Paul Gilbert
Based on Wikipedia: Paul Gilbert
In 1984, a seventeen-year-old guitar prodigy from Greensburg, Pennsylvania made a decision that would reshape his life forever: he packed up his guitars and moved to Los Angeles. This wasn't some impulsive rock-and-roll pilgrimage—Paul Gilbert had been specifically recruited by the Guitar Institute of Technology to become an instructor at one of the most prestigious music institutions in the world. At seventeen years old, he was already teaching students who were twice his age, while simultaneously building the foundation for a career that would eventually see him voted as one of the fastest guitarists in metal history.
The Making of a Shredder
Born Paul Brandon Gilbert on November 6, 1966, in Greensburg—a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania—the young guitarist began playing music at age six. By fifteen, he was already performing at local clubs with his first band, Tau Zero, and had attracted the attention of Guitar Player magazine, which featured him alongside another rising Swedish prodigy named Yngwie Malmsteen. This wasn't hobbyist-level shredding; this was a serious young musician developing his craft in the underground scene.
In 1982, Gilbert attended a guitar seminar hosted by Randy Rhoads—the legendary guitarist who had redefined heavy metal with his work for Ozzy Osbourne. Gilbert saw Rhoads perform live twice during this period, absorbing techniques that would later define his own playing style. Around the same time, he contacted Mike Varney, founder of Shrapnel Records, asking about a gig with metal mega-star Ozzy Osbourne. At first, Varney thought Osbourne wouldn't want a fifteen-year-old guitarist—but after listening to Gilbert's demo tape, he changed his mind completely.
The two continued talking over the next three years, culminating in Gilbert's 1985 cross-country move to Los Angeles to attend GIT. Even at seventeen, Gilbert quickly became a local legend due to his advanced and extremely fast alternate picking technique, his youthful age, and his massive repertoire of cover material.
Racer X: The Technical Revolution
He was hired as a GIT instructor in 1985—the same year he recorded Racer X's debut album Street Lensed—which featured technical showcases that would become legendary among guitar enthusiasts. Formed in Los Angeles in 1985, Racer X was originally composed of Paul Gilbert on lead guitar, Juan Alderete on bass, Harry Gschoesser on drums, and Jeff Martin on vocals.
They were heavily influenced by Judas Priest, and Gilbert's playing was reminiscent of Yngwie Malmsteen—displaying fast-driven solos with advanced technique. Gschoesser was replaced by Scott Travis in 1986 (later of Judas Priest), and Bruce Bouillet—one of Gilbert's private students at GIT—was added as a second guitarist after demonstrating an ability to harmonize Gilbert's string skipping sequences.
Gilbert gained recognition as one of the world's fastest guitarists due to incredibly technical pieces like Technical Difficulties, Frenzy, Scarified, Y.R.O., and Scit Scat Wah—tracks that pushed the boundaries of what was considered possible on six strings. Around this time, Gilbert recorded his first instructional video, Intense Rock, in which he demonstrated a number of his famous techniques and practice regimens in detail.
"My speed came from practicing three hours a day, every single day," Gilbert later said in interviews about his rigorous regimen.
Racer X toured the American southwest—primarily California—selling out thousand-seat venues. Despite their rigorous fan base, they had no prospects for a major label deal, and Gilbert became increasingly disinterested. In 1987, he was approached by Talas bassist Billy Sheehan—one of his biggest influences—about forming a band; it became Mr. Big.
The Birth of Mr. Big
Gilbert left Racer X in 1988 to form Mr. Big alongside Billy Sheehan—who had just left David Lee Roth's solo band. The group included Pat Torpey on drums and Eric Martin on vocals, and they were immediately successful in Japan before achieving international stardom with the 1991 release of their second studio album Lean into It.
This album featured the acoustic ballad To Be with You, which received strong play on radio stations and MTV, rising to Number One on the Billboard Hot 100. The song's success transformed Mr. Big into a mainstream rock band virtually overnight.
The band broke up in 1996—at which point Gilbert launched his solo career. When Mr. Big reformed soon after, Gilbert—who was already committed to his own record contract—was replaced by Richie Kotzen. But this wasn't the end of either story.
The Solo Journey and Racer X's Return
Gilbert left Racer X in 1988 but restructured it after the 1996 breakup of Mr. Big. He contacted the members of Racer X, and all agreed to return with the exception of Bruce Bouillet, who could barely play guitar at the time due to a severe bout of carpal tunnel syndrome.
In mid-1999, the band recorded the album Technical Difficulties—which went gold in Japan. The new record label requested a follow-up; so in late 2000, they released Superheroes, mixed by Bouillet. To further capitalize on their newfound success in Japan, Universal Japan requested that the band perform for a live-album CD and DVD.
On May 25, 2001, the band played their first live performance in thirteen years to a sold-out crowd at the world-famous Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles. The resulting CD and DVD were released in 2002 under the title Snowball of Doom.
In January 2002, in support of Superheroes and Snowball of Doom, Racer X toured Japan and Taiwan. The tour's final show—in Yokohama—was hastily recorded in two tracks on the sound board and later released as Snowball of Doom 2. Later that year, Universal Japan pushed for another Racer X release.
In October 2002, all four members gathered at Gilbert's house in Las Vegas to record Getting Heavier—which was sold alongside Snowball of Doom 2 in a package deal. Although the album was a successful release in Japan, some fans were disappointed with the lighter tracks, which resembled a Paul Gilbert solo album more than a conventional Racer X album.
Racer X performed at the 2009 NAMM Show at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. Andy Timmons and his band opened the show, followed by a solo set from Paul Gilbert, and finally Racer X. The lineup consisted of Paul Gilbert, Scott Travis, Jeff Martin, and John Alderete.
Legacy and Recognition
Gilbert was voted fourth-best on Guitar One magazine's 2007 "Top 10 Greatest Guitar Shredders of All Time"—a list that placed him alongside legends. He was also ranked in Guitar World's 2008 list, "50 Fastest Guitarists of All Time". Most remarkably, he was ranked Number One in Loudwire Magazine's list of "10 Stupidly Fast Guitarists in Metal"—a testament to the jaw-dropping speed that defined his career.
Mr. Big disbanded again in 2002, but Gilbert reunited the original members in June 2009 for a worldwide reunion tour. The band recorded a new album with producer Kevin Shirley titled What If.... The album was released in Japan on December 15, 2010, in Europe on January 21, 2011, and in the U.S. in February 2011.
A tour to support the album kicked off at the Hollywood location of The House of Blues on April 2, 2011, followed by several dates in Japan. In May and June 2011, the tour continued in Taiwan, China, Korea, the Philippines, and Europe.
In September 2014, Mr. Big released ...The Stories We Could Tell—produced by Pat Regan. During the recording of the album, it was revealed that drummer Pat Torpey had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. For the tour that followed, Mr. Big enlisted the help of drummer Matt Starr of Burning Rain to take over Torpey's drumming duties, whilst Torpey acted as "drum producer."
The band released their ninth studio effort, Defying Gravity, on July 7, 2017—it was the last album to feature Torpey's drumming and the first with Matt Starr's. On February 7, 2018, Torpey died from complications of Parkinson's disease at the age of sixty-four.
His last show took place at Wulbrun Hall in Wolverhampton on November 23, 2017. A memorial show took place on May 23, 2018, at The Canyon in Agoura Hills, California, with former member Richie Kotzen as a special guest.
The all-star finale of "To Be With You" included, among others, Matt Sorum, Dave Amato, Ricky Phillips, Keith St John, Prescott Niles, Kelly Keagy, Jeff Scott Soto, Ace Von Johnson, and Gregg Bissonette—all testament to the reach of Gilbert's influence.
In October 2018, singer Eric Martin said in an interview with Friday NI Rocks that the band was planning their next album. According to the frontman, once the band was done with its 2019 touring commitments, they would subsequently disband: "Yeah, that's the last hurrah—that's it."
But for Paul Gilbert—the kid who started playing at six, performed in local clubs by fifteen, and became a legend before turning twenty—the story continues to echo through every amplified note he plays.