Vivian Campbell

" Vivian Campbell"

Campbell began playing guitar at the age of 12 and It was rumoured that he lasted in school until the age of 16 when he was expelled from Rathmore Grammar School. However, the records show that he left of his own accord and was never expelled. He then went on to dedicate to his musical career joining several bands during the time. He has played for Sweet Savage, Dio, Trinity, Whitesnake, Riverdogs, and Shadow King. He also played on Lou Gramm's (from Foreigner) second solo album Long Hard Look.
Campbell currently resides in Southern California where, as of April 24, 2007, he is a neighbour of Danny Bonaduce with his wife Julie and their two daughters, Lily Rose and Una Marigold. He also plays football (soccer) regularly with Hollywood United F.C The team is composed mostly of celebrities and former professional footballers.
In 1992, Campbell joined rock band Def Leppard, after the release of their Adrenalize album. He replaced Steve Clark, who died on January 8, 1991. According to fellow guitarist Phil Collen, Campbell was able to lock right into the position very naturally by simply being himself. Campbell made his debut with the band by playing a show in a Dublin club to approximately 600 people. A week later, April 20, 1992, the band took the stage at the Freddie Mercury Concert for Life, with their new guitarist. They performed, "Animal," "Let's Get Rocked," and the Queen classic, "Now I'm Here", with Brian May.
He has spent the last 15 years with the band.
Aside from his work with Def Leppard, Campbell has played on the side with Clock and Riverdogs. In 1989, he was a member of Lou Gramm's short-lived Shadow King. In 2005, he also released a solo album called Two Sides Of If, which features cover versions of his favourite blues tunes and one original blues song. It features Z.Z. Top's Billy Gibbons guest appearing on the songs "Like It This Way" and "Willin' For Satisfaction", and Joan Osborne guest appearing on the song "Spoonful". The album also features drummer Terry Bozzio.
Campbell plays Gibson guitars and was instrumental in designing the Kramer Nightswan electric guitar (owned by a private collector)along side famed guitar builder Buddy Blaze in the 80's. As of 2007, it is rumored that Vivian is once again working with Buddy Blaze on a new guitar.

Darren Housholder

" Darren Housholder "

The last of three recordings guitar-instrumentalist Darren Housholder released on Shrapnel Records, Symphonic Aggression is the musician's most accomplished record. Improved production and a more developed rhythmic concept elevate this 1995 release above Housholder's earlier efforts. The clean guitar funk and jazz explorations falter, but the Berklee Music graduate's fluid rock soloing -- the heart of all three Housholder releases -- are his best ever. Guitar enthusiasts will enjoy the much improved Strat guitar tones and bassist Ricky Wolking's killer performances. As the title suggests, Symphonic Aggression is Housholder and his band's (Wolking and drummer Ray Lozier) most classically influenced disc. Sounding occasionally like classical metal's most heroic guitarist, Yngwie Malmsteen, Housholder performs blistering solos over Bach- and Chopin-inspired key modulations. The classical dramatics hold up through the first half of the record before the disc shifts into the more conventional rock feel used in Housholder's first two releases. Even when Symphonic Aggression loses its neo-classical momentum, Lozier and Wolking give the arrangements energy and depth. The rhythm section's full tones and interesting polyrhythms provide a welcome dynamic to the standard shredder material. Housholder's solo work typifies a genre of music made by (and for) the most technically inclined rock musicians. Fans of this complicated, sometimes difficult music will enjoy

Symphonic Aggression; clearly the guitarist's most impressive record to date.

Darren Housholder is an excellent guitarist and a graduate of Berklee School of Music. He also was a faculty member of Berklee teaching Modern Rock Guitar. He clearly knows his jazz licks but these albums definitely rock. Housholder covers the gamut of techniques and styles. Guitar magazine called Darren a "thoroughly modern player with sass, sparks and control."

Symphonic Aggression, his most recent, is a blend of neoclassical stylings with a no holds barred heavy rock feel. Many of the songs contain wild shifts in speed and rhythm and it is definitely his heaviest.

Generator Man has several good songs, but sometimes suffers from the home studio sound and the use of drum machines. A good mix of heavier songs and feel-good boogies.
Darren Housholder, his self-titled debut, is his best release. It is the best produced, has a good band sound and lots of good rock boogies with other influences creatively integrated. Some jazzy influences are worked in and the songs are well arranged. The use of a clean guitar sound in many songs adds to the texture. His soloing is excellent with great use of legato phrases and vibrato.

Alex Skolnick

" Alex Skolnick "

Alex Skolnick (born September 29, 1968, grew up in Berkeley, California) is an American jazz and rock guitarist. He is a member of the thrash metal band Testament, formed in San

Francisco in 1983. Skolnick left the band in 1992 — returning briefly to re-record some old material for the band's First Strike is Still Deadly release as well as the "Thrash of the Titans" all-star performance in 2001. He joined the band Savatage for the recording of Handful of Rain, as well as its follow-up live album and home video release Japan Live '94. He has also recorded and briefly toured with the Stu Hamm band, and played with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. In 2004, Skolnick made a guest appearance on Lamb of God's Ashes of the Wake album. Alex recorded a solo for the instrumental track bearing the same name as the album.
After leaving Savatage, Skolnick fronted several projects in the Bay Area during the mid to late 1990s, such as Exhibit-A and Skol-Patrol (a funk band exclusively dedicated to cop-show themes, both covered and original, featuring Michael Manring). He also recorded two albums with Attention Deficit, a 3-piece featuring Tim Alexander from Primus as well as Manring. Recently Skolnick relocated to New York City and began devoting all of his energies to jazz, enrolling in the jazz program at The New School. Most recently, he has been touring and recording with the Alex Skolnick Trio, a jazz group known for playing rousing bebop renditions of classic rock and heavy metal tunes.
In the spring of 2005, Skolnick and the rest of the classic Testament lineup reunited for a short European tour (10 Days of May Tour), with some American dates appended on. The tour was successful and a CD/DVD release was put together from the May 08, 2005 London show. The band has continued touring with this lineup and there are plans for a new album.
In October 2007, the Alex Skolnick Trio were support act to Rodrigo y Gabriela on the US East Coast. Alex is currently touring with Trans-Siberian Orchestra on the Winter 2007 Tour.
Alex now usually plays Heritage Guitar electric and hollow-bodied models. In his early years with Testament he endorsed Ibanez guitars and mainly played the 540 PII model. Contrary to popular belief, the 540 PII was not his signature model.
He also briefly played guitar for Ozzy Osbourne's backing band in 1995.

Steve Lukather

" Steve Lukather "

Steve "Luke" Lukather (born October 21, 1957) is an American Gramm Award winning guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger, and record producer best known for his work with the rock band Toto. Lukather has also released several solo albums and, as a studio session guitarist, has arranged, composed, and recorded on over 800 number one albums. While his work with Toto is predominantly based on pop rock music, Lukather's solo work spans many genres including rock, prog, jazz and funk.
Notable session keyboardist David Paich and session drummer Jeff Porcaro asked Lukather to join in forming their band, Toto, in 1976 when Lukather was nineteen years old. He has been a member of Toto ever since. Lukather's talent at guitar playing and his association with Paich and Porcaro, already established session musicians, allowed him to obtain a great deal of session work in the 1970s and 1980s. He is a prolific songwriter, writing or co-writing many songs for Toto and other artists. His career to present has seen hundreds of performances and album appearances with Toto and other famous musicians. Lukather suffers from tinnitus, which developed in the early 1980s. "Yes I have tinnitus, what a drag. I wear earplugs now 'cause of it. I found that it was all the years wearing headphones that did me in more than live playing. I used to have the real expensive plugs, but I found some 2 dollar ones that work just as good and you don't feel bad losing them... My hearing is damaged though. I always have to say "WHAT???", hahaha. Be careful guys, this could happen to you!"

Lukather was born Steven Lee Lukather on October 21, 1957 in San Fernando Valley, California. He started out playing keyboards and drums and then taught himself how to play the guitar starting at age seven when his father bought him a Kay acoustic guitar and a copy of TheBeatles album Meet the Beatles. Lukather indicates that the album "changed his life" and that he was greatly influenced by the guitar playing of George Harrison in particular.
In high school, Lukather met David Paich and the Porcaro brothers (Jeff, Steve, and Mike), all of whom would be eventual members of Toto. Lukather, who had been a self-taught musician thus far, began taking guitar lessons from a musician named Jimmy Wyble who expanded Lukather's knowledge of different aspects of music like orchestration. It was during this period that Lukather became interested in the idea of being a session musician with its opportunities to play with a variety of famous musicians.
Jeff Porcaro, who was playing drums with Steely Dan, became a mentor to Lukather and furthered his interest in session work. After Lukather completed some successful album and tour work with Boz Scaggs, Paich and Porcaro asked Lukather to join them in forming Toto in 1976 along with Bobby Kimball, David Hungate, and Steve Porcaro.

Lukather came about after Toto had been recording and playing for eleven years and the band consensus was to take a break. Since Lukather had a number of songs written that did not appear on Toto albums, he decided to pursue a solo album. His intention was to present a dimension of his musical work that fans would not be familiar with, and he collaborated with many notable musicians. Among the people involved in Lukather were Eddie Van Halen, Richard Marx, Jan Hammer, and fellow Toto members Jeff Porcaro and David Paich. Lukather has stated that the album is produced in a very simple manner and that one can hear a lot of ambient studio noise such as counting off on various tracks. He also credits bands Pink Floyd, Cream, Led Zeppelin, and guitarists Jimi Hendrix, David Gilmour, Jeff Beck, and Eric Clapton as influences on the album. The single "Swear Your Love" came from the album.

Rusty Cooley

" Rusty Cooley "

Rusty received his first equipment (a Peavey T27 guitar and a Peavey Decade amp) on his fifteenth birthday. From that day on Cooley immersed himself in music, practicing upwards of four hours a day. Rusty took guitar lessons for a while but became dissatisfied with local guitar instructors and decided to become self-taught. He relied on instructional books and videos like Doug Mark's Metal Method.
After only three years of playing he became a guitar teacher at the music store where he had purchased his first guitar.
After high school Rusty went to the local college and studied Music Theory.
Rusty joined Revolution in 1989 and stayed with them until 1993. During his time with Revolution they became a well-known band in Houston, even opening for bands such as Nitro, Badlands, South Gang, and Every Mother's Nightmare.
Rusty formed a short-lived band called Dominion after he left Revolution. The band broke up in 1995. During this time Rusty won the Guitar Master Series and was named "Best Guitarist" in Houston.

Rusty was unsatisfied with local musicians and began to work on solo music in early 1996. He also began playing 7-string guitars exclusively at this time. His debut solo album Rusty Cooley was released in 2003 on Lion Music.

Rusty is a member of Outworld, which he formed in 1997. Outworld released its debut album on November 13th, 2006.

Rusty has been a guitar instructor since his third year of playing. He has also released five instructional products, done lessons for magazines (such as his Metal Guru column) and posted many lessons on sites such as Shredaholic. In addition, he has taught for the National Guitar Workshop three times (1996, 1997, 1998) and done many clinics. One of his students was Mica Roth former member of Hybreed.

Currently Rusty is endorsed by Dean Guitars, EMG Pickups, Morley pedals, GHS strings, VHT, Rocktron, Eventide and Maxon.
He was previously endorsed by Jackson Guitars and, more recently, Ibanez Guitars.
His Signature Dean Model was released at NAMM in early 2007.

Jennifer Batten

" Jennifer Batten "

Jennifer Batten is a guitarist who first received word-of-mouth attention that eventually led guitar magazines to take notice of her highly original approach to the electric guitar. On Guitar Player Monthly's premier compilation CD, John Stix wrote, "It was Jennifer's version of John Coltrane's "Giant Steps" that was considered by her peers the "scariest and most requested cut on the disc."
At one point Batten was in six different bands playing many genres including rock, metal, fusion and funk. She was selected from over 100 guitarists to play in Michael Jackson's band on his one and a half year world tour. She played for a total of 4.5 million people on Jackson's first solo tour, the Bad Tour. In the following years she joined Michael on his "Dangerous Tour" as well as 1997's "HIStory Tour", traveling to such countries as South Africa and India. She also joined him in Super Bowl XXVII's half time entertainment which aired to the largest audience in television history (1.5 billion).
Following 1989's "Bad Tour" grand finale, she started work on her debut album with renowned producer (ex-Stevie Wonder guitarist) Michael Sembello (Sembello also wrote and performed the hit song "Maniac", which was featured in the soundtrack for the film Flashdance). The results can be heard on "Above, Below, and Beyond". Her second solo record, "Jennifer Batten's Tribal Rage", was released in 1997 and is heavily influenced by world music. It sounds like a rich and moody travelogue through many cultures. In 1998 Jeff Beck asked Jennifer to join his band. She spent three years recording and touring in support of his albums Who Else!, and You Had It Coming. Tour dates included many dates with Sting.
Guest recordings include: Jeff Beck's "Who Else" and "You Had It Coming", Carmine Appice's "Guitar Zeus" (featuring Brian May), Michael Sembellos' "Heavy Weather" , Carl Anderson's "Sunlight Again", Cindy Cruz's debut, Public Image bassist Bret Helm's "Doc Tahri" and the debut of The Immigrants. Music video appearances include Jeff Beck, Michael Jackson, Natalie Cole and Sara Hickman. She was also featured in "Hot Guitarist's" video magazine.Between 1994 and 1999 she also joined for a few eurobeat songs to Dave Rodgers and Domino; "Sun City", "Music For the People", "Fly" and "Woa Woa Woa" feature her guitars. However, though uncredited, her writing and performing skills appear in several other songs under the A-Beat C label. Live Eurobeat appearances are limited to playing at the Tokyo Dome with Dave Rodgers and Queen of Hearts.
She's also authored two music books. Her third solo album, Whatever., was released in Japan in September 2007 and will be available in the U.S. soon.

Reb Beach

" Reb Beach "

Reb Beach (born Richard Earl Beach, Jr. in Pittsburgh, PA on August 31, 1963) is an American rock guitarist. He is a member of the bands Winger and Whitesnake. Ibanez guitars produced his signature RBM models (stands for Reb Beach Model) in early 90s. On the 2005 Whitesnake reunion tour, he primarily used custom models by luthier John Suhr.

Reb Beach has played in the bands Winger, Dokken and Whitesnake. He has also played in Fiona and Alice Cooper's backing bands as well as having done numerous sessions as a studio musician. Beach is best known for his work in the melodic rock band Winger in the late 80's to mid 90's. Winger recorded and toured in support of three albums, Winger (1988), In the Heart of the Young (1990) and Pull (1993). The band also released a number of hit singles, including "Seventeen", "Headed for a Heartbreak" and "Miles Away".
After Winger disbanded in the mid 90's, Beach first joined Alice Cooper's band and later replaced George Lynch in heavy metal band Dokken. With Dokken he recorded one studio album titled Erase The Slate and a live DVD titled Live From The Sun.
After leaving Dokken, Beach has been a part of several different recording and touring projects. In addition to sporadic touring with Winger, he released a solo effort entitled Masquerade in 2002. Since 2003 has been a member David Coverdale's current incarnation of Whitesnake; A "supergroup" project called The Mob with King's X frontman Doug Pinnick and Night Ranger drummer Kelly Keagy, resulted in a single self-titled album, released in 2005.
A reformed Winger released their first studio recording in over a decade, IV in 2006. 2007 has seen Beach continue his journeyman ways, touring with both Winger and Whitesnake. Most recently, he has replaced Jeff Watson in Night Ranger for a series of dates in Japan and the US.

Steve Morse

" Steve Morse "

Steve Morse (born July 28, 1954 in Hamilton, Ohio) is an American guitarist, best known as the guitarist for the Dixie Dregs and the current guitar player in Deep Purple.
Morse's career has encompassed rock, country, funk, jazz, classical, and fusions of these musical genres. In addition to a thriving solo career, he enjoyed a brief stint with Kansas. Morse has been a member of Deep Purple since 1994.

Morse's father was a minister and his mother a classically trained pianist; both were also psychologists. The family moved to Tennessee, then Ypsilanti, Michigan, where Morse spent his childhood. Although familiar with piano and clarinet, Morse ultimately became interested in guitar.
Morse worked briefly with his brother Dave in a band called The Plague until the family moved to Augusta, Georgia. In the late 60s, he played in a band called Three with his older brother. Enrolled in the Academy of Richmond County, he met bassist Andy West and, together, they formed the nucleus of the Dixie Grit, adding keyboardist Johnny Carr, guitarist and vocalist Frank Brittingham with Dave Morse drumming. However, this effort was short lived, since covering Led Zeppelin, Cream and the like limited their ability to get higher-paying jobs at local dance halls.
West and Morse continued to play as a duet billed as the Dixie Dregs until Morse's expulsion from school in the 10th grade (for refusing to cut his hair) enabled his enrollment at the esteemed University of Miami School of Music.
During the 1970s, the University of Miami played host to a number of future influential musicians, including Bruce Hornsby, Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius and others. Andy West also enrolled at the University of Miami and, with Morse, drummer Bart Yarnall, keyboardist Frank Josephs and violinist Allen Sloan, collaborated in a lab project entitled Rock Ensemble II. Rehearsing and performing Morse's compositions at the University of Miami brought some attention to his credibility as a composer and player. The group compiled a recording used for promotional efforts in 1975. This recording was eventually released as The Great Spectacular in 1997.

Zakk Wylde

" Zakk Wylde "

Zakk Wylde (born Jeffrey Phillip Wiedlandt on January 14, 1967 in Bayonne, New Jersey) is a lead guitarist, pianist, singer and songwriter, best known for his role as founder of Black Label Society and guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne. Wylde was lead guitarist and vocalist in Pride & Glory, who released one self-titled album in 1994 before disbanding. As a solo artist he released the critically acclaimed Book of Shadows in 1996.

Wylde started playing the guitar at the age of 15 and worked at Silverton Music in Silverton, New Jersey. He grew up in Jackson, New Jersey, and went to Jackson Memorial High School there, where he graduated in 1985. Wylde has stated that he would practice playing the guitar as much as 12 hours per day and often would play the guitar almost non-stop between coming home from school and leaving for school the next morning, then sleeping through the school day. Growing up, Wylde played locally with his first band, "Stone Henge", then later with local Jersey band "Zyris". He was taught by neo classical guitarist Sean Roche. Years later, the then unknown 19 year-old Wylde landed the coveted role as lead guitarist and co-writer for Ozzy Osbourne. He sent Ozzy a demo tape in 1987 and was hired to replace Jake E. Lee. Jake E. Lee had replaced the deceased Randy Rhoads, an idol of Wylde's, for whom he even built a shrine.
Wylde's then-girlfriend (now wife) Barbaranne heard Ozzy was looking for a new guitarist on the Howard Stern radio show. While playing at a local gig, a photographer (Mark Weiss) spoke to Wylde urging him to audition for Ozzy, and offered to send a press kit along to Osbourne; Wylde, who at the time was working at a local Getty gas station, decided he had nothing to lose. Ozzy dismissed the tape among thousands of others as "just another Randy Rhoads clone". But a couple of weeks later, Randy Castillo, Ozzy's drummer at the time told him he'd found a great guitarist from New Jersey. Wylde recalled how he received a phone call from Sharon Osbourne (thinking it was one of his friends' mother) telling him there was a ticket for him to fly out and audition for Ozzy. Wylde has said that he was hired on the spot before even playing, while he was still tuning his guitar. The truth of this is unknown as Wylde is known for joking with interviewers. The first material he released with Osbourne was No Rest for the Wicked in 1988.
Zakk Wylde's guitar-playing style is characterized by his use of pinch harmonics and wide/aggressive vibrato. His guitar soloing technique is usually characterized by use of the minor pentatonic scale, playing rapid box-pattern licks using strict alternate-picking, creating a very distinctive, choppy style of playing. Another notable feature of Wylde's playing is his liberal use of "chicken pickin' ," a technique which is usually associated with country music, and which is (comparatively) rarely seen in heavy metal; a technique he has stated as being picked up from watching Albert Lee.
He is known for his use of Gibson Les Paul Custom model guitars with a unique "bulls-eye" graphic on them, a design he used to deliberately differentiate himself visually from Randy Rhoads - who was also frequently identified by his white Les Paul Custom. Interestingly, one of Wylde's favorite stage guitars of late is a replica of Rhoads' Flying V. The "bulls-eye" paint job was originally supposed to look like the spiral from the movie Vertigo, but when it came back incorrect from the luthier, he liked the result and stuck with it.
Wylde's signature Les Paul's include, a red and flame-maple bulls-eye model, a black and antique-white bulls-eye model, an orange "buzz-saw" model, which Zakk got the pattern off a zippo lighter, and a "camo" bulls-eye model with mother of pearl neck inlays and a green camouflage paint scheme. His original bulls-eye Les Paul was bought from a regular store front and is christened "The Grail". It was lost to Wylde for some time when it fell off the truck as he was coming back from a gig in Texas. Rewards were posted to anyone that had information about the guitar - it holds sentimental value to him since it was a graduation gift from his parents.
Wylde and The Grail were only reunited years later, after a fan bought it at a pawn shop and realized he may very well have the missing guitar after checking the initials "Z.W." on its back and the serial number marked on the headstock. He then contacted Wylde's former webmaster Randy Canis to arrange its return.
Ozzy has always left the option open to his band members to leave if they wish, but Wylde has stayed faithfully by Ozzy's side ever since he was a teenager.
Wylde has stated that he has no respect for musicians who release material "not true to themselves". Randy Rhoads is probably the biggest influence.
On January 17, 2006, Zakk Wylde was immortalized at the Hollywood Rock Walk of Fame located at 7425 Sunset Blvd, featuring his hand prints and signature, in recognition to his successful career as a musician and contribution to music industry. The event was open to the public and many rock celebrities were present, including Osbourne.
Ozzy Osbourne was auditioning new guitarists for future material in 2005/2006 but announced Wylde as the official guitarist for his new album as a follow-up to his last studio release, "Down To Earth".
Black Label Society's new album, "Shot To Hell", was released on September 11th (UK), 12th (US) through Roadrunner records with production by Michael Beinhorn (Soundgarden, Ozzy Osbourne, Red Hot Chili Peppers). Black Label Society headlined the 2nd stage at the 2006 Ozzfest, with Wylde playing double duty with Ozzy on certain dates. Ozzy's new album, Black Rain, was released in May 2007. Zakk is currently working a new film called The Berserkers, with Zakk taking on responsibilities for script and production.

Eric Johnson

" Eric Johnson "

Eric Johnson (born August 17, 1954) is a guitarist and recording artist from Austin, Texas. Best known for his success in the instrumental rock format, Johnson regularly incorporates jazz, fusion, New Age, and country and western elements into his recordings.
Guitar Player magazine calls Johnson "One of the most respected guitar virtuosos on the planet". Johnson composes and plays not just instrumental songs, but also sings and plays piano. Widely recognized for his guitar skills, Johnson's stylistic diversity and technical proficiency have drawn praise from Carlos Santana, Allan Holdsworth, Larry Carlton, Steve Morse, Billy Gibbons, Johnny Winter, Jeff Baxter, Prince, B.B. King, Joe Satriani and the late Stevie Ray Vaughan. His critically-acclaimed, platinum selling 1990 recording Ah Via Musicom produced the single "Cliffs of Dover", for which Johnson won the 1991 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

Johnson's talent developed at an early age. Born into a musically inclined family, he and his three sisters studied piano, his brother started his own band in his teens; his father (an Austin physician) was a singing enthusiast. At age 11, Johnson took up the guitar and progressed rapidly through the music of his influences: Eric Clapton, Chet Atkins, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Wes Montgomery, Jerry Reed, Bob Dylan, and Django Reinhardt, among others. His first professional experience came as a member of the psychedelic rock band Mariani at just 15 years of age. In 1968, Johnson recorded a demo tape with the group which saw extremely limited release; years later the recording would become a prized collector's item.
After graduating from Holy Cross High School, Johnson briefly attended the University of Texas at Austin and traveled with his family to Africa. He eventually returned to Austin, and in 1974 joined the local fusion group Electromagnets. The group toured and recorded regionally, but failed to attract attention from major record labels and disbanded in 1977. However, the strength of Johnson's playing attracted a small cult following to the group's early recordings, and decades later their two albums were given wide release on compact disc.
Following the demise of the Electromagnets, Johnson formed a touring trio, the Eric Johnson Group, with drummer Bill Maddox and bassist Kyle Brock. They played to respectable audiences on the Austin music scene, and in 1978 recorded a full length album entitled Seven Worlds. Although the album showcased Johnson's considerable playing ability, a combination of contract disputes, financial wrangling, and mismanagement held up the album's release – and Johnson's career – for several years. True to form, Seven Worlds was released two full decades later in 1998 on Ark21 Records after Johnson secured the rights to the master recordings
Unable to secure a new management contract, Johnson nonetheless continued to build his professional reputation by working as a session guitarist for nationally known and regional acts, appearing on recordings by Cat Stevens, Carole King, and Christopher Cross among others. All the while, he continued to toil on the local scene, thrilling audiences with his flashy-yet tasteful-electric guitar playing. His career rebounded in when pop superstar Prince caught one of Johnson's performances on the public television program Austin City Limits. Despite the story of Johnson being signed to Warner Brothers courtesy of Prince, it was singer Christopher Cross and producer David Tickle who recommended Johnson to be signed to the label. 1986 saw the release of Johnson's major-label debut, Tones with Tickle as co-producer.Johnson's May 1986 Guitar Player magazine cover story "Who Is Eric Johnson and Why Is He On Our Cover" was a successful risky bold move that helped promote the release of Tones which brought Johnson considerable praise, if not widespread commercial success, and raised his profile in the guitar and music community. Despite the track "Zap" being nominated for the 1987 Best Rock Instrumental Performance Grammy Award, the album did not sell well, and soon after Warner Bros. let Johnson's contract expire. He signed on with indie label Cinema Records which was distributed by Capitol Records.
By the time Johnson released his Capitol Records debut Ah Via Musicom in 1990, he was a bona fide "guitar hero," regularly winning awards for his musicianship in the guitar press. During this period, Johnson was also drawing recognition for the rich, violin-like tone he coaxed from his vintage Fender Stratocaster. The album's second cut, "Cliffs of Dover", exemplified his unique sound and won Johnson a 1991 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. Ah Via Musicom was a crossover hit, and was soon certified platinum. A 5.1 DVD Audio version of Ah Via Musicom was released in 2002 from Capitol Records without Johnson's input, but was soon dropped. Johnson apologized to fans on his website for the DVD Audio release.
Johnson is an admitted perfectionist, and those traits seemed to work against Ah Via Musicom's follow-up release. Unhappy with his recordings, Johnson mastered—then subsequently scrapped—several completed tracks for the new album and delayed its release for a period of six years. In actuality it took three years to complete the album as Johnson toured for three years supporting Ah Via Musicom, and dealing with setbacks involving musical growth, and personal issues while recording his next album Venus Isle.
When Venus Isle was finally released on September 3, 1996, it received mixed reviews and did not match the success of its predecessor. The album at this time has sold 250,000 units and Johnson was dropped from Capitol Records soon after that. It was a unique album with world influences in which it demonstrated Eric Johnson's growth as a guitarist, songwriter, producer, arranger, and vocalist. The Venus Isle title track showcased the talents of musician AmitChatterjee.
A successful month long tour from October to November 1996 with fellow guitarists Joe Satriani and Steve Vai named the G3 (tour), resulted in a successful platinum selling compact disc and DVD titled G3: Live in Concert.
In 1998, Eric Johnson was among the judges in Musician magazine's Best Unsigned Bands competition, along with Ani DiFranco, Moby, Art Alexakis of Everclear, Keb' Mo', and Joe Perry of Aerosmith.
In 1994, Johnson had formed a side project called Alien Love Child and played shows sporadically while Johnson was recording Venus Isle. The positive fan feedback from the shows made Alien Love Child a permanent gig where a live performance recording, Live And Beyond,was finally released in 2000 on Steve Vai's Favored Nations label, showcasing new songs. The Alien Love Child project helped free Johnson's perfectionism involving recording music and obsessive tinkering with guitar equipment gear.Johnson eventually returned to the recording studio, releasing Souvenir, an Internet release, in January 2002 on his own Vortexan Records. The album received nearly 65,000 plays in the first 7 weeks it was made available on mp3.com.Johnson promoted Souvenir with an electric tour in 2003 and an acoustic tour in 2004.
In 2004, Eric Johnson was invited by Eric Clapton to perform at Clapton's successful Crossroads Guitar Festival. According to Johnson, he was scheduled to perform onstage with Clapton, but the opportunity fell through.
Johnson's next studio album Bloom was released in June 2005 also on Steve Vai's Favored Nations label. The album was divided into three sections based on vibe of songs that showcased Johnson's musical versatality. His December 1988 Austin City Limits performance was released on both DVD and compact disc on New West Records in November 2005.
In January 2006, an individual named Brian Sparks was arrested for posing as Johnson by bilking businesses out of about $18,000 worth of guitars and equipment. Also in 2006, Johnson's guitars that were stolen 24 years ago, were recovered.
In September 2006, Eric Johnson took part in a theatrical production titled "Primal Twang: The Legacy of the Guitar" - the first definitive theatrical journey through the guitar’s colorful and surprisingly controversial 3500-year history, filmed by the Adams Entertainment Group. In September 2007, Johnson took part in a second theatrical production by Adams Entertainment titled "Love In: A Musical Celebration" in which he performed a Jimi Hendrix set which paid tribute to the year 1967 "The Summer Of Love". Also in late 2006 Johnson also took part in a second G3 (tour) in South America with Joe Satriani and John Petrucci.
Johnson's current projects did include an all-acoustic project and a live video from his 2006 Tour with Joe Satriani. However these have been shelved, as Johnson is cutting a new studio album at this time.
His hit single "Cliffs of Dover" appears in the game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.

Yngwie Malmsteen

" Yngwie Malmsteen "



Yngwie Johann Malmsteen (pronounced /ˈɪŋveɪ ˈmɑːlmstiːn/ in English) (born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck on June 30, 1963 in Stockholm, Sweden) is a Swedish guitarist, composer and bandleader. Widely recognised for his expert guitar skills, Malmsteen achieved widespread acclaim in the 1980s for his technical fluency and his use of the shred guitar technique, and neo-classical metal genre.



Early life


Malmsteen was born on June 30, 1963 into a musically talented family in Stockholm, Sweden. Malmsteen was the youngest child in the family. On September 18, 1970, at age seven, he saw a television news broadcast reporting on the death of Jimi Hendrix which caused him to become obsessed with the guitar. The news segment showed only a clip of Jimi Hendrix burning his guitar, but no actual songs. To quote his official website, "The day Jimi Hendrix died, the guitar-playing Malmsteen was born".
At the age of 10 he took his mother's maiden name Malmsteen as his surname, and Anglicised his given name Yngve to "Yngwie".
Malmsteen was a teenager when he first encountered the music of the 19th century violin virtuoso Niccolò Paganini, whom he cites as his biggest classical music influence. Through his emulation of Paganini concerto pieces on guitar, Malmsteen developed a prodigious technical fluency. Malmsteen also cites Jimi Hendrix, Brian May of Queen, Steve Hackett of Genesis, Uli Jon Roth, and Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple as influences. His nickname at the time in Stockholm was 'Ritchie Blackmore'.
Malmsteen broke new ground and contributed to the evolution of modern rock guitar, particularly with his embracing of modal progressions and classically-influenced techniques that are less common in rock music. He is often credited, along with Randy Rhoads, with increasing the popularity of the neoclassical heavy metal genre and inspiring a new generation of electric guitarists including Paul Gilbert, Michael Romeo, Jason Becker, Chris Impellitteri, and Tony MacAlpine.



1980s


In late 1982 Malmsteen was brought to the U.S. by Mike Varney of Shrapnel Records, who had heard a demo tape of Malmsteen's playing. He had brief engagements with Steeler, for their self-titled album of 1983, then Alcatrazz, for their 1983 debut No Parole From Rock N' Roll, and the 1984 live album Live Sentence. Malmsteen released his first solo album Rising Force in 1984, which featured Barrie Barlow of Jethro Tull on drums. His album was really meant to be an instrumental side-project of Alcatrazz, but it contained vocals, and Malmsteen left Alcatrazz soon after the release of Rising Force. It was a success; it was the winner of Guitar Player Magazine's Best Rock Album and was also nominated for a Grammy for 'Best Rock Instrumental', achieving #60 on the Billboard album chart. Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force (as his band was thereafter known) next released Marching Out (1985). Jeff Scott Soto filled vocal duties on these initial albums.
His third album, Trilogy, featuring the vocals of Mark Boals, was released in 1986. In 1987, yet another singer, former Rainbow vocalist Joe Lynn Turner joined his band. That year, Malmsteen was in a serious car accident, smashing his Jaguar XKE into a tree and putting him in a coma for a week. Nerve damage to his right hand was reported. In a tragic twist of fate, during his time in the hospital, Malmsteen's mother died from cancer.
In the summer of 1988 he released his fourth album, Odyssey. Odyssey would be his biggest hit album, mainly because of its first single "Heaven Tonight". Shows in Russia during the Odyssey tour were recorded, and released in 1989 as his fifth album Trial By Fire: Live in Leningrad. The concert in Leningrad was the largest ever by a western artist in the Soviet Union.[citation needed]
In late 1988, Malmsteen's signature Fender Stratocaster guitar was released, making him and Eric Clapton the first artists to be honoured by Fender.
Malmsteen's "Neo-classical" style of metal became moderately popular during the mid 1980s, with notable contemporaries such as Jason Becker, Paul Gilbert, Marty Friedman, Tony MacAlpine and Vinnie Moore all reaching prominence following Malmsteen. Of that group only Paul Gilbert and Jason Becker claimed Malmsteen as an influence.[citation needed] MacAlpine coming to the neoclassical/shred field by applying his classical piano training to his guitar playing and Moore arriving at a similar style because he shared Malmsteen's major influences, Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple and Al Di Meola.



1990s


In the early 1990s Malmsteen released the albums Eclipse (1990), The Yngwie Malmsteen Collection (1991), Fire and Ice (1992) and The Seventh Sign (1994).
Despite his early success, and continuous success in Europe and Asia, by the early 1990s stylings of 1980s heavy metal had become unfashionable in the USA. It was quickly displaced by the Seattle grunge movement, where songs that showcased instrumental technical ability were largely shunned.
In the 1990s, Malmsteen continued to record and release albums under the Japanese record label Pony Canyon, and maintained a devoted following from some fans in Europe and Japan, and to a lesser extent in the USA. In 2000, he once again acquired a contract with a US record label, Spitfire, and released his 1990s catalog into the US market for the first time, including what he regards as his masterpiece, Concerto Suite for Electric Guitar and Orchestra, recorded with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in Prague.
In 1993, Malmsteen's mother-in-law, who was opposed to his engagement with her daughter, had him arrested for threatening her with a shotgun and holding her daughter against her will. The charges against Malmsteen were quickly dropped when he denied that the incident ever occurred.


2000s

After the release of War to End All Wars in 2000, singer Mark Boals left the band. Malmsteen went on tour with former Ark vocalist Jorn Lande. Due to various tensions on tour, Jorn left before the recording of Malmsteen's next album, Attack!!. He was replaced by former Rainbow vocalist Doogie White. White's vocals were well received by fans, and to date he remains a member of the band.
In 2003, Malmsteen joined Joe Satriani and Steve Vai as part of the G3 supergroup. Malmsteen made two rare guest appearances on keyboardist Derek Sherinian's albums Black Utopia (2003), and Blood of the Snake (2006) where Malmsteen is heard on the same tracks as Al Di Meola and Zakk Wylde.
Malmsteen released Unleash the Fury in 2005. As stated in an issue of "Guitar World" magazine, he titled this album after the infamous 'airline incident', which occurred in a flight to Japan for the 'Odyssey' tour. He was drunk and behaving obnoxiously, until he fell asleep and was roused by a woman pouring a jug of iced water on him. Enraged, he shouted, "You released the fucking fury!" The audio from this incident was caught on tape by a fellow band member.
He is married to April and has a son named Antonio after Antonio Vivaldi. A noted Ferrari enthusiast, he owned a black 1985 308 GTS for 18 years before selling it on eBay, and a red 1962 250 GTO. In recent years, Yngwie has given up both smoking and drinking alcohol (date: April 2007). The Malmsteen family lives in Miami, Florida.
In 2007, Malmsteen was honoured in the Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero II. Players can receive the "Yngwie Malmsteen" award by hitting 1000 or more notes in succession.
Currently, Malmsteen is working on his next studio album slated for an Autumn 2007 or an early 2008 release.

Joe Satriani

" Joe Satriani "

Joseph "Satch" Satriani (born on July 15, 1956, in Westbury, New York, U.S.) is an American guitarist and former guitar instructor. His self-released debut album, Not of This Earth in 1986, opened the way to a world of instrumental rock music in what was then a pop-dominated world.[1] Influenced heavily by Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck,[2] Satriani often incorporates a warm sound of guitar with a dominant blues and rock tone. Since 1990, he has used his own signature guitar, the Ibanez JS Series, which is widely sold in stores.[3] Satriani also has a signature series amplifier, the Peavey JSX.
In 1988, Satriani was recruited by the Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger as lead guitarist for Jagger's first solo tour.[4] Later, in 1994, Satriani was also asked to be a lead guitarist for Deep Purple, which he ultimately turned down due to contract issues.[2] Satriani has also worked with a wide range of guitarists from many styles, including Steve Vai, John Petrucci, Eric Johnson, Yngwie Malmsteen, John 5, Paul Gilbert, and Robert Fripp through the annual G3 Jam Concerts.[1]

Satriani, of Italian descent was inspired to play guitar at age 14 after learning of the death of Jimi Hendrix. He reportedly heard the news during a football training session, where he immediately confronted his coach and announced that he was quitting to become a guitarist.
In 1974, Satriani studied music with jazz guitarist Billy Bauer and with reclusive jazz pianist Lennie Tristano. The technically demanding Tristano greatly influenced Satriani's playing. Satriani also began teaching guitar, with his most notable student at the time being fellow Long Island native Steve Vai.
In 1978 Satriani moved to Berkeley, California to pursue a music career. Not long after his arrival he resumed teaching. His most notable California students included Kirk Hammett (Metallica), David Bryson (Counting Crows), Kevin Cadogan (Third Eye Blind), Larry LaLonde (Primus, Possessed), Alex Skolnick (Testament), Rick Hunolt (Exodus), Phil Kettner (Laaz Rockit), Charlie Hunter and Steve Vai.
When his friend and former student Steve Vai gained fame playing with David Lee Roth in 1986, Vai raved about Satriani in several interviews with guitar magazines. In 1987, Satriani's second album Surfing with the Alien produced popular radio hits and was the first all-instrumental release to chart so highly in many years. Satriani also toured Australia and New Zealand with Mick Jagger in support of the Rolling Stones singer's solo album. That same year, he helped produce the EP The Eyes of Horror for the death metal band Possessed.
In 1989, Satriani released the album Flying in a Blue Dream. The album sold well, particularly in Texas. It was heavily promoted by KLBJ-FM in Austin. "One Big Rush" was featured on the soundtrack to the Cameron Crowe movie Say Anything. "The Forgotten Part II" was featured on a Labatt Blue commercial in Canada in 1993. "Big Bad Moon", one of Satriani's few songs with personally sung vocals, was a minor hit in late 1989.
In 1992, Satriani released The Extremist, his most critically acclaimed and commercially successful album to date. Radio stations across the country were quick to pick up on "Summer Song", while "Cryin'", "Friends" and the title track were regional hits.
In late 1993, Satriani joined Deep Purple as a short-term replacement for departed guitarist Ritchie Blackmore during the band's Japanese tour. The concerts were such a success that Satriani was asked to join the band permanently[citation needed], but he declined, having just signed a multi-album solo deal with Sony.

In 1996, he formed G3, a concert tour featuring three instrumental rock guitarists -- originally Satriani, Vai, and Eric Johnson. The G3 tour has continued periodically since its inaugural version, where Satriani and Vai are returning members, featured with a floating third member, including among others Eric Johnson, Yngwie Malmsteen, John Petrucci, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Robert Fripp, Uli Jon Roth, Michael Schenker, Adrian Legg and Paul Gilbert.
In 1998 Satriani recorded and released Crystal Planet, which went back to a sound more reminiscent of his late '80s work. Planet was followed up with Engines of Creation, one of his more experimental works. During the subsequent tour, a pair of shows at the Fillmore in San Francisco were recorded in December 2000 and released as Live in San Francisco, a two-disc live album and DVD.
Over the next several years, Satriani regularly recorded and released new music, including Strange Beautiful Music in 2002 and Is There Love in Space? in 2004.
In 2006 Satriani recorded and released Super Colossal and Satriani Live!, another two-disc live album and DVD recorded May 3, 2006 at the Grove in Anaheim, CA.
On August 7, 2007 Epic/Legacy Recordings re-released Surfing with the Alien to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its release. This was a two-disc set that includes a remastered album and a DVD of a previously never-before-seen live show filmed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1988.[5]
Joe has a new studio album slated for release on April Fool's Day in 2008. It has been tentatively entitled 'Mysterion'.

John Petrucci

" John Petrucci "

Born
July 12, 1967 (1967-07-12) (age 40)
Genre(s)
Progressive metalInstrumental rock
Years active
1985 - present
Associatedacts
Dream TheaterLiquid Tension ExperimentExplorers ClubG3Marty FriedmanDerek SherinianJordan RudessJon Finn Group

Petrucci first played guitar at the age of eight when he noticed his sister (who was taking organ lessons at the time) was allowed to stay up past her bed time to practice. He soon dropped it when his plan failed. At age 12, he began playing again when he was invited into the band of his friend Kevin Moore, who would later become the first keyboardist of Dream Theater. Petrucci began to practice in earnest whilst exercising physically. He was a largely self-taught guitarist who developed his skills through attempts to match the skill of his idols, who included Steve Morse, Steve Howe, Steve Vai, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Al Di Meola, Alex Lifeson and Allan Holdsworth. He has jokingly referred to his guitar idols as "the Steves and the Als".[1]
Petrucci attended Berklee College of Music in Boston with childhood friend John Myung (bass), where they met future bandmate Mike Portnoy (drums). These three in addition to another childhood friend of Petrucci and Myung, Kevin Moore (Keyboards), formed the band Majesty, which would later become Dream Theater.
While Dream Theater is what Petrucci is most commonly associated with, he is also a part of the project band Liquid Tension Experiment and has appeared as a guest on several records by other artists such as the Age of Impact album by the Explorer's Club.
Petrucci has released a guitar instructional video, "Rock Discipline", which covers warm up exercises, exercises to avoid injury while playing, alternate picking, sweep picking, chords and other techniques for developing one's guitar playing. Petrucci also has a book named "Guitar World presents John Petrucci's Wild Stringdom", which was compiled from columns he wrote for Guitar World magazine, bearing that same title.
In 2001 he was invited by Joe Satriani and Steve Vai to tour with them on the popular G3 guitar tour, which exposed him to a massive number of new fans and inspired him to record a solo album. Suspended Animation was released on March 1, 2005, and made available for order from his web site. He also appeared on the 2005, 2006 and 2007 G3 tours.
Petrucci also wrote and recorded two instrumental soundtrack songs for a Sega Saturn game titled Digital Pinball: Necronomicon. Each track is roughly two minutes long and they are simply titled "Prologue" and "Epilogue". Petrucci is an avid Sega Saturn gamer, and has revealed in interviews that he never tours without one.
In 2007, John Petrucci went on G3 tour again, this time with Joe Satriani and Paul Gilbert.
Dream Theater bandmate Jordan Rudess revealed in an interview that Petrucci is a practicing Catholic.[2] Petrucci is married to Rena Sands, a guitarist in the all-female heavy metal band Meanstreak, and they have 3 children, SamiJo and Reny (who are twins), and Kiara.
John Petrucci won the "Guitarist of the Year" award recently in Total Guitar Magazine.