The 5 Musicians That Tom Morello Picks His Favorites
Tom Morello just picks his favorite musicians and guitarists of all time. Tom Morello, the legendary guitarist of Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, and Prophets of Rage, has been a source of inspiration for many aspiring guitarists around the world. Here are Tom Morello’s top five favorite guitarists of all time that have influenced his unique style and sound.
Tom Morello’s Favorite Musicians of All Time
Thomas Baptist Morello was born May 30, 1964, is a guitarist, singer, songwriter, and political activist from the United States. He is most known for his work with the rap-metal band Rage Against the Machine and rock band Audioslave.
Tom Morello was a member of the supergroup Prophets of Rage from 2016 to 2019. Morello used to tour with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Morello debuted his solo material as the Nightwatchman. He co-founded the Street Sweeper Social Club with Boots Riley. Morello is a co-founder of Axis of Justice, a monthly show that airs on Pacifica Radio station KPFK (90.7 FM) in Los Angeles.
Tom Morello‘s musical preferences at the time were hard rock and heavy metal, specifically Kiss and Iron Maiden. He is a major fan of Piece of Mind, Alice Cooper, Led Zeppelin, and Black Sabbath, as he revealed in Flight 666.
He also named Tony Iommi, guitarist for Black Sabbath, as one of his main influences as a riff writer. Morello created his own distinct sound on the electric guitar. Subsequently, punk rock bands like the Clash, the Sex Pistols, and Devo, as well as artists like Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and Queen, strongly inspired his musical approach and politics.
During the interview with Metal Evolution, Tom Morello shares his favorite guitarists and musicians of all time:
- Jimi Hendrix
- Randy Rhoads
- Tony Iommi
- David Gilmour
- Eddie Van Halen
Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello revealed this in an interview with the magazine. Here are the Morello picks as follows (randomly placed):
Jimi Hendrix
In 2011-2014, Tom Morello to Metal Evolution:
“His riffs were a pre-metal funk bulldozer, and his lead lines were an electric LSD trip down to the crossroads, where he pimp-slapped the devil.”
Randy Rhoads
Randall William Rhoads (December 6, 1956 – March 19, 1982) was a guitarist from the United States. He was the founding guitarist and co-founder of the heavy metal band Quiet Riot, as well as the guitarist and co-songwriter for Ozzy Osbourne’s first two solo albums, Blizzard of Ozz (1980) and Diary of a Madman (1981). (1981).
Randy Rhoads rose to prominence as Ozzy Osbourne’s solo guitarist, appearing on tracks such as “Crazy Train” and “Mr. Crowley” on the Blizzard of Ozz album. One of the most well-known heavy metal guitar riffs appears on “Crazy Train.”
In 2011-2014, Tom Morello to Metal Evolution:
“Randy Rhoads was the poster that was on my wall and I would practice eight hours a day.”
Tony Iommi
Anthony Frank Iommi is a British musician who was born on February 19, 1948. He co-founded the groundbreaking heavy metal band Black Sabbath and was the band’s guitarist, frontman, and major composer for nearly five decades.
Tony Iommi was voted 25th among the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” by Rolling Stone magazine.
In 2011-2014, Tom Morello to Metal Evolution:
“It may be a toss-up between David Gilmour for the emotion and Tony Iommi for the riffs.”
David Gilmour
David Jon Gilmour CBE is an English guitarist, vocalist, composer, and member of the rock band Pink Floyd. He was born on March 6, 1946. He joined the band in 1967 as guitarist and co-lead vocalist, soon before founding member Syd Barrett left.
Pink Floyd’s concept albums The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977), The Wall (1979), and The Final Cut (1980) earned international recognition (1983). By the early 1980s, they had established themselves as one of the most successful and recognized acts in music history; by 2012, they had sold over 250 million records worldwide, including 75 million in the United States.
In 2011-2014, Tom Morello to Metal Evolution:
“It may be a toss-up between David Gilmour for the emotion and Tony Iommi for the riffs.”
Eddie Van Halen
Edward Lodewijk Van Halen was an American musician and songwriter who was born on January 26, 1955, and died on October 6, 2020. He co-founded the rock band Van Halen with his brother Alex Van Halen in 1972 and served as a guitarist, keyboardist, backup vocalist, and principal songwriter.
In 2011-2014, Tom Morello to Metal Evolution:
“In Rage Against the Machine, I was the DJ in the band. That got me thinking about the instrument in an entirely different way. While I loved people like Eddie Van Halen, I thought there was enough of that happening already. So I started to look at the eccentricities of my playing. And we started to hear something that we hadn’t heard before.”
Tom Morello‘s top five favorite guitarists have been a significant influence on his unique playing style and sound. Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen, Tony Iommi, David Gilmour, and Randy Rhoads have all contributed to the innovative and experimental sound of Rage Against the Machine. By studying the techniques and styles of these guitar legends, aspiring guitarists can learn a lot about what it takes to create a unique and specific sound.
