87

James Hetfield

Marty Temme/WireImageThere were precedents for the palm-muted, ultra-percussive chug James Hetfield gave Metallica (Judas Priest, Motörhead), but he made it the gold standard of Eighties metal. He's never been a monochromatic headbanger, though, delving early on into the delicate picking of "Fade to Black" and later embracing the more nuanced hard rock of the Black Album. "I wonder if James Hetfield knows how to play the drums," Dave Grohl once said. "Because basically he's taking care of the percussion and melody of Metallica's songs with his guitar. And it's great."

Key Tracks: "Seek and Destroy," "Master of Puppets"

88

Carl Perkins

Jan Persson/RedfernsIn the Beatles' early days, George Harrison briefly billed himself as Carl Harrison in honor of his quick-picking hero. Perkins' bright, trebly style – which the rockabilly king picked up from blues players in Tennessee – defined the singles he put out on Sun Records ("Blue Suede Shoes," "Glad All Over") and influenced scores of players from Eric Clapton to John Fogerty. "He took country picking into the rock world," Tom Petty has said. "If you want to play Fifties rock & roll, you can either play like Chuck Berry, or you can play like Carl Perkins."

89

Bonnie Raitt

Collexxx - Lex van Rossen/RedfernsHer dad was Broadway star John Raitt, but Bonnie's artistic parents were blues giants like Howlin' Wolf and Mississippi Fred McDowell, whom she met and performed with early in her career. She learned fast: Starting with her acoustic slide workout on 1971's "Walking Blues," Raitt rolled out a fearsome repertoire of blues licks, fingerpicking with the best and wielding a slide like an old master. Most of all, she set a crucial precedent: When guitar was still considered a man's game by many, Raitt busted down that barrier through sheer verve and skill.

Key Tracks: "Runaway," "Something to Talk About"