Paul Brandon Gilbert is an American

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

and heavy metal guitarist. He is the co-founder of the band Mr. Big, and was also a member of Racer X, with whom he released several albums. In 1996, Gilbert launched a solo career, for which he has released numerous solo albums, and featured in numerous collaborations and guest appearances on other musicians' albums. Gilbert was voted fourth-best on GuitarOne magazine's 2007 "Top 10 Greatest Guitar Shredders of All Time". He was also ranked in ''

Guitar World ''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists – and fans of guitar-based music and trends – that has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original art ...

's'' 2008 list, "50 Fastest Guitarists of All Time".

Shrapnel Records

Gilbert was raised mostly in the small

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

suburb of

Greensburg, Pennsylvania Greensburg is a city in and the county seat of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States, and a part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The city lies within the Laurel Highlands and the ecoregion of the Western Allegheny Plateau. The city is ...

. He began playing music at age six; by age 15, he was touring local clubs with his band (Tau Zero), and had been featured in

Guitar Player ''Guitar Player'' is an American popular magazine for guitarists, founded in 1967 in San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and politica ...

magazine (alongside fellow up-and-comer

Yngwie Malmsteen Yngwie Johan Malmsteen ( ; born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck, 30 June 1963) is a Swedish guitarist. He first became known in the 1980s for his neoclassical playing style in heavy metal, and has released 22 studio albums in a career spanning ov ...

). Around 1981, Gilbert first contacted

Mike Varney Mike Varney is an American record producer and music publisher. He is the founder of the Shrapnel Label Group, which includes Shrapnel Records, Tone Center Records, and Blues Bureau International. He also has a 50% stake in Magna Carta Recor ...

(founder of Shrapnel Records), asking for a gig with metal mega-star

Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...

. At the time, Varney couldn't think why Osbourne would want a 15-year-old guitarist; but, after listening to Gilbert's demo tape, he changed his mind. They continued talking over the next 3 years, culminating in Gilbert's 1984 cross-country move to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

to attend the

GIT Git () is a distributed version control system: tracking changes in any set of files, usually used for coordinating work among programmers collaboratively developing source code during software development. Its goals include speed, data in ...

(Guitar Institute of Technology). Even at the young age of 17, Gilbert quickly became a local legend due to his advanced and extremely fast alternate picking technique, his young age, and his massive repertoire of cover material. He was hired as a GIT instructor in 1985, and recorded Racer X's debut album '' Street Lethal'' soon after.

Racer X

Formed in

in 1985, Racer X was originally composed of Paul Gilbert (lead guitar),

Juan Alderete Juan Alderete de la Peña (born September 5, 1963) is an American musician, best known as the longtime bassist of Racer X, the Mars Volta and Marilyn Manson. Biography Alderete was born in Los Angeles, California the fourth of five children. ...

(bass guitar),

Harry Gschoesser Harald "Harry" Gschoesser (born July 25, 1961) is an Austrian entrepreneur and musician. He is the founder of the social network for musicians, Speedgig. He is also a former band drummer of Racer X, which is an American heavy metal band based ...

(drums), and Jeff Martin (vocals). They were heavily influenced by Judas Priest, and Gilbert's playing was reminiscent of

, displaying fast-driven solos with extreme-level technique. Gschoesser was replaced by

Scott Travis Mark Scott Travis (born September 6, 1961) is an American metal musician, best known as the drummer for the English heavy metal band Judas Priest, the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy and the supergroup Elegant Weapons. He was also a longtime member ...

(who would later become Judas Priest's drummer) in 1986, and Bruce Bouillet, one of Gilbert's private students at GIT, was added as a second guitarist after demonstrating an ability to harmonize Gilbert's string skipping sequences. Gilbert gained recognition as one of the world's fastest guitarists due to incredibly technical pieces like "Technical Difficulties", "Frenzy", "Scarified", "Y.R.O." and "Scit Scat Wah". Around this time, Gilbert also recorded his first instructional video, ''Intense Rock'', in which he demonstrated a number of his famous techniques and practice regimens in detail. Throughout his career he would go on to release many more instructional videos. Racer X toured the American southwest, primarily the state of

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, and would often sell out thousand-seat venues. Despite their rigorous fan base, the band did not have prospects for a major label deal and Gilbert became increasingly disinterested. In 1987, he was approached by Talas bassist

Billy Sheehan William Sheehan (born March 19, 1953) is an American musician. He is best known for playing the bass guitar with acts such as Talas, Steve Vai, David Lee Roth, Mr. Big, Niacin, and The Winery Dogs. He is also known for his "lead bass" playing ...

, one of his biggest influences, about forming a band that would eventually become Mr. Big. Gilbert left Racer X in 1988, but reformed it after the 1996 breakup of Mr. Big. Paul contacted the members of Racer X, and all agreed to return with the exception of Bruce Bouillet, who could barely play guitar at the time due to a severe bout of carpal tunnel syndrome. In mid-1999, the band recorded the album '' Technical Difficulties'', which went

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

in Japan. Racer X's new record label requested a follow-up; so, in late 2000, they released '' Superheroes'', mixed by Bouillet. To further capitalize on their new-found success in Japan, Universal Japan requested that the band perform for a live-album CD and DVD. On May 25, 2001, the band played their first live performance in thirteen years, to a sold-out crowd, at the world-famous

Whisky a Go Go The Whisky a Go Go (informally nicknamed "the Whisky") is a historic nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip, corner North Clark Street, opposite North San Vicente Boule ...

in Los Angeles. The resulting CD and

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

were released in 2002 under the title '' Snowball of Doom''. In January 2002, in support of ''Superheroes'' and ''Snowball of Doom'', Racer X toured

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

and

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. The band performed these shows in their Superheroes costumes. The tour's final show, in

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

, was hastily recorded in two tracks on the sound board and later released as '' Snowball of Doom 2''. Later that year, Universal Japan pushed for another Racer X release. In October 2002, all four members of Racer X gathered at Gilbert's house in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

to record '' Getting Heavier'', which was sold alongside ''Snowball of Doom 2'' in a package deal. Although the album was a successful release in Japan, some fans were disappointed with the lighter tracks, which resembled a Paul Gilbert solo album more than a conventional Racer X album. Racer X performed at the 2009

NAMM The NAMM Show is an annual event in the United States that is organized by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), who describe it as "the industry’s largest stage, uniting the global music, sound and entertainment technology commun ...

show at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California.

Andy Timmons Andy Timmons (born July 26, 1963) is an American guitarist who has played in the bands Taylor Bay Band, Danger Danger, Pawn Kings, and Andy Timmons Band (ATB). He has also released several solo albums and has worked as a session guitarist. H ...

and his band opened the show, followed by a solo set from Paul Gilbert, and finally Racer X. The Racer X lineup consisted of Paul Gilbert,

, Jeff Martin and John Alderete.

Mr. Big

When bass guitarist

left

David Lee Roth David Lee Roth (born October 10, 1954) is an American rock singer. Best known for his wild, energetic stage persona, he was the original lead vocalist of the hard rock band Van Halen across three stints, from 1974 to 1985, in 1996 and again fro ...

's solo band in 1988, he and Gilbert co-founded Mr. Big, which included

Pat Torpey Patrick Allan Torpey (December 13, 1953 – February 7, 2018) was an American drummer and singer, best known as the drummer and backing vocalist for the rock band Mr. Big. As well as playing for other various singers and artists such as; John ...

on drums and Eric Martin on vocals. The band was initially successful in Japan, but achieved international stardom with the 1991 release of their second studio album '' Lean into It''. This album featured the acoustic ballad "

To Be with You "To Be with You" is a song by American rock band Mr. Big, released in November 1991 as the second single from their second album, '' Lean into It'' (1991). The ballad reached number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for three weeks and topp ...

", which received strong play on radio stations and

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

, rising to #1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Mr. Big broke up in 1996, at which point Gilbert launched his solo career. When Mr. Big reformed soon after, Gilbert, who was already committed to his own record contract, was replaced by

Richie Kotzen Richard Dale Kotzen Jr. (born February 3, 1970) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. As a solo artist, Kotzen has back catalogue of more than 20 album releases. He was a member of glam metal band Poison from 1991 to 1993, Mr. Big ...

. Mr. Big disbanded again in 2002, but Gilbert reunited the original members in June 2009 for a worldwide reunion tour. The band recorded a new album with producer

Kevin Shirley Kevin Shirley (born 29 June 1960), also known as The Caveman, is a South African music producer, engineer and mixer for many artists,Spencer et al, (2007Shirley, Kevinentry. Retrieved 4 February 2010. such as the bands Journey, Iron Maiden, ...

titled '' What If...''. The album was released in Japan on December 15, 2010, in Europe on January 21, 2011, and in the U.S. in Feb. 2011. A tour to support the album kicked off at the Hollywood location of The

House of Blues House of Blues is an American chain of live music concert halls and restaurants. It was founded by Isaac Tigrett, the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, co-star of the 1980 film ''The Blues Brothers''. The first location opened at ...

on April 2, 2011, followed by several dates in Japan. In May and June 2011, the tour continued in

, China, Korea, The Philippines, and Europe. In September 2014, Mr. Big released '' ...The Stories We Could Tell'', produced by Pat Regan. During the recording of the album, it was revealed that drummer

had been diagnosed with

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

. For the tour that followed, Mr. Big enlisted the help of drummer

Matt Starr Matt Starr is an American drummer. He has performed with numerous artists and bands throughout his career, including Ace Frehley, Joe Lynn Turner, Love/Hate, Kevin DuBrow, and Mr. Big. Career In 2005, Starr co-wrote and recorded the Beautif ...

Burning Rain Burning Rain is a band formed by guitarist Doug Aldrich (Revolution Saints, The Dead Daisies, ex- Dio, ex- Whitesnake) and singer Keith St. John ( Montrose) in 1998. Joining the group were drummer Alex Makarovich (ex-Steelheart) and Ian Mayo (e ...

, to take over Torpey's drumming duties, whilst Torpey acted as "drum producer". Torpey did accompany the band on the subsequent tour, playing hand percussion, providing backup vocals and drumming on a few tracks per show. The band released their 9th studio effort, '' Defying Gravity'', on July 7, 2017. It would be the last album to feature Pat Torpey and first to feature Matt Starr taking over the role of drummer. On February 7, 2018, drummer Pat Torpey died from complications of Parkinson's disease at the age of 64. His last show took place at the

Wulfrun Hall The Halls Wolverhampton, formally known as Wolverhampton Civic Halls is a music venue in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England. It has been one of the most notable live music venues in the county for several decades. It is part of a complex als ...

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunian ...

on November 23, 2017. A memorial show took place on May 23, 2018, at The Canyon in

Agoura Hills, California Agoura Hills () is a city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Its population was 20,330 at the 2010 census, which decreased to 20,299 in 2020. It is in the eastern Conejo Valley between the S ...

, with former member

as a special guest. The all-star finale of "

To Be With You "To Be with You" is a song by American rock band Mr. Big, released in November 1991 as the second single from their second album, '' Lean into It'' (1991). The ballad reached number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for three weeks and topp ...

" included, among others,

Matt Sorum Matthew William Sorum (born November 19, 1960) is an American drummer. He is best known as both a former member of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he recorded three studio albums, and as a member of the supergroup Velvet Revolver. ...

Dave Amato David Paul Amato (born March 3, 1953) is an American musician, best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band REO Speedwagon since May 1989. Early years He was born and raised near Framingham, Massachusetts. At age 11, his first band wa ...

Ricky Phillips Ricky Lynn Phillips (born October 7, 1951) is an American bass guitarist and a member of the rock band Styx since 2003, splitting duties with longtime bassist Chuck Panozzo. He has also played in Nasty Habit, as a member of The Babys and Bad En ...

Keith St John Keith St. John is an American rock singer, songwriter, composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known for his work as the frontman for the hard rock bands Montrose and Burning Rain. Throughout his career, St. John has also to ...

Prescott Niles Prescott Niles (born May 2, 1954) is an American rock bassist. He is best known as bassist with the Knack, who had a No. 1 US / No. 6 UK hit with "My Sharona". Since 2013 he has played bass with Mike Pinera's Classic Rock All-Stars and ...

Kelly Keagy Kelly Dean Keagy (born September 15, 1952) is an American drummer and co-lead vocalist, best known for his work with Night Ranger. Keagy sang lead vocals on several of their hits, such as "Sister Christian", "Sing Me Away", and " Sentimental Str ...

Jeff Scott Soto Jeff Scott Soto (born November 4, 1965) is an American rock singer of Puerto Rican descent. He is best known for being the vocalist on Yngwie Malmsteen's first two albums, and (briefly) the lead vocalist for Journey in 2006–2007. Soto also ...

Ace Von Johnson Ace Von Johnson was the lead guitarist in the glam metal band Faster Pussycat and currently rhythm guitarist for L.A. Guns. Johnson was previously a member of punk and metal bands such as Cheap Sex, Madcap, the U.S. Bombs, the Generators, Unwr ...

and

Gregg Bissonette Gregg Bissonette (born June 9, 1959) is an American jazz and rock drummer and vocalist. He is the brother of bassist Matt Bissonette, with whom he frequently collaborates. He has played on albums by dozens of recording artists, including David ...

. In October 2018, singer Eric Martin said in an interview with Friday NI Rocks that the band is in the process of planning their next album. According to the frontman, once the band is done with its 2019 touring commitments, they will subsequently disband: "Yeah, that's the last hurrah – that's it. It feels a little uncomfortable to keep going without Pat Torpey."

Other projects

In May 2003 Gilbert performed twice with the project Yellow Matter Custard, a

Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...

cover band A cover band (or covers band) is a band that plays songs recorded by someone else, sometimes mimicking the original as accurately as possible, and sometimes re-interpreting or changing the original. These remade songs are known as cover songs. ...

consisting also of

Mike Portnoy Michael Stephen Portnoy (born April 20, 1967) is an American musician who is primarily known as the former drummer, backing vocalist, and co-founder of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. In September 2010, Portnoy announced his departur ...

(ex-

Dream Theater Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of the ...

Neal Morse Neal Morse (born August 2, 1960) is an American singer, musician and composer based in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1992, he formed the progressive rock band Spock's Beard with his brother Alan and released an album which was moderately successful. ...

(ex-

Spock's Beard Spock's Beard is an American progressive rock band formed in Los Angeles. The band was formed in 1992 by brothers Neal (lead vocals, keyboards) and Alan Morse (vocals, guitars), John Ballard (bass) and Nick D'Virgilio (drums). Ballard was r ...

), and Matt Bissonette. In February 2011, Yellow Matter Custard reformed for three shows across America.

Kasim Sulton Kasim Sulton (born December 8, 1955) is an American bass guitarist, keyboardist and vocalist. Best known for his work with Utopia, Sulton sang lead on 1980's "Set Me Free," Utopia's only top 40 hit in the United States. As a solo artist, Sulton ...

replaced Matt Bissonette for these shows due to other commitments. The band took their name from a

lyric in the song "

I Am the Walrus "I Am the Walrus" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1967 television film ''Magical Mystery Tour''. Written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney, it was released as the B-side to the single "Hello, Goodbye" a ...

": "Yellow matter custard, dripping from a dead dog's eye". Gilbert rejoined Portnoy along with

Dave LaRue Dave LaRue is an American bassist who has performed with the Dixie Dregs since 1988 and with the Steve Morse Band since 1989. He also has worked with Dream Theater's John Petrucci, Mike Portnoy, Derek Sherinian and Jordan Rudess. He plays Music ...

and

Daniel Gildenlöw Pain of Salvation is a Swedish progressive metal band led by Daniel Gildenlöw, who is the band's main songwriter, lyricist, guitarist, and vocalist. Pain of Salvation's sound is characterised by riff-oriented guitar work, a broad vocal range, o ...

for a

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

tribute band called Hammer of the Gods in November 2003. The same year, Gilbert toured Japan with Linus Of Hollywood, TJ Helmerich, and

Scot Coogan Scot Coogan is an American musician known for his accomplished drumming and vocal skills, working as both a session and touring musician. Scot resides in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he records, performs and has worked as a counselor at Rock and Ro ...

in support of his solo albums ''

Burning Organ ''Burning Organ'' is an album released in 2002 by American rock musician Paul Gilbert, also a guitarist for the heavy metal band Racer X and (then) formerly of the hard rock band Mr. Big. The song "Keep on Keepin' On" has a short hidden track ...

'', '' Paul the Young Dude/The Best of Paul Gilbert'', and '' Gilbert Hotel''. In September 2005, he joined Portnoy,

Sean Malone Sean Malone (April 12, 1970 – December 7, 2020) was an American musician who played primarily fretless bass guitar and Chapman Stick. He was most famous for his work with progressive metal band Cynic, in which he developed a strong partn ...

, and Jason McMaster in the Rush tribute band Cygnus and the Sea Monsters. In May 2006, he joined Portnoy,

Gary Cherone Gary Francis Caine Cherone ( ; born July 26, 1961) is an American rock singer and songwriter. Cherone is known for his work as the lead vocalist of the Boston rock group Extreme and Van Halen. He has also released solo recordings. In 2007, he ...

, and

to form ''Amazing Journey: A Tribute to

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

'', playing three shows. The band (excluding Sheehan) destroyed their equipment after the show in homage. Gilbert was revealed to be the guest guitarist on the 2007

solo album ''

Sola Scriptura , meaning by scripture alone, is a Christian theological doctrine held by most Protestant Christian denominations, in particular the Lutheran and Reformed traditions of Protestantism, that posits the Bible as the sole infallible source of au ...

''. That same year, Gilbert toured with Bruce Bouillet to promote Gilbert's first instrumental album '' Get Out of My Yard''. Joining him on tour was Gilbert's wife Emi on keyboards. Gilbert also joined

Joe Satriani Joseph Satriani (born July 15, 1956)Prato, Greg"Joe Satriani – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". '' AllMusic''. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved May 28, 2014. is an American guitarist, composer, songwriter, and guitar teacher. Early in his ...

and

John Petrucci John Peter Petrucci (born July 12, 1967) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. He produced or co-produced (often with former member Mike Portnoy before he departed the band in 201 ...

on the 2007

G3 tour G3 is a concert tour organized by guitarist Joe Satriani featuring him alongside two other guitarists. Since its inception in 1995, G3 has toured most years and has featured many guitarists, including Steve Vai (Satriani's former student), Er ...

. This was the fifth North American G3 run and the 12th tour worldwide since its inception. On January 23, 2008, Gilbert released an instrumental album titled '' Silence Followed by a Deafening Roar''. The album was released in Europe on March 31, 2008, and in America on April 8, 2008. This was Gilbert's second instrumental album. On October 22, 2008, Gilbert released an album with vocalist Freddie Nelson entitled ''

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

''. The collaboration has been described as a cross between

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

and Mr. Big. Gilbert performed with Racer X at the 2009

show at the Anaheim Convention Center in

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...

and his band opened the show, followed by a solo set from Gilbert, and finally Racer X. This Racer X lineup consisted of Gilbert,

, Jeff Martin and John Alderete. Gilbert also joined George Lynch and

on the Guitar Generation tour. On June 30, 2010, Gilbert's new album ''

Fuzz Universe ''Fuzz Universe'' is the third full length instrumental album and 9th overall by hard rock guitar virtuoso Paul Gilbert. Track listing All songs written by Paul Gilbert except where noted: Notes * Track 4 originally by J.S. Bach * Track 5 ...

'' was released in Japan, with a release in America and Europe soon after. It was Gilbert's third instrumental solo album. A cover version of Johnny Cash's "Leave That Junk Alone" was featured as a Japanese bonus track. On June 25, 2014, Gilbert released his studio album '' Stone Pushing Uphill Man''. Initially only available in Japan, the album was eventually released in the

on August 12, 2014. Gilbert is currently the Rock Guitar instructor for

ArtistWorks ArtistWorks, LLC is an online music learning education platform based out of Napa, CA. ArtistWorks was founded by David and Patricia Butler in 2008. The company developed a proprietary patented system for interacting with teachers based upon online ...

, an online music school.

Influences and style

When interviewed about his musical and stylistic influences, Paul Gilbert mentions many different artists, including: Randy Rhoads,

Kim Mitchell Joseph Kim Mitchell (born July 10, 1952) is a Canadian rock musician. He was the lead singer and guitarist for the band Max Webster before going on to a solo career. His 1984 single, " Go for Soda", was his only charted song on the US ''Billbo ...

, Eddie Van Halen,

Tony Iommi Anthony Frank Iommi () (born 19 February 1948) is a British musician. He co-founded the pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and was the band's guitarist, leader and primary composer and sole continuous member for nearly five decades. I ...

Alex Lifeson Aleksandar Živojinović, (born 27 August 1953), known professionally as Alex Lifeson (), is a Canadian musician, best known as the guitarist and backing vocalist of the progressive rock band Rush. In 1968, Lifeson co-founded the band that wo ...

, Jimmy Page, Johnny Ramone,

Robin Trower Robin Leonard Trower (born 9 March 1945) is an English rock guitarist who achieved success with Procol Harum throughout 1967–1971, and then again as the bandleader of his own power trio known as the Robin Trower Band. Biography Robin Trowe ...

Ritchie Blackmore Richard Hugh Blackmore (born 14 April 1945) is an English guitarist and songwriter. He was a founding member of Deep Purple in 1968, playing jam-style hard rock music that mixed guitar riffs and organ sounds. He is prolific in creating guita ...

Pat Travers Patrick Henry Travers (born April 12, 1954) is a Canadian rock guitarist, keyboardist and singer who began his recording career in the mid-1970s. Early life Travers was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. Soon after picking up the guitar at ag ...

, Gary Moore,

Michael Schenker Michael Schenker (born 10 January 1955) is a German guitarist. He played in the rock band UFO and leads the Michael Schenker Group. He was an early member of the hard rock band Scorpions, a band co-founded by his elder brother Rudolf Schenker ...

, Judas Priest,

Akira Takasaki is a Japanese musician. He is best known as the lead guitarist and sole constant member of the heavy metal band Loudness. He is also the guitarist of the band Lazy, with which he first rose to prominence in the 1970s. Career He started his ...

, Steve Clark,

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

, and

The Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United S ...

. On many occasions, Gilbert has stated that his uncle Jimi Kidd was vital in heavily fueling Gilbert's childhood interest in playing guitar. Gilbert grew up a great fan of

Todd Rundgren Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, multimedia artist, sound engineer and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the band Ut ...

Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, Nielsen ...

and

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

, artists who frequently influence his songwriting style. He stated on the ''Space Ship Live'' DVD that

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...

is one of his favorite guitar players. ''

'' magazine declared him one of 50 of the world's fastest guitarists of all time, along with

Buckethead Brian Patrick Carroll (born May 13, 1969), known professionally as Buckethead, is an American guitarist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has received critical acclaim for his innovative electric guitar playing. His music spans severa ...

, Eddie Van Halen, and

. Paul Gilbert composes music in a wide variety of styles, including pop,

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

, and

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

. However, Gilbert is perhaps best known for his fast playing speed and stylistic versatility. He is noted in particular for his efficient, staccato-like picking technique. He combines fast picking and

legato In music performance and notation, legato (; Italian for "tied together"; French ''lié''; German ''gebunden'') indicates that musical notes are played or sung smoothly and connected. That is, the player makes a transition from note to note wit ...

techniques in the same phrase, usually instinctively. When teaching/demonstrating a particular phrase, he has to think about what he is actually doing with his right hand in order to explain it. Despite being famous for his heavy metal work and his rapid right hand ability, Gilbert has since dissociated himself from that style of playing, instead gravitating towards blues and melodic ideas.

Instructional career

Paul Gilbert wrote his own section of the British guitar magazine, ''

Total Guitar ''Total Guitar'' is a monthly music magazine based in Bath, the United Kingdom, that has been in circulation since 1994. The magazine is owned by Future plc, who publish many other magazines ranging from drums and video games to technology mag ...

'', where he normally demonstrated guitar techniques in the magazine and accompanying CD. Even before that, he contributed instructional articles to ''

'' magazine in a late 1980s/early 1990s series entitled "Terrifying Guitar 101". His period of working with ''Total Guitar'' spanned 31 issues until the November 2006 issue. Gilbert also teaches at the

Guitar Institute of Technology Musicians Institute (MI) is a private for-profit music school in Los Angeles, California. MI students can earn Certificates and – with transfer of coursework taken at Los Angeles City College – Associate of Arts Degrees, as well as Bachelor ...

(GIT) regularly, and is also an "honorary dean" of the GIT division in Japan. Gilbert visits Japan, enjoying the lifestyle like his Shrapnel labelmate

Marty Friedman Marty Friedman (born December 8, 1962) is an American guitarist, best known for his tenure as the lead guitarist for thrash metal band Megadeth from 1990 to 2000. He is also known for playing alongside Jason Becker in Cacophony from 1986 unti ...

, who still lives in Japan and speaks Japanese fluently. Gilbert is known for his instructional videos, which are often comical in nature. One of his instructional videos includes him pulling a rabbit out of his guitar, putting his guitar in a straitjacket and having presents thrown at him by members of the film crew. Gilbert also was, for a short time, the guitar teacher of

Joey Tafolla Joey Tafolla is an American guitarist. Biography Born in San Diego, California, Tafolla is the son of Rosie Hamlin and Noah Tafolla, the singer and guitarist of Rosie and the Originals, who recorded the hit single "Angel baby" respectively.Va ...

Russ Parrish Russell John Parrish (born November 24, 1970), better known as Satchel, is an American musician. He is the lead guitarist for the comedic glam metal band Steel Panther. Early life Russell John Parrish was born in Redwood City, California ...

(A.K.A. Satchel from Steel Panther),

Michelle Meldrum Michelle Meldrum (September 28, 1968 – May 21, 2008) was an American hard rock guitarist known for being a member of the bands Phantom Blue and Meldrum. Biography Meldrum was born in Detroit, Michigan, to a family of musicians and actors ...

(the late wife of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

guitarist

John Norum John Norum (born 23 February 1964) is a Norwegian-Swedish guitarist and one of the founders of the rock band Europe. Concurrent to his role with Europe, he also maintains a career as a solo artist. Biography As an infant, Norum moved with his p ...

) and Nicole Couch of Phantom Blue. Gilbert now writes a column for ''

Premier Guitar ''Premier Guitar'' is a media company devoted to guitarists. It is based in Marion, Iowa, and it's staff is focused on creating the best website, videos, podcasts, and print/digital magazine for gearheads around the world. Interviews have include ...

'' entitled "Shred Your Enthusiasm". In May 2012 he launched the Online Rock Guitar School with Paul Gilbert as a part of the ArtistWorks Guitar Campus. In August 2014, Gilbert participated in the G4 Experience—a week-long guitar camp—with fellow guitarists

, and multi-instrumentalist

Mike Keneally Michael Joseph Keneally (born December 20, 1961) is an American session guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist and composer. Early years and musical influences Keneally started playing music at the age of 7 when he received an electric organ for h ...

Equipment

Paul Gilbert primarily uses his

Ibanez is a Japanese guitar brand owned by Hoshino Gakki. Based in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, Hoshino Gakki were one of the first Japanese musical instrument companies to gain a significant foothold in import guitar sales in the United States and Europe, as ...

PGM signature series guitars, identified by the unique painted on "F-holes". Although earlier PGM models featured the Ibanez Lo-Pro/Edge double locking tremolo system, many of his guitars (such as his main PGM300) were modified to accommodate a fixed bridge after he stopped using whammy bars in the early 90s, hence the Ibanez PGM301 guitar. Along with his signature guitars, Gilbert often uses his sticker-covered "Dino" Ibanez RG750, in addition to a wide variety of Ibanez solid-body and semi-hollow electric guitars. Recently, Gilbert has been using Ibanez "Fireman" (a reversed-body

Ibanez Iceman The Ibanez Iceman is a guitar produced by Hoshino Gakki under Ibanez brand. Background Hoshino Gakki exported copies of American electric and acoustic guitars in the 1950s, and by the mid-1970s the Ibanez guitars had reached a level of quality co ...

with single-coil pickups and an extra cutaway) guitars, which he designed himself. A red version of The Ibanez Fireman is to be mass-produced for consumers at a more affordable price than the Ibanez PGMFRM1 (current Paul Gilbert signature Fireman) in Fall 2011. Gilbert now has a short (22.2 inch) scale signature guitar – the Ibanez PGMM31 based on the existing Ibanez Mikro range. In 2014, Gilbert announced his new Ibanez signature model guitar, FRM250MF, at

2014. Gilbert endorses Direct Sound extreme isolation headphones, using the EX-29 model. Suffering tinnitus after years of loud music in headphones and live, Paul has posted a list of recommendations on how to help prevent tinnitus and noise-induced loss. In 2020, Gilbert collaborated with boutique pedal maker

JHS Pedals JHS Pedals is a guitar effects pedals manufacturer with headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri. History JHS Pedals was founded by Joshua Heath Scott in Jackson, Mississippi. He began by repairing and modifying his own pedals, and then sold m ...

and released the "PG-14" tube-like distortion pedal.

Personal life

Gilbert was married from 1993 to 1998 to Patricia Gilbert (née Patterson). As of 2012 Gilbert resided in Portland, Oregon, with his second wife Emi Gilbert. They married in 2005 and have a son born in 2014.

Discography

Solo

* ''

King of Clubs The king of clubs is a playing card in the standard 52-card deck. King of Clubs may also refer to: * King of Clubs (Whig club), a Whig conversation club, founded in 1798 * ''King of Clubs'' (album), the debut solo album by Paul Gilbert * ''Kin ...

'' (1998; Japan Oricon Album Chart #28) * '' Flying Dog'' (1998; Japan Oricon Album Chart #23) * ''

Alligator Farm A crocodile farm or alligator farm is an establishment for breeding and raising of crocodilians in order to produce crocodile and alligator meat, leather from crocodile and alligator skin, and other goods. Many species of both alligators an ...

'' (2000; Japan Oricon Album Chart #24) * '' Raw Blues Power'' (2002; w/ Jimi Kidd; Japan Oricon Album Chart #94) * ''

'' (2002; Japan Oricon Album Chart #27) * '' Gilbert Hotel'' (2003) * ''

Space Ship One SpaceShipOne is an experimental air-launched rocket-powered aircraft with sub-orbital spaceflight capability at speeds of up to 3,000 ft/s (900 m/s, 3240 km/h), using a hybrid rocket motor. The design features a unique "feathering" at ...

'' (2005; Japan Oricon Album Chart #53) * '' Get Out of My Yard'' (2006; Japan Oricon Album Chart #52) * '' Silence Followed by a Deafening Roar'' (2008; Japan Oricon Album Chart #39) * ''

'' (2009; w/ Freddie Nelson) * ''

'' (2010; Japan Oricon Album Chart #57) * ''

Vibrato Vibrato (Italian language, Italian, from past participle of "wikt:vibrare, vibrare", to vibrate) is a musical effect consisting of a regular, pulsating change of pitch (music), pitch. It is used to add expression to vocal and instrumental music. ...

'' (2012) * '' Stone Pushing Uphill Man'' (2014) * ''I Can Destroy'' (2016) * ''Behold Electric Guitar'' (2019) * ''Werewolves of Portland'' (2021) * TWAS'' (2021)

EPs

* ''Tribute to Jimi Hendrix'' (1991; Japan Oricon Album Chart #59) * ''Tough Eskimo'' (2007)

Live albums

* ''

Beehive Live ''Beehive Live'' is a live album by Paul Gilbert, formerly of the heavy metal band Racer X (band), Racer X and the hard rock band Mr. Big (American band), Mr. Big. It was released in 1999. Track listing Notes * Many of the tracks appear on the ...

'' (1999; Japan Oricon Album Chart #72) * '' Acoustic Samurai'' (2003; Japan Oricon Album Chart #94) * ''PG-30 Zepp Tokyo 2016.9.26' (2017)

Compilation albums

* '' Paul the Young Dude/The Best of Paul Gilbert'' (2003; Japan Oricon Album Chart #31)

with Racer X

''See: Racer X Discography'' * '' Street Lethal'' (1986) * ''

Second Heat ''Second Heat'' is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Racer X, was released on February 11, 1987, through Shrapnel Records. Critical reception In a contemporary review, '' Rock Hard'' defines ''Second Heat'' "a thoroughly ...

'' (1987) * '' Technical Difficulties'' (1999) * '' Superheroes'' (2000) * '' Getting Heavier'' (2002)

with Mr. Big

''See: Mr. Big discography'' * '' Mr. Big'' (1989) * '' Lean into It'' (1991) * '' Bump Ahead'' (1993) * ''

Hey Man ''Hey Man'' is the fourth studio album by the hard rock band, Mr. Big. It would be their last album with guitarist Paul Gilbert until 2011's '' What If...''. The album was the most successful Mr. Big release in Japan, topping the Japanese Ori ...

'' (1996) * '' What If...'' (2011) * '' ...The Stories We Could Tell'' (2014) * '' Defying Gravity'' (2017)

Guest appearances

* Black Sheep – ''Trouble in the Streets''- (1985) * Missing Lynx – ''Atomic Basement Tapes'' (1985) *

Darrell Mansfield Darrell Mansfield is an American vocalist, harmonica player, songwriter, recording artist, and performer of various genres including gospel, contemporary Christian music, blues, blues rock, rock, country rock, and soul/R&B. He is considered a p ...

Band – ''Revelation'' (1985) *

Jeff Berlin Jeffrey Arthur Berlin (born January 17, 1953) is an American jazz fusion bassist. He first came to prominence in the 1970s as a member of the band Bruford led by drummer Bill Bruford. Musical career Berlin was born on January 17, 1953, in Quee ...

– ''Pump It!'' (1986) *

– '' Out of the Sun'' (1987) *

– '' Nearly Human'' (1989) * Various artists – ''Guitars That Rule the World'' (1992) *

Samad Samad or Samed ( ar, صمد, ''Ṣamad'') is an Arabic male given name. Given name * Samed Abdul Awudu (born 1984), Ghanaian football player *Samad Nikkhah Bahrami (born 1983), Iranian basketball player * Samad Behrangi (1939–1967), Iranian t ...

– ''Samad'' (1994) *

Carmine Appice Carmine Appice ( , born December 15, 1946) is an American rock drummer. He is best known for his associations with Vanilla Fudge; Cactus; the power trio Beck, Bogert & Appice; Rod Stewart; King Kobra; and Blue Murder. He is also Vinny Appice's ...

's Guitar Zeus – ''Carmine Appice's Guitar Zeus'' (1996) *

– ''Wa'' (1996) *

– ''Gregg Bissonette'' (1998) *

– ''Odd Man Out'' (1998) * Pat Torpey – ''Y2K: Odd Man Out'' (1999) * Various artists – ''In Rock Soundtrack'' (2000) *

Hughes Turner Project Hughes Turner Project (HTP) was a musical project formed in the 2001 by bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes (formerly of Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, etc.) and vocalist Joe Lynn Turner (formerly of Rainbow, Deep Purple, and Yngwie Malmsteen's Ri ...

– '' HTP'' (2002) * Various artists – ''Battle Gear III: The Edge'' (2003) * Kim Fox – ''Return to Planet Earth'' (2003) * Various artists – ''Guitar Wars'' (2003) *

Marco Minnemann Marco Minnemann (born 24 December 1970) is a German drummer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. Career Marco Minnemann has released over a dozen solo albums as drummer, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist, and performed on over 100 studio alb ...

– ''Mieze'' (2004) * Pintsize – ''Five Feet... No Inches'' (2005; credited as "Dick Image") * Marco Minnemann – ''Contraire de la chanson'' (2006) * Wisely – ''Parador'' (2006) * Jeff Pilson's War and Peace – ''Light at the End of the Tunnel'' (2006) * Jeff Martin – ''The Fool'' (2006) *

– ''

'' (2007) * Neal Morse – '' Lifeline'' (2008) *

MC Lars Andrew Robert Nielsen (born October 6, 1982), known professionally as MC Lars, is an American record producer, rapper, cartoonist, podcaster and educator. Lars is one of the self-proclaimed originators of "lit-hop", and is the founder and CEO of ...

– ''

This Gigantic Robot Kills ''This Gigantic Robot Kills'' is the fourth album by nerdcore musician MC Lars. Lars has stated that he worked with "Weird Al" Yankovic, the Rondo Brothers, Nick Rowe and Mike Kennedy of Bloodsimple, James Bourne of Busted, Daniel Dart of Time ...

'' – (2009) *

Bowling for Soup Bowling for Soup (abbreviated as BFS) is an American rock band formed in Wichita Falls, Texas, in 1994. The band consists of Jaret Reddick (lead vocals, guitar), Chris Burney (guitar, backing vocals), Gary Wiseman (drums, percussion, backing vo ...

– '' Merry Flippin' Christmas Volume 1'' (2009) *

– "Guitar Hero Hero" (2009) *

– ''

Momentum In Newtonian mechanics, momentum (more specifically linear momentum or translational momentum) is the product of the mass and velocity of an object. It is a vector quantity, possessing a magnitude and a direction. If is an object's mass an ...

'' (2012) * Nick Johnston- ''In A Locked Room On The Moon'' (2013) * Jacky Vincent – '' Star X Speed Story'' (2013) * Ciro Manna – ''XY'' (2015) *

Ayreon Ayreon is a musical project by Dutch songwriter, singer, musician and record producer Arjen Anthony Lucassen. Ayreon's music is described as progressive rock, progressive metal and power metal sometimes combined with genres such as folk, elect ...

– ''

The Source ''The Source'' is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or . It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by Jonathan Shecter. David Mays was the ma ...

'' (2017) *

Jason Becker Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He w ...

– '' Triumphant Hearts'' (2018) * Donnie Vie – ''Beautiful Things'' (2019)

Tribute album appearances

* Various artists – '' Smoke on the Water: A Tribute'' (1994) * Various artists – '' Jeffology: A Guitar Chronicle'' (1996) * Various artists – ''Merry Axemas: A Guitar Christmas'' (1997) * Various artists – '' Humanary Stew: A Tribute to Alice Cooper'' (1999) * Various artists – '' Warmth in the Wilderness: A Tribute to Jason Becker'' (2001) * Yellow Matter Custard – ''One Night in New York City'' (2003) * Various artists – '' Spin the Bottle: an All-Star Tribute to Kiss'' (2004) * Various artists – ''

Numbers from the Beast This is a list of albums recorded in tribute to the British heavy metal music, heavy metal band Iron Maiden. ''The Maiden Years Volume 1 – Tribute to Iron Maiden'' ''Made in Tribute: A Tribute to the Best Band in a Whole Goddamn World! ...

: An All Star Tribute to Iron Maiden'' (2005) * Hammer of the Gods – '' Two Nights in North America'' (June 12, 2006) * Cygnus and the Sea Monsters – '' One Night in Chicago'' (2006) * Amazing Journey – '' One Night in New York City'' (March 18, 2007) * Yellow Matter Custard – ''One More Night In New York City'' (2011)

Videography

* ''Intense Rock Jams – Sequences & Techniques'' VHS version (1988) * ''Intense Rock II featuring Paul Gilbert'' VHS version (1991) * ''Terrifying Guitar Trip'' VHS version (1995) * ''Guitars from Mars'' Japanese DVD release (1996) * ''Guitars from Mars II'' Japanese DVD release (1996) * ''Eleven Thousand Notes'' DVD * ''Guitar Wars'' DVD * ''Space Ship Live'' DVD (2005) * ''Complete Intense Rock'' DVD (2006) * ''Terrifying Guitar Trip'' DVD (2006) * ''Get Out Of My Yard'' Guitar Instructional DVD/VCD (2007) * ''One Night In New York City'' – Yellow Matter Custard (2003) * ''Two Nights In North America'' – Hammer Of The Gods (2006) * ''One Night In Chicago'' – Cygnus And The Sea Monsters (2006) * ''One Night In New York City'' – Amazing Journey (2007) * ''Silence Followed By A Deafening Roar'' Guitar Instructional DVD And Shred Annex (2008) * ''PG-30 Live At Zepp Tokyo 2016'' DVD (2017)

References

External links

Official website Online Rock Guitar School with Paul GilbertThe official Racer X sitePaul Gilbert Guitar Noize InterviewPaul Gilbert on Last.fmPaul Gilbert artist page at Guitar Video Channel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilbert, Paul 1966 births Living people American heavy metal guitarists American pop rock singers Lead guitarists Racer X (band) members Mr. Big (American band) members G3 (tour) People from Greensburg, Pennsylvania People from Carbondale, Illinois Musicians Institute alumni Singers from Pennsylvania Guitarists from Pennsylvania 20th-century American guitarists Yellow Matter Custard members