Ted Nugent thinks Billy Gibbons “does Beck, Clapton and Page better than Beck, Clapton and Page”

When considering legendary guitarists, the likes of Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck often come out on top. However, guitarist Ted Nugent ranks a slightly less obvious riffer amongst his personal guitar heroes.

Speaking to Forbes, Nugent insists that ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons is one of the finest guitarists out there. “Even as subtle as Billy Gibbons is, he does Beck, Clapton and Page better than Beck, Clapton and Page, as far as I’m concerned,” he says.

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Uncle Ted’s love for the bearded guitar great is understandable. The pair have toured together, with Nugent supporting ZZ Top on 2003’s Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers Tour, while Nugent has also joined ZZ Top on-stage for the odd collaborative performance. One notable collaboration came in 2018, when Nugent and ZZ Top covered Elvis at the Bell County Expo Centre.

“[Beck, Clapton and Page] are obviously top dogs,” he explains. “But they’re no better than Jim McCarty from Cactus and Mitch Ryder And The Detroit Wheels… Beck, Clapton and Page are okay. The Yardbirds were intensely influential to any guitarist who’s ever lived. But they’re no Jimi Hendrix or Eddie Van Halen.”

When asked to assess why The Yardbird gaggle are often considered the best guitarists of all time, Nugent chalks it up to their songwriting. “Songs have a vastly more powerful impact on music lovers than individual instrumentalists do,” he asserts.

“The songs from The Yardbirds, and Clapton with Cream, are propelled almost solely by guitar lines,” Nugent continues. “In three-piece groups like Cream, each member delivers equal impact, but the guitar is the theme of the song.”

“Think of Paperback Writer by The Beatles – the guitar lick is the song,” he explains. “With Smoke On the Water [by Deep Purple], it’s the song, too. Even with what Page did in Led Zeppelin and The Yardbirds, and with what Beck and Clapton did with their individual performances in The Yardbirds [Clapton also in Cream], the songs were mostly propelled by the guitar line.”