Paul Gilbert

Paul Gilbert is an American hard rock guitarist from Carbondale, Illinois, best known as a founding member of Racer X and Mr. Big, whose technically demanding playing sits somewhere between shred metal and melodic rock. Mr. Big's 1991 ballad "To Be with You" reached number one in fifteen countries, though Gilbert's reputation rests more squarely on his instrumental work and his influence as a guitar educator. Live, his shows tend to prioritize fretboard fireworks over spectacle — straightforward for a player whose technique is the point.