Leonard F. George (born January 9, 1965), best known by his stage name Rocky George, is an American guitarist who has been a member of several notable musical acts, including

Suicidal Tendencies Suicidal Tendencies is an American crossover thrash band formed in 1980 in Venice, California, by vocalist Mike Muir. The band has undergone various lineup changes, with Muir as the only remaining original member. Their current lineup includes ...

, where he was their lead guitarist from 1984 to their first breakup in 1995, and was the first African-American member of the band. After Suicidal Tendencies, George played with 40 Cycle Hum and

Cro-Mags The Cro-Mags are an American hardcore punk band from New York City. The band, which has garnered a strong cult following, has released six studio albums, with the first two considered the most influential. With a Hare Krishna background, they ...

, and in 2003, he joined

Fishbone Fishbone is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1979, the band plays a fusion of ska, punk, funk, metal, reggae, and soul. AllMusic has described the group as "one of the most distinctive and eclectic alternative ...

. George was also a member of a local

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band called Pap Smear with

Jeff Hanneman Jeffrey John Hanneman (January 31, 1964 – May 2, 2013) was an American musician, best known as a founding member and co-lead guitarist of the thrash metal band Slayer. Hanneman composed both music and lyrics for every Slayer album until his d ...

and Dave Lombardo. In 2019, George returned to the Cro-Mags lineup.

Biography

During his tenure with Suicidal Tendencies, George joined a short-lived

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

side project called "Pap Smear", formed by

Slayer Slayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style made them ...

members

and Dave Lombardo. Although Pap Smear has never released any records, two of their songs were re-recorded on Slayer's 1996 covers album '' Undisputed Attitude''. George joined Suicidal Tendencies in 1984, replacing Jon Nelson, who replaced the first album's guitarist Grant Estes. His debut with the band was ''Welcome to Venice'' on the song "Look Up...(The Boys Are Back)" written by Jon Nelson and

Mike Muir Michael Allen Muir (born March 14, 1963) is an American singer who is the lead vocalist and the sole continuous member of Los Angeles-based bands Suicidal Tendencies, Los Cycos, and Infectious Grooves. He has also released several solo albums un ...

. George is largely considered responsible for moving Suicidal Tendencies away from their

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...

roots into a more thrash oriented territory. He is also responsible for

Robert Trujillo Roberto Agustín Miguel Santiago Samuel Trujillo Veracruz (; born October 23, 1964) is an American musician who has been the bassist for heavy metal band Metallica since 2003. He first rose to prominence as the bassist of crossover thrash band ...

joining the band, who was a friend of his at

Culver City High School Culver City High School is the main public high school of the Culver City Unified School District (CCUSD) in Culver City, California. It was established in 1951. The school's colors are blue and silver, and the mascot is the centaur. As of 2022, ...

. George joined

in 2003 and played on the 2006 studio album '' Still Stuck in Your Throat'' plus two EPs. In 2008, after thirteen years, George played with his former bandmates during an Infectious Grooves set. He left Fishbone in 2017 when that band's classic lineup reunited.

Instruments

George has used

Ibanez is a Japanese guitar brand owned by Hoshino Gakki. Based in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Aichi, Japan, Hoshino Gakki was one of the first Japanese musical instrument companies to gain a significant foothold in import guitar sales in the United Stat ...

guitars almost exclusively for years (particularly the RG series). He is still endorsed by Ibanez. Despite rumors, however, Rocky did not design the RG series (as "RG" stands for Roadstar Guitar, not for Rocky George). He is also a long time user of Mesa Boogie amplifiers.

Discography

Suicidal Tendencies

* ''Welcome to Venice'' (1985) * '' Join the Army'' (1987) * '' How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can't Even Smile Today'' (1988) * '' Controlled by Hatred/Feel Like Shit...Deja Vu'' (1989) * '' Lights...Camera...Revolution!'' (1990) * '' The Art of Rebellion'' (1992) * '' Still Cyco After All These Years'' (1993) * '' Suicidal for Life'' (1994)

Cro-Mags

* ''

Revenge Revenge is defined as committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Vengeful forms of justice, such as primitive justice or retributive justice, are often differentiated from more fo ...

'' (2000) * '' In the Beginning'' (2020)

With Harley's War

*''Cro-Mag'' (2003) *''Hardcore All-Stars'' (2009) *''2012'' (2012)

Fishbone

* '' Still Stuck in Your Throat'' (2006) * ''Crazy Glue'' (EP, 2011) * ''Intrinsically Intertwined'' (EP, 2014)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:George, Rocky 1965 births Living people Entertainers from Culver City, California African-American guitarists African-American rock musicians American heavy metal guitarists Guitarists from California American lead guitarists American seven-string guitarists Fishbone members Suicidal Tendencies members 20th-century American guitarists Cro-Mags members