Mark Tremonti (b. 1974) rose to fame as the lead guitarist of Creed, enjoying enormous success at the turn of the twenty-first century with metal-influenced songs that crossed over to the pop charts.

Tremonti’s tasteful power has garnered him many fans. His instructional DVD The Sound And The Story adds tips from several guitarists, including Michael Angelo Batio, Rusty Cooley, Troy Stetina, Bill Peck and Myles Kennedy.

Tremonti was born and grew up near Detroit, Michigan. He got his first guitar at age 11 for about $25. Tremonti learned guitar by ear and with the help of books and videos. At 16, Tremonti and his family moved to Florida, where he met future Creed singer Scott Stapp in high school. Although the two were not friends at the time, Tremonti encountered Stapp again at Florida State University. They formed Creed with guitarist Brian Brasher, bassist Scott Phillips and drummer Brian Marshall.

Creed’s debut album, My Own Prison, was released independently in 1997. After Wind-Up Records picked up the group and re-released the album, it became a surprise success, spinning off several hit singles, including ‘My Own Prison’. When Creed’s second album, Human Clay, was released in 1999, ‘Higher’ and ‘With Arms Wide Open’ hit No. 1. Overall, the band had seven consecutive hits on rock radio and sold over 30 million records worldwide in seven years. Internal squabbles led to Creed’s splitting and Tremonti’s forming Alter Bridge in 2004. The band has released four studio albums: One Day Remains (2004), Blackbird (2007), AB III (2010) and Fortress (2013). After ten years apart, Creed reunited in 2009 with a tour and the album Full Circle.

Tremonti has contributed to many artists’ records over the years, including Sevendust’s Hope & Sorrow, and Fozzy’s All That Remains. He also played on the cover of Deep Purple’s ‘Burn’ from Michael Angelo Batio’s Hands Without Shadows. Mark Tremonti plays several of his signature-model Paul Reed Smith guitars, with Fender and Bogner amps and Mesa/Boogie heads and cabinets. He also uses a Taylor 614CE acoustic.

Essential Recordings

1997
Creed: My Own Prison

1999
Creed: Human Clay

2004
Alter Bridge: One Day Remains

2010
Alter Bridge: AB III

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