Paul Gilbert
A guitar virtuoso who fused lightning-fast technical prowess with pop-smart songcraft in a multi-platinum rock band.
Born 1966 (age 60)·American guitarist and founding member of Mr. Big·Birthday: November 6·Generation X
Biography
Paul Gilbert didn't just play guitar; he engineered a new kind of rock and roll excitement. Emerging from the Los Angeles shred scene of the 1980s, he first turned heads with the speed-metal band Racer X, where his blistering technique and instructional columns in guitar magazines made him a hero to aspiring players. But Gilbert had a broader musical appetite. In 1988, he co-founded Mr. Big, a band that married his jaw-dropping solos with airtight harmonies and sharp pop melodies. The strategy peaked with the 1991 ballad "To Be With You," a global number-one hit that showcased a tender side few expected from a shred icon. Throughout a prolific solo career and his return to Mr. Big, Gilbert has maintained a reputation not just as a technician, but as a joyful, inventive musician with a self-deprecating wit, constantly exploring new sounds from blues to classical while never losing his signature fiery touch.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Paul was born in 1966, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Paul Was Born
The biggest hits of 1966
#1 Movie
The Bible: In the Beginning
Best Picture
A Man for All Seasons
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
Paul's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1966Born
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1971Started school
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1979Became a teenager
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Could drive
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1984Could vote
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1987Turned 21
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1996Turned 30
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 40
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 50
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 60
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-wrote and performed on Mr. Big's "To Be With You," which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1992.
- Released numerous influential instrumental albums as a solo artist, such as 'King of Clubs' and 'Fuzz Universe.'
- Was a founding member of the technically formidable band Racer X, a benchmark for guitar shredding.
- Served as a columnist for *Guitar World* magazine, educating a generation of players.
Did You Know?
He famously practiced guitar so much as a teen that he developed tendinitis.
He often uses a modified electric drill with guitar strings attached as an instrument.
He is an avid teacher and has produced a vast library of online guitar instruction videos.
Before Mr. Big, he was asked to join the band Dio but declined.
“I don't want to be the fastest guitarist in the world. I want to be the fastest guitarist in the world who writes good songs.”
