Guitarists

Biography:

Berklee School of Music graduate Steve Vai broke onto the scene by playing in Frank Zappa's band as the designated "stunt guitarist" who played "impossible guitar parts" - huge compliments coming from the legendary Zappa. Vai later played for other bands, like Alcatrazz, David Lee Roth's Band, and Whitesnake.

Despite his successes in a band setting, Vai is best known for his work as a solo instrumental guitarist. His debut album Flex-Able and its feature track, The Attitude Song, caught the attention of many and cemented Vai as an instrumental guitar powerhouse. His 1990 double-platinum release, Passion and Warfare, is considered by many to be some of his best work.

In 1986, Vai appeared onscreen in the movie Crossroads as demonic guitarist Jack Butler and the climactic guitar duel against Ralph Macchio's character is legendary. The scene was called the Head Cuttin' Duel and the song later appeared on Vai's Elusive Light and Sound Vol I release. Vai's music has appeared in a number of other films as well.

Vai was been a founding member of the 1996 G3 tour started by his friend Joe Satriani and has appeared on many of the subsequent outings.

Biography:

Steve Morse is perhaps best known for being guitarist of the Dixie Dregs and more recently for his involvement with Deep Purple. Beyond these more visible roles, he has had a vibrant career as a solo instrumentalist.

While in high school in Augusta, GA, Moore formed a band called Dixie Grit with bassist Andy West. However, Dixie Grit was short-lived as Moore was suspended from high school for not cutting his hair. This turned out to be a fateful event that shaped Moore's future musical career. He enrolled at the University of Miami's School of music and was joined at the institution by his former band-mate West. While there, the two were part of a rock ensemble with drummer Rod Morgenstein - a lineup which soon morphed into the band Dixie Dregs.

[Full Biography Coming Soon.]

Biography:

Eric Johnson is a Grammy Award-winning instrumental guitarist from Austin, Texas whose style incorporates a blend of rock, jazz, fusion, and New Age. Johnson's recordings are critically-acclaimed and his musical skill is held in high regard by other professional musicians.

Johnson recorded his first solo album, 'Seven Worlds,' in the late 1970s, but it was not released until 1998 because of a management dispute. Johnson's then spent his time in the late 1970s and early 1980s doing session work with major recording stars like Christopher Cross, Cat Stevens, and Carole King - including work on Cross' Grammy Award-winning debut album. His reputation as a studio musician grew, but he would soon have a second chance at his own solo career.

[Full Biography Coming Soon.]

Biography:

Rob Balducci has played guitar for over two decades and earned a degree in music performance and theory from CW Post. He has released three instrumental guitar albums on the Favored Nations label and he has also appeared on several tribute albums. In 1990, Balducci was named by New York's best guitarist by Guitar For The Practicing Musician magazine.


Top Ten Jams:

1.	Of the Earth (A Vampire Love Story)
2.	The Color of Light
3.	Falling Water
4.	You Never Know
5.	Eve
6.	The Dance
7.	Mantra
8.	The Burning Man
9.	Ciree 3
10.	Pressure

Biography:
Growing up in Massachusetts, guitarist Gary Hoey made friends with many musicians attending Boston's renowned Berklee College of Music. The young Hoey decided that music was his calling, so he dropped out of high school to teach guitar and play local clubs. In 1988, Ozzy Osbourne was auditioning potential replacements for recently-departed guitarist Jake E. Lee and Hoey gave it a try. Although Hoey did not receive the Osbourne job, the professional exposure set the stage for a successful solo career.

In 1993, Hoey recorded his successful debut album, Animal Instinct. The album's cover of the Focus instrumental, Hocus Pocus, received considerable airplay and cemented Hoey's place at the forefront of instrumental rock. The following year, Hoey recorded soundtrack for Endless Summer II and he has recorded three successful Christmas albums. After a number of instrumental releases, Hoey released 'American Made' in 2006 which also featured his vocals. During his career, Hoey has also created music for ESPN’s Summer X Games, Disney, and The San Diego Padres.

Biography:

Toward the end of the 1970's, a young guitarist named Eddie Van Halen changed the way guitar was played. Van Halen is co-founder of the band bearing his last name and the release of the band's debut album in 1978 was like no album before it. Van Halen's powerful rhythms and scorching leads defined how electric guitar should be played during the 1980s. His innovative two-handed tapping technique was showcased in the instrumental guitar solo, Eruption.

The band Van Halen went on to great commercial success with original vocalist David Lee Roth and reached greater heights with second vocalist Sammy Hagar. Although the band was primarily oriented to songs with vocals, Eddie Van Halen's periodic instrumentals continued to demonstrate his guitar playing. Because of their commercial success and innovative sound, the band Van Halen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.

[Full Biography Coming Soon.]

Biography:
Duane Eddy was arguably the first guitar god and blazed the trail for future rock instrumentalists. The twangy guitar playing has been featured in motion pictures and television and has often been imitated. Eddy has had 15 Top 40 Hits, won a Grammy for Peter Gunn, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

[Full Biography Coming Soon.]

Biography:

Jeff Beck's storied career includes stints with the Yardbirds and session playing for Rod Stewart, Mick Jagger, and Tina Turner. Despite all that, his solo instrumental work is what he is best known for. Beck's sporadic album releases, shifting music styles and reclusive nature have hindered his commercial success. However, these seem factors seem to fuel the aura around him and he has a legion of diehard fans.

Beck is a British guitarist who began his career as a session musician in the early 1960s. In 1996, he joined the Yardbirds as a replacement for Eric Clapton. Beck shared lead guitar duties with Jimmy Page and, although his tenure with the Yardbirds was short, he recorded a number of hits with the band. Approximately 18 months after joining them, he left the Yardbirds for apparent health reasons.

Beck then formed the Jeff Beck Group with Rod Stewart on vocals and Ron Wood on bass. They recored two albums together which are considered the precursor to heavy metal. However, Stewart and Wood left to join another band and Beck was forced to recruit new musicians. Under the moniker of the Jeff Beck Group, he released two additional albums that were jazz fusion instead of the heavy rock fans knew him for. The Jeff Beck Group disbanded in 1972.

After a brief stint with Beck, Bogert & Appice, Jeff Beck released his first solo instrumental album titled Blow By Blow, which was again jazz fusion. Blow by Blow received critical acclaim and sold well. However, by the 1980s, the frequency of Beck's album releases slowed considerably and he only released one album of original solo material during the 1990's - Who Else in 1999. Beck's career once again picked up steam in the new millennium with the releases of You Had It Coming and Jeff and their respective supporting tours.

Biography:

Joe Satriani almost singlehandedly took instrumental guitar mainstream. He has earned 13 Grammy nominations and sold more than 10 million throughout his successful career. His second release, 1987's Surfing With the Alien, was the breakthrough album that catapulted him to prominence.

Satriani has occasionally delved into a traditional band setting. He toured as Mick Jagger's lead guitarist in 1998 during the first solo tour of the Rolling Stone frontman. Satriani later played in Deep Purple in 1993 and was asked to join that band permanently. Satriani declined and returned to his own successful solo career.

In 1996, Satriani formed G3, a successful concert tour featuring three instrumental rock guitarists. The original G3 lineup was Satriani, Steve Vai, and Eric Johnson. After the success of the original G3 tour, additional tours have taken place with other guitarists like Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Yngwie Malmsteen, John Petrucci, and Robert Fripp. In 2007, G3 is touring once again with the lineup of Satriani, John Petrucci, and Paul Gilbert.