Greg Howe

Related Content

• Stevie Ray Vaughan Bassist Tommy Shannon Signs Endorsement Deal With Markbass
• NAMM 2012: DV Mark Unveils 6 New Effect Pedals, Including DV Fuzzer and Mini Boost
• Review: DV Mark Triple 6

California guitar great Greg Howe, known as a virtuoso, solo artist and sideman to such pop stars as Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, NSYNC and Enrique Iglesias, is now endorsing the Italian guitar amp brand DV Mark.

Howe’s rig of choice is the Triple 6 (new release) head and the C412 Standard cabinet. He calls the 120W Triple 6 “an extremely versatile amp capable of delivering a variety of killer tones.” He will travel to Italy in July to begin collaborating with Marco De Virgiliis and the DV Mark team on a signature amp to be released next year.

Howe started playing the guitar at age 10 — and by his middle teens, after discovering Van Halen, became obsessed with the instrument. By his late teens, he had already begun playing in clubs with his rock band, with his brother Al on lead vocals. Over the next few years Howe honed his chops in clubs throughout the Northeast.

In 1988, guitar connoisseur Mike Varney asked Howe to record an album for his label, Shrapnel Records. The self-titled record featured Billy Sheehan and drummer Atma Anur; it quickly made a name for Howe, and went on to hit No. 10 in Guitar World magazine’s top 10 shred albums of all time.

After recording two vocal albums with his brother, Howe released eight instrumental solo albums; blending fusion, rock, funk, blues, and jazz. His all-star funk-fusion album Extraction featured Victor Wooten and Dennis Chambers. In 2008, Howe released Sound Proof, widely considered one of his best albums.

Along the way, Howe has continuously made himself available as a sideman to many of the world's biggest pop stars: Michael Jackson (HIStory World Tour, 1996), Enrique Iglesias, NSYNC, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Rihanna, Lady Antebellum, P Diddy, T-Pain, Nelly, Tim McGraw, Salt-N-Pepa and others. Michael Jackson's second posthumous album, “Immortal” (2011), featured Howe's playing on “Dancing Machine” and “Beat It.”

Howe is in production for a vocal album to be released in September/October 2012, and constantly active with guitar clinics, trade shows, and tours around the world.

For more about Howe, check out his official website and his page at DV Mark.

For more about DV Mark, visit dvmark.it.

Related