Steve Vai

They also use a humbucker-single coil-humbucker pickup set-up and a locking tremolo bar. On February 8, 2004 the song "Seven Nation Army" won a Grammy for best Rock Song, and the album Elephant won for best Alternative Album. They feature a handgrip cut into the top of the body of the guitar. Their follow-up to White Blood Cells, entitled Elephant, was released on April 1, 2003, again to widespread critical acclaim. Vai also helped design his signature Ibanez JEM series of guitars. In 2002, Q magazine named The White Stripes as one of the "50 Bands To See Before You Die". He also enjoys keeping bees, which regularly produce a crop of honey that Steve sells for his chosen charity every year through his web site. Rumors have been circulating that a fifth album will be released sometime in mid-2005.

Vai is married with two children (Julian Angel & Fire) to Pia (former Bassist of All-Female Group "Vixen", which can be seen in the movie "Hardbodies"). The band has no bass player, and several musicians have produced bootlegs of bass-added tracks. Steve Vai owns 'Favored Nations', a recording and publishing business which specialises in looking after both newly discovered and already high profile recording artists from around the world. The White Stripes enjoyed their first significant success in the UK in 2001, with the critical acclaim, especially for the band's energetic stage performances, spreading to the US in the following months. Vai is an accomplished studio producer (he owns two: "The mother ship" and "The harmony hut") and his own recordings combine his signature guitar prowess with novel compositions and considerable use of studio and recording effects. Their stripped-down, garage rock sound made them a much hyped-band in 2002, as a result of the critical raves given to the major label release of White Blood Cells in 2001. Where Vai's contributions to others' material has been constrained by the largely rock or heavy-rock style of those bands, his own material is considerably more esoteric. The second release from the White Stripes, De Stijl (2000), was named after the minimalist Dutch art movement, which they cited as a source for the approach to their music and image.

Vai received a Grammy Award in 1991. The White Stripes are a minimalist rock and roll duo from Detroit, formed in 1997. Billing themselves as brother and sister, guitarist and singer Jack White and drummer Meg White released their self-titled debut album in 1999. (In reality, they are ex-husband-and-wife; Meg is only seven months older than Jack.) They were a struggling local band in Detroit for a long time, even after touring with Pavement and Sleater-Kinney. The piece was heavily based on Paganini's Caprice # 5, and has become a favorite apprentice-piece among many guitar students. Elephant (2003, V2 Records, XL Records). The 32nd note fast-paced "neo-classical" track (entitled "Eugene's Trick Bag") with which Macchio wins the competition was composed by Vai. White Blood Cells (2001, Sympathy for the Record Industry). At the film's climax, Vai engages in a guitar duel with Macchio (whose guitar parts were dubbed by Vai himself). De Stijl (2000, Sympathy for the Record Industry).

He appeared onscreen in the 1986 Ralph Macchio movie Crossroads, playing the demonically-inspired Jack Butler. The White Stripes (1999, Sympathy for the Record Industry). Steve Vai's music has featured in a number of feature films, including Dudes, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey and Ghosts of Mars. G3 2003 features Steve, Joe Satriani and Yngwie Malmsteen. Steve recently teamed up with former David Lee Roth band member Bassist Billy Sheehan for a world tour.

Steve Vai continues to tour regularly, both with his own group and with his one time teacher and fellow Grammy award winning guitar instrumentalist friend Joe Satriani (on the G3 series of tours). Vai also stepped into guitarist Adrian Vandenberg's shoes to record with British rock legends Whitesnake (after Adrian Vandenberg injured his wrist due to some exercises he found in a book and tried out) shortly before recording was due to begin for the album Slip of the Tongue. Then he joined former Van Halen front man David Lee Roth's group to record the albums Eat 'em and Smile and Skyscraper. In the early 80's he replaced Yngwie Malmsteen (a good friend) as lead guitarist in Graham Bonnett's Alcatrazz.

Steve Vai made his name playing 'stunt guitar' with the legendary rock performer, composer, music producer, and publishing mogul Frank Zappa. Vai is best known for his self-composed, performed and produced guitar instrumental music, but he has also played on the recordings of several other rock acts. Steve Vai, born Steven Siro Vai, is an American guitarist and composer, born June 6th, 1960 in Long Island, New York (making him six years old on the sixth day of the sixth month in 1966, as he noted in the introduction to his guitar transcription book of Frank Zappa).
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For help, see How to Edit a Page and the Style and How-to Directory. After the article has been cleaned up, you may remove this message. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of article quality. Real Illusions: Reflections (2005).

The Infinite Steve Vai: An Anthology (2003). Elusive Light and Sound 1 (2002). Alive In An Ultra World (2001). The Seventh Song (2000).

The Ultra Zone (1999). Fire Garden (1996). Alien Love Secrets (1995). Sex and Religion (1993).

Passion and Warfare (1990). Flex-Able Leftovers (1984). Flex-Able (1984).