Steve Vai. Kirk Hammett (Metallica). Larry LaLonde (Primus). David Bryson (Counting Crows).
Each of these musicians is a guitarist par excellence. Each has achieved some measure of fame and success — far more than most of us — and is a professional at the top of their craft. But they each share one commonality: they all had the same guitar teacher.
That teacher was none other than Joe Satriani.
But Joe has done more than just influence some of the biggest names in rock. He is a guitar virtuoso in his own right. He recently released his eighteenth album, he’s been nominated for 15 Grammys, and he is the bestselling rock guitar instrumentalist of all time.
Growing up Joe
Joe was born on Long Island, NY, in 1956 and is of Italian heritage. In fact, his grandparents — both sets — were born in Italy.
You might think that little Joe picked up the guitar at a young age and the rest was history, but that’s actually not what happened.
Instead, he actually began his musical journey on the drums, which he started playing at age nine. After a few years drumming, though, he became frustrated with his lack of progress and stopped practicing.
The fates would align, however, on September 18, 1970, when the now-teenager learned that Jimi Hendrix had died. At the news, Joe decided to start playing the guitar.
Learning and teaching
“Satch” spent four years learning the guitar before seeking out Billy Bauer and Lennie Tristano, two jazz musicians, to really dig into the study of music. Tristano was an especially demanding teacher, something Joe took note of and incorporated into his own teaching style.
One of his first students was Steve Vai, a fellow Long Islander who even went to the same high school as Joe. In fact, they’ve continued to be close friends over the years and play and tour together as often as they can.
Vai has gone on record stating that Satch was a very demanding teacher, and that if he did not practice the lesson from the week before sufficiently, Joe would make him use the lesson time to practice by himself, while Satriani would go off to eat a sandwich.
From the late 1970s through the mid-1980s, Joe taught guitar while pursuing a career in music. He moved to Berkeley, CA, during this time, and it was there that he taught many of his famous students, including Kirk Hammett, David Bryson, Alex Skolnick (Testament), Kevin Cadogan (Third Eye Blind), and many others.
Stardom and surfing with aliens
Joe released his first album in 1986, but it was his second album in 1987, Surfing with the Alien, that rocketed him to previously unknown success. It was the highest instrumental album on the charts in many years, and it got him constant radio airplay.
He continued to release successful albums, and in 1993 he was asked to temporarily join British rock legends Deep Purple, who needed to replace the recently departed Ritchie Blackmore. Satriani was a hit with both the band and audiences and was asked to join full time, but he declined because of other recording obligations he had.
G3 and Chickenfoot
Satch’s career and influence continued to grow in 1996 when he founded G3, a regular series of concerts — that are still going to this day — featuring some of the top rock guitarists on a single stage. Many rock stars have joined Joe on stage, including Vai, Eric Johnson, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and John Petrucci.
In 2008, Joe joined the supergroup Chickenfoot, composed of Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, and Chad Smith. They have recorded several albums together.
Satch facts
If you are a die-hard Joe Satriani fan, you probably were already familiar with most of his story. In fact, you may not have even learned anything new about Satch to this point.
So for the true super fans, here are some bonus Satch facts you may not have known:
- Joe played guitar on Spinal Tap’s 1992 album, Break Like the Wind
- Satriani has been in several movies, including For Your Consideration and Moneyball
- Joe’s favorite albums of all time include So (Peter Gabriel), Electric Ladyland (Jimi Hendrix), Exile on Main Street (Rolling Stones), and Please Please Me (Beatles)
- Joe wrote an autobiography in 2014 called Strange Beautiful Music
- Satch is an avid painter who finished over 100 paintings during the COVID lockdowns
Joe Satriani has done more to influence rock and roll than just about anyone else. And at 65, he is still recording new music, looking forward to touring again, and most importantly, enjoying himself all the while.
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