5 of the Greatest Slide Guitarists of All Time
Blues music arguably brought the electric guitar into the mainstream, although blues existed long before the first guitar was amplified. Artists like T-Bone Walker, Muddy Waters, and John Lee Hooker revolutionized the genre with their use of the electric blues guitar, forever changing how live music was delivered to audiences and in the process laying the foundation for country and eventually rock and roll.
Throughout the revolution of guitar-driven music, the roots of blues have endured, with its influence heard in virtually every song performed today. But some forms of blues guitar are more obscure than others, only popping up from time to time when specific artists adopt and make them part of their signature sound. The slide guitar is a perfect example of this.
Slide guitar generally involves plucking the strings with one hand while sliding a glass or metal slide (often worn on one finger) over the strings. This is often performed with some type of open tuning, and creates a haunting sound reminiscent of the vibrato heard in some singers' voices. Slide guitar featured heavily in the music of some of the pioneers of electric blues, such as Muddy Waters, Son House, and Elmore James (the latter of whom was called the “King of Slide Guitar” in his time).
However, a number of modern rock musicians have used the style to great effect. Some used the slide frequently, making it a cornerstone of their playing, while others only ever recorded a few bars on the slide guitar, but did so in a way that has burned itself into the public consciousness forever.
The following are some of the most noteworthy uses of the electric slide guitar in modern music.
1. Duane Allman
The instrumental genius behind the Allman Brothers and one of the most widely respected guitarists of the 1960s and 1970s, Duane Allman was also the first mainstream rock artist to embrace the slide guitar—and arguably the first White musician to specialize in the slide. Although his life was cut short by a tragic motorcycle accident, he created a huge legacy in his 24 years, including extensive work with the Allman Brothers, a legendary collaboration with Eric Clapton and the band Derek and the Dominos, and the timeless classic “Layla” that resulted from that collab. He also directly influenced the next musician on this list, who many maintain is the greatest living slide guitarist today.
2. Derek Trucks
Few would argue that Derek Trucks is the hottest slide guitarist on the scene today, and there are many who would go so far as to say he’s the best of all time. Trucks was a childhood talent. He had toured with some of the world’s best musicians by the time he was a young teen, blowing people’s minds with his soulful blues riffs and skill on the slide guitar (he started playing slide early because it allowed his small hands to fit his guitar). He started the Derek Trucks Band in 1994, and today performs with his wife, Susan Tedeschi, in the Tedeschi Trucks Band. But perhaps the ultimate nod to his ability on slide guitar is the fact that he began playing with the Allman Brothers as a guest guitarist after Duane’s death, and eventually became a full-fledged member of the band in 1999.
3. Bonnie Raitt
A widely recognized blues, country, and rock artist, Bonnie Raitt has more than a dozen Grammys to her name. Drawing heavily on the influence of pioneering bluesmen, she has collaborated with the likes of John Lee Hooker and created noteworthy covers of Stevie Ray Vaughan. Her chops on the slide guitar are a tribute to the blues artists who influenced her style and are exemplified in her duo with John Lee Hooker on “In the Mood.”
4. George Harrison
Often considered the most underrated member of the Beatles, George Harrison wrote some amazing guitar licks in his time with the band, as well as during his solo career and with the supergroup known as The Traveling Wilburys. A few of these included impactful slide guitar—not a lot of it, but just enough to grab listeners’ attention and give them that flutter feeling in their stomach that only great music can. The slide guitar in “My Sweet Lord” might be the most famous example, but the short but very sweet solo in “Handle Me with Care” with The Traveling Wilburys is arguably the most impactful.
5. Ben Harper
Modern folk rock icon Ben Harper might be best known for his heartfelt lyrics and soulful voice, but he’s also a committed and talented slide guitar player who prefers to do his sliding on a John Monteleone lap steel guitar (the first Monteleone ever made, in fact). Fans will recognize the presence of slide riffs on many of his most popular studio tracks, but in 2020, he took his love for the lap steel guitar to another level, releasing a 32-minute, 15-track instrumental album called “Winter Is for Lovers” with nothing but a single guitar. He also recorded a live version of the album, in which he played all of the tracks in one continuous, “single-song” performance.