>>131944664
No, but he definitely should be

Blues guy

>>131944664
he is often considered the original shredder. He isn't, of course, but he was doing it in the early '80s.

Emmett Chapman invented the Chapman Stick in '74 which relied heavily on tapping and double tapping, but that technique was invented by Paganini way the hell back when. Paganini was a great violinist but an even greater guitarist. He was tapping and shredding two centuries ago.

Here is an example of shredding from a 1976 concert in Osaka, Japan, by Frank Zappa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zg19hjBuGq8

>>131944776
Well, that was weird

He was one of the guys who got some buzz at the very start of the shred guitar arms race. If you read old interviews with 80's metal players, a ton of them will name check Gary. Unfortunately, the dude wasn't a terrific songwriter by any means, so his most athletic solos are often stapled to very run-of-the-mill 80's rock songs. That's not to say he couldn't write good songs, I would emphatically recommend Back On The Streets. It's kind of a mash of everything cool about 70's music, while having the kick of the coming 80's. Unfortunately, he squandered a lot of chances to become a household name, including turning down the chance to play for Ozzy, I think twice.