-As in previous rounds, I will kick off The Semis with a big "THANK YOU!!" to all who have participated previously through both your votes and great comments- kudos to everyone who've helped make this so much fun for everyone involved! I will also mention again as well that this vote is open to all who are interested and extend a warm welcome to those who haven't already been involved. I will also reccomend to those who are interested but haven't participated to peruse the earlier rounds if you have any questions as to how the present guitarists have been decided upon or why some of your favorites haven't been mentioned- thanks!
-The results from Round 3? Well, two of the races were not really close at all, and were all but decided fairly early on. The other two were much closer, with one of them being only decided over the past few days, and the other being really up in the air until the final hours. The latter was so close, in fact, that I was prompted to conduct a re-count, after which the original vote stood...
-So here they are, ladies and gentlemen, the results of Round 3 of "The "Greatest" Guitarist In History?"- as with previous rounds, seedings are in parenthesis, and votes received are in square brackets:
Eric Clapton(1)[40] vs. Duane Allman(8)[17] -There are bound to be some disappointed Duane fans out there (I know a few personally!), but the reletive brevity of his career may just well have been the deciding factor. Ol' Slowhand's cruised along so far, but he faces a very interesting battle coming up here in the next round...
Jimi Hendrix(2)[47] vs. David Gilmour(7)[10] -David Gilmour knocked off a pretty tough challenger in Round 2, but was himself humbled vote-wise in Round 3 by someone who's star wouldn't appeared to have dimmed much at all- in spite of his all-too short time here. Brief career or not, Jimi's cruised along more easily than even EC to this point- he's going to be very tough to beat for anyone, it would certainly appear...
Stevie Ray Vaughan(3)[27] vs. Jimmy Page(6)[30] -This was a very close race- a back and forth battle that was only just decided on the last day of voting. SRV was brilliant, but it would appear that Page's overall influence and musical versatility put him over the top in this contest. But dang, he faces an uphill battle next round, I think- an unenviable task for anyone, SRV included...
Carlos Santana(4)[33] vs. Edward Van Halen(5)[24] -This one seems to have panned out almost as a question of soul vs. technique for many voters, & these are the results. I doubt that the question of "soul" hangs over his next challenger, though- ought to be very interesting, as I'd said...
And so there were four! Here, folks, are the pairings for The Semis:
Eric Clapton(1) vs. Jimmy Page(6)
Jimi Hendrix(2) vs. Carlos Santana(4)
-No, things do not get any easier here...
-Voting for the Semis will conclude midnight, Sunday July 6th, EDT.