John Petrucci | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Petrucci performing withDream Theater atWacken Open Air, 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Peter Petrucci |
| Born | (1967-07-12)July 12, 1967 (age 57) Kings Park, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument | Guitar |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Labels |
|
| Member of | |
| Formerly of | Explorers Club |
| Website | johnpetrucci |
John Peter Petrucci (born July 12, 1967) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of theprogressive metal bandDream Theater. He produced or co-produced (often withMike Portnoy before Portnoy's absence from the band 2010-2023) all of Dream Theater's albums fromMetropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory (1999), and has been the sole producer of the band's albums released sinceA Dramatic Turn of Events (2011). Petrucci has also released two solo albums:Suspended Animation (2005) andTerminal Velocity (2020).
John Peter Petrucci was born on July 12, 1967, inKings Park, New York, to an Italian American family. He picked up the guitar at around the age of eight because his older sister was allowed to go to bed later to practice the organ. However, he decided to quit the guitar when his attempts to stay up late were unsuccessful. He picked up the guitar again at the age of 12. Petrucci has said he committed to practicing guitar six hours a day when he discovered it was his passion. His early influences were bands likeLed Zeppelin,Black Sabbath,AC/DC, and later developed an interest in progressive rock and heavy metal, exemplified byRush,Yes,Iron Maiden,Dixie Dregs andMetallica.[1][2] His other influences as a guitarist includeJimmy Page,[3]Brian May,[3]Eddie Van Halen,[3]Steve Morse,Al Di Meola,Steve Howe,Allan Holdsworth,Stevie Ray Vaughan,Randy Rhoads,Joe Satriani,Steve Vai,Alex Lifeson,Yngwie Malmsteen andDavid Gilmour.[4][5]
Eventually, his childhood friend and futureDream Theater keyboardistKevin Moore invited Petrucci to join his cover band. Petrucci attendedBerklee College of Music inBoston with childhood friendJohn Myung (bass), where they met future bandmateMike Portnoy (drums). While in Berklee they often covered two of their biggest influences,Iron Maiden andRush. These three, in addition to Kevin Moore, formed the band Majesty. Because there was already another band with the same name, the group later became Dream Theater.
While Petrucci is most commonly associated with Dream Theater, he is also in the project bandLiquid Tension Experiment, and has appeared as a guest on records by other artists, such as theAge of Impact album by theExplorer's Club.
Petrucci has released a guitar instructional video,Rock Discipline, which covers warm-up exercises, exercises to avoid injury while playing, alternate picking, sweep picking, chords and other techniques for developing one's guitar playing. Petrucci also has a book named "Guitar World presents John Petrucci's Wild Stringdom", which was compiled from columns he wrote for Guitar World magazine under that title.
In 2001,Joe Satriani andSteve Vai invited Petrucci to tour with them on the popularG3 guitar tour, which exposed him to a massive number of new fans and inspired a solo album. The album,Suspended Animation, was released on March 1, 2005, and was available for order from his web site. Petrucci also appeared on the 2005 and 2006 G3 tours, and in 2007, went on G3 tour again, this time withPaul Gilbert andJoe Satriani. In a video with Larry DiMarzio, Petrucci announced that he is working on a follow-up to his 2005 album,Suspended Animation and a new Dream Theater album.[6]
Petrucci also wrote and recorded two instrumental soundtrack songs for aSega Saturn game titledDigital Pinball: Necronomicon. Each track is roughly two minutes long, and are named simplyPrologue andEpilogue. In a spoof rock band,Nightmare Cinema (which was the Dream Theater members changing instruments for encores), he used the "alternate stage name" Johnny James.
In 2012, Petrucci was invited once again to join Joe Satriani on the G3 tour, along withSteve Morse. He was accompanied by bassistDave LaRue and drummer and Dream Theater bandmateMike Mangini.
In 2018, Petrucci joined Joe Satriani on the G3 tour. They were accompanied byUli Jon Roth on the European leg of the tour, andPhil Collen in North America. His second solo album, titledTerminal Velocity was released in 2020.[7] Petrucci's first solo album in 15 years, it reunited him with Mike Portnoy for the first time since the drummer left Dream Theater in 2010.[8]
Petrucci is respected for his variety of guitar styles and skills. One of the most notable of these is his high-speedalternate picking which, as he himself claims, requires a "strong sense of synchronization between the two [playing] hands." He is notable for frequent use of theseven-string electric guitar, which he says he uses as a writing tool, taking advantage of the extended range for heavier riffing and to play extended range runs as part of a solo. Moreover, Petrucci often combines his metalshredding technique with a slower, emotive soloing style.
Petrucci is Dream Theater's most prolific lyricist, with each album including at least three songs featuring his lyrics. Some of Petrucci's notable songs include "Metropolis, Pt. 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper", "The Spirit Carries On", "The Great Debate", "In the Presence of Enemies", and "Through Her Eyes". Petrucci has occasionally used real-life experiences for lyrical inspiration, as heard in songs such as "The Count of Tuscany", "A Nightmare to Remember" and "Endless Sacrifice".
Petrucci has acted as a backing vocalist live since theAwake Tour. He is abaritone, producing a sound darker than that ofJames LaBrie's tenor voice. He has also written vocal melodies for Dream Theater. Petrucci's role as a vocalist expanded following the departure ofMike Portnoy, who had been Dream Theater's primary backing vocalist and occasionally even shared lead vocals with LaBrie. In live performances, Petrucci now replicates some vocal parts originally sung by Portnoy, with others being recorded samples.
Regarded as "one of the most celebrated guitarists alive" by Premier Guitar,[9] Petrucci has performed as the third guitarist on theG3 tour seven times, more than any other invited guitarist. In their article "John Petrucci: The Ultimate Evolved Guitarist",[9] Premier Guitar calls Petrucci "one of the best who's ever laid a hand on a fretboard".[9] He was voted "Best Prog guitarist" byThe Prog Magazine[10] and the "Greatest Guitarist" byBurrn magazine[11] and Mariskalrock.[12]Guitar World magazine lists Petrucci among the "Fastest Guitarists of All Time"[13] and calls him "the most celebrated and popular guitarist in the world of progressive metal" and "arguably the most versatile and proficient player in his realm, with a highly developed melodic sense and analternate picking technique that is virtually untouchable as far asspeed and precision", while also ranking him among the top 5 "Best Guitarists of the Decade".[14]
In 2019, Petrucci won the SENA Performers European Award.[15]Joel McIver's 2009 bookThe 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists ranks Petrucci second, afterDave Mustaine.[16] He was also named as one of the "Top 10 Greatest Guitar Shredders of All Time" byGuitarOne magazine.[17] In 2012, Petrucci was ranked the 17th greatest guitarist of all time by aGuitar World magazine reader's poll.[18] According toForbes, the Ernie Ball-Music Man John Petrucci JP6 is the second-best-selling signature model of all time, behind only the GibsonLes Paul.[19]
Petrucci is a long-time user of Music Man JP and Majesty series guitars and Mesa/Boogie amplifiers. While his pedalboard, controller, effects and overdrives have undergone changes over the years, the core of Petrucci's guitar sound remains DiMarzio pickups and Mesa/Boogie amplifiers. Most recently the signature JP-2C amplifier based on the Mark IIC+ series and other Mark and Rectifier series amplifiers, such as during the recording ofTrain of Thought.[20][21][22]
A number of brands have released signature guitar equipment designed or endorsed by Petrucci:
At the beginning of 2016, two new releases were announced: the Dunlop John Petrucci signature Cry-Baby wah, and the Mesa/Boogie JP-2C John Petrucci head. The latter is a three-channel amplifier, which is available both as a stand-alone amp head and as a rack-mounted amp head. It differs from other Mesa/Boogie Mark series amps in that it features two separate graphic EQs, an exclusive "Shred" circuit, midi connection and CabClone direct out, resulting in increased versatility.[23]
Petrucci lives inSt. James, New York, with his wife Rena Sands, a guitarist in the all-female heavy metal bandMeanstreak; they have three children. Sands is the aunt of Jake Bowen, a guitarist in the progressive metal bandPeriphery.[24]
Petrucci is an avid fan ofbodybuilding and dedicates much of his off time toweight training. He is a voting member ofThe Recording Academy.[25]
Dream Theater bandmateJordan Rudess revealed in an interview that Petrucci is a practicingCatholic. Petrucci also spoke about his faith in a Dream Theater Q&A with DreamTheaterForums and in an interview with Mark Small fromBerklee Today magazine.[26][27][28]
| Year | Title | Notes |
| 1993 | Images and Words: Live in Tokyo | First Dream Theater live DVD. Includes extended version of "Take the Time." |
| 1995 | Rock Discipline – VHS | John Petrucci does a DVD on guitar warmups, tricks, exercises, and his gear. |
| 1998 | 5 Years in a LIVEtime | The only live Dream Theater DVD with Derek Sherinian. |
| 2001 | Metropolis 2000: Scenes From New York | |
| 2002 | Rock Discipline – DVD | |
| 2004 | Live at Budokan | |
| 2005 | G3: Live in Tokyo | |
| 2006 | Score | 2DVD's recorded at Radio City Music Hall on April 1, 2006, New York, US Celebrating Dream Theater's 20th Anniversary. They performed this concert with a symphony orchestra. |
| 2007 | Chaos in Progress: The Making ofSystematic Chaos | DVD included in the special edition ofSystematic Chaos |
| 2008 | Chaos in Motion 2007–2008 | Released September 30, 2008. Documents the band's 2007/2008 Chaos in Motion and Progressive Nation tours. |
| 2013 | Live at Luna Park | |
| 2014 | Breaking the Fourth Wall | 2DVD's recorded live at the Boston Opera House on March 25, 2014, released on September 29, 2014, on CD, DVD, and Blu-ray. |
| 2020 | Distant Memories – Live in London | Recorded on February 21 and 22, 2020. |
