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band, called Jimmy James & The Blue Flames. He moved the band to New York's Greenwich Village, and began playing clubs in the area. Chas Chandler, bass player for The Animals, happened to catch one of the shows, and invited Hendrix to London. This was where he formed The Jimi Hendrix Experience, who released their first single, "Hey Joe," in December 1966. Within weeks it was in the top of the singles charts, and The Jimi Hendrix Experience was the talk of London.

Jimi's recording career, although brief (it only spanned four years, from 1966 to 1970), was very productive. He went on to record a total of 4 albums, and gave several memorable performances, including the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, and Woodstock in 1969. Sadly, however, Jimi passed away in London on Thursday, September 18, 1970. The cause of death was an accidental overdose of sleeping pills.

2)Randy Rhoads

Randy Rhoads was born on December 6, 1956, in Santa Monica, California. He started playing at the age of seven on a Gibson classical acoustic, given to him by his grandfather. In a very short time, it became obvious that young Randy had a rare gift for the instrument. He practiced relentlessly, embracing a wide range of styles. Classical music became a particular interest to him. His goal was to combine the classical style with the rock music that he loved.

In his early teens, he formed a couple of short-lived groups before he finally formed the band through which he would become known. That band was Quiet Riot, and Randy was seventeen. Although the band was very popular in the Los Angeles area, often playing the biggest clubs of the day, such as The Starwood, and The Whiskey A Go-Go, all efforts to secure a record contract in the United States failed. They were finally signed to a Japanese record label, for which they recorded two albums.

In 1979, however, he decided to leave Quiet Riot when former Black Sabbath front man Ozzy Osbourne called him to audition for his new group. Rhoads auditioned, got the gig, and was off to write and record the music that would become the group's first album "Blizzard Of Ozz." He recorded only one more album before his life was tragically cut short at the age of 25. While on the road with the band, Rhoads died in a plane crash in Orlando Florida on March 19, 1982.

3)Yngwie Malmsteen

Yngwie Johann Malmsteen, born on June 30, 1963 in Stockholm Sweden, is considered by many to be the first true virtuoso in rock music. In a way, Malmsteen is connected to both of the

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