Chris Buck faces criticism after being ranked higher than the Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards in Total Guitar’s list.
Buck recently became the center of a heated debate. He was ranked 27th in the magazine’s list of the greatest blues guitarists. The list placed him above names like Jeff Healey, Keith Richards, and Robben Ford.
The Blues Guitarist’s Response
The musician shared his surprise and discomfort over this in a YouTube video, saying:
“[Eric] Clapton, [Jimi] Hendrix, Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray, Albert King… Chris Buck… Wait… If you’re surprised, imagine my amazement to hear my name mentioned in the same breath as any of those guys.”
His ranking received a flood of negative comments and ‘hate mail.’ In his video, Buck explained that the ranking was based on reader votes and social media, explaining:
“It’s just a vote. It’s just a magazine. It’s just an opinion. It’s just a social media popularity contest. It’s certainly no good reason to be sending hate mail.”
His Musical Influences And Philosophy
In a 2019 conversation with MusicRadar, Chris spoke on his journey in music and cited Eric Clapton and Slash as notable influences on his guitar playing. He said:
“Clapton was the first guy I remember being conscious of as a guitar player. [John Mayall’s] Blues Breakers was the first album where I became aware of the guitar as a virtuoso instrument. Then, going through high school and listening to a lot of different bands, I guess Slash was the first guy that I latched onto as someone I discovered myself.”
He even talked about copying Slash’s look and playing guitar loudly enough to annoy his neighbors. He loved the way Slash played guitar. Eric Clapton also greatly influenced him. He learned a lot from both musicians and sees them as his biggest guitar heroes.
Watch his full video on YouTube below.
