Racer X

Racer X is an American heavy metal band formed in 1985 in Los Angeles, California. The group was founded by guitarist Paul Gilbert—who later went on to achieve great success with the multi platinum-selling hard rock band Mr. Big—and bassist Juan Alderete, who is now the bassist for The Mars Volta. Guitarist Paul Gilbert first gained notoriety when he was featured in Mike Varney’s Spotlight Column in the February 1983 issue of Guitar Player magazi... more

Racer X is an American heavy metal band formed in 1985 in Los Angeles, California. The group was founded by guitarist Paul Gilbert—who later went on to achieve great success with the multi platinum-selling hard rock band Mr. Big—and bassist Juan Alderete, who is now the bassist for The Mars Volta. Guitarist Paul Gilbert first gained notoriety when he was featured in Mike Varney’s Spotlight Column in the February 1983 issue of Guitar Player magazine. Gilbert was 16 years old and living in Greensburg, Pennsylvania; he later moved to Los Angeles and enrolled at the Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT), part of the Musicians Institute. After graduating from the school, Gilbert was hired as an instructor. While at GIT, Paul met fellow student John Alderete. Searching for a drummer, Alderete and Gilbert first turned to Scott Travis, who was living in Virginia at the time, but he turned down the offer due to his commitment to the band Hawk; Travis was receiving a salary from Doug Marks, the... less