Jimi single-handedly invented rock guitar playing. There's STILL nobody better.
I love Hendrix, but you're off base.
Chuck Berry deserves credit as the pioneer of rock guitar. His fusion of jazz and blues with country is the foundation that all lead riffs were based on - up to the metal era. Hendrix was brilliant, but said himself that he was influenced by (and idolized) Clapton.
I agree. By his own admission he was he also influenced by old blues players like T-Bone Walker.
There are actually several guitarists who have eclipsed Hendrix and are or were more technically proficient pure players of the instrument. Personally, I think Hendrix was the greatest visionary in terms of "the sound" of the instrument. He was probably the pioneer in pushing the boundaries of using feedback, the "wah wah" pedal, flangers etc. He had an imagination of all kinds of different sounds and was able to bring some of them to fruition. Had he lived, he might have done a lot more.