Mick Jones
In 1976, inspired by the sounds and vibe of the New York Dolls and Mott the Hoople, Londoner Mick Jones formed a band that evolved into the Clash. Offering a brash mix of rock, reggae, and rockabilly, they emerged from the cluttered and chaotic London punk scene and were soon dubbed “the only band that matters.” Released in 1977—but not available in the states for another year, and then with an altered track listing, thanks to the typically narrow-minded record company fears of the times—the band’s eponymous debut is as good as U.K. punk ever got, paying equal tribute to 1-2-3-4, blink-and-miss-it Ramones ferocity and stripped-down Studio One rocksteady. In the early days of the Clash, Jones used his Junior to create a spectrum of edgy tones and swirling guitar lines, thicker and tougher than the staccato clatter of singer Joe Strummer’s Telecaster, but still infused with single-coil snap. In Jones’ hands, the Junior screamed crunching chords, razor sharp leads, and howling melodic feedback. Jones went on to perform and record with a jaw-dropping collection of vintage Gibsons, but it was his low-slung Junior and twitchy stage demeanor that first earned the wiry Brit the status of punk rock’s definitive guitar hero.