John Richard Baldwin, better known by his stage name John Paul Jones, is an English musician, composer and record producer who was the bassist and keyboardist for the rock band Led Zeppelin. Prior to forming the band with Jimmy Page in 1968, he was a session musician and arranger. After the death of drummer John Bonham in 1980, Led Zeppelin disbanded, and Jones developed a solo career. He has collaborated with musicians across a variety of genres, including the supergroup Them Crooked Vultures with Dave Grohl and Josh Homme. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 as a member of Led Zeppelin.
Robert Anthony Plant is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band Led Zeppelin for all of its existence from 1968 until 1980. Regarded by many as one of the greatest singers in rock music, he is known for his flamboyant persona and raw stage performances. In 1995, Plant was inducted with the band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
James Patrick Page is an English musician who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Page is prolific in creating guitar riffs. His style involves various alternative guitar tunings and melodic solos, coupled with aggressive, distorted guitar tones. It is also characterized by his folk and eastern-influenced acoustic work. He is also noted for occasionally playing his guitar with a cello bow to create a droning sound texture to the music.
Stuart Hamm is an American bass guitar player, known for his session and live work with numerous artists as well as for his unconventional playing style and solo recordings.
Steven Siro Vai is an American guitarist, composer, songwriter, and producer. A three-time Grammy Award winner and fifteen-time nominee, Vai started his music career in 1978 at the age of eighteen as a transcriptionist for Frank Zappa, and played in Zappa's band from 1980 to 1983. He embarked on a solo career in 1983 and has released eight solo albums to date. He has recorded and toured with Alcatrazz, David Lee Roth, and Whitesnake, as well as recording with artists such as Public Image Ltd, Mary J. Blige, Spinal Tap, Alice Cooper, Motörhead, and Polyphia. Additionally, Vai has toured with live-only acts G3, Zappa Plays Zappa, and the Experience Hendrix tour, as well as headlining international tours.
Heart is an American rock band formed in 1973 in Seattle, Washington. The band evolved from previous projects led by founding members Roger Fisher (guitar) and Steve Fossen, including The Army (1967-1969), Hocus Pocus (1969-1970), and White Heart (1970-1973). By 1975, original members Fisher, Fossen, and Ann Wilson, along with Nancy Wilson, Michael Derosier (drums), and Howard Leese formed the lineup for the band's initial mid- to late-1970s success period. These core members were included in the band's 2013 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Edwin H. Kramer is a British recording producer and engineer. He has collaborated with several artists now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, including Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, David Bowie, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, the Kinks, Kiss, John Mellencamp, and Carlos Santana, as well as records for other well-known artists in various genres, including Anthrax, Joe Cocker, Loudness, Peter Frampton, John Mayall, Ten Years After, Mott the Hoople, John Sebastian, Carly Simon, Dionne Warwick, Small Faces, Sir Lord Baltimore and Whitesnake.
Crossroads is a 1986 America musical drama film inspired by the legend of blues musician Robert Johnson. Starring Ralph Macchio, Joe Seneca and Jami Gertz, the film was written by John Fusco and directed by Walter Hill and features an original score by Ry Cooder featuring classical guitar by William Kanengiser and harmonica by Sonny Terry. Steve Vai appears in the film as the devil's virtuosic guitar player in the climactic guitar duel.
Alcatrazz is a heavy metal band formed in 1983 by Graham Bonnet, Jimmy Waldo, and Gary Shea. Following an internal disagreement and split in 2020, there are currently two separate and distinct Alcatrazz line-ups, one featuring Bonnet, and another featuring Waldo and Shea. Alcatrazz are best known for their songs "Island in the Sun", "Hiroshima Mon Amour", and "God Blessed Video". The band went through a number of line-up changes, with Bonnet being the only member to be in every incarnation of Alcatrazz. They are also notable for featuring a previously-unknown Yngwie Malmsteen, who was the guitarist of Alcatrazz during 1983–1984, and was subsequently replaced by Steve Vai, and Danny Johnson in the original incarnation of the band up until 1987. Joe Stump became the Alcatrazz guitarist when the band reformed, and remains the guitarist in the Waldo-Shea line-up of Alcatrazz. In June 2021, Jeff Loomis was announced as the guitarist in the Bonnet line-up of Alcatrazz.
Audley Freed is a guitarist from Burgaw, North Carolina.
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 Roll Fantasy Camp. Scot is also related to Jackie Coogan who is responsible for the Coogan Act that was put into place in 1939.
"Train Kept A-Rollin'" is a song first recorded by American jazz and rhythm and blues musician Tiny Bradshaw in 1951. Originally performed in the style of a jump blues, Bradshaw borrowed lyrics from an earlier song and set them to an upbeat shuffle arrangement that inspired other musicians to perform and record it. Johnny Burnette and the Rock and Roll Trio made an important contribution in 1956 – they reworked it as a guitar riff-driven song, which features an early use of intentionally distorted guitar in rock music.
Eduardo "Edu" Ardanuy is a Brazilian guitarist who has worked with such bands as Dr. Sin, Anjos da Noite, Blezqi Zatzas, Supla and Eduardo Araújo. He was included in a 'Top 10 Greatest Guitar Players' ranking by the Guitar Player Magazine in 1998. He has also played with Steve Vai, being invited by him.
Bjorn Englen is the bass player for Soul Sign and Dio Returns / Dio Disciples. Bjorn has also played bass for Yngwie Malmsteen, Quiet Riot, MSG/Survivor vocalist Robin McAuley, Scorpions guitarist Uli Jon Roth and Tony MacAlpine.
Orianthi Penny Panagaris, known mononymously as Orianthi, is an Australian guitarist, singer and songwriter who rehearsed in 2009 with Michael Jackson in preparation for his This Is It concert series, and performed with Alice Cooper's touring band. Her 2009 debut single "According to You" peaked at No. 3 in Japan, No. 8 in Australia and No. 17 in the US; her second album, Believe, received a worldwide release in late 2009. The same year, she was named one of the "12 Greatest Female Electric Guitarists" by Elle magazine. She also won the "2010 Breakthrough Guitarist of the Year" award hosted by Guitar International magazine.
Paul Nelson is an American blues and rock guitarist, record producer, and songwriter. He has played and or recorded alongside artists such as Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, and members of the Allman Brothers Band. He was the hand picked guitarist to join Johnny Winter's band in 2010, performing on and producing several of Winter's albums, including the Grammy Award-nominated I'm a Blues Man, Roots, and Step Back, which won the Grammy Award for Best Blues Album, debuted at #1 on the Billboard chart for Blues Albums, and Independent Albums, and debuted at #16 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, marking the highest spot in Winter's career. Nelson is also a Blues Music Award recipient for Best Rock Blues Album, and has been inducted into the New York Blues Hall of Fame and is a recipient of the KBA award from the Blues Foundation. He received a Grammy nomination for his work as producer and performer on Joe Louis Walker's, Everybody Wants a Piece.
The Yardbirds are an English rock band, formed in London in 1963. The band's core lineup featured vocalist and harmonica player Keith Relf, drummer Jim McCarty, rhythm guitarist and later bassist Chris Dreja, and bassist/producer Paul Samwell-Smith. The band started the careers of three of rock's most famous guitarists: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page, all of whom ranked in the top five of Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 greatest guitarists. The band had a string of hits throughout the mid-1960s, including "For Your Love", "Heart Full of Soul", "Shapes of Things", and "Over Under Sideways Down".
She Rocks, Vol. 1: A Collection of Kick-Ass Guitar Goddesses is a 2017 compilation album featuring female rock guitarists, released by Favored Nations Entertainment on January 20, 2017. The album was produced by Brad Tolinski and Steve Vai. The cover art was designed by Laura B. Whitmore.
Zepparella is an all-female American Led Zeppelin tribute band founded and formed in 2005 in San Francisco, California, by the band's drummer, Clementine. The current band consists of lead vocalist Anna Kristina, guitarist Gretchen Menn, bassist Holly West, and drummer Clementine.
Daniele Gottardo is an Italian guitarist and composer. He received recognition in 2009 as a winner of Guitar Idol, an international guitar competition. Gottardo was mentioned by Steve Vai as one of the brightest talents in modern electric guitar. As a solo artist, he has released three albums, Frenzy of Ecstasy, Non Temperato (2014), and INkBlot (2022). He is also a music educator for Jamtrackcentral. In 2018 he was mentioned in the article "10 Contemporary Guitar Virtuosos You Need To Hear" by the British magazine Guitarist. He has performed in major international guitar festivals including Malibu Guitar Festival, Guitare En Scene, Ziua Chitarelor, Jason Becker Not Dead Yet Festival, Eddie Lang Jazz Festival.
