Who Are the Three Top Acoustic Guitar Pickers?

There is a lot argument and war of words with regard to this question. There are multiple names both deceased and living, past and present, that could be put in. On no account do I wish any audacity to those not included in this short list of Awesome Acoustic Guitar Pickers. There may personally be many people that ought to have enclosure in this elite list but it can not be spoken that these three should be abandoned. The one name that each and every Acoustic guitar picking enthusiast will agree with is Doc Watson. Doc is a professional flat-picker and a finger-picker whose characteristics are eminent. Doc is surely one of the most influential acoustic guitarist in folk and old bluegrass music since the 1960's.

Doc Watson and Earl Scruggs along with Ricky Scaggs played as the Three Pickers in a North Carolina Concert for PBS. Doc and Earl are both from North Carolina and are only a year apart in age. In the live event Doc played the Acoustic guitar, Earl Scruggs anchored the banjo and Ricky Scaggs finished the sound with the mandolin. Allison Krauss joined in on the fiddle on a couple numbers as well.

Clarence White whose Acoustic Guitar fame came with the Kentucky Colonels is my second pick. Clarence would later gain noticed fame with the Byrds but still retained his root singing the bluegrass gospel standard "Farther Along" on the Byrds concluding album of the same name. Calamitously, Clarence White's life was cut short July 15, 1973 when he was struck and killed by a drunk driver.

It would be unfeasible to develop a list of impressive pickers and not include the immortal Tony Rice. Tony has appropriately been noted as "the greatest innovator in acoustic flat-picked guitar since Clarence White." His effect in acoustic guitar music spans the scale of pure bluegrass to acoustic jazz music even to folk. Tony was greatly influenced by both Clarence White and Doc Watson. Rounder Records said that "Tony was the first instrumentalist to seize upon the innovations of guitarists like Clarence White and Doc Watson and propel them into new flights of rhythmic, harmonic and textural virtuosity."

The attainments and appreciation of Doc, Clarence and Tony are legion and give credence to their inclusion in this list of the top three greatest guitar pickers of all time. When you think of the Acoustic guitar the one name that influences them all is Doc Watson. Because of his days with the Byrds Clarence White may not precisely come to mind and thoughts but in his younger years with the Kentucky Colonels Clarence forever included his name as one of the major pickers. Being inspired by both Doc and Clarence and seeing his talents and triumphs Tony Rice is well deserving of incorporation in this list of the three utmost guitarists.