Al Pitrelli
A versatile guitar virtuoso who bridged hard rock, Broadway, and holiday spectacle as the musical director of Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
Born 1962 (age 64)·American guitarist·Birthday: September 26·Baby Boomers
Biography
Al Pitrelli's career is a map of American rock and pop in the late 20th century. The New York native cut his teeth as a session and touring guitarist, lending his chops to an astonishingly diverse roster from Michael Bolton to Alice Cooper. His technical precision and melodic sense caught the ear of Megadeth's Dave Mustaine, leading to a stint during the band's 'The World Needs a Hero' era. But his most defining role came with the progressive rock collective Savatage, which evolved into the holiday rock juggernaut, Trans-Siberian Orchestra. As TSO's long-time musical director, Pitrelli became the steady hand guiding the elaborate, pyrotechnic-laden tours, translating complex studio compositions into live spectacles that filled arenas every winter.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Al was born in 1962, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Al Was Born
The biggest hits of 1962
#1 Movie
Lawrence of Arabia
Best Picture
Lawrence of Arabia
#1 TV Show
Beverly Hillbillies
Al's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1962Born
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1967Started school
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1975Became a teenager
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Could drive
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1980Could vote
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Turned 21
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1992Turned 30
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 40
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 50
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2022Turned 60
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 64 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the musical director and lead guitarist for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra for over two decades.
- Played lead guitar on Megadeth's 2001 album 'The World Needs a Hero' and toured with the band.
- Was a key member of the progressive metal band Savatage, contributing to albums like 'Poets and Madmen'.
- Performed as a touring guitarist for Alice Cooper in the late 1990s.
Did You Know?
He attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston on a scholarship.
Pitrelli played guitar on the original Broadway cast recording of 'The Who's Tommy'.
Before joining Megadeth, he was in a band called 'Hotshot' with future Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick.
He has cited guitarists like Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page as major early influences.
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