The one singer who “never missed a note”, according to Steve Vai
When you’ve had as significant an impact on the music industry as Steve Vai, you inevitably accumulate a range of titles—trailblazer, technical master, virtuoso, and more. Yet, Vai transcended the simplicity of these labels, rising from the visionary realm of Frank Zappa to carve out his own identity as a highly intricate and innovative guitarist.
But perhaps more intriguing is that Vai only followed his own intuition, working alongside those he deems parallel to his own artistry and learning from the best as much as becoming a mentor himself. On the surface, this boils down to his relentless pursuit of both musical energy and complex song structures. As he put it himself: “One of my ears has been pulled towards rock ’n’ roll my whole life, and the other is high-information music.”
Of course, many factors resulting in this realisation have been made clear by those he encountered along the way. For instance, working alongside Zappa taught him a lot about the perilous world of cutthroat perfectionism, but it also instilled in him a profound appreciation for the creative process and the beauty of artistic risk-taking. Joining forces with David Lee Roth, too, taught him a lot about showmanship, charisma, and the power of theatricality.
Vai seems to have truly witnessed it all, not just encountering names like Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, and even Motörhead, but due to his further afield ventures like contributing to John Lydon’s solo effort and working with Mary J Blige, Joe Jackson, and more. Ultimately, Vai has tried his hand at many genres and projects, his unique and distinctive approach extending far beyond the constraints of metal.
As a result, uncovering Vai’s influences and favourite artists is intriguing for both musicians and music fans, given that it provides a rare insight into the mind of someone who has not only observed a vast range of musical styles but also worked closely with some of the industry’s most iconic figures. In other words, when Vai shares his favourite musicians, it signifies that they stand out among an endless array of choices.
“When I was young [my influence] was Robert Plant, later it was Devin Townsend,” Vai once told Louder. This isn’t a complete surprise, especially considering how most young and aspiring rock musicians looked to bands like Led Zeppelin to study the art of breaking the mould. Discovering Strapping Young Lad, too, likely exposed Vai to the extremities of metal and finding the delicate balance between aggression and resonance.
“It was amazing to watch David Coverdale sing every night,” he added. “He never missed a note. He just delivered. I could say the same about Dave Roth.” The reasons for his appreciation of Roth were clear, but David Coverdale seems both an obvious and not-so-obvious choice for various reasons. For starters, discovering Deep Purple was a dream for any guitarist, mainly because Ritchie Blackmore was akin to a blueprint for those who aspired to master the art of great guitar-driven rock.
Coverdale, on the other hand, was pretty unknown when he replaced Ian Gillan as the lead vocalist, and fans who had been there from the beginning, like Vai, felt that too much change had occurred to keep up the admiration. “I just thought, ‘You don’t like him immediately,’ because he’s not your hero,” he admitted to Ultimate Guitar when discussing the moment he learned Coverdale was in the band.
However, he gave it a chance, and low and behold, he was completely charmed. “I bought that record [Burn], and my God, I was stunned,” he revealed. “He was such a great singer. He was inching up on number one. When I saw, I think it was the Us Festival, where David was really singing, I just became a fan, and was a fan of the Coverdale Deep Purple for all those records.”
Coverdale actually won a lot of fans over in a similar way. It isn’t very easy any time your favourite band or artist experiences a significant shift in lineup or sound, as often the continuation isn’t as good as those you became endeared to in the first place. However, as soon as Coverdale entered the scene, his talent spoke for itself, and Deep Purple continued to reign supreme.
