The greatest guitarist of all time, according to Jimmy Page
There are not many guitar players in this world that supersede Jimmy Page. Not only was he the monstrous maestro behind much of Led Zeppelin’s world-dominating success, but the guitarist was also a noted session musician before the idea of forming his own band even entered his mind. It means that Page’s skill was gilt-edged from the earliest moments of his career.
A player forged in the pits of a recording studio, Page emerged to become one of the ultimate guitar heroes. His sounds would not only dominate the airwaves but also influence countless other bands, providing that his legacy will live on longer than almost any other guitarist. Almost.
It might be strange to think of the great Jimmy Page sharing his appreciation for other six-string assassins, but the instrumentalist has never been shy about sharing his opinion on those who shaped his sound. “Out of all the guitarists to come out of the 1960s, though, Beck, Clapton, Lee, Townshend and I are still having a go. That says something,” Page once noted when asked for his favourites.
It’s an impressive array of talent, and the names on that list would help shape rock music in Britain for decades to come: “Beck, Clapton and I were sort of the Richmond/Croydon type clan, and Alvin Lee, I don’t know where he came from, Leicester or something like that. So he was never in with it a lot. And Townshend, Townshend was from Middlesex, and he used to go down to the clubs and watch the other guitarists”.
Aside from that, Page has also been noted as calling some players form a little further afield as true icons, including labelling Clarence White one of the greatest as well as Amos Garett and Elliot Randall: “The other guitarist I started to get into died also, Clarence White,” Page once shared. “He was absolutely brilliant. Gosh. On a totally different style—the control, the guy who played on the Maria Muldaur single, ‘Midnight at the Oasis’. Amos Garrett. He’s Les Paul-oriented, and Les Paul is the one, really. We wouldn’t be anywhere if he hadn’t invented the electric guitar”.
Pade added, while on the topic: “Another one is Elliot Randall, the guy who guested on the first Steely Dan album. He’s great. Band-wise, Little Feat is my favourite American group”.
Page’s list is so long because of one inherent belief he shares: “I believe every guitar player inherently has something unique about their playing,” he continued. “They just have to identify what makes them different and develop it”. It’s something he certainly took into his own playing. Having started life as a session guitarist, adding little licks and muted riffs, he soon evolved into one of the most encompassing guitarists the world has ever known. But, according to Page, he’s certainly not the greatest.
That honour goes to the one and only Jimi Hendrix. Routinely heralded as the finest guitarist and possibly musician of the last century, Hendrix’s ability on the axe outstripped talent alone and was perpetuated by his unique imagination. Page hasn’t been able to elucidate too often on his assertion that Hendrix is the greatest guitar player of all time, likely because it is such a widely held belief that he doesn’t have to. But, when speaking to Rolling Stone in 1975, he was unequivocal: “We’ve lost the best guitarist any of us ever had, and that was Hendrix”.
Considering the two giants of guitar operated in the same space for many years, it’s strange that they never really crossed paths, with Page only sharing one experience: “Did I ever meet him? I did actually go into a club in New York called Salvation, and he was there, but he was totally out of it. He didn’t really know who anybody was — he was barely conscious. Somebody was just kind of holding him up.” It’s a sad sight for any guitarist and a reminder that while Hendrix was supremely talented, he was also marred by substance abuse.
“It is just kind of a shame that I never really had a chance to talk with him or hear him,” the Zeppelin man confirmed. “I heard his records, naturally, but it would’ve been a thrill to see how he worked things out on stage. That’s quite another ballgame, as you know”.
Sadly, Page never had the opportunity to witness Jimi Hendrix’s awe-inspiring performance before the famed guitarist tragically died. However, like the rest of us, it’s clear that Page held Hendrix in such high esteem that his legacy can never be eradicated—he is the greatest guitar player of all time.
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