The trouble is, so many who "rock the masses" don't actually rock. Hell, a lot of "the masses" think that jazz and blues are the same thing. Just sayin'.
I really enjoy your threads and your posts, EJ, but this time I think I must respectfully disagree (while I do understand where you're coming from). I guess I'm just one of those guys who feels like adding stipulations like "social relevance" (read: record sales) to the term "guitar hero" sort of defeats the point, at least when asking
other guitarists who their heroes are. It would be a different story if you were polling the actual "masses" to see what they thought. You know what I mean?
All meant in a friendly way, and just IMHO, of course.
Get in where you fit in.