Lynch Mob
Lynch Mob
Born on September 28, 1954 in Spokane, WA, George Lynch began learning to play guitar at the age of 10. A naturally gifted musician, his guitar playing quickly progressed and became a creative outlet for him during his teenage years performing with several bands, most notably Sergeant Rocks. In the late 1970s, George moved to Los Angeles, California where he formed two bands, The Boyz and Xciter. With Xciter, George’s technical abilities and unique style was a very important draw to the band’s fan base. Playing the L.A. club circuit, it was clear that he was already taking the necessary steps that would lead him to success in the 1980s and his partnership with legendary band Dokken
When George Lynch joined Dokken in the early 1980’s, success came very quickly. As history proves, much of the band’s album sales and credibility is the result of George Lynch’s guitar abilities and songwriting. With Dokken, Lynch recorded five albums from 1983 to 1988, all of which did remarkably well in the United States, Europe and Asia. This worldwide success made George Lynch one of the most influential rock guitarists in modern music, even earning the band a Grammy nomination in 1989 for Best Rock Instrumental. 1989 was also the year the George parted ways with Dokken and began the new decade with a different approach…enter the Lynch Mob. By the early 1990s George had become a marquee guitar hero throughout the world. As a result, working with the Lynch Mob was a highly scrutinized and anticipated project. In just three years, the Lynch Mob released two records and hit the road on two worldwide tours. After the second tour’s completion, Lynch took hiatus and retreated to the studio to craft his first solo recordings.
“Sacred Groove,” Lynch’s first solo endeavor was released in 1993. For the first time in his career, he was able to display a broader assortment of musical and guitar styles. The “Sacred Groove” album clearly established Lynch as an eclectic musician with a volume of eccentric work. Having satisfied this endeavor, George Lynch took several years off to spend time with his children and enjoy life in Arizona. That was until a call from an old friend came in 1994.
Following his departure, Dokken had reformed without the use of George Lynch, but when the record company refused to release a new Dokken record without Lynch, phone calls were made in late 1994. Lynch came in to fulfill the requests of the record company and round two with the band began. Soon to follow were two more Dokken records and three more years of touring the globe.
By 1998, Lynch finished his commitment with Dokken and set out to work with the Lynch Mob. This resulted in “Smoke This,” an album that featured a culmination of his playing styles, but with a new approach. The 1999 tour that followed brought George’s playing to a new audience and resulted in a renewed interest in the band and George Lynch’s influence. With new confidence, George began working with former Dokken band mate bassist Jeff on what was to become a lengthy album titled “Wicked Underground.” Which was completed under the name LP (Lynch/Pilson) and delivered to stores in April 2003. Also in 2003, Lynch began reworking the sound of earlier Lynch Mob and Dokken material. To complete this task, George re-assembled Mob band members, Robert Mason and Anthony Esposito, along with Michael Frowein on drums. Together, they reinvented the spirit and fire of early Lynch compositions onto an album titled, “REVolution,” which was also released in 2003. The guitar work on both “Wicked Underground” and “REVolution” demonstrated Lynch’s consistency with his signature sound while balancing a more experimental side.
In 2012 George released 3 successful albums via Rat Pak Records, “Legacy” an all instrumental EP, Lynch Mob “Sound Mountain Sessions” and T&N “Slave To The Empire” that featured original Dokken members Jeff Pilson and Mick Brown along with a host of other guest singers including Sebastian Bach, Tim “Ripper” Owens, dUg Pinnick and Warrant singer Robert Mason) & the album features remakes of 5 classic Dokken songs and 7 new original songs.
In 2014 George released Lynch Mob “Unplugged – Live From Sugar Hill Studios” (Rat Pak Records) an all-acoustic performance of their classic hits. In 2013 George formed KXM a super-group trio that featured King’s X front man dUg Pinnick and Korn drummer Ray Luzier. Their debut album released in March on Rat Pak Records and landed #31 on the Billboard top 200. Later that year in December, George hit #6 on the Billboard Hard Rock Albums chart with the critically acclaimed Lynch Mob “Sun Red Sun” (also on Rat Pak Records) that featured Oni Logan, Robbie Crane and Scot Coogan.
The most notable is his endorsement with ESP Guitars. ESP has held George as their highest profiled endorser for close to 20 years. Electric guitar pickup guru Seymour Duncan has also honored George with his own signature series pickup called the “Screamin’ Demon.” Now a highly regarded standard in the guitar world, the “Screamin’ Demon” reigns as one of Seymour Duncan’s most popular items to date. George also conceived the design for a triple amp selector switching system called the “Tripler” which is manufactured by Morley. American Recording Technology manufactures and distributes the George Lynch Signature guitar, patch and speaker cables. In 2005, Randall Amplifiers revealed a new George Lynch modular amp called the “Lynch Box.” Also of note, George Lynch and Robert Keeley have developed the Lynch Time Machine, a unique and powerful effect unit that is gaining a lot of interest and momentum within the guitar industry.
The past few years, 2015-2018 have seen some of George Lynch’s most prolific recording projects, including KXM with DuG Pinnick of King’s X and Ray Luzier of Korn, Shadow Nation, an incredible film journey into the history and plight of Native American life, Lynch Mob, Ultraphonix with Corey Glover of Living Colour, drummer Chris Moore and bassist Pancho Tomaselli of War. When George is not recording, writing or touring, he’s creating incredible collector’s art guitars under his Mr. Scary Guitars brand.