# Favorite Canadian guitar player



## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

I'm not sure if I've ever seen this question broached here. So who would you consider your favorite Canadian guitar player?
I've never really given it much thought but I guess I have to say for rock it would be Rik Emmet. For country Redd Volkaert. I'm going to have to explore more Canadian players so hopefully this thread will uncover some I don't know, have forgotten about or didn't realize were Canadian.


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## StratCat (Dec 30, 2013)

Alex Lifeson.


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## Swervin55 (Oct 30, 2009)

Ian Thornley but depending on my mood it could be Joey Landreth.


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## steve nb (Dec 5, 2017)

Steve Hill


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Easy. Neil Young. People make jokes about his one note solo in Cinnamon Girl but on electric Neil plays with an intensity few can match and on acoustic he is deceptively tricky.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

Alex Lifeson


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Neil acoustic.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Alex Lifeson (of course)
Frank Marino


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

By album sales, live impressions, as a human and guitarist, or just how mindblowing their material is?

Thornley and Dave from the salads have chops and were super nice in person.


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## Guest (Oct 1, 2018)

Player99- I love that guy. Good looking, smart, funny, and a really good guitar player. He is so modest as well. Best guy ever.


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## DaddyDog (Apr 21, 2017)

Oldtimers... Lenny Breau, Randy Bachman, Liona Boyd

New guys: Matt Andersen, Michael Schatte, Terra Lightfoot, Colin Cripps, Luke Doucet, Kevin Breit


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## Blind Dog (Mar 4, 2016)

Calum Graham acoustic & Jeff Healey electric.











And I almost forgot Don Ross


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

DaddyDog said:


> Oldtimers... Lenny Breau, Randy Bachman, Liona Boyd
> 
> New guys: Matt Andersen, Michael Schatte, Terra Lightfoot, Colin Cripps, Luke Doucet, Kevin Breit


Wow, how could I forget Lenny Breau?!?!


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## Scottone (Feb 10, 2006)

It has to be Neil for me.


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## Guest (Oct 1, 2018)

Stompin' Tom


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

This guy


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

View attachment 226180


Guncho said:


> Neil acoustic.


On acoustic guitar, acoustic piano, harmonica and voice Neil is a force of nature.

This album has brilliant versions of some of his best.


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## rollingdam (May 11, 2006)

Bruce Cockburn


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## Tarbender (Apr 7, 2006)

Colin James.


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

Ray Montford









Joey’s a close 2nd
View attachment 226184


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## Chitmo (Sep 2, 2013)

Ian Thornley is a close second though!


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

Alex Lifeson
Rik Emmett
Randy Bachman


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## JHall55 (Dec 6, 2016)

Kim Mitchell


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

Mendelson Joe


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## Xelebes (Mar 9, 2015)

Rob Wright


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

This guy (the one on the left):










Hey, you gotta be a great, great player if your reputation can withstand photos like that. 


Honorable mention to Ian Thornley and Devin Townsend (highly under-rated, IMO).

And Lenny Breau and Gordie Brandt and so many others. There's a lot of great Canadian guitar players.


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## Distortion (Sep 16, 2015)

A lot have been listed so I got to say one of the better players is Keith Scott. Bryan Adam's guitar player. All the good lead stuff in Bryan's music is Keith.


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## SaucyJack (Mar 8, 2017)

Brian Too Loud McLeod

Love his playing


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

Lifeson is my favorite.

Close runners:

Thornley
Emmett
Marino

Pete Thorn is up there as well actually.


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

Surprised no one's yet mentioned Gordon Lightfoot


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## mr trick (Sep 21, 2013)

micheal hedges aerial boundaries - Bing video


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

Redd Volkaert, Colin James, David Wilcox, Kris @Shredneck Richards


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## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

Kevin Breit


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## JHarasym (Mar 27, 2007)

Erik Mongrain for a pretty unique style


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Drew Henderson

Drew Henderson


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Harry Manx...not born here but lives here. 

Harry Manx - Wikipedia


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## Scotty (Jan 30, 2013)

I can’t pick one. 

Jeff Healey would be one of my top picks. 
Completely forgot about Ric Emmit. HeIs a wicked player too. 

Also big fan of Steve Hill, though I wish he’d get back together with a three or four piece band though I must say he’s gotten so much better as a 1 man band. The guy is phenomenal really....

Big fan of Gordie Johnson and then there’s David Gogo, Steve Strongman and Colin James. 

Suzie Vinnick on acoustic


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

Lots of good ones mentioned already. Here's a couple of fine Canucks rocking out with Sonny Landreth. Steve Dawson and Colin Linden.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

I totally forgot Jeff Healey, and of course Rob Baker!


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## Blind Dog (Mar 4, 2016)

Robbie Robertson


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

Dallas and Travis Good from the Sadies. They are each fantastic, and just deadly playing together. And across pretty much every genre of music. If you've never seen the Sadies live, you are missing out.

All their albums are great, but for crazy guitar instrumentals this is my fav.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

Just goes to show how much exceptional guitar talent this country provides for all. As little as it may seem, it really isn't.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

JHarasym said:


> Erik Mongrain for a pretty unique style


I’ve always loved this one.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Joel Plaskett


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

This thread has a very thorough list of Canadian talent.

https://guitarscanada.com/index.php?threads/canadian-guitarists-appreciation-thread.1768/


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Frank Marino,... and Phil X


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## ga20t (Jul 22, 2010)

Daniel Lanois
Dallas & Travis Good (_The Sadies_)
Neil Young
Bruce Cockburn
Clayton Linthicum (SK's _Kacy & Clayton _& latest _Deep Dark Woods)_
Ray Bonneville
Robbie Robertson
Chad Van Gaalen
Colin Cripps


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## SaucyJack (Mar 8, 2017)

John Hannah did some nice things with Streetheart.


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## TimH (Feb 4, 2006)

Joey Landreth
Ariel Posen
Ian Thornley


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## neldom (Apr 29, 2009)

There's a lot, I love Plaskett, Thornley, Young and I had no idea Volkaert was Canadian.

But Mr. Gordie Johnson is numero uno in my books.


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## limelight65 (Jun 2, 2014)

4 pages and no one mentions Kim Mitchell? Listen to the guitar work on Universal Juveniles album ( last max webster album) , In the world of Giants . The guys a monster


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## rockinbluesfan (Mar 3, 2008)

Robert1950 said:


> Frank Marino,... and Phil X


You beat me to Frank Marino.


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## Scottone (Feb 10, 2006)

limelight65 said:


> 4 pages and no one mentions Kim Mitchell? Listen to the guitar work on Universal Juveniles album ( last max webster album) , In the world of Giants . The guys a monster


He was mentioned on page 2. Agree, he's got great chops.

One I didn't see was Dominic Tr0iano. ...thought that he would have popped up by now.


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## GuitarT (Nov 23, 2010)

Lenny Breau with Alex Lifeson in a close second.


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

I’ll add;

Ian Crichton
John Findlay


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## Shredneck (Jul 24, 2012)

cboutilier said:


> Redd Volkaert, Colin James, David Wilcox, Kris @Shredneck Richards


You're too kind... but I don't deserve to be in that list!! lmao


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

Shredneck said:


> You're too kind... but I don't deserve to be in that list!! lmao


You fake it pretty well. You could sit in with Redd and not look like a fool. That's pretty damn good in my books.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

Dorian2 said:


> Just goes to show how much exceptional guitar talent this country provides for all. As little as it may seem, it really isn't.


Exactly my reason for starting this thread. Loving the choices everyone is coming up with.


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## NB_Terry (Feb 2, 2006)

Kim Mitchell is amazing. Lots of great guitar work from the Max days and his solo career. 

Thornley is also quite amazing.


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

Did anybody mention Ed Bickert yet?


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

I definitely prefer Kim Mitchel with Max Webster. I feel like his solo stuff was too commercial.(patio lanterns. Meh) 
Anyone mention Gord Lewis from Teenage Head? Loved their live shows at Spats when I was a teen

Rik Emmet of Triumph is a hell of a player too. Great concerts, and I love the solo in the original album rock and roll machine. The acoustic stuff on Thunder Seven is cool too


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## Lef T (Aug 9, 2018)

Scottone said:


> One I didn't see was Dominic Tr0iano. ...thought that he would have popped up by now.


Domenic is number one on my list.
I wish he was still here.


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## Guest (Oct 13, 2018)

Pat Travers, Jeff Martin (The Tea Party), Rick Santers


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