John's Bio:

'''John Petrucci''' is the guitarist and a founding member of the progressive metal group Dream Theater. He is widely recognized as one of the most technically and musically gifted guitarists of his time. John's signature style is a furious flurry of alternately-picked notes, creating a frenzied tonal blur. This is usually called "shredding", although the term occasionally has a negative connotation not generally applicable to Petrucci, who is usually regarded as one of the more tasteful virtuosi of the electric guitar. Born July 12, 1967, John first played guitar at age 8, but soon abandoned it until age 12, when he was inducted into the band of his friend Kevin Moore, who would later become the keyboardist (and then ex-keyboardist) of Dream Theater. From this point John began to practice in earnest. He was a largely self-taught guitarist; he developed his skills through attempts to equal the chops of his idols, who included the likes of Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Morse, Steve Vai, Allan Holdsworth, Yes, Rush, and others. John attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts, where he met future bandmates John Myung (bass) and Mike Portnoy (drums). These three formed the band Majesty, which would later become Dream Theater. While Dream Theater is what John is most commonly associated with, he also appearred in the side project Liquid Tension Experiment (created primarily as a way to collaborate with then-future, now current Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess), as well as a few other groups including Explorer's Club. John is known for being one of the few virtuosi of the seven string guitar. Like the 7-string's famous supporter Steve Vai, Petrucci plays primarily on a 6-string but sometimes utilizes the 7-string, such as on the songs "A Change of Seasons", "The Glass Prison", "New Millennium" and "Lie". John used to be an endorsee of Ibanez guitars; he is currently signed with Ernie Ball/Musicman. Under this manufacturer he has a 6-string and 7-string model on the market. Petrucci, John Petrucci, John Petrucci, John

Discography:

When Dream and Day Unite (1989)
Images and Words (1992)
"Another Day" (CD Single from album Images and Words) (1992)
Live At The Marquee (1993)
"Lie" (Single from album Awake) (1994)
"The Silent Man" (CD Single from album Awake) (1994)
Awake (1994)
A Change of Seasons (1995)
"Hollow Years" (CD Single from album Falling Into Infinity) (1997)
Falling Into Infinity (1997)
Once In A LIVEtime (1998)
Metropolis, Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory (1999)
"Through Her Eyes" (CD Single from album Metropolis, Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory) (1999)
Live Scenes From New York (2001)
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (2002)
Train of Thought (2003)
Live at Budokan (2004)

Official Site: www.johnpetrucci.com