Al Pitrelli
Al Pitrelli | |
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Background information | |
Born | September 26, 1962 |
Genres | Hard rock, heavy metal, thrash metal, progressive rock, symphonic metal |
Occupation(s) | Guitarist |
Years active | 1982–present |
Member of | Savatage, Trans-Siberian Orchestra |
Formerly of | Danger Danger, Megadeth, Hotshot, Alice Cooper, Asia, Place Called Rage, O'2L, Widowmaker, Michael Bolton, Vertex |
Al Pitrelli (born September 26, 1962) is an American guitarist, best known for his work with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Megadeth, Alice Cooper and Savatage. He has performed with various acts as a band member, session musician and touring member, including Michael Bolton, Celine Dion, Asia, Dee Snider, Kathy Troccoli, Taylor Dayne, Blue Öyster Cult, Exposé and Joe Lynn Turner.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Career
Early career (1982–1999)
Pitrelli attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston in the early 1980s, where future Alice Cooper bandmate and keyboardist Derek Sherinian was his dorm roommate.[7] While at Berklee, Pitrelli formed an original 1980s metal band with classmates that included Venom guitarist Mike Hickey. After dropping out of Berklee, Pitrelli worked as a session musician and taught guitar lessons in Manhattan and in Bellmore, New York. His first major label gig was performing with Michael Bolton, helping him support his single "Fool's Game". Pitrelli said of the single, "This was when Michael Bolton was still trying to be Sammy Hagar and not Engelbert Humperdinck."[8]
In 1989, Pitrelli featured as second guitar on the song "Uptown" on bassist Randy Coven's first album "Funk Me Tender". He then joined Coven and drummer John O'Reilly as a formal member of the Randy Coven Band to release Sammy Says Ouch!
Savatage (1995–2000, 2002, 2015, 2023)
Pitrelli joined Savatage in 1995, around the same time as guitarist Chris Caffery returned to the band, who had previously been part of the band around the release of Gutter Ballet in 1989. Pitrelli played guitar on the albums Dead Winter Dead (1995) and The Wake of Magellan (1997), and performed some lead guitar work on Poets and Madmen (2001), despite being a member of Megadeth at the time. On the latter album, Pitrelli was played the outro of "Stay with Me a While", the main solos of "Morphine Child" and "The Rumor", the first part of the main solo in "Commissar" and its outro.[14] He left Savatage in 2000 join Megadeth and rejoined the band following Megadeth's disbandment in 2002.[15] Savatage split up later that year, but reunited for an appearance at Wacken Open Air in 2015 and the recording of a new album in 2023.[16]
Trans-Siberian Orchestra (1995–present)
In 1995, Pitrelli was asked by Savatage's producer
Megadeth (2000–2002)
Pitrelli was a member of
Selected discography
Trans-Siberian Orchestra
- Christmas Eve and Other Stories (1996)
- The Christmas Attic (1998)
- The Ghosts of Christmas Eve (2000)
- Beethoven's Last Night (2000)
- The Lost Christmas Eve (2004)
- Night Castle (2009)
- Dreams of Fireflies (2012)
- Tales of Winter: Selections from the TSO Rock Operas (2013)
- Letters From The Labyrinth (2015)
Megadeth
- Capitol Punishment: The Megadeth Years (2000)
- The World Needs a Hero (2001)
- Rude Awakening (2002)
- Still Alive... and Well?(2002)
- Greatest Hits: Back to the Start (2005)
- Anthology: Set the World Afire (2008)
- Warheads on Foreheads (2019)
Alice Cooper
- Alice Cooper Trashes The World (1990)
- Classicks (1995)
Savatage
- Dead Winter Dead (1995)
- The Wake of Magellan (1998)
- Poets and Madmen (2001)
Danger Danger
- Rare Cuts (2003)
Hotshot
- The Bomb (2005)
Asia
Place Called Rage
- Place Called Rage (1995)
Randy Coven
- Funk Me Tender (1989)
- Sammy Says Ouch! (1990)
Coven, Pitrelli, O'Reilly
- CPR (1992)
Morning Wood
- Morning Wood (1994)
O'2L
- O'2L
- Doyle's Brunch
- Eat a Pickle
Widowmaker
- Blood and Bullets (1992)
- Stand By for Pain (1994)
Vertex
- Vertex (1996)
Guitar Battle
- Guitar Battle (1998)
References
- ^ Armstrong, Chuck (November 10, 2023). "Trans-Siberian Orchestra's Al Pitrelli Admits He's Living His Dream - 'Every Day Is a Pinch Me Moment". Loudwire. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ a b BraveWords. "Ex-MEGADETH Guitarist Al Pitrelli On Dave Mustaine - "He Pulled Me Out Of A Pretty Troubled Personal Life"". bravewords.com. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ a b "Al Pitrelli". Radio Memphis. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ Blabbermouth (April 3, 2003). "JOE LYNN TURNER Goes Back To His Roots!". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ BraveWords. "SAVATAGE / TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA Guitarist AL PITRELLI Guests On The Double Stop With Brian Sword; Audio". bravewords.com. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ a b "Al Pitrelli Recalls Offering David Ellefson a Gig He Turned Down, Says 90% of His Guitars Are Gibson". www.ultimate-guitar.com. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
- ^ a b Armstrong, Chuck (November 10, 2023). "Trans-Siberian Orchestra's Al Pitrelli Admits He's Living His Dream - 'Every Day Is a Pinch Me Moment". Loudwire. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ "Al Pitrelli – Career". Archived from the original on January 18, 2007. Retrieved January 16, 2007. Al Pitrelli career history & bio.
- ^ "A Conversation with John O.Reilly". April 28, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
- ^ a b Blabbermouth (April 4, 2010). "Former MEGADETH/SAVATAGE Guitarist AL PITRELLI Interviewed On 'Iron City Rocks' Podcast". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ Forsythe, Tom (February 1990). "The Recurring Nightmare". Guitar. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ Marshall, Clay (November 13, 2019). "Trans-Siberian Orchestra are the biggest live rock draw in the US - here's how they did it". guitarworld. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ "Al Pitrelli". www.blueoystercult.com. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ [1] Archived October 29, 2013, at the Wayback Machine) Savatage Band FAQ, taken from www.savatage.com
- ^ a b Blabbermouth (April 6, 2002). "Former MEGADETH Guitarist Rejoins SAVATAGE". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ Blabbermouth (April 20, 2023). "JON OLIVA Says Upcoming SAVATAGE Album And Tour Will Be His 'Way Of Saying Goodbye To Everybody'". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ "Playlist: Trans-Siberian Orchestra's Al Pitrelli shares his favorite classics". USA TODAY. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ Sea of Tranquility, October 27, 2009
- ^ Night Castle album credits.
- ^ Blabbermouth (October 2, 2019). "AL PITRELLI Says Late TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA Mastermind PAUL O'NEILL Wanted To 'Outdo Himself Every Year'". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ "Megadeth Guitarist Marty Friedman Leaves Band". MTV. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ "Metal Returns: Megadeth, Halford, Slayer". Billboard. February 20, 2001. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
- ^ "Megadeth to split up". BBC News. April 4, 2002. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
External links
- Al Pitrelli discography at Discogs
- Al Pitrelli at AllMusic