John Abercrombie (b. 1944) is a U.S. jazz guitarist. Abercrombie was born on 16th December 1944 in Port Chester, New York. He first came to prominence with fusion-oriented recordings in the 1970s. His first album, Timeless, with Jack DeJohnette, and Mahavishnu Orchestra's Jan Hammer was an international success. He is also known for his work with Stark Reality, Billy Cobham, Ralph Towner, and the Brecker Brothers.
King's X is an American hard rock / heavy metal band noted for its spiritual lyrics and sophisticated musical styles which include, but are not limited to, blues, progressive rock, grunge and psychedelic. The group traces its beginnings to 1980, when Doug Pinnick and Jerry Gaskill, who had previously met while recording and touring with Phil Keaggy and touring with the band Petra, recruited Ty Tabor to join them.
Steve Howe (born April 8, 1947 in Holloway, North London, England) is one of the most respected progressive rock guitarists in history. Renowned for his classical fingerstyle guitar, Steve Howe has been a member of Yes, Asia, GTR, Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe, Tomorrow and Bodast; he has also released many solo albums. Howe was voted "Best Overall Guitarist" in Guitar Player magazine five years in a row (1977 - 1981) and was inducted into Guitar Player's "Gallery of Greats" in 1981.
Kerry King (born June 3, 1964 in Los Angeles, California) is best known for his work as a guitarist in the band Slayer. Over the years, Kerry King's guitar style has remained the same, giving him a very distinctive sound. On earlier Slayer albums up to and including South of Heaven his playing focused more on speed and chaos than melody. However, in his post-Seasons In The Abyss work, Kerry has managed to capture more feel to his guitar work, showcasing more diverse and melodic styles.
Jeff Loomis was the lead guitarist for the ground breaking metal band Nevermore. A player of many influences and styles, Loomis is often seen as one of the world's most talented and gifted metal guitarists. In 2008, he released a solo album entitled 'Zero Order Phase' (Century Media), featuring special guest appearances by fellow guitarists Ron Jarzombek and Pat O'Brien, legendary jazz bassist Michael Manring, and OFZ producer Neil Kernon.
Born in Montenegro in 1983 and a multiple prize-winner, Milo
Steve "Luke" Lukather (born October 21, 1957 in San Fernando Valley, California) is a session musician, songwriter, arranger, producer and guitar player, best known for his work with pop/prog-rock band Toto. In addition to his work with Toto, Lukather has released several solo albums. Lukather made himself famous by being the most sought-after session guitarist in LA in the 70s and 80s. He would walk into a studio last minute and lay down perfect tracks the first time, in whatever style required.
Jan Akkerman (born 24 December 1946) is a Dutch guitarist and lutenist. In 1973 Akkerman was chosen Best Guitarist Of The World by the readers of the UK magazine Melody Maker. In the 1970s, with Thijs van Leer he formed the core of the Dutch symphonic rock band Focus. Akkerman was born in the 'de Jordaan' area of Amsterdam, the son of a scrap iron trader. At age five he took guitar lessons and, at the age of fourteen, his first single was released. He was a member of Johnny and The Cellar Rockers, The Hunters and Brainbox, and joined the Thijs van Leer Trio in late 1969.
Tony MacAlpine (born August 29, 1960 in Springfield, Massachusetts) is a guitar and keyboard virtuoso who came on to the neo classical/shred scene in the mid 80s. He later experimented with jazz rock fusion and combined it with his classical training, as can be heard on Chromaticity (2001). He has released many solo albums in his career. Some of his other projects include CAB, Planet X, Steve Vai and Ring of Fire.
Blackmore's Night is an English Renaissance-inspired medieval folk rock band led by UK guitarist Ritchie Blackmore (electric and acoustic guitars) and Candice Night (lyricist and lead vocals). The origins of the band lie in 1990 when Candice was working at a local New York rock music radio station, and as part of her work first encountered Ritchie (now ex-Deep Purple/Rainbow guitarist), then with Deep Purple, at a soccer game he was playing in. The two became romantically entwined and discovered that they shared a passionate interest in the Renaissance.