Best Rhythm Guitarists

Hick81

Bonehead. Playing bar chords for 2 hours a night must be really tough on the hands 

JerkMoans

Honourable mention for Wilko Johnson 

BigLicks67

p90fool said:

munckee said:

Frank Black.  Discussion finished.

Who the fuck is Frank Black?
Discussion reopened. 

AKA Black Francis

BigLicks67

Hendrix, Keef, Kenny Burrell, Nile Rodgers, David Byrne.

breakstuff

The Edge.Watch Live at Red Rocks and see how good he actually is.

Freebird

I suppose it depends what kind of music you like. I've always found Robert Smith and Johnny Marr quite interesting.

JerkMoans

Freebird said:

I suppose it depends what kind of music you like. I've always found Robert Smith and Johnny Marr quite interesting.

+1 for Marr especially.  But where does rhythm end and lead begin in the case of the all round virtuoso?

57Deluxe

++1 Wilko Johnson - solid doubling up for both parts is a real trick

BUT - Also - Tom Jonston of the Doobie Brothers. Keeping those eclectic staccato rhythms going and singing at the same time - another toughie

Alterlifeson

Big fan of Alex Lifeson's playing (as you can tell from my username). Rush's 80's period contains some of his best playing IMO, nice subtle chord inversions, lots of clean playing, really interesting style to me.

nick79

James Hetfield, Izzy Stradlin, Bill Kelliher for me. 

Hick81

Chuck Berry 

menamestom

John Squire
John frusciante

Kebabkid

Rob Harris (Jamiroquai)

Blueingreen

Mark Lettieri.  Check this out if you haven already seen it (playing starts around 2.15)



Takes someone special to sit in a funk jam with Tim Pierce and Pete Thorn and sound like he's operating on a higher plane, but Mark pulls that off.

Sorry obv don't know how to link video.

richcol

+1 Nile & Mark Lettieri.
Prince, Paul Jackson Jr, Isaiah Sharkey, Spanky Alford.

bigjon

Paul Gilbert - should be mentioned in the same breath as EVH and Nuno for rock rhythm-playing but often isn't.

crunchman

Different genres.  Several great ones in this thread, but completely different genres.

Nile Rogers is great at what he does, but if you want to play Quo songs, then Parfitt.  Neither of them would be good for the kind of stuff that Bettencourt does in Extreme.

There are several great players mentioned in this thread, and picking one over another depends entirely on what style of music.  If you want someone who can do a decent job across multiple genres it will probably be some session player most of us have never heard of.

Rocker

AlexC said:

Rocker said:

By trying to name the best rhythm guitarist, the OP is missing the point of the songs.  The phrase rhythm guitarist infers a band.  The sound you hear is that of the entire band.  Isolating any member of that band for praise is ignoring the combined efforts of all the band members.  As everyone who has played/is playing in a band knows, the drummer determines the rhythm, the bass and/or rhythm guitarist locks in to the drummer.  This is to provide the backing for the vocalist [who actually is the most important member of the band].

So the question posed by the OP has no actual answer.  

Funnily enough, I came back on this thread to name Bob Dylan - who often plays without a band. As do many singer/songwriters who utilise the guitar as a melodic and rhythmic backing to their vocals. So the ‘rhythm’ guitar IS the music. 
You're ignoring a whole approach to music and presenting songs.

AreGuitar played in that fashion is self accompaniment. It can often be rhythmic but if so, it is not rhythm guitar by the usual meaning of the term. Even if the playing is exemplary. 

Players like The Who guitarist are lead players who play chords rather than single notes. 

HAL9000

Joni Mitchell
Alvin Lee

exocet

Blueingreen said:

Mark Lettieri.  Check this out if you haven already seen it (playing starts around 2.15)



Takes someone special to sit in a funk jam with Tim Pierce and Pete Thorn and sound like he's operating on a higher plane, but Mark pulls that off.

Sorry obv don't know how to link video.

Mark Lettieri is "top drawer".