In the late '70s and early '80s, prog and hard rock bands espoused a creed based on the technical knowledge of their instruments, and were rewarded for that virtuosity with commercial success. Bands like Rush, Journey and Toto scaled the charts, and their members were respected for creating strong pop songs while putting classical training to use.Steve Vai was one of the most important figures in all this, a master guitarist whose chops and solos would bowl over rock nerds. Vai peformed with Frank Zappa and Joe Satriani, and replaced Yngwie Malmsteen, known as one of the most talented classically trained guitarists working in the commerical field, in a band called Alcatrazz.Vai was born June 6, 1960 in Long Island, and grew up listening to the guitar-rock greats--Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper. The theatricality and masterful control of the guitar impressed him, and he wanted to have that power on stage that he saw his heroes wield so artfully. In high school, he hung out with Joe Satriani, who would go on to become one of the recording industry's top guitarist, teaching numerous musicians how to play an axe. Vai took lessons from Satriani and by 18 was attending the Berklee School of Music.After making inroads with Frank Zappa, Zappa invited Vai into his band, with whom he toured across the world. In time, Vai would become known for his own original compositions, and though his albums struggled on the charts, he developed a solid reputation for his technical proficiency among guitar-rock fans. Vai debuted in 1984 with Flex-Able, then continued releasing albums regularly through the '90s and 00's. When he's not recording, he cultivates honey from five bee colonies in his backyard.