Joe Satriani has credited The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix with inspiring him to learn the electric guitar.
Speaking to Classic Rock magazine, he revealed that he had been a drummer at the time the Fab Four made their landmark appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964.
He said George Harrison's playing in particular "got me going" and led to him swapping his drum kit for an electric guitar.
The musician added that the emergence of Jimi Hendrix later in the decade also proved to be a defining moment for him.
Satriani commented: "What makes him great is his choice of notes.
"What he chose to play is what we chose to love."
Satriani added that any song that Hendrix performed was more important to him than showing off in front of an audience.
This, he said, is the mark of a great electric guitar player.
Satriani is currently performing in supergroup Chickenfoot, which includes Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony of Van Halen and the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith.
