George Lynch (born September 28, 1954) is an American guitarist, best known for his work with the hard rock/heavy metal band Dokken and his post-Dokken solo band Lynch Mob. He is regarded as one of the most renowned and influential metal guitarists of the 1980s, noted for his distinctive playing style and sound.
He is ranked No. 47 on the list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" by Guitar World magazine[1] and No. 10 on the "Top 10 Metal Guitarists of All Time" by Gibson.[2]
Lynch auditioned twice for the role of lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne — first in 1979, ultimately losing the position to Randy Rhoads. Lynch commented, "I won the consolation prize. Randy got to tour with Ozzy...and I got to teach at his mom's school." He auditioned again in 1982 to replace Brad Gillis. According to Lynch, he was initially hired for three days before Osbourne changed his mind, deciding to go with Jake E. Lee. Lee mentioned that Lynch "got the gig, but only went on the road for two weeks to watch the show and never actually played with Ozzy." Lynch later explained that he participated in soundchecks at the side of the stage during a European tour with Osbourne and Brad Gillis as part of an extended audition. He also rehearsed with the band in Texas but was dismissed by Osbourne when the band moved its operations to Los Angeles. Jake E. Lee auditioned on the day of Lynch's dismissal, and while Lee reportedly didn’t perform his best, his appearance was preferred, securing him the position. Osbourne dismissed Lynch on the spot in front of Lee, whom Lynch had just met. This decision deeply affected Lynch, who was struggling financially at the time and working as a liquor store delivery driver, a job that required him to keep his hair short. Sharon Osbourne favored Lee’s "look" over Lynch’s playing, a preference that likely influenced Osbourne's decision.
During the late 1970s, Lynch played with a band called The Boyz, performing on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip alongside Van Halen and Quiet Riot. The Boyz also included future Dokken drummer Mick Brown, bassist Monte Zufelt, and vocalists Lisa Furspanker and Greg Sanford.[4] Their sound, along with Lynch’s playing, resembled Van Halen’s so closely that one of their demos circulated as a purported "pre-Roth Van Halen recording".[5] The Boyz were scheduled to perform a showcase for Gene Simmons and his startup label, but Van Halen opened the show, prompting Simmons to leave before seeing The Boyz. Lynch subsequently formed Xciter before eventually joining Dokken.
Dokken and Lynch Mob
Dokken released a series of successful platinum albums that prominently featured Lynch's innovative lead guitar work. The instrumental track "Mr. Scary" on Back for the Attack increased his popularity among guitarists. The band received a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance in 1990.
The group disbanded in March 1989 due to internal conflicts with lead vocalist Don Dokken. Lynch then formed his own hard rock band, Lynch Mob, which differed from Dokken in lyrical and guitar complexity, subject matter, song structure, and tuning. Lynch took a break when his wife, Christy Lynch, gave birth to their daughter, Mariah Lynch.
Lynch released his first solo album, Sacred Groove, in 1993.
In 1994, after Don Dokken, Jeff Pilson, and Mick Brown reunited, they decided to bring Lynch back for a full Dokken reunion. The reformed band signed with Columbia/Sony and, following extensive writing sessions, released Dysfunctional. The album, however, did not meet expectations, leading to the band being dropped from the label. Dokken subsequently signed with CMC International and released One Live Night, an "unplugged" show recorded in late 1994.
In 1996, the band entered the studio with producer Kelly Gray, who aimed to take Dokken in a new direction. The resulting album, Shadowlife, marked a shift from their melodic rock roots to a more alternative sound, a change that disappointed vocalist and founder Don Dokken.
Tensions reignited between Don Dokken and Lynch in 1997, resulting in Lynch's replacement by former Europe guitarist John Norum. Lynch subsequently reformed Lynch Mob, which recorded and demoed three songs later released as an EP titled Syzygy. However, vocalist Logan opted to pursue other projects before a full album could be completed, and Mick Brown chose to remain with Dokken. In 1998, Lynch organized a brief 13-show U.S. tour for Lynch Mob, with Artension frontman John West, bassist Anthony Esposito, and others.
When that lineup disbanded, Lynch chose to take Lynch Mob in a new direction. The band adopted a fresh look, lineup, and musical style that appealed to a younger audience. They released the album Smoke This in 1999. After the supporting tour, Lynch decided to put Lynch Mob on hold for a few years, though he toured in late 2001 with the band’s original singer Oni Logan, L.A. Guns bassist Chuck Garric, and BulletBoys drummer Jimmy D'Anda.
Post-2001 projects
Lynch began collaborating with producer/engineer Sean Fodor on the ill-fated Microdot project, which featured then-unknown vocalist London LeGrand in early 2002. Only a few songs from that project have been released: "Bulldog Tyranny" on The Lost Anthology and three other songs that Lynch later released as The Lynch That Stole Riffness, with Robert Mason taking over on vocals.
Lynch reformed Lynch Mob in late 2002, featuring original bassist Anthony Esposito and Robert Mason. Lynch Mob recorded an album of re-recorded classic Lynch songs from Dokken and Lynch Mob, updated to a more contemporary (post-2000) approach and sound.
Lynch formed a project with former Dokken bassist Jeff Pilson, releasing the Wicked Underground album in 2003 under the name Lynch/Pilson.[6] That same year, Lynch assembled The George Lynch Group, with which he has continued to record and tour regularly. The George Lynch Group performed a marathon of 26 shows in 30 days, including a much-talked-about feature on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. This line-up featured Lynch, vocalist Andrew Freeman, drummer Vinny Appice (Black Sabbath, Dio), and Mårten Andersson (Lizzy Borden, Starwood, Legacy). The 2005 album Furious George is a cover album, featuring classic rock tunes from ZZ Top, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, AC/DC, and Led Zeppelin.
Let the Truth Be Known was released under the band name Souls of We in 2008 and features the line-up of London LeGrand (vocals), Johnny Chow (bass), and Yael (drums), along with a myriad of guest contributions.[7]
Lynch embarked on a tour in early fall 2008 with a reformed Lynch Mob, featuring original singer Oni Logan, bassist Marco Mendoza, and drummer Scot Coogan. A new Lynch Mob album, titled Smoke and Mirrors, was released in October 2009, with Logan handling lead vocals.
In 2009, Lynch recorded lead and rhythm guitar tracks for seven songs that appear on the debut album of rock singer Raven Quinn. The self-published album was released on March 4, 2010.
Lynch toured in the spring of 2010 with Souls of We and spent the summer and winter touring with Lynch Mob. In the summer of 2010, Souls of We changed their line-up and were forced to discontinue using the name.
Lynch appeared on the tribute album Siam Shade Tribute for the Japanese rock band Siam Shade in 2010.[8]
Lynch currently resides near Los Angeles, where he created an instructional guitar website, The Guitar Dojo.[9]
Lynch produces his own custom hand-built art guitars, marketed under the Mr. Scary Guitars brand, which he crafts himself at the ESP Guitars USA custom shop facility.[10]
Second Dokken reunion and T&N
George Lynch and Jeff Pilson joined Mick Brown and Don Dokken for two songs during an encore at a Dokken show at The House of Blues in Anaheim on November 29, 2009. Lynch subsequently announced a reunion of Dokken's "glory days" line-up, but the announcement was retracted on February 24. Lynch released a statement on his website claiming that Don did not want the reunion to occur.[11]
T&N was formed from three-fourths of the classic Dokken line-up: Lynch, Jeff Pilson, and Mick Brown. They announced plans for a studio album to be released in 2012.[12] The trio's original name was Tooth & Nail, but it was shortened to T&N in March 2012. The band released the album Slave to the Empire on October 31, 2012.
Recent activities
Lynch announced plans for a documentary film titled Shadowtrain: Under A Crooked Sky about the destruction of the Native American community in the fall of 2011.[13] A crowdfunding campaign was launched in March 2013 to complete the project.[14] The movie was still a work in progress as of late 2014.[15]
Lynch assembled Shadowtrain, featuring documentary filmmaker and drummer Vincent Nicastro, Pueblo Native American vocalist Gregg Analla (Tribe of Gypsies, Slaviour, Seventhsign), ex-Lynch Mob bassist Gabe Rosales, and keyboardist Donnie Dickman.
Lynch's all-star project with vocalist/bassist Doug Pinnick and drummer Ray Luzier, known as KXM, released its debut album in 2014.
Lynch announced another project titled The Infidels, featuring Pancho Tomaselli, Sal Rodriguez, and rapper Sen Dog.[16]
Lynch teamed up with Living Colour vocalist Corey Glover to form the side project Ultraphonix, releasing the album Original Human Music in 2018.[19]
In 2019, Lynch reunited with former Dokken bassist Jeff Pilson in the band The End Machine. The band released their self-titled debut in 2019 and their second album, The End Machine: Phase 2, in 2021. According to a 2021 interview with Pariah Burke, the band represents an intentional return to Lynch's classic sound.[20] In 2020, the album Dirty Shirley was released, preceded by two singles.
In 2023, Lynch released a side project called The Banishment, a collaboration between George Lynch, programmer and multi-instrumentalist Joe Haze, and vocalist Devix Szell.[21][22] On March 10, The Banishment released their debut album, Machine And Bone.[23] The album features a duet titled "Max Pain" with Szell and Richard Patrick of FILTER, "The Dread" by Jason Charles Miller, and the song "Terror" by Tommy Victor from PRONG.[24] To promote the project, The Banishment recorded an official music video for one of the tracks titled "Got What You Wanted." The video was directed by Devix Szell and produced by Sabrina Oertle.[22]
Lynch used Charvel and Kramer guitars prior to 1986, most notably their tiger stripe guitars. He has endorsed ESP Guitars since then. His unique "Skull and Bones" guitar (affectionately named "Mom") was designed and hand-crafted by artist John 'J. Frog' Garcia.[25][promotional source?] Since George was contracted by ESP at the time, an ESP decal was applied to the headstock. Several George Lynch signature guitars have been produced by ESP Japan:
The ESP Kamikaze model, based on his first ESP guitar
The Tiger model, a homemade Strat constructed from a stock of parts George bought from Charvel in the 1980s
The Skull & Snakes, a design later used for the Lynch Mob "Wicked Sensation" album artwork
The Flame Boy, based on an ESP Forest design
The New Super V, which includes distressed hardware and features a new "Super V" pickup
The Ultra Tone, the first ESP guitar that George designed himself
The Serpent, an ESP model released and used in the 1990s
Lynch briefly endorsed PRS Guitars in the early 1990s. He can be seen using two different colored Custom 24 models. He also endorsed the hand-crafted Yamaha L-Series acoustic guitars and used these on the Asian 'Unplugged' clinic tour in May/June 2006.
Lynch is currently signed with ESP Guitars, which has resulted in the creation of the Lynch Jumbo acoustic, featuring graphics designed by Stephen Jensen.
Lynch's use of Marshall, Soldano, Bogner, and Diezel amps, along with effects units to achieve his famous tone, is well documented in rock guitar circles. His rig changes with each successive tour. Lynch used the Randall Dragon (non-master volume) tube head for the majority of his sound while on tour in 2005. The design was similar to the older Marshall Plexi heads he used early in the Dokken era.
Lynch is a long-time endorser of Randall Amplification and participated in the design of the George Lynch Box for Randall's modular amp system.
Seymour Duncan created the Screamin' Demon guitar pickup (SH-12 and TB-12) for Lynch, which is featured on all the ESP Lynch signature guitars. Seymour Duncan also recently designed the new Super V pickup to be featured in the Super V model.
Lynch also uses a Morley A/B box called the Tripler and a limited edition Robert Keeley GL Time Machine boost.
Lynch designed a new high-nickel content string through the Dean Markley company with his name on the packaging.[26][promotional source?] He later switched over to D'Addario strings.
Dokken is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1976. It split up in 1989 and reformed four years later. The band has had several hit singles which charted on the Billboard Hot 100, such as "Alone Again", "In My Dreams", and "Burning Like a Flame", and has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide. The live album Beast from the East was nominated for the inaugural Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 1989.
Jake E. Lee is an American musician best known as lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne between 1982 and 1987 and later as a member of the heavy metal band Badlands with Ray Gillen. He formed the band Red Dragon Cartel in 2013, and their debut album released in January 2014 entered the Billboard Album Chart at number 69. He has also recorded solo works under his own name—examples being the instrumental album A Fine Pink Mist (1996) and cover album Retraced (2005).
Vincent Samson Appice is an American rock and metal drummer best known for his work with the bands Dio, Black Sabbath, and Heaven & Hell. Of Italian descent, he is the younger brother of drummer Carmine Appice.
Tooth and Nail is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Dokken, released on September 14, 1984 through Elektra Records.
Jeffrey Steven Pilson is an American musician best known for being the bass player in the glam metal band Dokken and currently classic rock band Foreigner. He has also had an extended stint with Dio in the 1990s.
BulletBoys is an American hard rock/glam metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1987. The group's original lineup was composed of singer Marq Torien, guitarist Mick Sweda, bassist Lonnie Vencent, and drummer Jimmy D'Anda. The group released two successful albums and had a number of singles featured on MTV between 1988 and 1991. From the 1990s onward, the group went through numerous lineup changes, with Torien as the only consistent member. Their most recent album From Out of the Skies was released in 2018. The original lineup reunited for one-off shows in 2011 and 2019.
Thomas "Craig" Goldy is an American musician, best known as the guitarist of the rock bands Dio and Giuffria.
Donald Maynard Dokken is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and founder of glam metal band Dokken. He is known for his vibrato-laden, melodic vocal style which has made him an influential figure in American heavy metal/glam metal.
Frédéric Alexandre "Fred" Leclercq is a French musician and producer, best known as the former longtime bassist for British power metal band DragonForce. He is currently the guitarist and main songwriter in the death metal supergroup Sinsaenum, the guitarist and vocalist in Maladaptive, the bassist and a guitarist in Amahiru, and the bassist of German thrash metal group Kreator and French death metal band Loudblast. He is a session musician for various other bands, including George Lynch's Souls of We. He is also a former member of power metal band Heavenly and played several shows with Carnival in Coal and Sabaton.
Marten Andersson is a Swedish American bass guitarist and a member of the hard rock and heavy metal groups Lita Ford, Steelheart, Lizzy Borden, George Lynch's Lynch Mob, Dario Lorina.
Lynch Mob is an American hard rock band, formed in 1989 by former Dokken guitarist George Lynch, who is the band's only permanent member.
Bonham were a British/Canadian hard rock and heavy metal band founded in 1988 by drummer Jason Bonham, the son of late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham. The band's most successful line-up was also its initial one which included late singer Daniel MacMaster, bassist/keyboardist John Smithson, and guitarist Ian Hatton. The band had released four studio albums between 1989 and 1997.
Benedictum is an American heavy metal band formed in 2005 in San Diego, California that now resides in Phoenix, Arizona. Their current lineup consists of vocalist Veronica Freeman, guitarist Pete Wells, bassist Aric Avina, and drummer Rikard Stjernquist. Since their formation the band released four studio albums, debuting with Uncreation in 2006, followed by Seasons of Tragedy in 2008, both through Spain-based label Locomotive Music, before signing with Italian label Frontiers Records for their third album, Dominion, issued in 2011. Their fourth and most recent album, Obey, was released on Frontiers Records in 2013.
Leonardo Gustavo Gimenez, better known by his stage name Oni Logan, is an Argentine American singer, best known as the original lead vocalist of the rock band Lynch Mob. He joined the band in 1990, only to leave after the release of the first album. He rejoined in the late 2000s, then subsequently left and rejoined several times, with his final stint in the band lasting until their 2020 retirement.
Andrew Freeman is an American rock singer and guitarist who has played for a number of bands, including hard rock guitarist George Lynch's Lynch Mob. Freeman is currently the frontman for the hard rock supergroup Last in Line, composed of former members of Dio.
Souls of We is an American hard rock supergroup from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2007. The lineup consists of London LeGrand (vocals), George Lynch (guitar) and Johny Chow (bass). Since 2009, Jordan Mancino has been the band's drummer, replacing Yael.
KXM is an American hard rock supergroup formed in 2013, consisting of Korn drummer Ray Luzier, King's X bassist/vocalist dUg Pinnick and Lynch Mob/ex-Dokken guitarist George Lynch. Signed to Rat Pak Records, they have released a self-titled album in 2014, Scatterbrain in 2017 and Circle of Dolls in 2019, the latter through Frontiers Records.
The End Machine is an American supergroup originally consisting of guitar player George Lynch, bass player Jeff Pilson, drummer Mick Brown and singer Robert Mason. According to a 2021 interview with guitarist George Lynch, the band is an intentional return to the classic Dokken sound.
↑ "Brothers". Auburn Journal. December 27, 1987. pp.19, C1. Retrieved July 24, 2020. George, a native of Los Angeles, lived with his family in Auburn intermittently between 1971 and 1975.
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