Yngwie Malmsteen and Glenn Hughes

Yngwie Malmsteen will perform his greatest hits in NYC at Palladium Times Square and Glenn Hughes performs classic Deep Purple, celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the album “Burn”, with support by Southbound Beretta.

Yngwie Malmsteen

Yngwie Malmsteen was born in Stockholm, Sweden, on June 30, 1963. The youngest child in a household that included his mother Rigmor, sister Ann Louise, and brother Bjorn, Yngwie originally had no interest in music. However, on September 18, 1970, Yngwie saw a TV special on the death of guitar iconoclast Jimi Hendrix. Seven-year-old Yngwie watched with awe as Hendrix blasted the audience with torrents of feedback and sacrificed his guitar in flames. The day Jimi Hendrix died, the guitar-playing Yngwie was born.

Applying his intense curiosity and tenacity to first an old Mosrite and then a cheap Stratocaster, Yngwie immersed himself in the music of such bands as Deep Purple and spent long hours practicing to learn their songs. His admiration for Ritchie Blackmore’s classically influenced playing led him back to the source: Bach, Vivaldi, Beethoven, and Mozart. As Yngwie absorbed the classical structures of the masters, his prodigious style began to take shape. By age 10, he began to focus all his energies into music. His mother and sister, a talented flautist, recognized his unique musical gifts and gave him support and encouragement. His mastery of the instrument progressed rapidly. In his early teens, Yngwie saw a television performance of Russian violinist Gideon Kremer, who performed the highly difficult 24 Caprices of 19th century virtuoso violinist Niccolo Paganini. The effect was profound, and Yngwie understood at last how to combine his love of classical music with his burgeoning guitar skills and onstage charisma.

By age 15, Yngwie’s trademark style had begun to emerge. He worked for a time as a luthier in a guitar repair shop, where he encountered a scalloped neck for the first time when a 17th century lute came into the shop. Intrigued, Yngwie scalloped the neck of an old guitar in similar fashion and was impressed enough with the results to try it on his better guitars. The scalloped fret board was somewhat more difficult to play than a normal neck, but his control over the strings was so improved that Yngwie immediately adopted it as a permanent alteration to his equipment.

About this time, Yngwie began playing in a number of bands built around his explosive guitar style, with long instrumental explorations. Around age 18, Yngwie and several friends recorded a demo set of three songs for Swedish CBS, but the cuts were never released. Frustrated, Yngwie began sending demo tapes to record companies and music contacts abroad. One such tape found its way into the hands of Guitar Player contributor and Shrapnel Music. Yngwie was invited to record with a new band Steeler–and the rest, as they say, is history.

From Steeler, Yngwie moved on to Alcatrazz, a Rainbow-style band, but it became clear that to fully develop his talents, Yngwie would have to go solo. Yngwie’s first solo album, Rising Force (now considered the bible for neoclassical rock) made it to #60 on the Billboard charts, an impressive feat for a mostly instrumental guitar album with no commercial airplay. The album also gained Yngwie a Grammy nomination for best rock instrumental performance. He was voted Best New Talent in several readers’ polls, Best Rock Guitarist the year after, and Rising Force became Album of the Year. Rising Force blazed a trail on the concert circuit that established Yngwie as one of rock guitar’s brightest new stars and added a new genre to the music lexicon: neoclassical rock.

With his place in guitar history firmly established, Yngwie’s neo-classical compositions fueled the ears of fans and the ambitions of aspiring guitarists worldwide for over a decade with such powerhouse classic albums as Marching Out, Trilogy, Odyssey, Live in Leningrad / Trial By Fire (gold-selling concert video of Yngwie’s 1989 sold-out concerts in Moscow and Leningrad), Fire & Ice (which debuted in Japan at #1 and sold over 100,000 copies on the day of its release), The Seventh Sign, Magnum Opus, Inspiration (covering the music of Deep Purple, Rainbow, U.K., Kansas, Scorpions, Rush, and Jimi Hendrix), Facing the Animal, Alchemy, and Attack!!

In 1997, Yngwie proved that he was much more than a rock phenomenon. After months of intensive work, Yngwie produced his first completely classical work, Concerto Suite for Electric Guitar and Orchestra in Eb minor, Op. 1. This groundbreaking album was recorded in Prague with the prestigious Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and famed symphony conductor Yoel Levi. Several years later, in 2001,Yngwie found his first opportunity to perform the critically acclaimed Concerto Suite with the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra in Tokyo. The DVD/CD/VHS package of this groundbreaking performance became Yngwie’s first release of the year in January 2002.

In 2003, Yngwie joined the famous “G3” Tour in a lineup many guitar fans saw as the ultimate dream combination (Satriani, Vai, Malmsteen). The CD and DVD of the tour became instant classics and hot sellers throughout the year. Once the G3 tour ended, Yngwie took to the road again in support of his Attack album.

Taking most of 2004 to rest, recharge his creative batteries, and work in his studio at his leisure, Yngwie produced a highly acclaimed new album titled Unleash the Fury. Featuring some of his most impressive playing and songwriting in years, the album garnered rave reviews from fans and critics alike. Virtuosityone.com, a popular Internet hard rock music review site proclaimed, “Yngwie Malmsteen, the Neo-Classical king is back to Unleash the Fury with another bag of alchemy fuelled compositions… Overall Unleash the Fury is a welcome return to form from … to deliver the goods.” Reviewers on Amazon.com and CD Universe gave the new album 5-star ratings, with consumers proclaiming “Yngwie is the original, don’t settle for cheap imitations!” and “it’s a great year for shredders!”

In the summer of 2005, the Unleash the Fury World Tour kicked off in Ireland and headed across the globe, blazing new trails of glory. Malmsteen and his Rising Force lineup proved they were back with a vengeance by selling out the famed Hammersmith Apollo theatre in London and playing to rapt capacity crowds across the U.K., and garnering legions of new fans from Paris to Vienna to Madrid. Eager fans in the U.S. made the Unleash the Fury Tour a major event of the year.

By 2006, Yngwie’s career resurgence was in full gear. He attended the annual NAMM music-industry convention to promote his new strings endorsement with Dean Markley, then toured the U.S. a second time, then Asia, Australia, and Finland by the end of the year, igniting fans as never before. Yngwie explained it this way: “Staying in good shape has a tremendous amount to do with it; I’m reaping the benefits this year.”  That year, Fender updated Yngwie Signature Malmsteen Model Strat, making small but important changes to the neck.  “Fender rules the universe. They treat me so good, and I’m so honored and proud to be working with them.” Throughout 2007, Yngwie continued work on his next rock opus, and took a break in December to South America and Mexico, fulfilling the dreams of fans who hadn’t seen him in their country in years.

2008 marked Yngwie’s 25th year in the U.S.! Yngwie signed several endorsements, with Austrian acoustics company AKG, makers of top-of-the-line microphones and acoustic equipment, and Boss/Roland.  That same year, Yngwie learned he’d been chosen to be in the exclusive NAMM Oral History program. Begun in 2000, NAMM’s Oral History Project documents through videotaped interviews some of the greatest contributors to the music products industry, including Herbie Hancock, Maynard Ferguson, Les Paul, blues legend B.B. King, and now, Yngwie Malmsteen.

Yngwie’s redesigned official website, www.yngwiemalmsteen.com, went online, along with his own merchandise site. Yngwie continued to work at a leisurely pace on his next album. Work also continued on Fender’s Malmsteen limited edition replica of the “Duck,” Yngwie’s prized and famed 1972 Strat. Fender Custom Shop experts flew to Miami to measure and photograph every aspect of the original instrument to ensure the replica’s authenticity down to the last detail.  With a new lineup that included ex-Priest singer Tim “Ripper” Owens, Yngwie played concert dates in Germany, doing clinics for Fender, and then hitting the summer festival circuit in Europe, starting with Graspop in Belgium and ending up in Finland, and then on to clinics and concerts in the U.K.

2008 also saw an amazing testament to Yngwie’s resurgence on the rock music scene – he scored the cover of Guitar World’s “Kings of Shred” issue, appearing alone on the cover instead of sharing it with other musicians. About his newfound visibility, Yngwie said, “There are a lot of new, younger fans who are just discovering the joys of playing with speed, power, and articulation and they’re coming to my shows and places like NAMM and guitar shows.”  Throughout 2008, Yngwie scored other magazine covers, including All Access, Crusher Magazine, Fuzz, Guitar Player, Roadie Crew, and Vegas Rocks.  But perhaps the biggest recognition of 2008 came in October, when Yngwie was  inducted into Hollywood’s Rock Walk of Fame on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.

Also in October, Yngwie released his new studio album, Perpetual Flame, on his own newly established label, Rising Force Records. The album also marked the debut of Yngwie’s new singer, ex-Judas Priest front-man Tim “Ripper” Owens. To coincide with the festivities surrounding Yngwie’s first album in several years, the Fender Custom Shop unveiled the new Yngwie Malmsteen Tribute Series Stratocaster guitar, the reproduction of Malmsteen’s beloved “Duck” (also called the “Play Loud” guitar). Touring to support the new album began in earnest, with a full schedule of dates starting in the U.S., and the momentum of Perpetual Flame kept rolling right on into the new year.

Early in the 2009, Yngwie contributed three tracks to the video game Rock Band, for both Xbox and PlayStation. Still promoting Perpetual Flame, Yngwie and the band played a series of killer concerts in Japan with rock icons Deep Purple. By mid-summer, Yngwie astonished fans and critics alike by releasing an album completely off the beaten path for him, an entirely instrumental collection of ballads from Yngwie’s earlier works, performed on acoustic guitar with orchestral arrangements. To everyone’s surprise, Angels of Love (inspired by Yngwie’s wife April) hit the top of Amazon.com’s New Age music list.

Recognition of Yngwie’s place in music history continued to come in. In Time Magazine, Yngwie found himself included as one of the “10 Greatest Electric Guitar Players.” Near the end of the year, Yngwie and his management company decided to begin releasing rare archival concert footage. The first was Yngwie in Korea, shot during his 2001 War to End All Wars Tour, in Seoul, South Korea. And that, asserts Yngwie, is just the tip of the iceberg of things to come!

Glenn Hughes

Vocalist/bass guitarist/songwriter Glenn Hughes is a true original. No other rock musician has carved such a distinctive style blending the finest elements of hard rock, soul and funk. That astonishing voice is Hughes’ calling card. He’s known as a singer’s singer. Stevie Wonder once called Hughes his favourite white singer.

Hughes, a native of Cannock, England, absorbed all kinds of influences, including early British hard rock, the Beatles and, most importantly, American soul and R&B. The sleek Motown sound from Detroit and the gritty Stax/Volt sound from Memphis left their mark on him.

The first important band Hughes was a member of that achieved notable success was Trapeze. The band’s early ’70s albums included “Trapeze“, “Medusa” and “You Are The Music… We’re Just The Band“.

In 1973, Hughes joined Deep Purple. The trailblazing hard-rock legends had just weathered the departure of vocalist Ian Gillan and bass guitarist Roger Glover, but guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, keyboardist Jon Lord and drummer Ian Paice continued with the addition of Hughes and David Coverdale. Any skepticism was squelched with the 1974 release of “Burn” which has since been re-released on its 30th anniversary. This stunning album rejuvenated the band and stands tall among Deep Purple classics.

In the halcyon days, Purple headlined at the famous California Jam in 1974 in front of quarter of a million people. World tours via Purple’s own jet plane, “The Starship” and two more studio albums later, (the Hughes influenced “Stormbringer” and “Come Taste the Band“), Deep Purple finally split in 1976.

Now living in Los Angeles, Glenn’s first solo album “Play Me Out” was released in 1977. He joined former Pat Travers guitarist Pat Thrall to form Hughes/Thrall, which released an acclaimed self-titled album in 1982. Throughout the ’80s and ’90s, Hughes made countless guest appearances (both credited and un-credited) as a vocalist, bass guitarist or songwriter on other artists’ albums.

More commercial recognition came when the KLF dubbed Glenn Hughes “The Voice of Rock“, proudly featuring him on their international best selling hit single America- What Time is Love?

Since 1992, Hughes has toured extensively in Europe, Japan and South America in support of solo albums such as “Blues“, “From Now On…“, “Burning Japan Live“, “Feel“, “Addiction“, “The Way It Is“, “Return Of Crystal Karma“, “Building The Machine“, “Songs In The Key Of Rock” and “Soul Mover“.

One of the most important collaborations in Hughes’ career occurred two decades ago when he began working with Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi on the legendary guitarist’s first solo album. The result, 1986’s vastly underrated “Seventh Star“, was officially credited as ‘Black Sabbath Featuring Tony Iommi’ to satisfy the record company’s marketing desires. (Technically, this makes Hughes a former member of Black Sabbath too.) Hughes and Iommi remained friends and, in 1996, they began writing songs and recording together again. Those recordings were widely bootlegged, but they were eventually finished and released in 2004 as “The 1996 DEP Sessions“.

2005 saw the release of two albums that were greeted with commercial and critical success; “Fused” with Tony Iommi, and another solo album “Soul Mover“.

Soul Mover saw the continuation of the successful creative partnership with Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith that began with Glenn’s live DVD “Soulfully Live in the City of Angels” (2004). Soul Mover was voted 12th best album of the year by highly influential magazine CLASSIC ROCK.

Glenn’s next album – “Music For The Divine” – was a rich tapestry of the soul, funk and rock, which have always influenced his music. Again, featuring Chad Smith on drums, (and fellow Chili Pepper John Frusciante on guitar for an incredible rendition of the perennial classic ‘Nights In White Satin’) it was commercially and critically well received, and the album again made Classic Rock magazine’s top 20 albums of the year.

After his successful Music For The Divine European tour in 2006, 2007 saw Glenn make successful tours of Russia, South America, Italy, Norway and Spain, along with solo dates in London – at the prestigious Shepherds Bush Empire – Bulgaria and Greece.

2007 also saw Glenn headline at festival appearances in France and Norway. Glenn also took part in the Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp in New York, which was highly successful and he also appeared as a guest presenter at the Classic Rock Awards in both 2006 and 2007. Another highlight of a diverse and colourful year were the 2 sold out solo shows at the famous Whisky in Los Angeles and BB King’s in New York.

2008 saw Glenn undertake another extensive European tour; including a month long trek across Russia, festival appearances, and his first live shows in Belarus, Estonia and Romania. Another highlight was Glenn’s appearance in London at the Childline Charity concert in March 2008 where he performed a short set of Deep Purple classics with Purple drummer Ian Paice. This was particularly poignant as it was the first time the pair had played together since the Purple days. Ironically, in June 2008, Glenn played in Liverpool, England for the first time in over 30 years; a triumphant and emotional return to the city where Deep Purple Mark IV played their final ever concert before disbanding in 1976.

Other highlights of 2008 include Glenn’s live on air performance on the USA radio show Rockline, and his first appearance in New Zealand since 1975 with Deep Purple, when Glenn brought the house down at the G-Taranaki Festival in July.

The 2008 release of “First Underground Nuclear Kitchen” is quite possibly the most compelling and positive musical statement in a distinguished career already abundant with highlights and milestones. Chad Smith again played out of his skin on the drums, and Glenn has rarely – if ever- sounded more inspired, written with such grace, or sung with more passion.

Another world jaunt accompanied the release, carrying on into 2009 with tours of Europe, Russia, South America and selected shows in the States including sell out shows in LA and NYC.

2010 was one of the most exciting and prolific years in Glenn’s career as it saw him recording and touring in a new supergroup project, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION with guitar star Joe Bonamassa, keyboard player Derek Sherinian (Dream Theatre) and drummer Jason Bonham, son of the late Led Zeppelin legend John Bonham. The band released their debut album on September 20th, 2010. The album went to #13 in the Official UK Album Chart and #1 in the Official UK Rock Album Chart. Produced and mixed by Kevin Shirley (Aerosmith, Iron Maiden, Black Crowes, Page and Plant, Journey etc), this is yet another world-class musical statement that raises the bar for rock singing.

In November 2010, Hughes was awarded the ChildLine Award at Classic Rock’s Roll of Honour.

Glenn and BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION released their second album, “2“, in 2011, followed shortly afterwards, by their debut live tour encompassing the USA, UK and Europe. Their third release, “Live Over Europe“, recorded live while on the European leg of their debut tour, reached the Top 5 spot world-wide with releases on DVD, CD, Blu-ray and Vinyl.

Glenn had his Autobiography published in 2011, in both hard and soft cover editions. The Number 1 best seller is available at all good retailers, both online and at traditional brick & mortar stores!

In November 2011, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION won the prestigious Classic Rock Breakthrough Artist of the Year award at the Classic Rock Awards in London, with Glenn collecting the award on behalf of the band.

2012 saw Glenn touring Russia as a solo artist and also South America as a member of the Rock and Roll AllStars, featuring his good friends Gene Simmons, Matt Sorum, and Joe Elliot amongst others. Glenn also did solo shows and guest appearances in the UK, Israel, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Russia, Ukraine, China and Armenia but his main focus in 2012 was the writing, recording and press promotion for the third BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION album, “Afterglow“. Released worldwide in late October 2012, and again produced by Kevin Shirley, the album was another huge success for the band, and is possibly the most Glenn dominated album of the three, with many of the songs written solely by Glenn.

In late 2013 he formed a new band called CALIFORNIA BREED with drummer Jason Bonham and guitarist Andrew Watt and in May 2014, the band released their debut self-titled album, followed by Autumn tour dates in the USA (w/ Alter Bridge), Russia, Europe and UK (w/ SLASH).

2015 focused on his solo career after the disappointment of the last couple of rounds with band projects. Sold out crowds were the order of the day, while touring non-stop throughout the second half of the year, with shows in South America, Europe, UK, Japan and Singapore.

In addition, late in 2015, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame based in the USA, announced that DEEP PURPLE including MKIII, are finally to be inducted after several previous nominations over the years!

2016 was his busiest year yet, with Summer festivals & solo shows in the USA, UK and Europe, in addition, it saw the release of his first solo album in over 8 years! “Resonate” is a triumphant return to form for “The Voice of Rock”, from album opener, “Heavy”, to the very last chords of the closer, “Long Time Gone”, making it the ‘Album of the Year’ for many and a true Glenn Hughes landmark release.

2017 kicked off with the triumphant return of a reunited BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION, who immediately entered a studio in Los Angeles to record their fourth album. Soon after it was straight back to the UK and Europe to begin his solo tour in support of “Resonate“. Upon his return home, Glenn was once again in a Los Angeles studio, this time with his pal, CHAD SMITH (Red Hot Chili Peppers) and guitar virtuoso, JOE SATRIANI (Chickenfoot, Deep Purple), to record the latter’s latest solo instrumental album. It would see Glenn record an album where he only plays bass guitar… no vocals! In late Spring, a visit to Australia and New Zealand ensued with the The Music of Cream 50th Anniversary Tour which also featured MALCOME BRUCE (Jack Bruce’s son), KOFI BAKER (Ginger Baker’s son) and WILL JOHNS (Eric Clapton’s nephew). After a Summer of festival solo performances, the Autumn heralded the long-awaited release of the fourth album by BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION, simply titled, “BCCIV“, which received a rapturous welcome from fans and press alike, with many naming it their ‘Album of the Year’. Soon afterwards, a return trip to Australia and New Zealand saw Glenn introduce his GLENN HUGHES PERFORMS CLASSIC DEEP PURPLE LIVE touring production, which received tumultuous reviews from both fans and the media with sold out shows across the continent, resulting in the planning of more of these very special performances around the world over the coming months.

2018 began with BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION playing 2 exclusive live sold out shows in the UK and within just a few days, the worldwide release of Glenn’s performance on the JOE SATRIANI album, “What Happens Next“. The remainder of 2018 and into 2019 saw the return of Glenn’s live touring production, GLENN HUGHES PERFORMS CLASSIC DEEP PURPLE LIVE, with shows across the USA, UK, Europe and beyond! In late Summer of 2019, it was announced that Glenn joined THE DEAD DAISIES, on lead vocals and bass guitar, joining guitarists Doug Aldrich, David Lowy and drummer Deen Castronovo. The Australian based collective of musicians have included John Corabi, Marco Mendoza, Richard Fortus, Dizzy Reed, Frank Ferrer, Darryl Jones, Tommy Clufetos, Charley Drayton and Jon Stevens amongst others.

The band didn’t waste any time upon Glenn’s arrival and have a new album recorded by Producer, Ben Grosse at La Fabrique Studio in the South of France, boasting: “The best is yet to come”.

2020 kicked off with the announcement of THE DEAD DAISIES new album featuring Glenn set to be released in late May and a full European Summer tour schedule with their own shows and festival appearances and joining forces with Judas Priest and Foreigner along the way. More shows around the world will follow.

So make no mistake. The Voice of Rock never left the building.