Django Reinhardt

Few guitarists single-handedly created a new genre of music, let alone one that is still vastly popular. But Django did: with only two valid fingers, he invented Gypsy jazz and wrote the compositions that continue to be played by his contemporary heirs (Biréli Lagrène, Stochelo Rosenberg...), including the 1940 cornerstone Nuages. Today, any guitarist picking up a Selmer-style guitar owes a debt to the gypsy genius.