A Swedish guitar god whose lightning shredding and blistering solos set the
1980s metal scene alight, Yngwie Malmsteen, created a gothic, neo-classical
whirlwind of sound which established him as one of the finest and most
influential axe men of the era. Born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck on June 30,
1963 in Stockholm, Sweden, he was influenced equally by rock legends Richie
Blackmore and Brian May, as well as classical composers Johann Sebastian Bach,
Antonio Vivaldi and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He was invited to America as an
18-year-old by Shrapnel Records boss Mike Varney and p...