This guy has speed. And appeal. As one of the favorite heavy metal acts of the 1980's, he got plenty of opportunities to show his stuff:
DeMartini was born on April 10, 1963 in Chicago, Illinois. By the time his family moved to San Diego, California, DeMartini became interested in rock and roll as his older brothers Bernard and James played in a band that rehearsed in the family basement. Warren's mother bought him a guitar at age seven. But when he experienced the frustration of learning an instrument, he smashed it as he had seen Pete Townshend of the Who do onstage.
His mother didn't think the stunt was as great as Townshend seemed to think and refused to buy Warren another one. So DeMartini had to wait until he was 15 and has save up enough money to buy a new electric guitar. This time, he took lessons and was able to learn fast enough to start a band called the Plague. His next band was called Aircraft and in 1979, DeMartini played his first concert at La Jolla High School in San Diego.
Warren was beginning to get attention as one of San Diego's most talented guitarists, winning the Guitar Center contest in Mira Mesa. He graduated in 1981 and began taking classes in college. It was here that he was invited to move to Los Angeles to join the group Mickey Ratt, replacing Jake E. Lee, whom we've already heard from in The Top 100 Guitarists*. That band eventually became the group Ratt.
Ratt co-wrote several of the group's best songs, including "Round and Round" and "Lay It Down". Ratt released four straight platinum albums before breaking up in February, 1992. DeMartini toured with Whitesnake in 1994 and then worked on a few solo projects. Ratt reunited in 1996 and released two more albums but not up to the level of their earlier albums. DeMartini briefly joined the band Dio but they were short-lived. Ratt reformed again in 2007 for a summer tour.
DeMartini was influenced by Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, Joe Walsh, Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick, Townsend, Steve Lukather of Toto, Uli Roth, Jake E. Lee and Joe Perry of Aerosmith. DeMartini often plays chromatic runs that sound almost like jazz fusion. He has good speed and will often use fast minor scales. Warren uses finger vibrato, which involves moving the finger back and forth rapidly along the length of the string to alter the pitch.
Warren DeMartini...The #82 Guitarist of the Rock Era*.
#82: Warren DeMartini, Ratt, Whitesnake
32 years as an active guitarist
(Live from New York City)
(Live from New York City)
DeMartini was born on April 10, 1963 in Chicago, Illinois. By the time his family moved to San Diego, California, DeMartini became interested in rock and roll as his older brothers Bernard and James played in a band that rehearsed in the family basement. Warren's mother bought him a guitar at age seven. But when he experienced the frustration of learning an instrument, he smashed it as he had seen Pete Townshend of the Who do onstage.
His mother didn't think the stunt was as great as Townshend seemed to think and refused to buy Warren another one. So DeMartini had to wait until he was 15 and has save up enough money to buy a new electric guitar. This time, he took lessons and was able to learn fast enough to start a band called the Plague. His next band was called Aircraft and in 1979, DeMartini played his first concert at La Jolla High School in San Diego.
Warren was beginning to get attention as one of San Diego's most talented guitarists, winning the Guitar Center contest in Mira Mesa. He graduated in 1981 and began taking classes in college. It was here that he was invited to move to Los Angeles to join the group Mickey Ratt, replacing Jake E. Lee, whom we've already heard from in The Top 100 Guitarists*. That band eventually became the group Ratt.
Ratt co-wrote several of the group's best songs, including "Round and Round" and "Lay It Down". Ratt released four straight platinum albums before breaking up in February, 1992. DeMartini toured with Whitesnake in 1994 and then worked on a few solo projects. Ratt reunited in 1996 and released two more albums but not up to the level of their earlier albums. DeMartini briefly joined the band Dio but they were short-lived. Ratt reformed again in 2007 for a summer tour.
DeMartini was influenced by Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, Joe Walsh, Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick, Townsend, Steve Lukather of Toto, Uli Roth, Jake E. Lee and Joe Perry of Aerosmith. DeMartini often plays chromatic runs that sound almost like jazz fusion. He has good speed and will often use fast minor scales. Warren uses finger vibrato, which involves moving the finger back and forth rapidly along the length of the string to alter the pitch.
Warren DeMartini...The #82 Guitarist of the Rock Era*.
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