Tom Morello
Tom Morello grew up in Libertyville, IL. He attended Harvard University and received his BA in Social Studies before becoming a rock god. Morello met Zack de la Rocha in the 1990s. Together, they formed Rage Against the Machine, one of the most successful and influential rock acts of the nineties. In Los Angeles in 2000, outside of the Staples Center Convention Center, which was currently hosting the Democratic National Convention, Rage Against the Machine played. The audience members grew increasingly angry and violent as the show raged on, finally resorting to throwing rocks at one point.
Tom Morello
Paul Gilbert
Gilbert grew up in Carbondale, IL. He is best known for his speed and stylistic versatility in fast guitar playing. Gilbert was tapped to fill in as a guitarist for the legendary metal-monster Ozzy Osbourne himself at the ripe age of 15 in the early ’80s. At the time, the manager and producer of Ozzy were dead set against getting in a child to play guitar for a man who was once Black Sabbath’s lead singer. However, it was all over until Ozzy’s producer heard Gilbert perform. Gilbert moved across the country and soon joined the band. He pairs speed picking in the same sentence with legato and Spanish guitar techniques, which is a feat that most guitarists on this list can never accomplish.
Paul Gilbert