Posted on November 28, 2012 by Benjamin Shapiro

In a time of extravagant personalities and over-the-top theatrics on the music scene, bands such as Pearl Jam and Nirvana paired distorted guitar riffs and apathetic lyrics to shake up the status quo.  Grunge music with its mix of hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock influences, brought a different perspective to the music scene.  Many great guitarists helped create the sound that defined a generation.  Join us as we countdown the top five greats of grunge.

5. Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins) – A native of Illinois, Billy Corgan was raised by his father.  As a high schooler, he began teaching himself guitar on an off-brand Les Paul.  Despite being a blues guitarist, his father only gave Corgan the guidance of listening to Jeff Beck and Jimi Hendrix to gain stylistic insight.  Corgan started a band in 1985, but it was the formation of The Smashing Pumpkins in 1989 that brought him to his current fame.  Corgan’s musical influences include hard rock, heavy metal, rock, and alternative rock.  Guitars played by Corgan include the Fender Stratocaster and the Gibson ES-335.  Hear the creative style Corgan brings to his solos when listening to The Smashing Pumpkins’ “Soma.”
 
4. Mike McCready (Pearl Jam) – At the age of eleven, Mike McCready first picked up guitar and began taking lessons.  Musical influences that have impacted his style include Jimi Hendrix, Kiss, AC/DC, and Eric Clapton.  He took a several year hiatus from playing guitar, and it was attending a Stevie Ray Vaughan concert that inspired him to continue playing.  After several bands, in 1990 McCready co-founded Pearl Jam.  He has been known to play a Fender Stratocaster, a Gibson Les Paul, and a Gibson Les Paul Junior.  Get a taste of his musical point of view in Pearl Jam’s “Alive.”
 
3. Jerry Cantrell (Alice in Chains) – Jerry Cantrell was born in Washington in 1966, and grew up with musical influences including country, Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath, Queensryche, and Heart.  He had musical experience as a choir member in high school, and he started playing guitar in his mid-teens.  Cantrell became a more serious guitar player at age 19, and in 1987 became part of Alice in Chains.  His playing style incorporates a different utilization of the wah pedal, as well as non-traditional time signatures.  Cantrell primarily plays a G&L Rampage, but has also used a Gibson Les Paul.  Listen to Cantrell in action in Alice in Chains’ “Man in the Box.”     
 
2. Kim Thayil (Soundgarden) – While born in Washington in 1960, Kim Thayil grew up in a Chicago suburb.  As a teenager he began playing guitar due to interest in Kiss.  Through his introduction to the music of Kiss, he explored further music and became acquainted with punk rock acts such as the Stooges, the Velvet Underground, MC5, and the Ramones.  He moved to Washington to attend college, and became one of the three founding members of Soundgarden.  Thayil’s playing style includes heavy riffing, and he is often credited as the pioneer of the sound of Seattle’s grunge music scene.  He primarily plays a Guild S-100 guitar.  He tears it up quite expertly in Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun.”
 
1. Kurt Cobain (Nirvana) – Born in 1967 in Washington, Kurt Cobain had several musicians in his family.  He began playing piano and guitar both at a very young age.  He was influenced by The Beatles, classic rock bands such as Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, and Queen, punk rock, and the alternative rock band, The Pixies.  In 1987, Cobain and bassist, Krist Novoselic, formed the grunge band Nirvana.  The band’s style utilized contrasts in dynamics between verse and chorus. They quickly gained success and became synonymous with Generation X.  Guitars played by Cobain include Fender Jag-Stang, Fender Stratocaster, and a Martin D-18E.  The same song that put Nirvana on the map is a choice example of Cobain’s solo style, “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”     

These guitarists stood out from the rest in a genre that made quite the impact.  We’ve shared our top five, but we’d love to hear yours.  Tell us who you would choose as the top guitar players of grunge.
 
Keep Rockin’!!!
Pearl Jam by Pearl Jam Official taken on June 11, 2008

Tags: top grunge guitar players of all time, top grunge guitar players