#Rocktober - Yngwie Malmsteen

At the age of ten Malmsteen created his first band, "Track on Earth", consisting of himself and a friend from school playing the drums. At the age of twelve he took his mother's maiden name Malmsten as his surname, then slightly changed it to Malmsteen and altered his third given name Yngve to "Yngwie." As a teenager he was heavily influenced by classical music, particularly 19th century violinist composer Niccolò Paganini, and also discovered his most important guitar influence, Ritchie Blackmore. Uli Jon Roth and Brian May are also significant influences.

Yngwie Malmsteen is one of rock's premiere virtuoso guitarists. Yngwie has dominated the world of solo guitar for two decades. When he was barely 20, Yngwie exploded onto the music scene with his jaw-dropping technique of lightning fast harmonic minor scalar riffing. His 1984 album, "Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force," established seemingly overnight the style now referred to a neo-classical melodic rock. A legend in both style and technique, Yngwie's long career reach new heights when his totally classical work for orchestra and solo electric guitar, "Concerto Suite," was released, proving that his classical credentials were genuine. A respected musician among both his peers and his fans, Yngwie continues to play and compose at a level of mastery that many career musician only dream of.

What does tomorrow bring?

Tune in to find out...