Rusty Cooley

Last updated

Rusty Cooley
Born (1970-04-27) April 27, 1970 (age 54)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Genres
InstrumentGuitar
Years active1985–present
Website rustycooley.com

Rusty Cooley (born April 27, 1970) is an American guitarist and guitar teacher. [1] He is known for his shredding. [2]

Contents

Career

Beginnings

Cooley received his first guitar, a Peavey T27, and amplifier, a Peavey Decade, for his fifteenth birthday. He initially took guitar lessons but later became dissatisfied with local instructors and opted to teach himself. To develop his skills, he utilized various instructional resources, including Doug Marks's Metal Method, Ted Greene's Chord Chemistry and Modern Chord Progressions, REH instructional videos, and Robben Ford's instructional DVDs. [3]

His early musical influences were guitarists Randy Rhoads, Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Vai, Paul Gilbert, Vinnie Moore and Tony MacAlpine. [3] After only three years of playing the guitar, he became a guitar teacher at the music store where he had purchased his first guitar. Having finished high school, Cooley went to the local college and studied music theory.

Solo career

Cooley became dissatisfied with working with local musicians. He began to create solo music in early 1996. Around this time, he switched to using only seven-string guitars.

His debut solo album was the self-titled Rusty Cooley, released in 2003 by Lion Music. It consisted of 12 tracks, one of which, "Under the Influence", was released alongside a music video. The album featured Cooley on guitar, Brent Marches on bass, Eric Sands on fretless bass, and Bobby Williamson on keyboard. Music was by Cooley, Marches, and Kelly Carpenter; Carpenter also wrote the lyrics for, and handled the vocals on, the vocal versions of "Dominion" and "The Machine". Programming was done by Cooley and Williamson, while guitar engineering was done by Sands. Cooley also was in charge of the production. [4] [5]

Recent work

Cooley is currently in collaboration with ProTone Pedals, testing their new Jason Becker Perpetual Burn signature distortion pedals. Becker himself could not test as he has been suffering from ALS since 1990 and is no longer able to play guitar. ProTone has recently been working on a Rusty Cooley signature pedal. Cooley has collaborated with Dean Guitars to produce a signature seven-string model, of which several versions exist.

Cooley is currently working with a new band, Day of Reckoning. [6]

Teaching

Cooley has been a guitar instructor since he was 18, his third year of playing. He has released five instructional products, done lessons for magazines (such as his "Metal Guru" column) and posted many lessons on sites such as Shredaholic. He has taught for the National Guitar Workshop three times (1996, 1997, 1998) and given many clinics. Cooley has many well-known students, such as Chris Storey/Cris Osuna (ex-All Shall Perish) and Mica Roth, a former member of Hybreed.

Between 2011 and 2013, he hosted a video on the YouTube channel 'GuitarAsylumTV', in which he interviewed rock and metal guitarists. [7] Some of the musicians he has interviewed include Oli Herbert, Mark Tremonti, and Jeff Loomis.

Endorsements

Cooley currently endorses Ormsby Guitars, EMG Pickups, Morley Pedals, GHS strings, VHT, Rocktron, Eventide, Maxon and more recently Randall Amplification. [8] [9] [10]

He previously endorsed Jackson Guitars, Ibanez Guitars and Dean Guitars.

His signature Dean model was released at NAMM in early 2007.

Cooley appeared on the podcast, Cyber Timebite, in April 2019.

Releases

Music

Instructional products

Television appearances

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Satriani</span> American guitarist (born 1956)

Joseph Satriani is an American rock guitarist, composer, and songwriter. Early in his career he worked as a guitar instructor, with many of his former students achieving fame, including Steve Vai, Larry LaLonde, Rick Hunolt, Kirk Hammett, Andy Timmons, Charlie Hunter, Kevin Cadogan, and Alex Skolnick. Satriani went on to have a successful solo music career, starting in the mid-1980s. He is a 15-time Grammy Award nominee and has sold over ten million albums, making him the bestselling instrumental rock guitarist of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Gilbert</span> American guitarist and founding member of Mr. Big

Paul Brandon Gilbert is an American hard rock 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony MacAlpine</span> American musician and composer (born 1960)

Tony MacAlpine is an American musician and composer. In a career spanning four decades, he has released twelve studio albums. MacAlpine is best known as an instrumental rock and heavy metal solo guitarist, although he has worked with many different bands and musicians in guest appearances and collaborations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Amott</span> Swedish guitarist

Michael Amott is a Swedish guitarist, founding member of the metal bands Arch Enemy, Spiritual Beggars and Carnage, as well as a former member of Carcass. He is the older brother of Christopher Amott.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Petrucci</span> American guitarist

John Peter Petrucci is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. He produced or co-produced all of Dream Theater's albums from Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory (1999), and has been the sole producer of the band's albums released since A Dramatic Turn of Events (2011). Petrucci has also released two solo albums: Suspended Animation (2005) and Terminal Velocity (2020).

Jason Eli Becker is an American composer and former guitarist. At the age of 16, he became part of the Shrapnel Records-produced duo Cacophony with his friend Marty Friedman, and they released two albums, Speed Metal Symphony (1987) and Go Off! (1988). Since the dissolution of Cacophony in 1989, Becker has undertaken a solo career, releasing seven albums since his 1988 debut Perpetual Burn. He later joined David Lee Roth's solo band and recorded one album with him, A Little Ain't Enough.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derek Sherinian</span> American keyboardist (born 1966)

Derek Sherinian is an American keyboardist of Armenian descent who has toured and recorded for Alice Cooper, Billy Idol, and Joe Bonamassa, among others. He was also a member of Dream Theater from 1994 to 1999, is the founder of Planet X and also one of the founding members of Black Country Communion, Sons of Apollo, and Whom Gods Destroy. He has released nine solo albums that have featured a variety of prominent guest musicians, including guitarists Slash, Yngwie Malmsteen, Allan Holdsworth, Steve Lukather, Joe Bonamassa, Michael Schenker, Steve Vai and Al Di Meola, and extensively drummer Simon Phillips.

Planet X was an instrumental rock supergroup, founded by keyboardist Derek Sherinian and drummer Virgil Donati. They were active for a decade, releasing three studio albums and a live album, each with a variety of guest musicians and oft-changing lineups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gus G</span> Greek guitarist

Konstantinos Karamitroudis, better known as Gus G, is a Greek heavy metal guitarist. He currently plays with his band Firewind. He has also played in Mystic Prophecy, Nightrage, Arch Enemy, Dream Evil and Ozzy Osbourne's band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Loomis</span> American guitarist (born 1971)

Jeff Loomis is an American musician, best known for his role as lead guitarist in the progressive metal band Nevermore during its existence from 1991 to 2011, as well as brief tenures in its precursor, Sanctuary. In 2014, he joined Swedish melodic death metal band Arch Enemy, and in 2021 he joined Graham Bonnet's Alcatrazz as well. He left Arch Enemy in 2023. As a solo artist he has released two albums and one EP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Arnold</span> American musician

Rob Arnold is an American musician, best known for performing as the lead guitarist of the metal band Chimaira and later the rhythm guitarist of the death metal band Six Feet Under. In an interview with Roadrunner Records, he named Kirk Hammett, "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, Dave Mustaine, Marty Friedman and Kerry King as being influential to his playing style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Donegan</span> American guitarist

Daniel Joseph Donegan is an American musician who is the guitarist, keyboardist and one of the founding members of heavy metal band Disturbed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marc Rizzo</span> American guitarist (born 1977)

Marc Rizzo is an American musician, best known as the former lead guitarist of metal band Soulfly. He has featured on eight Soulfly albums: Prophecy, Dark Ages, Conquer, Omen, Enslaved, Savages, Archangel, and Ritual. He has also released five solo instrumental albums: Marc Rizzo, Colossal Myopia, The Ultimate Devotion, Legionnaire, and Rotation. Rizzo is also a member of Cavalera Conspiracy, a side project with the co-founders of Sepultura, Max and Igor Cavalera. The band released their debut album Inflikted in 2008, Blunt Force Trauma in 2011 and Pandemonium in 2014. In March 2015, it was announced that Rizzo was playing guitar for Misfits. His only show with the band so far took place at Dutch Comic Con. He was known to wear, in the early years, a backpack on stage during the shows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Peck</span> American musician

William Peck is a guitarist from Orlando, Florida. Peck is best known for being a close friend with musician Mark Tremonti and for being featured in Guitar One Magazine several times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal</span> American musician (born 1969)

Ronald Jay Blumenthal, better known by his stage name Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal or simply Bumblefoot, is an American guitarist, songwriter, and producer. He adopted his nickname from the bacterial infection of the same name, which he learned about while helping his wife study for her veterinary exams. The name went from being just the name of an album, to the name of a record label, to a band name, to eventually his name as a solo artist. He was one of two lead guitarists in Guns N' Roses from 2006 until 2014 and performed on their sixth studio album Chinese Democracy. He was the guitarist for the supergroup Sons of Apollo and currently with supergroup Whom Gods Destroy; and served as the guitarist and vocalist for the band Asia from 2019 to 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Hanson (guitarist)</span> American guitarist

Paul Hanson is an American guitarist. He started playing guitar at the age of 8. He formed bands in his hometown of Seattle, Washington, most notably Krakatoa, Silverload and Max. He is best known for his instructional series of books, CDs and videos.

Dave Reffett is an American hard rock and heavy metal guitarist, singer, producer, and bassist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doug Marks</span> Musical artist

Doug Marks is a musician, guitarist and guitar instructor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacky Vincent</span> British guitarist

Jack Casey Vincent is a British guitarist. He was the lead guitarist of the American post-hardcore band Falling in Reverse from its formation in 2008 until his departure in 2015. After his departure, he founded power metal band Cry Venom. Since then, Vincent has concentrated on his solo career and teaching. He has two solo albums: Star X Speed Story, came third in the Guitar World 2013 readers poll for Best Shred album, and Life Imitating Art released in 2018. Vincent won the Alternative Press Guitarist of the Year award in 2012 and came third in the Guitar World "Best Shredder" readers pool awards in 2013.

References

  1. ↑ Stephens, Matt (June 14, 2011). "Woodlands' guitarist 'A modern-day Mozart'". chron.com. Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  2. ↑ Mummolo, Jonathan (October 15, 2006). "Technique: Secrets of 'Shredding'". Newsweek . Archived from the original on December 26, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Rusty Cooley Interview". Guitarhoo!. Guitarhoo.com. November 18, 2005. Archived from the original on August 2, 2017. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Rusty Cooley". AllMusic. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Rusty Cooley". Metal Archives. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  6. ↑ Day of Reckoning
  7. ↑ "GuitarAsylumTV". YouTube .
  8. ↑ "Rusty Cooley". Dean Guitars. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  9. ↑ Archived January 26, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  10. ↑ Archived July 15, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  11. ↑ "Austrian Death Machine to release "Double Brutal" this fall". BraveWords. September 10, 2009. Archived from the original on December 26, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Derek Sherinian Looking To Start Progressive Metal Band". Blabbermouth.net. January 20, 2009. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Twin Cities' AFTER THE BURIAL Record New Album, Line Up Tours". Bravewords.com. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Rings Of Saturn : Lugal K En | Has it leaked?". Hasitleaked.com. July 2, 2014. Retrieved July 24, 2015.

Additional sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.