When B.B. King heard T-Bone Walker, he "thought Jesus Himself had returned to Earth playing electric guitar." Walker invented the guitar solo as we know it, building a new style on fluid phrasing, bluesy bends and vibrato. It was the clear tone and melodic invention of his 1942 single "Mean Old World" that blew everyone's mind, and Walker refined his approach through hits like "Call It Stormy Monday." "I came into this world a little too soon," Walker said. "I'd say that I was about 30 years before my time."

Key Tracks: "Call It Stormy Monday," "T-Bone Shuffle," "Mean Old World"