Paul Gilbert

Paul Gilbert is an artist. A consummate craftsman. While there are so many virtuoso guitarists around who rely on technique over creativity, this man is not one of these. Of course, he has superb technical insight, but this used to develop interesting, insightful music that stands impressively as an expression of the soul and spirit.

It's always been this way with Gilbert. People first heard him in full flow with the much respected Racer X. Their 1986 debut album 'Street Lethal' was well received, as was the follow up ' Second Heat' a year later.

In 1988, he left the band helped to form Mr. Big, one of the most acclaimed names of the era. Gilbert's talents were perfect for what was regarded as a stellar line-up. Across four studio albums, the foursome gained commercial success. They also had a chart topping US single in 1992 with 'To Be With You'.

Gilbert reformed Racer X in 1999 after leaving Mr. Big, releasing three albums between '99 and '02. He also launched what's become a distinguished solo career, putting out 16 acclaimed records to date. And such is his stature that he has been asked to guest on albums from such diverse names as Todd Rundgren, Bowling For Soup, Glenn Hughes and MC Lars. He also toured with Joe Satriani and John Petrucci in 2007 (G3), and two years later with Richie Kotzen and George Lynch (Guitar Generation).

Oh, and let's not ignore the fact that Gilbert has had a lengthy tenure as a much in demand teacher and instructor. This began when he was still a teenager, being hired as such in 1985 by the prestigious Guitar Institute Of Technology (GIT) in Los Angeles.