George Lynch (musician)
George Lynch (b.
September 28,
1954) is a heavy metal guitarist best known as a member of the band
Dokken.
 |
George Lynch at Dallas Guitar Show 2004 |
Lynch was born in
Spokane, Washington and raised in
Sacramento,
California. He is a highly respected modern guitarist often compared with other guitar heroes such as
Randy Rhoads,
Steve Vai,
Eric Johnson,
Eddie Van Halen,
Joe Satriani,
John Petrucci, and
Yngwie J. Malmsteen. Lynch is well known for his famous
legato technique and common use of the
scale he calls the 'Gothic Octave'. Twice Lynch auditioned for the position of
Ozzy Osbourne's lead guitarist, once in 1979 – losing to Randy Rhoads – and another time in 1982 to replace
Brad Gillis. According to George, he was hired for three days before Ozzy changed his mind and decided to go with
Jake E. Lee. Lee, however claims that Lynch "got the gig, but only went on the road for two weeks to watch the show, and never actually played with Ozzy."
Lynch came to fame in the
1980s through his work as the lead guitarist in the band
Dokken (whom he had been a member of since the late
1970s). Dokken had a string of successful
platinum albums that prominently featured Lynch's inventive lead guitar work and cemented his reputation as a bonafide guitar hero.
Despite being more popular than ever, Lynch left Dokken in
1988 due to internal tensions with lead vocalist
Don Dokken. George formed his own hard rock band
Lynch Mob which had a style similar to Dokken's, but was never as popular. In
1993, Lynch released his first solo album
Sacred Groove which was well received among fans.
By
1994 George and Don had set aside their differences and Dokken reformed with their classic lineup. Dokken released two albums and a video during this period but Lynch still found time to tour with his own band, appear at guitar clinics for
ESP guitars, and attend the annual
NAMM Show. By 1997, tensions had again flared over creative differences and Lynch quit the band to pursue other projects. Lynch was replaced by
Reb Beach, and eventually others, and Dokken continued without his involvement.
Lynch began working on a number of side projects, reforming and touring with Lynch Mob, releasing more solo albums, and forming a project with former Dokken bassist
Jeff Pilson called 'Lynch/Pilson'. In 2003 George formed the 'The George Lynch Group' in which he has continued to record and tour regularly with. The George Lynch Group recently performed a marathon, 26 shows in 30 days, including a much talked about feature on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The line-up is:
George Lynch - Guitars,
Andrew Freeman - Vocals,
Vinny Appice (Black Sabbath/Dio) - Drums,
Marten Andersson (Lizzy Borden/Starwood/Legacy) - Bass
Lynch currently resides in
Los Angeles where he continues to record, lives healthily and embraces
body building.
George has been an endorser of
ESP guitars since Dokken rose to fame in the early '80s. He has more signature model guitars in his name than any other ESP endorsee. His famed
Skull and Bones guitar is one of the most famous in modern rock. He also has a signature
Seymour Duncan pickup, the SH-12 Screamin' Demon.
His use of vintage
Marshall,
Soldano,
Bogner &
Diezel amps and effects units to achieve his famous tone is well known in rock guitar circles.
While on tour in 2005 he has used the Randall Dragon (non master volume) tube head for the majority of his sound. The design is very similar to the older marshall plexi heads that he used early on in Dokken.
George is currently endorsing the handcrafted Yamaha L-Series Acoustic Guitars and is on a Asian 'Unplugged' Clinic tour May/June 2006.
Also in the works is a signature amp tentatively called the "LYNCH BOX" made by Randall. It is based on 2 of his favourite Marshall heads from the late 60s. The totally new custom speakers are made by Eminence.
George has also designed a new high-nickel content string through the Dean Markley company to be on the market soon but his name will not be on the package.
Dokken*
Back in the Streets (1979)
*
Breaking the Chains (1982)
*
Tooth and Nail (1984)
*
Under Lock and Key (1985)
*
Back for the Attack (1987)
*
Beast from the East (1988)
*
Dysfunctional (1995)
*
One Live Night (1995)
*
Japan Live '95 (1995)
*
Shadowlife (1997)
Lynch Mob*
Wicked Sensation (1990)
*
Lynch Mob (1992)
*
Smoke This (1999)
*
REvolution (2003)
*
Evil Live (2003)
Solo*
Sacred Groove (1993)
*
Will Play for Food (2001)
*
Furious George (2004)
*
Lost Lynch (2005)
Lynch/Pilson*
Wicked Underground (2003)
*
Official George Lynch website
