George Lynch was born on September 28, 1954 in Spokane, WA. and raised in northern California. He began learning to play guitar at the age of 10 and throughout his teenage years, performed in several bands out of the Sacramento, Ca. area. Most notable from this era of his formative career was the band Sergeant Rocks. From here, he set his sights on Los Angeles where he would be involved in The Boyz and Xciter in the late 1970s.

Xciter brought George to the spotlight during this blossoming L.A. scene. Playing the L.A. club circuit garnered a large following for Lynch as a guitarist and it was clear that he was already taking the necessary steps that would lead him to success in the 1980s. He had become a product of Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Beck and was already beginning to reach for the outer limits of his guitar playing. Though the crowd of guitar gunslingers was led by Edward Van Halen and Randy Rhoads, Lynch was never in their shadow as the years would come to prove. His rise to prominence came when he joined Dokken and toured relentlessly throughout much of the decade.

Much of Dokken's success is credited to George Lynch's guitarmanship and songwriting. He recorded five highly successful albums from 1983 to 1988 with that band to propel him as one of the most influential rock guitarists in modern music. Another distinction that separates him from others of this genre is that his guitar playing earned Dokken a Grammy nomination in 1989 for Best Rock Instrumental. Even Van Halen had yet to receive any nomination at this time.

George's tenure with Dokken ended in 1989 and he was set to begin again. With the new decade came a new Lynch. A bolder stylist and more knowledgeable guitarist was found in him, as he formed the first incarnation of Lynch Mob. Recording two albums with this band, and going back on the road to support them kept Lynch in the public eye. But he was yearning for a further approach to the guitar. While still promoting his work with Lynch Mob, he began work on a solo endeavor titled, "Sacred Groove."

"Sacred Groove" was released in 1993 and it afforded Lynch the capacity to display different musical and guitar styles. He clearly established himself as an eclectic musician with this volume of work. Having satisfied this, George Lynch decided to take a few years off to spend time with his children and enjoy life for a while in Arizona. He became athletic and established a healthy lifestyle that he maintains to this day.

Dokken reformed without the use of Lynch but when a record company refused to release a new Dokken record without Lynch, phone calls were made in late 1994. Lynch came in to fulfill the requests of the record company and round two with the band began. Recording two more Dokken records and three more years of touring were soon to follow but he departed again in 1997. This would be his final venture with Dokken. Lynch was set again to broaden his musical spectrum.

1998 kept George Lynch working on a different version of Lynch Mob. With a new line-up, "Smoke This" was an album that was a culmination of Lynch's playing styles with a new approach. The result was a heavy techno metal sound that featured a newer approach to hard rock guitar. Touring with this newer band in 1999 brought Lynch to a whole new audience and with it came a renewed interest in bringing together the original Lynch Mob sound to a younger audience.

Lynch soldiered on, entering the millennium with a very busy recording and touring schedule. After completing a US tour in 2001, he immediately began work with former Dokken band mate, bassist Jeff Pilson and drummer Michael Frowein on what was to become a lengthy album titled “Wicked Underground,” released in early 2003.

The project grew out of song ideas that began with Frowein at Lynch’s Stonehouse Studios the previous year with Pilson in mind to join in the completion of these songs. The collaboration proved to inspire Pilson and Lynch to dedicating themselves to pursuing a full length record together. What began as a three-month project turned into a year and a half death march to complete. “Wicked Underground” was completed under the name LP (Lynch/Pilson). Delivered to stores in April 2003, it featured “Basquiatesque” cover artwork by the album’s co-engineer, Tommy Hendrickson.

Just after finishing the Lynch/Pilson recordings, while maintaining his stride, Lynch stayed in the studio, reworking the sound of the earlier Lynch Mob and Dokken material. The approach here was, to re-visit hallowed ground and re-build songs the way he originally intended them to sound but with a heavier dropped-tuned sound and new arrangements. George re-assembled Mob band members, Robert Mason and Anthony Esposito, along with Frowein on drums. Together, they reinvent the spirit and fire of early Lynch compositions onto an album titled, “Revolution,” also released in 2003. Fans would then see George touring and performing in front of new audiences while re-visiting dedicated fans around the world. The tour was documented in a live CD that will be accompanied with a video/DVD.

The guitar work on both “Wicked Underground” and “Revolution” demonstrated Lynch’s consistency with his signature sound while balancing a more experimental side, stepping outside the boundaries of his already established technique. This factor alone won the attention of many young musicians and has had a part in influencing the resurgence of rock guitar in today’s popular music scene. But while his new recordings were thriving, Lynch began working on a recording of honored classics. The retro album, “Furious George” was released in 2004, containing songs that inspired his playing career.

Following a 2004 tour in support of “Furious George,” Lynch will complete the year with a passionate piece of work, a compilation titled “Lost Lynch.” Through the years, George has held on to completed material that has never seen the light of day, some of which came from his pre-Dokken years. This is an important album because “Lost Lynch” exhibits his natural progression and growth as a musician, guitarist and songwriter. Spanning over thirty years, “Lost Lynch” exhibits his earliest recordings at age 15 through some of his early bands to the later successes. It also explores some choice examples of missing links from Dokken and Lynch Mob and an interesting cross-section of some of Lynch’s later projects never released to the public. Some of these selections include sessions titled “Micro-Dot,” featuring vocalist, London LeGrand (from Brides of Destruction) and “Band of Flakes” with bassist/producer Jason Slater (from Snake River Conspiracy). An example of George’s producer skills can also be heard with his work with Australian pop vocalist/actress, Michelle Joan Smith.

Lynch will always be re-evolving as a musician. One factor that keeps him evolving is his constant quest for the ultimate guitar tone. Many musical instrument manufactures consult with George creatively to produce equipment helpful to himself and other musicians. Many products now bear his name.

The most notable endorsement, ESP Guitars, has held George as their highest profile endorser for close to 20 years. Electric guitar pickup guru, Seymour Duncan honored George with his own signature series pickup called the “Screamin’ Demon” in 1990 and reigns as one of the Duncan company’s most popular items to date. In recent years, George conceived the design for a triple amp selector switching system called the “Tripler” and is now being manufactured by Morley. American Recording Technology manufactures and distributes the George Lynch Signature guitar, patch and speaker cables, which he uses onstage and in the studio. George has represented Dean Markley strings as he has been using them on recordings and on tour for many years. He has proven to be a highly marketable commodity for all of these manufacturers.

Peavey Electronics will unveil a new George Lynch signature series amplifier in 2005. This 100-watt amplifier is the product of four years of research and development done by Lynch and his close working relationship with Peavey’s engineering team led by James Brown (“The Godfather of Tone”).

With a clearer vision of his music, Lynch always stays busy creatively. The career move from doing things the corporate way shifted to doing things his way...internally incorporated, maintaining creative control of his music and the business of his music. Lynch always broadens his musical scope with new self- produced music. This approach will be sure to capture and continue to influence fans for years to come.

--- Gerard Ganaden