His guitar instruction shaped some of rock's mightiest axemen.
About Joe Satriani
Hometown
Westbury, NY, United States
Born
July 15, 1956
Genre
Rock
Before he became famous, rock guitarist Joe Satriani earned his living as a guitar instructor, tutoring such future stars as Steve Vai, Kirk Hammett, and Primus’ Larry LaLonde.
∙ Surfing with the Alien, his 1987 breakthrough album, went Platinum in the US and established him as one of the world’s top shredders.
∙ In 1988, Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger tapped Satriani to be the guitarist on his first-ever solo tour.
∙ He’s the founder of the popular G3 tour, which over the past two-plus decades has featured such notable guitarists as Steve Vai, Eric Johnson, John Petrucci, and Robert Fripp.
∙ Chickenfoot—Satriani’s supergroup with Sammy Hagar, Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith—scored a Top 5 hit with their self-titled 2009 debut.
∙ “Always with Me, Always with You,” a track from Surfing with the Alien, was sampled for Nicki Minaj’s 2010 hit “Right Thru Me.”
∙ With sales of more than 10 million albums worldwide, Satriani is the best-selling instrumental rock guitarist of all time.