User:Digitalox/Greg Koch (guitarist)

Greg Koch is a bandleader, studio musician, author, clinician and recording artist with Steve Vai's Favored Nations label.

Early Life
Koch's hometown is Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he grew up just a few miles from the Waukesha birthplace of the late, great guitarist-inventor Les Paul. Koch was the youngest of seven kids, there were five girls in between, and his brother was the oldest. He and his brother had a room together so he listened to all of his brother's music growing up. His brother was heavy into Hendrix, Cream, the James Gang, The Beatles, The Stones and these guys were like gods to Koch when most people were into Kermit the Frog back home.

Musical Career
His guitar fascination commenced in the third grade, when Koch made Fender Stratocaster guitars out of cardboard and used his sister’s sewing machine pedal as a makeshift wah-wah. He rocked along to Jimi Hendrix, whose music had become his obsession. After getting his first guitar at age 12, Koch learned by copying records. Koch got his earliest musical influences from his older brother and later became infatuated with Jimi Hendrix, who remains a profound influence to this day. After studying jazz guitar for four years at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Koch won 1st Prize in the 1989 Bluesbreaker Guitar Showdown judged by legendary bluesman Buddy Guy. Shortly after, he formed Greg Koch and the Tone Controls, which became one of the more popular acts of the region. The band went on to win five Wisconsin Area Music Awards for Blues Artist of the Year (‘93, ‘95 through ‘98), and Koch personally took in seven WAMA awards as Guitarist of the Year (‘92, ‘94 through ‘99).