Music like George Lynch
George Lynch
George Lynch (born September 28, 1954) is an American hard rock guitarist and songwriter. He is best known for his work with heavy metal band Dokken and his post-Dokken solo band Lynch Mob. Lynch is considered to be one of the most famous and influential 1980s metal guitarists and is known for his unique playing style and sound. He is ranked No. 47 on "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" by Guitar World magazine and No. 10 on "Top 10 Metal Guitarists of All Time" by Gibson.
Lynch was born in Spokane, Washington and made the small town of Auburn, California his home base between 1971 and 1975.
Great White guitarist Mark Kendall claims Lynch started two-hand tapping before Eddie Van Halen did, though Lynch himself denies it. Twice Lynch auditioned for the position of Ozzy Osbourne's lead guitarist — once in 1979, losing to Randy Rhoads — and another time in 1982 to replace Brad Gillis. According to Lynch, he was hired for three days before Ozzy changed his mind and decided to go with Jake E. Lee. Lee noted that Lynch "got the gig, but only went on the road for two weeks to watch the show and never actually played with Ozzy." Lynch stated in an interview that he played soundchecks at the side of the stage on a European tour with Ozzy and Brad Gillis as part of an extensive audition. He also rehearsed with the band in Texas but was let go by Ozzy as the band moved operations to Los Angeles. Jake E. Lee auditioned on the day of Lynch's dismissal and while Lee admittedly didn't play well the day of the audition he looked the part and was offered the gig. Ozzy fired Lynch on the spot in front Lee, whom Lynch had just met. Lynch was devastated and was struggling financially in those years. He had been working as a delivery man for a liquor store and was required to have short hair his employer. Sharon Osbourne fancied Lee's "look" over Lynch's playing and her influence likely finalized Ozzy's decision to hire Lee. Lynch said "I won the consolation prize. Randy got to tour with Ozzy...and I got to teach at his mom's school."
