Amazing -
100+ posts on this thread, and no mention of Les Paul...
Not only was he seminal in the technical evolution of the electric guitar from a big-band side novelty into the dominant instrument it is today, (one of the, if not the, most popular instruments bears his name to this day) but he also created many of the playing techniques that form the ‘basics’ for every electric guitar player since, from the eminences mentioned on this thread to the kid keeping the neighborhood awake nights with his screeching and sqawking...
If innovation and influence is part of the criteria, Les Paul certainly belongs on any serious list....
Excellent point, I should have mentioned him, also.