Jeff Keith of Tesla was first exposed to music by his father, who played guitar for a local bar band in Georgetown, CA. After graduating high school, Jeff bought a guitar chord book and learned his favorite Beatles and Rolling Stones songs to play at campfires. He later auditioned and got the gig for the band City Kidd. They played Top 40 hits with a few of their own songs mixed in. City Kidd was eventually renamed, Tesla. Tesla went…
Tommy Aldridge got his musical taste from his mother at a very young age. His mom was into all different artists including Dave Brubeck, Elvis Presley, and the Everly Brothers. He first came in contact with drums when he was six years old. His first real band was a trio that consisted of drums, guitar, and keyboard. Tommy has drummed for some of the biggest names in rock music, including Whitesnake, Gary Moore, Black Oak Arkansas, Pat Travers, and Ozzy…
Nita Strauss takes her name from composer Johann Strauss. She grew up listening to classic rock with her father and picked up the guitar at age 13. After going to the movies to see “Crossroads” she knew she wanted to be a musician. The scene with Steve Vai just blew her away. Only two years later, she started playing in clubs. Since the age limit was 18, she would wait outside until it was time for the band to play.…
Michael Wilton of Queensryche talks to Rock Scene about his very young years in San Francisco, moving to Seattle Washington and playing bass in garage bands while growing up. Eventually switching instruments with a guitar player, Michael began learning all that he could about the guitar. After high school, he attended the Cornish Institute of Allied Arts for a year and a half until running out of money, forcing him to take a job. In doing so, he met Eddie…
Music has always been a big part of Michael Sweet’s life. At a very early age, his parents took him, his brother Rob and sister to their first concert at the L.A. Forum to see the King of Rock & Roll, Elvis Presley. If that wasn’t enough, it was also the night that Led Zeppelin was in attendance. The show was legendary. It was then that Michael decided that music would be his career. His father (a country/rock-a-billy singer) would…
Check out Steven Adler talking about his ROCK SCENE growing up, getting his first drum set, and the first record he bought, KISS ALIVE 1. He reminisces about how he met Slash in history class when he was 12 and seeing Axl & Izzy’s band 'Hollywood Rose' at Gazzarri's on the Sunset Strip.
