Golden Gods (Top 10 Guitarists) Quiz

Answer: Jimi Hendrix

James Marshall Hendrix was born in 1942 in Seattle, Washington. As a youngster, he used to carry an old broom around to emulate a guitar. At age 15 he bought his first acoustic guitar. His father finally relented, and bought Jimi an electric guitar when he was 18.

Hendrix played various guitars, but is most associated with the Fender Stratocaster. He used right handed guitars turned upside down, and restrung for a left handed player. He died in 1970 of a drug overdose at the age of 27 in Notting Hill, England.

Answer: Eddie Van Halen

Edward Lodewijk Van Halen was born in 1955 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Both Eddie and his brother Alex were pianists. In fact, both won various piano competitions during the mid 1960s. Influenced by the British Rock Invasion, they gravitated to rock music.

Initially Alex played guitar, and Eddie the drums. After a short while they traded instruments, and the rest is history. Eddie used a Gibson Les Paul early on. However, for most of his career he used a 5150 Baretta model from Kramer. He died of a stroke at the age of 65 in Santa Monica, California in 2020.

Answer: Jimmy Page

James Patrick Page was born in 1944 in Heston, England. He is known, primarily as lead guitarist and founder of the group Led Zeppelin. He was also a member of The Yardbirds, and inducted into the Hall of Fame with both groups. At age eight his family moved to a new home, and ironically there was a Spanish guitar in the house (presumably left behind by the previous inhabitants). By using that broken stringed acoustic guitar a virtuoso was created. Early in his professional career he used a Fender Stratocaster given to him by Jeff Beck.

However, for most of his Zeppelin tenure he played a Gibson Les Paul sold to him by Joe Walsh of The Eagles.

Answer: Carlos Santana

Carlos Humberto Santana Barragan was born in Autlan de Navarro, Mexico. He is known as lead guitarist and namesake of the group Santana. Under the tutelage of his father he learned to play the violin at age five, and the guitar by age eight. His family moved to San Francisco, California around that time.

He used his guitar skills during his teenage years as a street performer. Major music promoter, Bill Graham, secured a spot for the band, Santana, at the Woodstock festival. This propelled the group to stardom. During his early years, Carlos solely used Gibson Les Paul's, but in the 1980s, to the present, he signed a deal to use and promote Paul Reed Smith guitars.

Answer: B.B King

Riley B. King was born in 1925 in Berclair, Mississippi. The son of sharecroppers, he sang in the gospel choir of his local Baptist church. However, he became enthralled with a guitar playing minister at a Pentecostal Church. That man taught him his first chords on a guitar.

In his teenage years he would listen to "King Biscuit Time" (the longest running American radio broadcast), and dreamed of becoming a radio musician. B.B was primarily a solo act, but in his later years he collaborated with artists like Eric Clapton and U2.

He began his career with a Fender Esquire, but is best known for playing a Gibson ES-355 (his signature guitar, "Lucille"). He died in 2015 in his sleep at 89 years old.

Answer: Eric Clapton

Eric Patrick Clapton was born in 1945 in Surrey, England. He is a three time inductee into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He did so as a solo artist, member of The Yardbirds and Cream. He was also a member in the bands Blind Faith and Derek and the Dominoes. Clapton, aka "Slowhand", got his first guitar at age 13, and after initially losing interest he started playing incessantly.

He learned chords by playing along to his record collection. He recorded each session on an old reel to reel recorder he had.

In his early career he was devoted to Gibson Les Pauls, but switched to Fenders during his time with Blind Faith. He has played Fender guitars ever since.

Answer: Stevie Ray Vaughn

Stevie Ray Vaughn was born in 1954 in Dallas, Texas. He was inspired to play guitar by his older brother, Jimmy. Stevie got his first guitar at age seven. His musical roots were in blues, rock, and jazz. Vaughn was a solo act backed by his band Double Trouble, but also worked with Jimmy in The Vaughn Brothers, briefly. Mainly associated with the Fender Stratocaster, his favorites were his "59 Strat", and "Lenny" (named after his wife, Lenora). Throughout his life he battled alcohol and drug addictions. Tragically, after finally getting clean and sober he died in a helicopter crash.

It occurred after a concert in Wisconsin. He was 35 when he perished.

Answer: Chet Atkins

Chester Burton Atkins was born in 1924 in Luttrell, Tennessee. He grew up "dirt poor". He stated once; "We were so poor that it was the 1940s before we even heard America had The Great Depression". He traded an old pistol, and some farming chores for his first guitar.

He was primarily a solo artist, but had stints backing up the likes of The Carter Family, Hank Snow, and Eddy Arnold. He was known as "Mr. Guitar", and helped create The Nashville Sound (which helped bring Country and Western to the forefront in the 1950s).

He, almost exclusively, played a Gretsch Country Gentleman model guitar. Chet died in 2001 of colon cancer at the age of 77.

Answer: Steve Vai

Steven Siro Vai was born in 1960 in North Hemstead, New York. He played in various bands, including Frank Zappa's band, David Lee Roth's band, and Whitesnake. He became a prolific solo artist, thereafter. Steve gained his biggest mainstream fame being cast as Jack Butler/The Devil's guitar player in the movie "Crossroads", with Ralph Macchio.

He was drawn to music by age six, and was taking lessons from guitar legend, Joe Satriani, at age 13. He played Fenders, Les Pauls, Jacksons, and Charvels. However, he finally settled on and was endorsed by Ibanez Guitars for most of his career.

Answer: Yngwie Malmsteen

Lars Johan Yngve Lannerback was born in 1963 in Stockholm, Sweden. He was mostly a solo act, but did play in bands such as Alcatrazz, Steeler, and his band Rising Force. Coming from a musical family, he had started his own "garage band" by age 12. He changed his first name to Yngwie, and took his mother's maiden name, Malmsteen. Classical artists like Paganini and Bach were his biggest musical influences. Malmsteen uses Fender Stratocaster almost exclusively.

His most famous guitar is known as "The Duck".

It is painted bright yellow, and has Donald Duck stickers on the headstock.