Mark Kendall of Great White (Love Is A Lie)
My fav due to his knack for nailing the perfect blusy hard rock, "lonely, misty night under a streetlight" solo.
Randy Rhodes of Ozzy Ozbourne (Diary Of A Madman)
Randy came up with some unbelievable riffs, seemingly as easily as Tony Iommi was able to.
Also, for his classical tendancy, and the ability to tastefully blend it with heavy metal. R.I.P.
Stevie Ray Vaughan (The Sky Is Cryin')
Effortless blues player, gritty heart-felt vocals. R.I.P.
Steve Clark of Def Leppard (Switch 625)
Brilliant, natural talent. Creative and expressive but hated the spotlight. R.I.P.
Chris DeGarmo of Queensryche (The Needle Lies)
For my taste, a good balance of technical ability, and musical sensibility.
Some really great leads and solos, esp on Rage For Order and Operation Mindcrime.