14. The Edge
From the opening bars of “I Will Follow,” off U2’s 1980 debut Boy, we knew there was something special about the guitar work of Dave Evans (aka The Edge). The Edge further showed off his chops on the stratocaster with such U2 classics like “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” “Pride (In the Name of Love),” “Bad,” and one of the great-opening album track of all time, “Where the Streets Have No Name” from 1987’s The Joshua Tree. His playing isn’t over the top, and does not consume the band’s songs. It’s straight-forward rock guitar brilliance that maybe does not always get the credit it deserves.