With his wide range of standard and unorthodox techniques, George Lynch (b. 1954) became a guitarist’s guitarist as he cruised through the various incarnations of his bands Dokken and Lynch Mob.

Born in Spokane, Washington, and raised in California, Lynch became lead guitarist of Dokken in 1980 after auditioning for Ozzy Osbourne in 1979 and losing out to Randy Rhoads.

Dokken had a string of platinum albums such as Under Lock And Key (1985) and Back For The Attack (1987), which feature Lynch’s inventive lead guitar work. The instrumental track ‘Mr Scary’ on the latter album contributed to his popularity among guitar players. The band earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Instrumental in 1989. Dokken disbanded in 1989 and Lynch formed Lynch Mob, a distinct stylistic departure. In 1993, he released his first solo album, Sacred Groove. Dokken reunited in 1994 and released Dysfunctional, but the album was unsuccessful. Dokken released an unplugged concert from a 1994 show titled One Live Night, but three years later, the band again split up and Lynch reassembled Lynch Mob.

In 1999, Lynch Mob adopted a new sound with Smoke This, and in the intervening years, Lynch continued to release albums and tour with various assemblages of bandmates from the two groups. In 2003, Lynch formed the George Lynch Group. Furious George (2005) featured covers of classic rock tunes from ZZ Top, Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin, among others. Lynch Mob released Smoke And Mirrors in 2009. In 2010, Lynch joined with other former members of Dokken to form T&N, releasing an album, Slave To The Empire, in 2012.

Lynch has been an endorser of ESP guitars since 1986. His famed Skull and Bones guitar, named ‘Mom’, is actually a J Frog guitar with a neck by ESP. Several George Lynch signature guitars have been produced by ESP. Common Lynch techniques include using open-string chords, root-5 power chords, tritone accents and right-hand picking techniques to create unique tones. He uses unusual scales, and employs string bends and the whammy bar to slide into pitches. Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck and Michael Schenker, along with Eddie Van Halen and Yngwie Malmsteen, are cited as his influences.

Essential Recordings

1985
Dokken: Under Lock And Key

1987
Dokken: Back For The Attack

1990
Lynch Mob: Wicked Sensation

1993
Solo: Sacred Groove

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