12 Awesome Contemporary Slide Guitarists to Listen to Now

12 Awesome Contemporary Slide Guitarists to Listen to Now

By Ellie Rogers

Derived from the one-string diddley bow, slide guitar as we know it was pioneered by early acoustic blues players like Robert Johnson in the early 1900s, before artists like Duane Allman, Bonnie Raitt and Ry Cooder took up the mantle in the 1960s, 1970s and beyond.

Whether you’re into slick electric tones, the wailing emotional highs of the pedal steel, or rough and ready resonator blues, the current class of bottleneck stylists are hard at work adding new pages to the slide guitar rule book.

Here, we’ve compiled a (by no means exhaustive) list of some of the most exciting artists in the world today. So, if you’re looking for some new recommendations to slide on into your listening repertoire, we’ve got you covered.

Get to know these 12 awesome contemporary slide guitarists with our readymade playlist that features every song listed in this article. Listen to Playlist Below or HERE

Derek Trucks
Derek Trucks is probably the most widely respected slide player on the planet. A former child prodigy, the story goes that the young Trucks initially gravitated towards playing his guitar with a slide because it made it easier for him to access all areas of the neck when his hands hadn’t quite grown into the instrument yet.

He honed his genre-blending jam credentials in The Derek Trucks Band and played with the Allman Brothers Band in the early 2000s, but Trucks is best known for his astoundingly imaginative work alongside his wife Susan Tedeschi in the Tedeschi Trucks Band, with whom he bagged the 2012 Grammy Award for Best Blues Album for the band’s debut, Revelator.

A sublimely expressive player with a vast vocabulary that draws upon American blues and Indian classical traditions, Trucks sets a new high water mark for “vocal” slide playing just about every time he releases a record. He’ll rarely be seen without one of his trusty Gibson SGs, and his majestically calm stage presence seldom sees him break a sweat or pull an awkward “guitar face” – a remarkable feat considering the intensely intricate labour going on at his fingertips.

Song Starter Kit: ‘Layla’ from Layla Revisited (Live at LOCKN’) (Tedeschi Trucks Band), ‘Come See About Me’ from Revelator (Tedeschi Trucks Band), ‘Joyful Noise’ from Joyful Noise (The Derek Trucks Band).

Ariel Posen
Hailing from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Ariel Posen is fast becoming one of the most sought after slide players in the world. In addition to having released three solo studio albums in as many years (starting with 2019’s How Long), he’s collaborated with the likes of Cory Wong and David Ryan Harris, and worked extensively with The Bros. Landreth – who you’ll also find later in this list.

He’s a master of switching between dextrous fretted notes and fiery slide, and cohesively incorporates jazz, funk, pop and heartland rock n’ roll flavours into his playing in addition to the bluesy undercurrents that come as standard whenever anyone breaks out a slide tube.

Posen has become known for playing a steel-bodied, Stratocaster-shaped baritone guitar, which was made especially for him by Mule Resophonic Guitars. Affectionately dubbed the “Posencaster,” the unusual guitar is partially responsible for his instantly recognisable tone.

Song Starter Kit: ‘Be Enough’ from Be Enough Single, ‘Spare Tire’ featuring Cory Wong from Spare Tire Single, ‘Heart By Heart’ from Headway

Robert Randolph
Prepare to fall to your knees and worship at the pedal steel altar. Robert Randolph brings the sacred steel tradition wailing into the 21st century with his vibrant and heartfelt approach to the traditional instrument.

Randolph honed his craft playing in church services in his native New Jersey, but found a devoted following of his own among a more secular crowd of rock and blues enthusiasts in the early 2000s. He’s thus far received four GRAMMY nominations and his list of champions includes the likes of Eric Clapton, T-Bone Burnett and John Medeski.

Backed by “The Family Band,” Randolph’s live performances are incendiary. Offering up long, improvised solos that are often bathed in overdrive and psychedelic wah wah pedal flourishes, if you’ve ever wondered what it might have sounded like if Jimi Hendrix played a pedal steel, here’s your answer.

Song Starter Kit: ‘Baptise Me’ from Brighter Days, ‘Love Do What it Do featuring Darius Rucker’ from Got Soul, ‘Ain’t Nothing Wrong With That’ from Colourblind

Megan Lovell
Megan Lovell of the GRAMMY-nominated Larkin Poe is responsible for introducing a whole new generation of listeners to lap steel slide.

Together with her sister and bandmate Rebecca Lovell, she has re-energised the Southern staple through a mixture of hard-rocking original material and rootsy reimaginings of classic pop and rock tunes from the likes of The Rolling Stones, Ozzy Osborne, Lenny Kravitz, Hall & Oates, Elton John and many, many more that the pair aired via their YouTube channel during lockdown.

Lovell’s weapon of choice is a striking vintage Rickenbacker electric lap steel from the 1950s, which she pairs with an ingeniously self-designed lap steel holder that allows her to play standing up, run around on stage, and connect with audiences in a way that most traditional lap steel players can only dream of.

Song Starter Kit: ‘Bad Spell’ from Blood Harmony, ‘Holy Ghost Fire’ from Self Made Man, ‘Crocodile Rock’ from Kindred Spirits

Joey Landreth
From a sister act to a band of brothers…

Joey Landreth forms one half of the award-winning Canadian outfit, The Bros. Landreth, and also has three records under his belt as a solo artist. He and his brother David (who handles bass duties in the band) grew up on a sonic diet of all the greats like Ry Cooder, Bonnie Raitt and Little Feat, and Joey honed his craft alongside fellow modern maestro Ariel Posen in the thriving Winnipeg live music scene.

Landreth and Posen have played together on and off for a decade or so, spurred each other on in their formative years, and although their styles are similar, Landreth’s slide playing is perhaps a little more mellow, with greater tendencies towards a soulful, warm Americana sound.

Now, are you ready for the plot twist? Joey Landreth is of no direct relation to slide guitar pioneer Sonny Landreth. Astonishing as it might seem for two elites in a relatively niche field to share such an uncommon surname without being related, it’s true. Still, a duet one day would be nice…

Song Starter Kit: ‘Where Did I Go Wrong’ from Hindsight, ‘Still Feel Gone’ from Whiskey,’ What In The World‘ from Come Morning

Dave Hole
We’ve all heard the saying that life’s not about the destination so much as the journey, and if you take that sentiment and apply it to the idea of playing slide guitar, it describes Dave Hole’s approach rather nicely. The Aussie virtuoso packs in tons of vibrato and characterful nuances en route to each and every landing note, and his particularly energetic style of playing is best appreciated with the volume cranked.

Hole is also renowned for having a particularly unorthodox left hand technique where he places the slide on his index finger and drapes his hand over the fretboard from above. Originally developed to compensate for a finger injury, it’s become his trademark and a spectacle that adds to his already exemplary showmanship

Although Hole perhaps hasn’t enjoyed as much commercial success as he deserves, a trip through his extensive back catalogue is a must for any slide freak.

Song Starter Kit:  ‘Stompin’ Ground’ from Goin’ Back Down, ‘Short Fuse Blues’ from Short Fuse Blues

Daniel “DaFreez” Johnston
The appropriately nicknamed Daniel “DaFreez” Johnston is quite probably the coolest slide guitarist you’ve never heard of. Until now, that is. He makes up one third of MY BABY – a Dutch-New Zealand trio who fuse glam rock aesthetics with warm gospel and blues melodies, and set it all to a psychedelic backdrop of booming EDM beats and bass lines.

Johnston’s bluesy slide licks, which he loops and layers with effects, are central to the band’s unique brand of roots-driven alternative dance music, and his playing intertwines expertly with the raw, soulful vocals of frontwoman Cato van Dijck.

In a world where a lot of “new” music sounds awfully familiar, Johnston’s approach feels entirely fresh and relevant. Recommended for those with an open mind and a taste for futuristic flavours.

Song Starter Kit: ‘Sunroof Diesel Blues’ from Prehistoric Rhythm, ‘Uprising’ from Shamanaid, ‘Money Man’ from Loves Voodoo!

Erja Lyytinen
Often referred to as “The Queen of Slide”, Erja Lyytinen is a powerhouse. Her 2014 breakthrough record The Sky Is Crying (a tribute to the music of Elmore James) established her internationally as a stunning practitioner of the blues, but she is also an accomplished songwriter with a real knack for combining rock, pop, funk and prog influences.

An outstanding performer, Lyytinen has shared stages with legends including Carlos Santana, Sonny Landreth and Jennifer Batten, and her acclaimed Lockdown Live 2020 album – which captures some jaw dropping slide acrobatics – is a great place to start if you’re new to her music.

With a new studio album titled Waiting For The Daylight scheduled for release this autumn, the Finnish slide supremo shows no signs of abdicating her throne anytime soon.

Song Starter Kit: ‘Bad Seed’ from Waiting For The Daylight, ‘Don’t Let A Good Woman Down’ from Lockdown Live 2020, ‘It Hurts Me Too’ from The Sky is Crying

Sonny Landreth
Sonny Landreth has been putting glass to steel strings since before some of the players on this list were even born, but it remains that he’s one of the most inventive and inimitable slide players on the contemporary scene.

Drawing upon Cajun and zydeco influences, Landreth broke new ground in the late 1980s and early 1990s with albums like South of I-10, Down in Louisiana and Outward Bound and has shown no sign of slowing down ever since. His latest album Blacktop Run was released in 2020.

A king of tone and technique, he’s known for his particularly involved playing style in which he frets notes and chord fragments in between slide phrases with the left hand, and utilises a vast array of inventive and playful right hand techniques to explore every inch of his Fender Strat’s landscape.

Song Starter Kit: ‘Congo Square’ from South of I-10, ‘Blue Tarp Blues’ from From the Reach, ‘Somebody Gotta Make A Move’ from Blacktop Run

Joanna Connor
Chicago-based slide phenom Joanna Connor is one of hardest working bluesers out there, and has been for some 30+ years. Often playing upwards of 200 shows a year, her pyrotechnical brand of modern electric blues is fast, furious and best witnessed live on stage.

Her performances are absolutely loaded with a combustible, frenetic energy and lots of mind blowing improv. Listen out for a particularly wild sonic signature when she leaps – at top speed – from one end of the fretboard to the other. It sounds a bit like the ricocheting bullet sound effect from old cartoons, and you’ll definitely know it when you hear it.

Connor teamed up with contemporary blues-rock’s main man, Joe Bonamassa, for the making of her most commercially successful record to date: 2021’s 4801 South Indiana Avenue. The album was released on Bonamassa’s KTBA (‘Keeping The Blues Alive’) record label, and was named after the actual street address of the hallowed Chicago blues hangout, ‘Theresa’s Lounge.’

Song Starter Kit: ‘Destination’ from 4801 South Indiana Avenue, ‘I Feel So Good’ from 4801 South Indiana Avenue, ‘Walkin’ Blues’ from Fight

Ash Grunwald
Melbourne-based guitarist and singer-songwriter Ash Grunwald takes classic Delta blues and roots boogie and gives it a cool, Aussie surfer dude twist.

After following in the footsteps of bands like The John Butler Trio, Grunwald rose to prominence in the burgeoning Australian roots rock scene of the early 2000s, and remains a favourite on the festival and touring circuits down under to this day.

His slide style is chunky and groove-driven. Early albums capture Grunwald at his untamed best and feature little in the way of instrumental accompaniment beyond an amped-up footstomp and a rattle of tambourine. More recently, his studio offerings have taken a more polished and electrified turn, with 2019’s Mojo boasting guest spots from the likes of Joe Bonamassa, The Teskey Brothers and Kasey Chambers.

Song Starter Kit: ‘Good Thing’ from Shout Into The Noise, ‘Hungry Heart’ with Josh Teskey from Push The Blues Away, ‘Longtime’ from Trouble’s Door

Troy Redfern
In recent years, Troy Redfern has slid (yep, pun intended) right to the forefront of the British scene, thanks to his explosive live performances, authentically swampy blues-rock sound and flagrant disregard for sensible levels of volume.

His maverick, rock n’ roll approach is where the magic lies. His vintage resonators – retro fitted with pickups and fed through overdriven amps – regularly occupy the sweet but slightly dangerous territory in-between having almost too much feedback to be manageable, yet plenty to feel really alive. Redfern expertly controls this raw energy and channels it into some really spectacular slide guitar tones.

As the follow-up to 2021’s acclaimed The Fire Cosmic, Redfern is gearing up to release his next record, The Wings of Salvation this autumn.

Song Starter Kit: ‘Come On’ from The Wings Of Salvation, ‘Ghosts’ from The Fire Cosmic, ‘John The Revelator’ from Island

12 Awesome Contemporary Slide Guitarists to Listen to Now Playlist (you can scroll down in the playlist)