Famous French Guitarists

Right IconThis ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet.

Vote for Your Favourite French Guitarists
 1 
Django Reinhardt
5
Birthdate: January 23, 1910
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Liberchies, Belgium
Died: May 16, 1953
Belgian-born Romani-French jazz musician Jean Reinhardt was better known by his nickname Django. Some of his most celebrated composition were Belleville and Swing '42. Though he died at 43, he influenced an entire generation of musicians, which led to annual Django Festivals, a film, and a biography.
 2 
Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo
(French Musician Who was One Half of the Former French House Music Duo 'Daft Punk')
Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo
5
Birthdate: February 8, 1974
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Neuilly-sur-Seine, France

French musician, singer-songwriter, record-producer, DJ, and film director Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo is one former half of the French electronic music duo Daft Punk that he formed with Thomas Bangalter. The duo achieved both critical and commercial success with albums like Discovery and RandomAccess Memories. Homem-Christo has also spawned works through the record label Crydamoure which he co-owns with Eric Chedeville.

 3 
Thomas Mars
(Musical Artist and Lead Vocalist of the Indie Pop Band ‘Phoenix’)
Thomas Mars
3
Birthdate: November 21, 1976
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Versailles, France

Phoenix lead vocalist Thomas Mars once spoke about how he had cut off everything that could distract him from making a potential career in music during college. He met Sofia Coppola while composing for one of her films, and the duo got married, leading to more collaborations.

Recommended Lists:
 4 
Joe Dassin
(American-French Pop Singer Known for His Ability to Sing in Multiple Languages)
Joe Dassin
2
Birthdate: November 5, 1938
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States
Died: August 20, 1980

The son of American filmmaker Jules Dassin, French pop idol Joe Dassin was educated in Switzerland and the U.S., and earned degrees in anthropology before moving to France. After playing supporting roles in his father’s movies, he soared to fame with songs such as Les Champs-Élysées and L'Été indien.

 5 
Rick Dufay
(Musician, Songwriter)
Rick Dufay
2
Birthdate: February 2, 1952
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Paris, France

Rick Dufay is a French-American guitarist known for his association with the popular band Aerosmith. He played for the band from 1980 to 1984, during which regular guitarist Brad Whitford had left the band. Dufay left the band upon Whitford's return in 1984 and was praised for his selfless gesture. Thus, Dufay is credited with keeping the band from disbanding.

 6 
Kendji Girac
(Singer)
Kendji Girac
2
Birthdate: July 3, 1996
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Périgueux, Aquitaine, France
 7 
Tina S
(Guitarist)
Tina S
2
Birthdate: April 7, 1999
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Paris, France
 8 
Bertrand Cantat
(Singer, Guitarist, Lyricist, Singer-songwriter, Poet)
Bertrand Cantat
4
Birthdate: March 5, 1964
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Pau

Former frontman of the French rock band Noir Désir, Bertrand Cantat made headlines when he beat his girlfriend actor Marie Trintignant to death in a Lithuanian hotel. His sentence of 8 years was later commuted to 4. His ex-wife Krisztina Rády later committed suicide in his presence at her home.

 9 
Caterina Valente
(French-Italian Multilingual Singer and Guitarist)
Caterina Valente
1
Birthdate: January 14, 1931
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Paris, France

Caterina Valente is an Italian-French guitarist, multilingual singer, actress, and dancer. Valente, who sings in 11 languages, has worked with artists around the world. She has worked with international stars like Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Buddy Rich, and Chet Baker. One of her songs titled Bongo cha cha cha was used in the 2019 American film Spider-Man: Far From Home.

 10 
Jacques Dutronc
(Singer-songwriter)
Jacques Dutronc
1
Birthdate: April 28, 1943
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Paris, France
 11 
Joe Duplantier
(Musician)
Joe Duplantier
1
Birthdate: October 19, 1976
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Paris, France
 12 
Henry Padovani
(Musician)
Henry Padovani
1
Birthdate: October 13, 1952
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Bastia, France
 13 
Sacha Distel
(Former singer, guitarist who had hits with a cover version of "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" in 1970)
Sacha Distel
2
Birthdate: January 29, 1933
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: July 22, 2004
A jazz guitarist and singer, Sacha Distel recorded more than 200 tunes during his career. He appeared in several French films and became one of the country's most popular television actors. During a career stretching over almost half a century, he performed for Queen Elizabeth on three occasions. In 1997, he received France's highest civilian award The Legion of Honor.
 14 
Georges Brassens
1
Birthdate: October 22, 1921
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Sète, France
Died: October 29, 1981
 15 
Lætitia Sadier
(Musician)
Lætitia Sadier
1
Birthdate: May 6, 1968
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Vincennes, France
 16 
Matthieu Chedid
(Singer-songwriter who he has been the most awarded artist at the Victoires de la Musique Awards with 13 awards, tied with Alain Bashung since 2018)
Matthieu Chedid
1
Birthdate: December 21, 1971
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Boulogne-Billancourt, France
 17 
Francis Cabrel
(Singer-songwriter)
Francis Cabrel
1
Birthdate: November 23, 1953
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Agen, France
 18 
Neige
(Songwriter)
Neige
1
Birthdate: April 16, 1985
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Bagnols-sur-Cèze, France
 19 
Georges Moustaki
(Singer-songwriter)
Georges Moustaki
1
Birthdate: May 3, 1934
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Alexandria, Egypt
Died: May 23, 2013
 20 
Christian Andreu
1
Birthdate: November 15, 1976
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Bayonne, France
 21 
Tom Chapman
(Musician)
Tom Chapman
1
Birthdate: May 15, 1972
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Chevreuse, France
 22 
Nicolas Godin
(Musician)
Nicolas Godin
1
Birthdate: December 25, 1969
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Le Chesnay, Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt, France
 23 
Marcel Dadi
(Guitarist)
Marcel Dadi
1
Birthdate: August 20, 1951
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Sousse, Tunisia
Died: July 17, 1996
 24 
Louis Bertignac
(Guitarist)
Louis Bertignac
1
Birthdate: February 23, 1954
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Oran, Algeria
 25 
Canut Reyes
(Musician)
Canut Reyes
1
Birthdate: June 9, 1954
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Strassbourg, France
 26 
Jean-Michel Labadie
1
Birthdate: July 14, 1974
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Cambo-les-Bains, French Basque Country
 27 
Manitas de Plata
(Guitarist)
Manitas de Plata
1
Birthdate: August 7, 1921
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Sète, France
Died: November 5, 2014
 28 
Izia
(Singer)
Izia
1
Birthdate: September 24, 1990
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Paris, France
 29 
Thomas Dutronc
3
Birthdate: June 16, 1973
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Paris, France
 30 
Biréli Lagrène
(Guitarist)
Biréli Lagrène
1
Birthdate: September 4, 1966
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Soufflenheim, France
 31 
Roland Dyens
(Composer)
Roland Dyens
1
Birthdate: October 19, 1955
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Tunis, Tunisia
Died: October 29, 2016
 32 
Hugues Aufray
(Singer-songwriter)
Hugues Aufray
1
Birthdate: August 18, 1929
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Neuilly-sur-Seine, Île-de-France, France
 33 
Pauline Croze
(folk-pop singers and musician)
Pauline Croze
0
Birthdate: May 4, 1979
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Noisy-le-Sec, France
 34 
Jacques Pellen
(Jazz guitarist)
Jacques Pellen
0
Birthdate: April 9, 1957
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Brest, France
Died: April 21, 2020