[d.sign]

Well, as once Clapton said, best guitarist in the world - there is one in every crowd...
So I believe it is all based on the music one listen... But since we are here in the very similar waters, especially if you like Stevie Ray Vaughan and B.B. King...
Jeff Heally is also my favorite... not to mention the Clapton... (one of the best guitar parts done ever is his solo on the While my guitar gently weeps, by Beatles)

What I can not believe is that you do not aknowledge the Peter Green who did some of the most emotional and sensitive guitar playing ever recorded. I am talking about the time when Clapton left John Mayall and Green step in. After those classics he recorded with Mayall, he formed his own band Fleetwood Mac. You should know about some classics they did, if not the blues stuff which is hard to find this days.
Here are couple of songs you most definitely should know about -
1. Black magic woman - much better guitar than in Santana version
2. Albatross - really soft guitar playing by all three guitarists of Fleetwood Mac
3. Need your love so bad - real classic... B.B. recently did his version... not as good as Peter really...
4. Fool no more - best white blues ever recorded in both old and new version... one done in 1969 and second some 10 years latter...
It is not coincidence that Gary Moore get to make a tribute album - blues for Greeny... if you can find this recording take it and you will hear all the best songs by Green, but you should find the originals also...

As for your story about musicians background in family and that stuff, I think it is real richness in the feeling and love for that music you got from there, if not real fortune and money (I am often disgusted by looking at fast accumulated fortunes of some new generation musicians with their Hollywood houses and car collections...there are even some Seattle guitar bands among them)...
My love for the guitar was not driven by family background (except that my favorite uncle had a bass and played in the time of my growing up, but he never had learned me anything about playing)...
At the age of 14 I discovered the blues, I felt in love with E.C., Fleetwood Mac and Dire Straits... In next couple of years I was very persistent to learn to play such music... Of course it was far from easy... it took me about 3-4 years to get near... then I discovered S.R.V. and realized that some of those heights I will never reach...
But I am happy to say that in my time I was really good in blues guitar... I wish that I can send you some of the recordings I did back then... Now I play only at my home on acoustic guitar, sort of old blues mixture... But I plan to buy new Strat this year and small amplifier, one old Fender if I can find it...