Steve Vai – A Guitar Legend

For more than 20 years, Steve Vai has been making a name for himself in the world of guitars. His music type is very hard to classify. Vai is famous for creating sounds that are unique. Vai recently had a special performance with the 100-piece Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra in Japan. Together they performed a concerto for electric guitar called "Fire Strings" composed by Japanese composer and concert pianist Ichiro Nodaira.

Who is Steve Vai?

So just who is this man called Steve Vai? Playing since he was about 10 in his first band, Hot Chocolate (starring he and his sister, Lillian) he has been inspired by the music world. That ambition grew as he did and through the 70's he honed his musical skills.

In 1980, Vai's professional career began as he was a guitarist in Frank Zappa's band. But in 1984, with the release of his solo album, his career really took off. That first album sold almost 6 million copies and set the stage for his next album, “Passion and Welfare” that would be a breakthrough in rock guitar. Vai was a member of many different bands in his career and performed with David Lee Roth, Whitesnake, Alcatraz and more.

Through the 90's, Vai was an inspiration to many new up and coming artists in the grunge era and contemporary hard rock. Vai also helped influence the industry with his Universe 7-String guitar that he helped guitar maker Ibanez create.