Young people can afford to be ignorant of history because they haven't lived any. If you listen to some guitar playing and you don't like it... I guess that's all you really need to know, right? You probably don't need to ask, "Where did this come from? How did all of this start?" So you may not be able to imagine a time when there was no guitar in the popular consciousness. There was no rock music, no singer/songwriters, no musical radio broadcasts, no television, no cellphones. Guitars were mainly in the hands of cowboys around campfires and European gypsies in caravans.

One person brought the guitar out of obscurity beginning with his performances in 1920, Andres Segovia, and you will be hard pressed to name any well known guitarist prior to that time. Segovia had forbears... Llobet, Sor, Tarrega, Pujol, etc... but if you don't know who Segovia was, you certainly don't know who they were. So whether one likes classical guitar music or not, there probably wouldn't be a guitar in the hands of your favorite guitarist if it weren't for Segovia. Higher credit belongs to someone who makes something out of nothing by sheer brilliance and force of will... like the earliest blues or jazz guitarists or the earliest rock guitarists. Everyone else is standing on their shoulders.

And all guitarists owe it to the huge accomplishments of the father of them all. Before there was anyone named on the list, there was Segovia.

???? cant say i know this one but if he was born in 1894 and he's on here he must be good

Segovia's name is a synonym for guitar-playing excellence. In the sixties, one of my friends who fancied himself a guitarist (to be fair, he did have a guitar) introduced me to Segovia's playing. Wow! If you have technical knowledge of guitar work, you have to be in awe of him.

With all respect to the great players on here, this is the greatest guitarist who ever recorded.

His playing is liquid brilliance, and his artistry is incomparable.

I assume the raft of no comment one star ratings are from list spammers. Suits me, most of those have proved they no nothing more about music except that its hard to play.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=78134495682 33565384&vt=lf&hl=en

Many people on this website probably won't go for Segovia's kind of guitar music.  But if you listen you will simply go dizzy trying to keep up with the notes in your head.  In terms of pure skill with the instrument- no one with three brain cells in his or her head can possibly put this guitar legend lower than a 5.

never heard of him

again not sure...

Perhaps the greatest EVER

ewwww

Yet another famous legendary artist and technician.  But great guitarist, not really.

Awesome, youtube him and Al Dimeola. You will know.

It's ludicrous to give anything other than 5 stars whether you like classical guitar music or not. I'm not a huge fan of classical music  myself but Segovia was the prime mover in taking the guitar out of the musical backwaters to the fore. And his influence has been immeasurable

Simply the best, particularly in his glory days.

classical guitar is tedious.

Segovia basically started the classical guitar and if you can find any modern guitarist who is classically trained who hasn't been influenced by him..........keep looking for godsake

Andrés Segovia was a master guitarist and probably the best of all time.

Well, decide as you will, but here is one of the greater, if not the greatest guitar players of all time.

He actually had to play some music and read it, rather than just fill in spaces during rock music or make a few riffs at the edge.

Absolute Brilliance!! Truely one of the few true GUITARIST of all time.

Beyond compare.

In comparison to the rest of the field, I've got to give this man 5 stars for talent, perfect technique and someone who actually knew how to read music. (Hello Mr. Hendrix? Page? And most rock players.)

Arguably the greatest guitar player of all time. Very influential to many classical and non-classical guitar players worldwide.