81Lou Reed

Gijsbert Hanekroot/RedfernsLou Reedhas been blowing traditional guitar styles to bits since hisVelvet Undergrounddays. A fan of Ike Turner's R&B and Ornette Coleman's free jazz, he created epic bad-trip psychedelia on songs like "Sister Ray." "He was rightfully quite proud of his own soloing," wrote fellow New York guitar luminary Robert Quine, "but resigned to the fact that most people weren't ready for it." As a solo artist, Reed kept on ripping up the rulebook: See 1975'sMetal Machine Music, a noise opus that took feedback further than Hendrix could have imagined.Key Tracks:"Sister Ray," "Heroin," "Foggy Notion"

82Nels Cline

Tim Mosenfelder/Getty ImagesA true guitar polymath, Nels Cline has tackled everything from gothic country rock with the Geraldine Fibbers to a full remake of John Coltrane's late improvisational masterwork, Interstellar Space. He's best known, of course, asWilco's gangly guitar hero, lurching into extended seizures ("Spiders [Kidsmoke]") or spiraling into lyrical jam flights ("Impossible Germany"). "Nels can play anything," Jeff Tweedy said. "We struggle with his spot in the band sometimes but we always come to a place that's unique and interesting because we did struggle."Key Tracks:"Spiders (Kidsmoke)," "Impossible Germany"

83Eddie Hazel

Courtesy The Estate of Eddie HazelLegend has it that funkadelic's "Maggot Brain," the 10-minute solo that turned the late Eddie Hazel into an instant guitar icon, was born when George Clinton told him to imagine hearing his mother just died and then learning that she was, in fact, alive. Hazel, who died of liver failure in 1992 at age 42, brought a thrilling mix of lysergic vision and groove power to all of his work, inspiring followers like J Mascis, Mike McCready andLenny Kravitz. "That solo Lord have mercy!" says Kravitz of "Maggot Brain." "He was absolutely stunning."Key Tracks:"Maggot Brain," "Funky Dollar Bill"