who are your top ten acoustic guitarists?

And which album of their's do you recommend to start with?
Here's mine in no particular order:

1. John Fahey - The Yellow Princess
2. Bert Jansch - It Don't Bother Me
3. Davy Graham - Large as Life and Twice as Natural
4. Michael Hedges - Aerial Boundaries
5. Steve Tibbetts - Big Map Idea
6. John Renbourn - The Lady and the Unicorn
7. Kelly Joe Phelps - Roll Away the Stone
8. Nick Drake - Pink Moon
9. John Martyn - Solid Air
10. Jack Rose - Two Originals of ...

 

Richard Thompson
Al Stewart
Jonathan Richman
Nils Lofgren

 

Leo Kottke's tops for me.

I suppose you could start with 6 And 12 String Guitar. A personal favorite of mine is 1974's Dreams And All That Stuff.

 

Lindsey Buckingham
Monte Montgomery
Stephen Stills
Steve Howe
Phil Keagy
Neil Young
Joni Mitchell
Jose Feliciano
Paul Simon
David Gilmour

 

Don't feel the need to list 10 right now, but:

In the "taking the instrument to a whole other level" category: Michael Hedges

For more "conventional" playing, hard to top Ralph Towner's work on both 6- and 12-string. SOLO CONCERT is still stunning all these years later.

 

Leo Kottke
Chet Atkins
Adrian Legg
and then some others, Vince Gill
Pete Townshend
Peter Frampton

 

Don Ross certainly should be on the list of everyone. He may be the best pure acoustic guitarist in the country right now.

 

I am not going to list ten at this time however I have one in particular that I want to mention.
David Pulkingham, who is currently touring with Alejandro Escovedo along with violinist Susan Voelz. I saw them live at The Ark in Ann Arbor and this trio can really jam! He is definetley on my short list of favourite acoustic guitarists.

 

John Martyn, and he's none too shabby of an electric player as well

 

Pete Townshend
Paul McCartney
Bruce Welch
George Harrison (self-titled album in particular, 1979)

And several more I'll instantly remember as soon as I hit 'submit' .

 

Django
M Hedges
L Kottke
Whit Smith
Kaki King
Richard Thompson

 

Best acoustic guitar album ever (in my opinion):

 

Nick Webb (late) & Greg Carmichael (Acoustic Alchemy)
Al Di Meola
Steve Howe
Steve Hackett
Russ Freeman (Rippingtons)
Michael Hedges
Greg Lake
Craig Chaquico
Peter White

 

Have you heard this one?


For me (at this particular moment in time):
Django
Richard Thompson
Joseph Spence
Segovia
D'Gary
Miroslav Tadic
Vlatko Stefanovski
Vini Reilly
John Martyn
John Fahey


Cody

 

Me

 

Nancy Wilson's one of my favorites.

 

James Taylor is a great acoustic guitar player and quite under-rated IMO.
Joni Micthell also.
Del Ray from Califorinia is a fabulous ragtime player. Catch her if you can.

Charlie Byrd and Joao Gilberto are my all time favorite Jazz Nylon String Players.

 

Leo Kottke
Doc Watson
Merle Travis
Mississippi John Hurt
Reverend Gary Davis
John Fahey
Blind Blake
Bert Jansch
John Renbourn
Adrian Legg

 

Jazz I like: Laurindo Almeida, Jim Hall, Barney Kessel

Classical: Narciso Yepes, Julian Bream, Carlos Barbosa-Lima and Sharon Isbin

 

stephen stills
neil young
michael hedges
eric clapton
david crosby
james taylor
warren zevon
dan fogelberg
kenny loggins
lucinda williams

 

gotta add to any acoustic guitar list:

Jorma Kaukonen

 

I think you guys know that!

That’s a very good choice!

Any thoughts which country he is coming from from the beginning? I mean his roots?

 

In no particular order:

Richard Thompson
Tim Buckley
Fred Neil
Jerry Garcia
Bert Jansch
John Renbourn
Bob Dylan
Maybelle Carter