Elmore James

Elmore James single-handedly defined the Chicago slide guitar sound with his 1951 recording of Dust My Broom -- a reworking of Robert Johnson's composition featuring a slide guitar riff so immediately recognizable it has been described as the most influential six seconds in blues history. Despite dying in 1963 at 45, his influence on Jimi Hendrix, Brian Jones, and every slide guitarist who followed is immeasurable.