The 25 Greatest Rock and Roll Guitar Solos

Rock and roll guitar solos were short, often under fifteen seconds, but they set the vocabulary every later player borrowed. This list runs from Sister Rosetta Tharpe in 1944 to the British beat groups of the mid-1960s, ranked by list appearances and historical weight.

Informed by: Bombay Lives (Substack) – 100 Greatest Guitar Solos, Classic Rock (Louder) – The 100 greatest guitar solos in rock, Digital Dream Door – 250 Greatest Rock Guitar Solos, Magazyn Gitarzysta – 100 solówek wszech czasów [100 solos of all time], Guitarhabits – 50 of The Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time, Guitar Solo Legends – The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time — Ranked (2026), Guitar Tricks – 200 Best Guitar Solos of All Time, Guitar World – The 50 greatest guitar solos of all time, Music in Minnesota – 38 Best Guitar Solos Of All Time, NME – 50 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time, Orchestra Central – 30 Best Guitar Solos of All Time, Ranker – The Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time, Rolling Stone – The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time, SiriusXM (countdown transcribed on PRS Guitars forum) – 50 Baddest Guitar Solos, Terra / Cifra Club – Os 50 melhores solos de guitarra da história [The 50 best guitar solos in history], Thomann – 25 Iconic Guitar Solos, uDiscover Music – The Best Guitar Solos Of All Time: 108 Amazing Moments

1. 1
   Johnny B. Goode

   Chuck Berry · solo by Chuck Berry · 1958
2. 2
   Hound Dog

   Elvis Presley · solo by Scotty Moore · 1956
3. 3
   You Really Got Me

   The Kinks · solo by Dave Davies · 1964
4. 4
   Rock Around the Clock

   Bill Haley & His Comets · solo by Danny Cedrone · 1954
5. 5
   That's All Right

   Elvis Presley · solo by Scotty Moore · 1954
6. 6
   School Day (Ring! Ring! Goes the Bell)

   Chuck Berry · solo by Chuck Berry · 1957
7. 7
   Rumble

   Link Wray · solo by Link Wray · 1958
8. 8
   Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere

   The Who · solo by Pete Townshend · 1965
9. 9
   Susie-Q

   Dale Hawkins · solo by James Burton · 1957
10. 10
    Hello Mary Lou

    Ricky Nelson · solo by James Burton · 1961
11. 11
    Race with the Devil

    Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps · solo by Cliff Gallup · 1956
12. 12
    Who Do You Love?

    Bo Diddley · solo by Jody Williams · 1956
13. 13
    It's So Easy

    The Crickets · solo by Tommy Allsup · 1958
14. 14
    Move It

    Cliff Richard and the Drifters · solo by Ernie Shear · 1958
15. 15
    Strange Things Happening Every Day

    Sister Rosetta Tharpe · solo by Sister Rosetta Tharpe · 1944
16. 16
    Maybellene

    Chuck Berry · solo by Chuck Berry · 1955
17. 17
    Be-Bop-A-Lula

    Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps · solo by Cliff Gallup · 1956
18. 18
    Blue Suede Shoes

    Carl Perkins · solo by Carl Perkins · 1956
19. 19
    Heartbreak Hotel

    Elvis Presley · solo by Scotty Moore · 1956
20. 20
    That'll Be the Day

    The Crickets · solo by Buddy Holly · 1957
21. 21
    The Train Kept A-Rollin'

    Johnny Burnette and the Rock 'n Roll Trio · solo by Paul Burlison · 1956
22. 22
    All Day and All of the Night

    The Kinks · solo by Dave Davies · 1964
23. 23
    Can't Buy Me Love

    The Beatles · solo by George Harrison · 1964
24. 24
    Roll Over Beethoven

    Chuck Berry · solo by Chuck Berry · 1956
25. 25
    Rebel-'Rouser

    Duane Eddy · solo by Duane Eddy · 1958