For the tour that followed, Mr. Big enlisted the help of drummer Matt Starr of Burning Rain, to take over Torpeys drumming duties, whilst Torpey acted as drum producer.

He is best known for being the co-founder of the band Mr.

Big. He was also a member of Racer X, with whom he released several albums.

In 1996, Gilbert launched a solo career, for which he has released numerous solo albums, and featured in numerous collaborations and guest appearances on other musicians albums.

At the time, Varney couldnt think why Osbourne would want a 15-year-old guitarist; but, after listening to Gilberts demo tape, he changed his mind.

Even at the young age of 17, Gilbert quickly became a local legend due to his advanced and extremely fast alternate picking technique, his young age, and his massive repertoire of cover material.

He was hired as a GIT instructor in 1985, and recorded Racer Xs debut album Street Lethal soon after.

They were heavily influenced by Judas Priest, and Gilberts playing was reminiscent of Yngwie Malmsteen, displaying fast-driven solos with extreme-level technique.

Gschoesser was replaced by Scott Travis (who would later become Judas Priest s drummer) in 1986, and Bruce Bouillet, one of Gilberts private students at GIT, was added as a second guitarist after demonstrating an ability to harmonize Gilberts string skipping sequences.

Gilbert gained recognition as one of the worlds fastest guitarists due to incredibly technical pieces like Technical Difficulties, Frenzy, Scarified, Y.R.O.

Scit Scat Wah. Around this time, Gilbert also recorded his first instructional video, Intense Rock, in which he demonstrated a number of his famous techniques and practice regimens in detail.

Throughout his career he would go on to release many more instructional videos.

Despite their rigorous fan base, the band did not have prospects for a major label deal and Gilbert became increasingly disinterested.

In 1987, he was approached by Talas bassist Billy Sheehan, one of his biggest influences, about forming a band that would eventually become Mr.

In mid-1999, the band recorded the album Technical Difficulties, which went gold in Japan.

Racer Xs new record label requested a follow-up; so, in late 2000, they released Superheroes, mixed by Bouillet.

The resulting CD and DVD were released in 2002 under the title Snowball of Doom.

The band performed these shows in their Superheroes costumes.

The tours final show, in Yokohama, was hastily recorded in two tracks on the sound board and later released as Snowball of Doom 2.

Later that year, Universal Japan pushed for another Racer X release.

In October 2002, all four members of Racer X gathered at Gilberts house in Las Vegas to record Getting Heavier, which was sold alongside Snowball of Doom 2 in a package deal.

Although the album was a successful release in Japan, some fans were disappointed with the lighter tracks, which resembled a Paul Gilbert solo album more than a conventional Racer X album.

Andy Timmons and his band opened the show, followed by a solo set from Paul Gilbert, and finally Racer X.

The Racer X lineup consisted of Paul Gilbert, Scott Travis, Jeff Martin and John Alderete.

The band was initially successful in Japan, but achieved international stardom with the 1991 release of their second studio album Lean into It.

This album featured the acoustic ballad To Be with You, which received strong play on radio stations and MTV, rising to 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The band recorded a new album with producer Kevin Shirley 7 titled What If..

The album was released in Japan on Dec.

Europe on Jan. 21st, 2011 and in the U.S.

Feb. 2011. A tour to support the album kicked off at the Hollywood location of The House of Blues on April 2, 2011 followed by several dates in Japan.

In May and June 2011, the tour continued in Taiwan, China, Korea, The Philippines, and Europe.

During the recording of the album, it was revealed that drummer Pat Torpey had been diagnosed with Parkinsons disease.

For the tour that followed, Mr.

Big enlisted the help of drummer Matt Starr of Burning Rain, to take over Torpeys drumming duties, whilst Torpey acted as drum producer.

Pat Torpey Big Drums Dvd Download