George Lynch (born September 28, 1954) is an American guitarist, best known for his work with the hard rock band Dokken and his post-Dokken solo band Lynch Mob. He is considered 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.
Early life
Lynch was born in Spokane, Washington, and made the small town of Auburn, California, his home base between 1971 and 1975.
Career
1970s
Twice Lynch auditioned for the position of Ozzy Osbourne's lead guitarist — once in 1979, losing to Randy Rhoads. Lynch said: "I won the consolation prize. Randy got to tour with Ozzy...and I got to teach at his mom's school." He auditioned again in 1982 to replace Brad Gillis. According to Lynch, he was hired for three days before Osbourne 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 Osbourne and Brad Gillis as part of an extensive audition. He also rehearsed with the band in Texas but was let go by Osbourne 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. Osbourne fired Lynch on the spot in front of 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 by his employer to have short hair. Sharon Osbourne fancied Lee's "look" over Lynch's playing and her influence likely finalized Osbourne's decision to hire Lee.
Lynch played in a late 1970s band called The Boyz, working the Sunset Strip clubs in Hollywood alongside Van Halen and Quiet Riot. The Boyz also featured future Dokken drummer Mick Brown, bassist Monte Zufelt and vocalists Lisa Furspanker and Greg Sanford. Their sound and Lynch's playing were so similar to Van Halen that one of their demos was circulated as a "pre-Roth Van Halen recording". The Boyz were set to play a showcase for Gene Simmons and his startup label but Van Halen opened the show and Simmons opted not to stay and see The Boyz. Lynch subsequently formed Xciter before joining Dokken.
Dokken and Lynch Mob
Dokken had a string of successful platinum albums that prominently featured Lynch's inventive lead guitar work. The instrumental track "Mr. Scary" on Back for the Attack contributed to his popularity among guitar players. The band earned a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance in 1990.
The group parted ways in March 1989 due to internal tensions with lead vocalist Don Dokken. Lynch formed his own hard rock band Lynch Mob, which differed from Dokken in lyrical and guitar complexity, subject matter, song structure, and tuning. Lynch took time off when his wife Christy Lynch had a baby girl, Mariah Lynch.
Lynch released his first solo album Sacred Groove in 1993.
After Don Dokken, Jeff Pilson and Mick Brown reunited in 1994 they decided to bring Lynch back as well for a true reunion of Dokken. The reunited version of Dokken was signed to the Columbia/Sony label and after extensive writing released Dysfunctional. The album did not do as well as expected and the band was dropped from the label. Dokken then signed on with CMC International and released an "unplugged" show performed in late 1994 titled One Live Night.
The band entered the studio in 1996 with producer Kelly Gray who wanted to take Dokken in a new direction. To the dismay of vocalist and founder Don Dokken the resulting Shadowlife was a complete switch from melodic rock to a more alternative sound.
Tensions again flared between Don Dokken and Lynch in 1997, leading to Lynch being replaced by former Europe guitarist John Norum. This prompted Lynch to reunite Lynch Mob which entered the studio and demoed three songs later released as an EP titled Syzygy. Band member Logan decided to pursue other projects before a full album could be completed. Mick Brown decided to stay with Dokken. Lynch organized a short 13 show U.S. tour for Lynch Mob in 1998 with Artension frontman John West, Anthony Esposito and others.