The Greatest Australian Rock Guitar Solos
Australian rock guitar is louder than its reputation, and more varied. AC/DC's Angus Young (born in Glasgow, raised in Sydney after his family emigrated) set the template. Airbourne and Wolfmother carried it on. Tame Impala and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard took it into psychedelia, and Tommy Emmanuel, Plini, Orianthi and Tash Sultana each built a different kind of virtuosity. This list includes only Australian acts, and every video starts at the solo.
- 1AC/DC · solo by Angus Young · 1977
- 2AC/DC · solo by Angus Young · 1980
- 3AC/DC · solo by Angus Young · 1977
- 4AC/DC · solo by Angus Young · 1980
- 5AC/DC · solo by Angus Young · 1990
- 6Wolfmother · solo by Andrew Stockdale · 2005
- 7AC/DC · solo by Angus Young · 1979
- 8AC/DC · solo by Angus Young · 1978
- 9Tommy Emmanuel · solo by Tommy Emmanuel · 1995
- 10Airbourne · solo by Joel O'Keeffe · 2007
- 11Wolfmother · solo by Andrew Stockdale · 2005
- 12Tame Impala · solo by Kevin Parker · 2012
- 13King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard · solo by Stu Mackenzie · 2017
- 14King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard · solo by Joey Walker · 2023
- 15Orianthi · solo by Orianthi · 2009
- 16Plini · solo by Plini · 2016
- 17Tash Sultana · solo by Tash Sultana · 2016
- 18Tommy Emmanuel · solo by Tommy Emmanuel · 2000
Quick answers
What is the greatest Australian guitar solo?
Going by the site's combined ranking of published lists, it's AC/DC's 'Let There Be Rock', just ahead of 'Back in Black'. Wolfmother's 'Joker and the Thief' is the highest-ranked Australian solo recorded after the 1990s.
Is Angus Young Australian?
He was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and his family moved to Sydney when he was a child. AC/DC formed in Sydney, which is why the band is on this list.
Who are the best modern Australian guitarists?
This list includes Kevin Parker (Tame Impala), Stu Mackenzie and Joey Walker (King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard), Plini, Orianthi, Tash Sultana and Joel O'Keeffe of Airbourne, plus fingerstyle player Tommy Emmanuel.