Richie Kotzen
This highly gifted, new-age rock guitar god was very much in the Joe Satriani mould. By the time Kotzen had reached his seventh birthday, he had moved from piano to guitar lessons, and was playing live with his own band, Arthur's Museum, when he entered his teens. Taken under the wing of Mike Varney, he was introduced to bassist Stuart Hamm and ex- Journey drummer Steve Smith, to record a solo instrumental album. This showcased Kotzen's inherent ability and feel for the electric guitar, but also highlighted the limitations of rock music without vocals. Realizing this, he formed Fever Dream, a power-trio comprising Danny Thompson (bass), Atma Anur (drums) and himself on guitar and vocals. Although the guitar breaks were excellent, there was a paucity of hooks to latch onto and a scarcity of real tunes. Kotzen would go on to replace C.C. Deville in Poison's ranks in 1991.