The 2008 Greatest Guitarist Poll winner is
Ritchie Blackmore.
for his solo in Highway Star.
This makes it 5 years in a row for Ritchie at GodofGuitar.com.
The following are comments left by voters when choosing Ritchie as their favourite guitarist. We've not included them all as it is very repetitive; however here are a few.
You may recognise yours. The spellings are by the voters! Our favourite fan comment was made by a Slash fan who left a huge message about how wonderful Slash is
on "Sweet Child of Mine" but posted a vote for Ritchie. Good on ya mate! Please vote for Ritchie to be inducted into the hall of fame here.
Any comments about the poll results please contact us. We can publish full results and voting statistics to anyone interested.
Jim Brodie will be doing his tribute to Ritchie and Highway Star shortly - so don't forget to return to GodofGuitar.com.
In the meantime please enjoy his tributes to Blackmores Night's Winter Carols album which are available as free downloads.
Let Ritchie get the recognition he deserves!At first I thought picking a guitar solo for this poll was going to be easy, as I saw my all-time favorite Guitar God Ritchie Blackmore' s solo of "Highway Star" listed first in newly created poll. Not true. Upon seeing the likes of Eddie (not Eddy) Van Halen, Jeff Beck, David Gilmour among others have some very worthy solos to choose from, in the end, I could not abandon the "owner" of that infamous run of the six strings. Oh to think of the indelible memories a solo like that would have on many young aspiring guitarists who were inspired, and later bought their first guitar, just so they try to emulate this solo masterpiece.
because.. It's the most.. amazing solo I've ever heard!
Besides having one of the greatest / worst "It gets inside your head" sounds, the Highway Star solo has the unique distinction of possessing both a highly memorable borrowed score (the Bach progression in thirds, which Ritchie has openly admitted) and a captivating and inventive Hard-rock segment. The words, "Man, listen to those licks!" come to mind--over thirty years later!! This, along with that other great song on Machine Head, is what makes young people buy electric guitars!! I cannot vote for any other solo within Metal--if it wasn't for Ritchie Blackmore, nobody in Heavy Metal would have a job.
Best solo ever!
Better then others.
Blackmore is absolutely the greatest guitarist ever!
BLACKMORE IS GOD
Blackmore is THE master.
Blackmore its best!!
Blackmore rules
El mejor guitarrista del UNIVERSO!!!!!!!
GREAT GREAT GREATY GREAT
Great tone, feel from a brilliant guitarist
He is my teacher
He's just so great..
highest goose bump factor .
Highway Star (Made in Japan) Ritchie Blackmore, the best :)
Highway Star ofcourse, Ritchie is my hero. And a truly great guitar player, the solo in Highway Star always make's me crazy, specialy the fast part. In my eyes, there's no one who can beat The man in black Ritchie blackmore :D . Greats, Thunderhawk.
Highway star wasn't his best solo, thats between Gates of Babylon and Stargazer when he played in rainbow. But even this, which isn't his best, beats all the rest!!
Highway Star... It don't needs any comment
Higway star is like a thunder in the history of Rock.
huge solo for a huge guitar heroe !!
HWR STR is the BEST of the bunch
I heard Deep Purple songs when I was 12yrs old. I love Highway Star, the guitar solo in particular. And since then I couldn't listen to other kind of songs. DP music made me dreamy, so much so that I lost touch with my school grade. There has been no other guitarist that got me so high with energy in one solo, than sadden me to tears and sorrow in another. No other guitarist makes me feel that way like Ritchie did. Hes much like a classical composer. There's always movement in his music. He can play whatever he feel at any moment he wants. Hes my GodofGuitar Guitarist.
I like this solo because of the way ritchie incorporates the classical scales in which it gradually builds to the end.
immortal, legandary!
just a great riff!!.. Played by a great guitarist!! LOVE him!
just because he's great
Just because.. he's fantastic
Made in Japan version is too much - brilliant
MON PREMIER 45 TOURS BLACK NIGHT EN 70 DEPUIS JE SUIS FAN A 100% RITCHIE POSSEDE UNE SENSIBILITE DANS SES SOLOS DE GUITARE INCOMPARABLE RITCHIE EST INCONTESTABLEMENT LE MEILLEUR DES GUITARISTES DE LA PLANETE LONG LIVE ROCK N ROLL
no comment, just listen,,,,,
No doubt the true God of Guitar without being overated or hyped!!!
One of Ritchie´s finest...
Pioneering guitar solo\
RITCHIE 4 EVER!
Ritchie Blackmore Forever !!!!!!!!!!!!! Second of my faves is Comfortably Numb from David Gilmour.
Ritchie Blackmore is God.
Ritchie has a many great solos and this one is one of the best. On the list there aremany other great solos too, but I turn to Ritchie.
Ritchie has laid down so many excellent solos, far too many to mention!!
Ritchie is a God!!!!
Ritchie is Blackmore :)
Ritchie is number one always has benn and always will lets get him back playing great rock music again its not so great without him come on candice give him back
ritchie is the best
Ritchie is the GREATES GUITAR PLAYER EVER!!! He is my all time favorite guitar player,he's soud is so magical...
Ritchie is the King of Strat, make no mistake about that. No one has crafted the art of the leccy guitar soloing into the stylistic and musical achievement that he has. The result: highly entertaining, creative performances that are never too long. A far cry from the usual testosterone-fuelled, tedious, overblown trigger finger exercises in technical wizzardry and speed they often are, even by those considered the best of the rest.
Rock on! This is the one!
Simply my favourite !!!!
Simply the most inventive, and Blackmore at his brilliant best.
Splendid solo. Sums up both exitement and feel in a structure that goes with the song!
Still the best solo there is
the best
The greatest solo ever, too bad he doesn´t play it anymore. However, one can not ask The Guitar God (hail to him) to create paradise once again.
the intricate exactness with the plectrum and the soaring notes make this song the best of Ritchie Blackmore.
The inventor of neo-classical shred, the first track opens like machinegun fire on their all-time best Machine Head.This track is pure magic as an alarm clock it will catapult you from your bed to the ceiling with thopening bars, pure genius!!!!!
The magic fingers of TMIB, nuff said.
This excellent solo speaks for itself and any comments are useless. Just simply listen to materpiece....
this is proberbly one of the best from the greatest guitarist to walk on a stage
This is really great arpeggio work.
TMIB RULES.
VERY AMAZING SOLO GUITAR / CRAZY
What more can we say about this masterpiece of soloing?? Is there more tales to be told about this classic guitar solo??? Ritchie clearly shows the way for "the rest" how the guitar should be played. The ultimate prototyp of neoclassical style is born here Cheers!!!!!! Lajos
You can find every kind of elements of a great rock guitar solo (except finger tapping, and who gives that a damn) during "Highway Star". That's it! He is the pioneer.