Paul Gilbert Biography, Guitars for Sale, CD's, DVD's, Downloads

According to Gilbert himself his interest in music began at the age of five years, when his parents gave him a child's guitar with a battery-powered amplifier to his birthday. With 9 years his interest awakened for rock music, to his former favorite bands, is among others Led Zeppelin, Kiss and Aerosmith. At the age of 15 he presented Mike Varney with a Demo tape, and asked him to get him an audition for Ozzy Osbourne. In 1984 Varney helped Gilbert, to move to Hollywood, and start his intensive study at the Guitar Institute of Technology. First experience in the studio, had Gilbert when he gathered with the group "Black Sheep" with which he recorded the album Trouble in the Streets.

In 1985 he founded his first professional cover band Electric Fence and earned his living. In addition he also had a job as a guitar teacher in the guitar department of the Musicians Institute, a prestigious music school in Los Angeles, where he among other things the young Buckethead taught. In 1986 he founded the band Racer X. Another student at the time was Bruce Bouillet, whom Gilbert confronted with difficult tasks. Unlike other students, he confronted his teacher at each of the next day with questions about the technology, Bouillet had done his homework and knew the techniques. Gilbert later said: "We had done this for the five weeks - then I'd became afraid that the boy would soon be better than me." He took Bouillet as second guitarist for Racer X, and together they made the band's second album, Second Heat on. Despite some success, the group split up in 1988, but was back together in 1999, and takes on occasional albums or play together in concerts.

Gilbert brought fame to the band Mr. Big, which he founded in 1989 together with the rock bassist Billy Sheehan after a jam session, and with which he produced four studio and five live albums. Gilbert left Mr. Big in 1996, he decided to pursue a solo career - including an advertising medium for the guitar manufacturer Ibanez.

In 2007, Paul Gilbert, John Petrucci and Joe Satriani came together in a G3 Concert, and in 2008 he published together with the singer Freddie Nelson an album in the United States.

In 2009 Paul Gilbert ventured as part of a reunion tour with his band Mr. Big. In 2010, the group went into the studio and recorded for the first time since 1996 a new in the original cast album. In January 2011 it will be released under the title What if ... on Frontiers Records.

By Melanie Bradley