1990s | Guitarists | Player History | Rock
Thomas Baptiste Morello (born May 30, 1964) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, actor, and political activist. He is best known for his tenure with the band Rage Against the Machine and then with Audioslave. As of 2016, Morello is a member of the supergroup Prophets of Rage.
Tom Morello was also a touring musician with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. He is also known for his acoustic solo act, the Nightwatchman, and Street Sweeper Social Club. Morello also co-founded Axis of Justice, which airs a monthly program on Pacifica Radio station KPFK (90.7 FM) in Los Angeles.
Born in Harlem, New York, and raised in Libertyville, Illinois, Morello became interested in music and politics while in high school. He attended Harvard University and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Committee on Degrees in Social Studies. After his previous band Locks Up disbanded, Morello met Zack de la Rocha. The two founded Rage Against the Machine together, going on to become one of the most popular and influential rock acts of the 1990s.
He is best known for his unique and creative guitar playing style, which incorporates feedback noise, unconventional picking, and tapping, as well as heavy use of guitar effects. Morello is also known for his leftist political views and activism; creating the Nightwatchman offered an outlet for his views while playing apolitical music with Audioslave. He was ranked number 40 in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”.
Jimmy Page James Patrick Jimmy Page OBE (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician, songwriter, and record producer who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Page began his career as a studio session musician in London and, by the mid-1960s, alongside Big Jim Sullivan, was one…
Zakk Wylde Zachary Phillip Wylde (born Jeffrey Phillip Wielandt; January 14, 1967) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor. ZakkWylde is one of the greatest heavy metal guitarists of all time, originally hired by OzzyOsbourne at the age of 19 on the basis of a demo tape. After parting ways with Osbourne in ’95…
Grady Martin Grady Martin Guitarist was born on January 17, 1929, in Chapel Hill, Tennessee. He grew up on a farm with his oldest sister, Lois, his older brothers, June and Bill, and his parents, Claude and Bessey; and had a horse he named Trigger. His mother played the piano and encouraged his musical talent….
Misha Mansoor MishaMansoor (born October 31, 1984) also known as Bulb. Djent forefather and speed demon MishaMansoor has gained widespread accaim as the mastermind behind the axe-centric progressive metal band Periphery. Playlist 3 Videos Juggernaut HT6FM Electric Guitar 2:59 Bulb 3:29 Talks About His Jackson Signature Pro Series Guitars 4:42 Mansoor cites several musicians as…
Carl Kress Kress started on piano before picking up the banjo. Beginning in 1926, he played guitar during his brief time as a member of Paul Whiteman’s orchestra. For most of his career, he was a studio musician and sideman buried in large orchestras, and his name was little known. His work in the 1920s…
Keith Richards Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943) is an English musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-principal songwriter of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine called Richards the creator of “rock’s greatest single body of riffs” on guitar and ranked him fourth on its list…