why did great britain have so many more

[DSMan]

guitar legends than the states? At least in the mid 60s through early 70s. The U.S. has/had way more people than britain yet the number of guitar legends in britain was way higher.

They had:
Richards
Page
Beck
Townshend
Clapton
Blackmore
Gilmour
Green
Marriott
Davies

the U.S. during that same time frame only had Allman and Hendrix as its guitar legends. And Hendrix from what I know broke out in the uk before he broke out in the states.

What do you think explains this? Was Britain simply that much more ahead of the curve?

 

[Moral]

the U.S. during that same time frame only had Allman and Hendrix as its guitar legends.

I'm not sure about "only." You could probably add Dick Dale, SRV, and Santana. B.B. King, Chuck Berry, and Les Paul were all still active in that time frame too.

 

[h-hawk]

I wonder if it had to do with the sound of the British Invasion. Many of those Brits were leading their blues-rock surge which became all the rage while the guitarists in the States were for the most part doing whatever it was they had been doing which had became old hat.
And a lot of great American guitarists were black blues artists that did not have a very large following though people like Clapton tried to change that by giving credit where due. (The opposite of what Led Zeppelin was doing.)

 

[JMNSHO]

I believe the music programs in the post war public schools are often cited as a key factor in the prominence of British musicians of that era.

 

[joelbc1]

But the US got Jerry Lee....and the Brits can’t touch that! Great Balls of Fire!

 

[FAUlty Gator]

guitar legends than the states? At least in the mid 60s through early 70s. The U.S. has/had way more people than britain yet the number of guitar legends in britain was way higher.

They had:
Richards
Page
Beck
Townshend
Clapton
Blackmore
Gilmour
Green
Marriott
Davies

the U.S. during that same time frame only had Allman and Hendrix as its guitar legends. And Hendrix from what I know broke out in the uk before he broke out in the states.

What do you think explains this? Was Britain simply that much more ahead of the curve?

Yeah...but all of their early influences were American Blues players. So, are they better than all of the people they tried to emulate that never got the fame they really deserved because they were black, doing the chitlin circuit.

 

[strummingram]

guitar legends than the states? At least in the mid 60s through early 70s. The U.S. has/had way more people than britain yet the number of guitar legends in britain was way higher.

They had:
Richards
Page
Beck
Townshend
Clapton
Blackmore
Gilmour
Green
Marriott
Davies

the U.S. during that same time frame only had Allman and Hendrix as its guitar legends. And Hendrix from what I know broke out in the uk before he broke out in the states.

What do you think explains this? Was Britain simply that much more ahead of the curve?

Only had Allman and Hendrix?

First of all, Hendrix was actually made famous in England. He was American, but his group was English and he was sprung in the UK.

Steve Marriott was a vocalist first and guitarist second. Peter Frampton and Clem Clempson were the guitarists in Humble Pie.

As far as the idea that the USA had no prominent guitarists in the 60s and early 70s... that's simply not true. Off the top of my head:

Mike Bloomfield
Robby Krieger
Leslie West
James Burton
Harvey Mandel
Jorma Kaukonen
Roger McGuinn
Ted Nugent (Amboy Dukes)
Glen Campbell
Chet Atkins
Frank Zappa
Wayne Kramer
Johnny Winter
Joe Walsh
Joe Perry
Stephen Stills
Jerry Garcia
John Fogerty


... and many others.

 

[cigaretteman]

I wonder if it had to do with the sound of the British Invasion. Many of those Brits were leading their blues-rock surge which became all the rage while the guitarists in the States were for the most part doing whatever it was they had been doing which had became old hat.
And a lot of great American guitarists were black blues artists that did not have a very large following though people like Clapton tried to change that by giving credit where due. (The opposite of what Led Zeppelin was doing.)

This, the British Blues scene was much stronger than the appreciation of the blues by American pop musicians during the late 50s and early 60s.

 

[stout1]

I believe the music programs in the post war public schools are often cited as a key factor in the prominence of British musicians of that era.

Post war America went heavy in to music too, but focused on traditional orchestral music. I’m sure that played in as well.

 

[pablow]

Clapton, Page, and Beck were simply outstanding guitar players and would standout no matter where they were from.

We had a ton of players that were outstanding and were the originators, not the imitators. We friggin invented the whole think and had the best players.

Hendrix
Chuck Berry
Hank Garland
B,B, King
James Burton
Cliff Gallup
T-Bone Walker
Gatemouth Brown
Duane Eddy
Lonnie Mack
Wes Montgomery
Dick Dale
Chet Atkins
Jerry Reed
Albert King
Bo Diddley
Freddy Greene
Sister Rosetta Tharp
John Lee Hooker
Charlie Christiam
Merle Travis

 

[Rifler]

Tommy Bolin,.... nuff said.

 

[h-hawk]

Tommy Bolin,.... nuff said.

I always post this but think it was cool. Got to see Sioux City's Bolin after he had joined the James Gang which was opening for the Alice Cooper Welcome to My Nightmare Tour.

Cooper had two guitarists sometimes known as the "tag team of rock and roll" Steve Wagner and Dick Hunter. They are probably most famous for the opening on Lou Reed's Sweet Jane.

 

[seminoleed]

I never thought of Dave Davies as a guitar legend, simply the lead guitarist in Ray's magnificent little soap operas that he wrote.

God, I miss the Kinks. One of the consistently best live shows of their time.

 

[cigaretteman]

I never thought of Dave Davies as a guitar legend, simply the lead guitarist in Ray's magnificent little soap operas that he wrote.

God, I miss the Kinks. One of the consistently best live shows of their time.

One of my most favorite bands as well!

 

[torbee]

Mike Bloomfield is so freaking amazing.

One guy absent from @pablow and @strummingram's list that I'd add is Buddy Guy.

For those who have never heard him, enjoy:

 

[strummingram]

Mike Bloomfield is so freaking amazing.

One guy absent from @pablow and @strummingram's list that I'd add is Buddy Guy.

For those who have never heard him, enjoy:

View embedded media

I thought we were supposed to be excluding the black blues guitarists. They were the ones supposedly influencing the British guys mentioned in the OP.

 

[torbee]

I thought we were supposed to be excluding the black blues guitarists. They were the ones supposedly influencing the British guys mentioned in the OP.

I wasn't paying that close of attention, lol.

All I know is Mike Bloomfield - who is one of my all-time faves - cites Buddy Guy as one of his biggest influences. I have also seen Buddy live twice and man is he amazing.

 

[BigDelHawk]

guitar legends than the states? At least in the mid 60s through early 70s. The U.S. has/had way more people than britain yet the number of guitar legends in britain was way higher.

They had:
Richards
Page
Beck
Townshend
Clapton
Blackmore
Gilmour
Green
Marriott
Davies

the U.S. during that same time frame only had Allman and Hendrix as its guitar legends. And Hendrix from what I know broke out in the uk before he broke out in the states.

What do you think explains this? Was Britain simply that much more ahead of the curve?

You need to add about 20 USA Guitarists, then you have the list.

 

[pablow]

I wasn't paying that close of attention, lol.

All I know is Mike Bloomfield - who is one of my all-time faves - cites Buddy Guy as one of his biggest influences. I have also seen Buddy live twice and man is he amazing.

Why exclude black guitarists? I thought the OP was about guitarists, not who imitated the best. Not following. Almost all the guitarists I listed were actively playing in the 1960s.

 

[Nole Lou]

It might have something to do with art schools. I don't know exactly what the deal is, but so many of those British band members seem like they met in "art school" when you read about them.

I'm wondering if students in whatever those British art schools were had more access to instruments, and more freedom in how to use them.

I'll also throw in, skiffle bands seem to have been a thing in Britain, while I rarely hear about them being much of a thing in the U.S. A skiffle band was basically like a jug band, with home made instruments. If you think about it, that significantly lowers the barrier to entry, and gets people playing music earlier and easier. It seems like every British rocker of the era was playing in a "skiffle band" in the 50s and early 60s.

Meanwhile, in America, the lower middle class that couldn't afford instruments were more likely to be doing doo wop and a capella and the like moreso than skiffle bands.

I wonder if that just broadened the pool, and lowered the age start, of kids in Britain that were playing music and at least approximating guitar on crappy homemade instruments.

 

[Nole Lou]

Why exclude black guitarists? I thought the OP was about guitarists, not who imitated the best. Not following. Almost all the guitarists I listed were actively playing in the 1960s.

Well, that is a good point and is relevant to the question. It's well known that American black artists, including of course guitarists, were appreciated sooner and more broadly in Britain than the U.S. The early records of all the British Invasion bands were scattered with covers of Chuck Berry and various blues and R&B covers. Pink Floyd took their name by combining the name of two fairly obscure blues artists.

That's not nearly as much the case if you look at American bands of the time period, who when they appropriated black songs were mainly to "whiten" them (see Pat Boone, too a much less jarring affect Elvis). The British bands were instead amplifying them if anything.

That said, there were of course American bands that appropriated black music and mostly kept the soul of it, like Mitch Ryder and early Rascals, but not nearly the way British artists took to R&B and the blues.

 

[strummingram]

I wasn't paying that close of attention, lol.

All I know is Mike Bloomfield - who is one of my all-time faves - cites Buddy Guy as one of his biggest influences. I have also seen Buddy live twice and man is he amazing.

Bloomfield really enhanced Dylan's recordings. He was a great player.

 

[joelbc1]

Well, that is a good point and is relevant to the question. It's well known that American black artists, including of course guitarists, were appreciated sooner and more broadly in Britain than the U.S. The early records of all the British Invasion bands were scattered with covers of Chuck Berry and various blues and R&B covers. Pink Floyd took their name by combining the name of two fairly obscure blues artists.

That's not nearly as much the case if you look at American bands of the time period, who when they appropriated black songs were mainly to "whiten" them (see Pat Boone, too a much less jarring affect Elvis). The British bands were instead amplifying them if anything.

That said, there were of course American bands that appropriated black music and mostly kept the soul of it, like Mitch Ryder and early Rascals, but not nearly the way British artists took to R&B and the blues.

As a country, Britain has been more tolerant of its blacks and blacks in general than the US. Especially back in the 50's and 60's.....

 

[DSMan]

Clapton, Page, and Beck were simply outstanding guitar players and would standout no matter where they were from.

We had a ton of players that were outstanding and were the originators, not the imitators. We friggin invented the whole think and had the best players.

Hendrix
Chuck Berry
Hank Garland
B,B, King
James Burton
Cliff Gallup
T-Bone Walker
Gatemouth Brown
Duane Eddy
Lonnie Mack
Wes Montgomery
Dick Dale
Chet Atkins
Jerry Reed
Albert King
Bo Diddley
Freddy Greene
Sister Rosetta Tharp
John Lee Hooker
Charlie Christiam
Merle Travis

all of those guys were good guitar players but a lot of them were A) from different time periods (Berry, Eddy, Montgomery, atkins are 50s guys)
and B) session musicians and C) different genre

I'm not sure what genre you want to call it but the type of genre the guitarists I mentioned above were a part of seemed to be lacking in the united states. It was more folk and flower power in the us. I'd argue that the music scene in the states was behind great britain until about 1972 when Steely Dan, the Doobies and the Eagles started becoming popular.

 

[torbee]

all of those guys were good guitar players but a lot of them were A) from different time periods (Berry, Eddy, Montgomery, atkins are 50s guys)
and B) session musicians and C) different genre

I'm not sure what genre you want to call it but the type of genre the guitarists I mentioned above were a part of seemed to be lacking in the united states. It was more folk and flower power in the us. I'd argue that the music scene in the states was behind great britain until about 1972 when Steely Dan, the Doobies and the Eagles started becoming popular.

Well that and the Brits' unfortunate obsession with weirder and lamer prog-rock. I mean, some King Crimson and early ELP were cool, but a lot of that stuff was self-indulgent drek. Actually, about 80 percent of that stuff was self-indulgent drek!

 

[mnole03]

I wasn't paying that close of attention, lol.

All I know is Mike Bloomfield - who is one of my all-time faves - cites Buddy Guy as one of his biggest influences. I have also seen Buddy live twice and man is he amazing.

Buddy Guy used to guest tour with Clapton and he played as much as Clapton did at an Eric Clapton concert. I thought that was pretty telling of the regard Clapton had for him.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

 

[Obviously Oblivious]

I wasn't paying that close of attention, lol.

All I know is Mike Bloomfield - who is one of my all-time faves - cites Buddy Guy as one of his biggest influences. I have also seen Buddy live twice and man is he amazing.

Saw Buddy live at Hubbard Park in the late 80s, Blues Traveler opened for him. Would have been a great show if the frat bro douche near me would have quit yelling Buddy after the first hour of his set. I wanted to murder him but too many witnesses to actually get away with it.

 

[pablow]

I don't know how this plays in, but the USA from in the 1960 had a very significant R&B/Motown/Stax Volt scene. Britain did not. I think the white hard rock scene had more competition in the USA and was late getting started. It's not as if there was nothing happening here.

 

[Nole Lou]

I don't know how this plays in, but the USA from in the 1960 had a very significant R&B/Motown/Stax Volt scene. Britain did not. I think the white hard rock scene had more competition in the USA and was late getting started. It's not as if there was nothing was happening here.

Yeah, you can make the case that British musicians could much more easily adopt/appropriate the influence of black artists than Americans could, because in America, we had the actual black artists.

 

[baddog25]

guitar legends than the states? At least in the mid 60s through early 70s. The U.S. has/had way more people than britain yet the number of guitar legends in britain was way higher.

They had:
Richards
Page
Beck
Townshend
Clapton
Blackmore
Gilmour
Green
Marriott
Davies

the U.S. during that same time frame only had Allman and Hendrix as its guitar legends. And Hendrix from what I know broke out in the uk before he broke out in the states.

What do you think explains this? Was Britain simply that much more ahead of the curve?

And they all learned by listening to Muddy Waters, T-Bone Walker, Lightenin' Hopkins etc.... A friend told me a story he read once That the Stones came to America so they took them to tour Chess Records and Muddy Waters was painting the ceiling and the stones just laughed and shook their heads and said "You americans are funny. You don't even know who your Hero's are"

 

[baddog25]

This Guy was pretty good.