Steve Vai
Steve Vai was born in Carls Place, New York, in 1960. He started his music career at the age of 18 by transcribing a complicated Frank Zappa song on notebook paper and sending it to the artist. After reading the page, Zappa mailed a plane to Vai, who flew a few to Los Angeles and joined the band. Vai is another virtuoso who has been described as a rather individualistic musician.
Ritchie Blackmore
Ritchie Blackmore is a co-founder of Deep Purple and a highly accomplished guitarist and composer. Single guitar notes are hard-punched, mixing his free-flowing jamming style with softer, almost pipe organ sounds to create a sound that hasn’t been duplicated. He is renowned for his fantastic riffs and classically influenced solos, and he is now 75 years old.