Profile of Joe Satriani on Famous Like Me

Joe "Satch" Satriani (born on July 15, 1956, in Westbury, New York and brought up in Carle Place, New York, USA) is an instrumental rock guitarist and teacher, and a recognized virtuoso of the rock guitar.

Biography and playing history

Satriani was inspired to play guitar at age 14, after hearing Jimi Hendrix had died (A "legend" says that the news was given to him by his football coach at the end of a training). During the 1970s, Satriani moved to Berkeley, California to pursue a music career. 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 1988, Satriani's album Surfing With the Alien (and its title track) were radio hits, the first all-instrumental release to chart so highly in many years. Satriani also toured with Mick Jagger in support of the Rolling Stones singer's solo album.

In 1989, Satriani's song "One Big Rush" (originally released on Flying in a Blue Dream) was featured on the soundtrack to Say Anything. In 1994, Satriani joined the band Deep Purple to replace guitarist Ritchie Blackmore during the band's tour. In 1996, Satriani formed G3, a concert tour featuring three instrumental rock guitarists -- originally Satriani, Steve Vai, and Eric Johnson.

Interestingly, Satriani is also credited for singing background vocals (but not playing guitar) on the 1986 debut album by Crowded House.

Technique and influence

Satriani is recognized as one of the most technically proficient guitarists in rock. He has mastered nearly every performance technique on the instrument, including two-handed tapping, sweep picking, volume swells, harmonics, and extreme whammy-bar effects. Compositionally, amongst his trademark traits are the use of pitch axis theory and Lydian mode. He is also a renowned guitar teacher, whose students have included Steve Vai, David Bryson (Counting Crows), Kirk Hammett (Metallica), Alex Skolnick (Testament), Larry LaLonde (Primus), Charlie Hunter, and Kevin Cadogan (Third Eye Blind) among others.

Satriani (like Yngwie Malmsteen, John Petrucci and other guitarists who emphasize technical command and precision in their playing) has been criticized by those who prefer simpler compositional styles. Occasionally some of his contemporaries have been known to take pot-shots at the earnest Satriani. For example, Gary Moore once said that he found Satriani's music "cerebral", saying "it leaves me cold". Although his more flamboyant student, Steve Vai, has garnered more attention, most writers and musicians respect Satriani's musicianship as well as his modest and personable demeanor.

Fans of instrumental electric guitar music widely laud him as the most lyrical and soulful of contemporary rock virtuosos, with an ear for a good tune and, more recently, an emphasis on emotion over technique. Since 1998 his albums have been, stylistically speaking, a departure from his earlier style, delving into simpler, more widely accessible genres, such as blues, rock and roll, and even techno. Nonetheless Satriani has maintained a large fan base throughout the world, buoyed on by the lasting influence of his earlier albums.

His success is notable in a genre typically unfriendly to instrumental musicians. Satriani has received 13 Grammy nominations, and he has sold more than 7 million albums worldwide. It is notable that while his fans tend to call him "Satch", other guitarists sometimes refer to him as "Saint Joe"; there are numerous t-shirts to this effect.

Satriani has endorsed Ibanez's JS Series guitars, and Peavey's JSX amplifier. Both lines were designed specifically as signature products for Satriani.

Discography

• Not of This Earth (1986)
• Surfing With the Alien (1987)
• Dreaming #11 (1988)
• Flying in a Blue Dream (1989)
• The Extremist (1992)
• Time Machine (1993)
• The Beautiful Guitar (European compilation album) (1993)
• Joe Satriani (1995)
• G3: Live in Concert (1997)
• Crystal Planet (1998)
• Engines of Creation (2000)
• Additional Creations (Bonus CD with limited "Engines of Creation") (2000)
• Live in San Francisco (Previously recorded material) (2001)
• Strange Beautiful Music (2002)
• The Electric Joe Satriani: An Anthology (2003)
• G3 Live: Rockin' in the Free World (2004)
• Is There Love in Space? (2004)

External link

• Official Website
• World's Greatest Guitarist - Joe Satriani
• Ibanez JS site

This content from Wikipedia is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Joe Satriani