Slide guitarists are musicians who are well-known for playing guitar with a "slide", a smooth, hard object, held in the fretting hand and placed against the strings to control the pitch. Beginning with guitarists in the American South and Hawaii in early 20th century, slide guitar styles have developed in a variety of musical settings, including blues, country, and rock. Most slide guitarists may also perform with guitars using traditional fretting techniques; additionally, some also play various types of steel guitars.
List
+ Name Birthyear Deathyear Origin Primary genre 1946 1971 Tennessee Southern rock ; 1901* 1968 Georgia Acoustic blues Barbecue Bob 1902 1931 Georgia Acoustic blues 1944 2023 England Rock ; 1942 California Rock Black Ace 1905 1972 Texas Country blues 1943 1981 Illinois Electric blues 1900 1952 Mississippi Delta blues 1926 2005 Mississippi Hill country blues ; 1927 2001 Georgia Chicago blues 1936 2023 Belfast Jazz 1887 1949 Louisiana Country blues 1947 California Americana 1926 2017 Arkansas Delta blues 1915 2011 Mississippi Electric blues ; 1939 2001 Washington, D.C. Folk 1885 1951 Hawaii Hawaiian music 1948 1995 Ireland Blues rock 1949 Texas Blues rock 1946 2020 England Electric blues 1942 2026 New York Electric blues 1943 2001 England Rock 1930 1970 Mississippi Chicago blues 1902 1988 Mississippi Delta blues 1926 1983 South Carolina Chicago blues Unknown Unknown U.S. Country blues 1918 1963 Mississippi Chicago blues 1893 1929 Texas Country blues 1897 1945 Texas Gospel blues 1911 1938 Mississippi Delta blues 1942 1969 England Blues rock 1874 1932 Hawaii Hawaiian music 1928 1984 France Electric blues 1945 Georgia Folk Lead Belly 1889 1949 Louisiana Country blues 1893* 1981 Mississippi Country blues 1931 1994 Mississippi Chicago blues 1915 2006 Arkansas Delta blues ; 1933 2024 England Electric blues 1904 1972 Tennessee Hill country blues 1945 2021 Tennessee Blues 1901* 1959 Georgia Country blues 1943 Wisconsin Rock Muddy Waters 1913 1983 Mississippi Chicago blues 1901 1965 Tennessee Country blues 1909 1967 Arkansas Chicago blues 1944 England Rock 1891 1934 Mississippi Delta blues 1907 1967 Alabama Country blues 1947 2005 England Rock ; 1943 England Rock 1915 1992 Tennessee Chicago blues 1948 England Electric blues 1910 1980 Mississippi Country blues Tampa Red 1904 1981 Georgia Urban blues 1923 1985 Mississippi Chicago blues 1917* 1975 Mississippi Electric blues 1949 England Blues rock Unknown Unknown Louisiana Country blues 1931 2019 Myanmar Burmese classical, folk 1947 Kansas Rock 1897* 1960 Kentucky Country blues 1909 Unknown Arkansas Country blues 1909 1977 Mississippi Delta blues 1903 1982 Mississippi Delta blues 1943 1970 Massachusetts Electric blues 1944 2014 Texas Electric blues ; 1950* Louisiana Urban blues Zoot Horn Rollo 1949 California Rock An asterisk (*) denotes that other sources give different dates, origin, or style.
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