[Mariner]

A good list.

If it were longer I would add Keith Richards, but then I would stop.

[jz638]

Depends what ‘influential’ means here. Slash sold more Les Pauls and convinced more kids to pick up guitar in the first three bars of “Welcome to the Jungle” than Duane Allman did in his entire career. Music stores were a much different place pre-Slash than they were post-Slash.

[MCH]

The key here is "influential" vs. good/great.

Given that, I'd put Les Paul and Jimi Hendrix on the list for sure. Lots of debatable options after that, depending on genre.

[Nifster]

None of those guys exist without Les Paul

[LeonardFMason]

Peter Green! YouTube him and the original Fleetwood Mac.

Oh Well
Sunny Day
Black Magic Woman(He wrote it. Santana covered it.)

[Navy Patriot]

Just five is a really difficult number to stop at, although these five definitely deserve to be there.

I would like to see a longer list , Clapton, Vai, Becker, ...

Here's a youngster with loads of skill to watch: Tina S

[Herosmith]

David Gilmour

[concentric circles]

"A good list..."

This list is crap. Every one of these musicians' playing is heavily influenced by others.

Do you think Chuck Berry didn't try to play like Sister Rosetta Tharpe?

And what about Robert Plante and Bo Diddley?

I wish a musicologist would weigh in and we could all learn something instead of reading this list written by some idiot with a computer whose white butt I would like to kick down the stairs and then up again.

[LeonardFMason]

Peter Green! YouTube him and the original Fleetwood Mac.

Oh Well
Sunny Day
Black Magic Woman(He wrote it. Santana covered it.)

[libertymaker]

Wes Montgomery. The best hands down. Died while performing on stage at the age of 36.

[sauropod]

Any list would have to have Danny Gatton on it. And Brian Setzer.

[Sirius Lee]

I nominate Joe Pass as one of the Might Handful.

[Fiji Hill]

"King" Benny Nawahi

Eddie Lang

Andy Iona

Jazz Gillum

[mumblypeg]

Albert King
Al DiMeola
Paco DeLucia
Hendrix
Mark Knopfler

[Feasor13]

Ritchie Blackmore is better than Page. Without him there would be no Malmsteen or neo-classical shredders.

[Atticus]

I don’t know how influential he was but I have to give a plug to the late Rory Gallagher.

[wingtip]

I have recently been following the great American guitar maker and player “TK Smith” lately. The talent that walks through his shop is incredible. Just turned me on to Julian Lage and JD McPhearson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JK9Vzdjtxtg
Here is a great video from inside TK’s shop.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0O_oBx2gpk

[LS]

Les Paul
Chuck Berry
Hendrix
Clapton
Jeff Beck

[CodeToad]

Pretty much anyone on that list past 1960 probably wasn’t in the top 5.

[right way right]

Guitarist? How about a list of the 5 most influential turntable players of the 20th century?

[ResisTyr]

My fav fingerstyle player...
Doyle Dykes does an instrumental version of Cold Play’s “Yellow”... with his own intro & arrangement. Just beautiful

https://youtu.be/oMXEAw8y8H0