have today. That is why Jimi Hendrix is the number 1 guitarist in music history.

Cigars

Now you know who the top three guitarists in the history of music are. But, what do all of these guitarists have in common? They smoked. Both Jimi Hendrix and Muddy Waters even wrote songs that praised the act of smoking. Hendrix's song The Stars That Play With Laughing Sam's Dice is an ode to the positive effects that smoking had on his music. Muddy Waters' song Champagne And Reefer, also talks about the positive effects of smoking. Many artists then and now smoke, and are convinced that smoking helped them unlock their minds. B. B. King was also photographed many times with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth while playing his guitar. If cigarettes could expand the minds of the three greatest guitarists in the history of music, imagine what a cigar could do. Visit Custom Tobacco at https://www.customtobacco.com/?and place an order for your own customized cigars. Who knows? You could be the next great guitarist.