Top 10 Musicians with Missing or Damaged Fingers
By damaged fingers, I mean fingers that aren't functioning, so they aren't missing, but they can't be used.
I tried to rank these musicians by the degree of their injuries, guitar-playing skills, and level of influence.
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Tony Iommi
Anthony Frank Iommi, known as Tony Iommi, is an English guitarist, songwriter, and producer. He's best known as the lead guitarist and a founding member of the pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath. At age 17, he lost the fingertips of his right middle and ring fingers in an industrial accident.... read more
He lost the tips of his ring and middle finger on his right hand in an industrial accident when he was 17. Thank God, only the tips.
And that's why he became a metal god.
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Rick Allen
Richard John Cyril "Rick" Allen is an English drummer who has been with Def Leppard since 1978. In 1984, he lost his left arm in a car accident but continued to play drums using a custom electronic kit. His perseverance helped inspire fans and fellow musicians alike.... read more
This guy lost five fingers because he lost an entire arm in a car accident. And he's a rock drummer (Def Leppard).
I have to give my vote to him. He lost his entire arm and he plays in one of the most successful bands ever.
One arm and still plays better than Lars Ulrich.
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Django Reinhardt
Django Reinhardt was a famous guitarist in the genre of jazz. He lost the use of two fingers on his left hand in a fire but continued to play, developing a unique style that would influence generations of musicians.
Reinhardt later inspired others, such as Arthur Guitar Boogie Smith, Steven Seagal... read more
He was a virtuoso jazz guitarist and composer. He inspired some other people on this list, such as Tony Iommi and Jerry Garcia.
Django Reinhardt developed a style of playing using only two fingers. Guitarist Jeff Beck described Reinhardt as "by far the most astonishing guitar player ever..." and "...quite superhuman."
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Les Paul
Lester William Polsfuss, known professionally as Les Paul, was an American guitarist, songwriter, luthier, and inventor. He is credited with pioneering the solid-body electric guitar, which made the sound of rock and roll possible. His work spanned genres such as jazz, country, and blues.
He had unusable fingers - generally, only two fingers were functioning. Les Paul was a guitarist, guitar builder, and inventor.
After a car crash, his right arm was set permanently locked, so it essentially became a stiff claw. On the left, the ring and pinkie were all that was usable, and years later arthritis began eating away at them. Yet, he played until the end. He died at 94.
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Jerry Garcia
Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing, and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead, which came to prominence during the counterculture era in the 1960s.
Garcia was also involved in various side projects and was respected for his improvisational... read more
Jerome John Garcia - the lead guitarist for Grateful Dead lost two-thirds of his right middle finger at age 4.
And the finger he lost is crucial to banjo picking, but he was a great banjo player as well.
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Malcolm John “Mac” Rebennack, Jr.
Aka Dr. John (a Grammy-award-winning pianist, singer, and songwriter).
His left ring finger got injured and stopped functioning. He was a guitarist, but after the injury, he focused on the piano.
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Andres Godoy
He's probably the least known guitarist on this list, but his story is the most astounding - the guy lost an arm and continued playing with one hand only. He is a Chilean musician. I watched some videos - it's unbelievable.
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Wesley Tuttle
A country star and guitarist that lost three fingers in an accident in his father's butcher shop.
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Christian Muenzner
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Billy Joe Shaver
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Phil Keaggy
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Tomas Haake
Tomas Haake is a Swedish drummer and the main songwriter for the experimental metal band Meshuggah. He is known for his polyrhythmic drumming and technical precision. In 2012, he was named the 5th best modern metal drummer by MetalSucks.net and was voted number one in the "Metal" category in Modern... read more
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Theodore Roosevelt “Hound Dog” Taylor
Taylor was a Chicago bluesman (guitarist). I put him lower because he probably didn't need the missing finger. His story is one of the weirdest ever:
1. He's missing a finger, but it was an extra finger on his right hand (a sixth finger next to his little finger)
2. One night he got drunk and amputated the extra finger with a razor blade
3. He also had an extra finger on his left hand
4. Additional fingers or toes are due to polydactylism, a congenital physical anomaly
5. Unlike most people on this list, his missing digit was no accident
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Roy Thackerson (The Fingerless Fiddle-Player)
Roy Thackerson, with no fingers on his note hand, pioneered a rig to enable him to play with no fingers and taught himself to play on top of the fingerboard with the nubs of what were once fingers. He has competed in many fiddler's contests and has entertained thousands of people across the country. He has a heart of gold and is a fantastic person. He has never let the fact that he has no fingers hold him back in whatever music he wants to play.
He also plays the guitar in the same way he plays the fiddle. He is highly respected in the fiddle world and continues to this day playing and judging old-time fiddler's contests across the country. He is a determined and true inspiration to all who have met him and witnessed his playing style and ability. To hear him play, one would never guess that he had no fingers. He is truly amazing, to say the least!
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Jim Croce
James Joseph Croce was an American folk and rock singer-songwriter. Between 1966 and 1973, he released five studio albums and a number of singles. His songs "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" and "Time in a Bottle" both reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.
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Fredrik Thordendal
Fredrik Thordendal (born February 11, 1970) is a Swedish musician, best known as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for the Swedish extreme metal band Meshuggah. He is widely recognized as one of the pioneers of the djent subgenre of metal. Thordendal was ranked No. 35 by Guitar World in their... read more