Joe Satriani

One of the most innovative and influential guitarists of the modern era, Joe Satriani first began playing at the age of 14, primarily inspired by Jimi Hendrix. Born on July 15th, 1956 in Westbury, New York to Italian parents, he studied jazz with Billy Bauer and Lennie Tristano and played with The Squares after his family moved from New York to California. He subsequently joined the Greg Kihn Band and released his first two solo instrumental albums, Not of This Earth (1986) and Surfing With the Alien (1987), partly influenced by science fiction literature. Flying in a Blue Dream (1989) was inspired by the death of his father, including “One Big Rush” which was featured in the Cameron Crow movie Say Anything. Satriani's reputation was further enhanced by 1992's The Extremist, which featured one of his most famous tracks, “Summer Song”, and led to him replacing Ritchie Blackmore in Deep Purple. In 1996, Satriani founded the touring guitar project G3, initially with Steve Vai and Eric Johnson and latterly with Yngwie Malmsteen, Robert Fripp, Michael Schenker and Uli John Roth. In the 2000s, he adopted a more experimental style for the albums Strange Beautiful Music (2002), Is There Love in Space? (2004) and Professor Satchafunkilus and the Musterion of Rock (2008). In 2008, Satriani also formed hard rock band Chickenfoot with Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony of Van Halen, along with Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers. They have had two studio albums – Chickenfoot and Chickenfoot II, released in 2009 and 2011, respectively – and have built up a loyal fanbase based on their combined former work. Satriani's 13th solo album, Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards, was released in 2010, followed three years later by Unstoppable Momentum, which topped the US Top Hard Rock Albums Chart. He released Shockwave Supernova in 2015, which was based on Satriani's alter ego who made him play the guitar with his teeth. What Happens Next arrived in 2018 with collaborations with Glenn Hughes and Chad Smith, and a follow-up entitled Shapeshifting emerged in 2020, produced by Wilco collaborator Jim Scott.