Steven Rothery (born 25 November 1959) is an English musician who is the original guitarist and the longest continuous member of the

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...

band

Marillion Marillion are a British neo-prog band, formed in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, in 1979. They emerged from the post-punk music scene in Britain and existed as a bridge between the styles of punk rock and classic progressive rock, becoming the mo ...

. Outside Marillion, Rothery has recorded two albums as part of the duo The Wishing Tree and an instrumental solo album, ''The Ghosts of Pripyat'', released in September 2014. He also founded the British Guitar Academy in 2011.

Biography

Rothery was born in Brampton Bierlow, near Barnsley then in the

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire was one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the riding was an administrative county named County of York, West Riding. The Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire, lieu ...

, England, and from the age of six he lived in Whitby, North Yorkshire. He began to play the guitar at the age of 15. In an interview for

Johnnie Walker Johnnie Walker is a brand of Scotch whisky produced by Diageo in Scotland. It was established in the Scottish burgh of Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire in 1820, and continued to be produced and bottled at the town's Hill Street plant, once the world's ...

's ''Sounds of the Seventies'' on BBC Radio 2 in 2013, Rothery revealed that his musical tastes always differed from his friends, who were getting into

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

while he preferred

, which he had been introduced to through the Alan Freeman show on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

Marillion

In 1979, he saw an ad in the music press for a band called Silmarillion that needed a guitarist. He auditioned successfully for the band (19 August 1979). From this point he concentrated more on melody, composition and mood in his playing, and less on his technique. Later, Silmarillion shortened its name to

Outside Marillion

The Wishing Tree

As well as work with Marillion, he started a solo project under the name The Wishing Tree (with Hannah Stobart providing vocals), and released two albums titled ''

Carnival of Souls ''Carnival of Souls'' is a 1962 American psychological horror film produced and directed by Herk Harvey and written by John Clifford from a story by Clifford and Harvey, and starring Candace Hilligoss. Its plot follows Mary Henry, a young woman ...

'' (1996) and '' Ostara'' (2009).

The British Guitar Academy

In 2011, Rothery launched the British Guitar Academy "to bring together some of Britain's top guitarists to pass on their hard won knowledge and experience to a wider audience through a series of workshops and masterclasses. The aim is to concentrate not just on technique but also creativity and individuality."

Solo album ''The Ghosts of Pripyat'' (2014)

Rothery had been approached by EMI to make a solo album during the recording of Marillion's '' Misplaced Childhood'' (1985) and by Miles Copeland when Marillion were recording '' Brave ''in his castle in France in 1994;Steve Rothery Launches Kickstarter Campaign For Solo Album
, 25 November 2013, accessed 17 December 2013. he decided to join with Stobart and form The Wishing Tree instead. On 25 November 2013, Rothery announced that he was working on a solo album to be titled ''The Ghosts of

Pripyat Pripyat, also known as Prypiat, is an abandoned industrial city in Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine, located near the border with Belarus. Named after the nearby river, Pripyat (river), Pripyat, it was founded on 4 February 1970 as the ninth ''atomgrad'' ...

'' and scheduled for a September 2014 release. The album's production was financed via the

crowdfunding Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and Alternative Finance, alternative finance, to fund projects "withou ...

platform

Kickstarter Kickstarter, PBC is an American Benefit corporation, public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York City, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative project ...

and quickly reached almost double its target by 17 December. The idea for the album was born when Rothery was rehearsing for a show at the annual international guitar festival in

Plovdiv Plovdiv (, ) is the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, second-largest city in Bulgaria, 144 km (93 miles) southeast of the capital Sofia. It had a population of 490,983 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is a cultural hub ...

, Bulgaria, in October 2013, with a band including guitarist Dave Foster (of Mr. So & So), drummer Leon Parr (formerly of

Mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

), and bassist Yatim Halimi (of Panic Room). An audio recording of the show was made available as a download from Rothery's website as a first impression of the forthcoming album's direction, followed by a CD in February 2014.

Steve Hackett Stephen Richard Hackett (born 12 February 1950) is an English guitarist who gained prominence as the lead guitarist of the progressive rock band Genesis (band), Genesis from 1971 to 1977. Hackett contributed to six Genesis studio albums, three l ...

(ex- Genesis) appears on two tracks and Steven Wilson on one. The album's cover was designed by Lasse Hoile. The finished album was released on 22 September 2014.

Influences and style

Rothery has described his own style on the guitar as a mix of Andrew Latimer,

and

David Gilmour David Jon Gilmour ( ; born 6 March 1946) is an English guitarist, singer and songwriter who is a member of the rock band Pink Floyd. He joined in 1967, shortly before the departure of the founder member Syd Barrett. By the early 1980s, Pink F ...

. He has also cited

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan Mitchell (née Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and painter. As one of the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitch ...

as an influence, especially her use of open tunings, which he believed created a very harmonically rich sound. He has cited Mitchell's " A Case of You" as one of the songs that had the biggest influence on him. Rothery added: "I was also really influenced by

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...

—the lesson there being to play just what's right for the song." According to Rothery: "When I was growing up, I was always drawn to players who had an atmospheric and emotional quality to their sound... I think the guitar has the power to communicate emotionally more than any other instrument, and you're short-changing yourself if you focus on technique at the cost of emotion. You have to listen with your heart, as well as your ears." Barry Cleveland of ''

Guitar Player ''Guitar Player'' was an American magazine for guitarists, founded in 1967 in San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francis ...

'' stated that Rothery "specializes in crafting lush sonic atmospheres with layered guitars and effects processing". Rothery was hailed by Scott Kahn, the Editor in Chief & CEO of the website ''MusicPlayers.com'', as one of the great

guitarists, comparing him favourably with

John Petrucci John Peter Petrucci (born July 12, 1967) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. He produced or co-produced (often with Mike Portnoy before Portnoy's absence from the band 2010-2023 ...

, David Gilmour and Alex Lifeson. Kahn described him as "an incredibly talented player", whose tone "is sure to appeal to fans of diverse guitar sounds", with "guitars drenched in shimmering chorus, sparkling delays and cavernous reverbs", "spacey sounds and blues sections" as well as "acoustic rhythms that anchor the melodies." Kahn identified Rothery as having "three distinct trademark sounds": a "sparkling clean arpeggio tone draped in digital delays", "soaring melodic lead tones" and a "classic blues tone." Kahn said Rothery was "never one to go for major flash, he always plays for the song and not his ego, but when he shines, he shines brightly." Rothery's process for creating his guitar solos is improvisation. He was quoted: "That has always been the way I've done things, and some of my favourite leads—such as 'Sugar Mice', 'Easter', and the last break in 'This Strange Engine'—were composed on the spot." In 2001, Rothery was voted Yorkshire and Humberside's best guitarist in a poll in '' Total Guitar'' magazine with 65% of the vote, beating

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

's Ziggy Stardust-era guitarist Mick Ronson into second place.

Equipment

In the 1980s, Rothery used various guitars, including a Yamaha SG-2000 and Fender or Squier Strats. For amps, he employed Marshall amps, for overdriven sounds, and Roland Jazz Chorus 120 amps for more effects laden sounds. When interviewed in 2010, he mentioned using a Blade Stratocaster-style guitar with Lindy Fralin pickups, and a signature model by luthier Jack Dent. His guitars are equipped with MIDI. He makes extensive use of loops, via a setup that includes TC Electronic 2290 Dynamic Digital Delays, an AdrenaLinn III, and a variety of other effects all routed through controller made by Gig-Rig. On 8 November 2017, Rothery was presented with his new

Blade A blade is the Sharpness (cutting), sharp, cutting portion of a tool, weapon, or machine, specifically designed to puncture, chop, slice, or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they a ...

RH-4 signature guitar by guitar manufacturer Gary Levinson at a promotional event in the Albert Halls in Bolton.

Discography

With Marillion

Steve Rothery appears on every Marillion release since their 1982 debut single; see Marillion discography

With The Wishing Tree

* ''

'' (1996) * '' Ostara'' (2009)

Solo

* ''Live in Plovdiv'' (December 2013) * ''Live in Rome'' (August 2014) * ''The Ghosts of Pripyat ''(September 2014)

Guest appearances

* Jadis – '' Jadis'' (1989, production) * Arrakeen – ''Patchwork'' (1990, guitar) * Rock Against Repatriation – "

Sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, Windsurfing, windsurfer, or Kitesurfing, kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (Land sa ...

" (1990, guitar) * Enchant – '' A Blueprint of the World'' (1993, production, guitar) *

John Wesley John Wesley ( ; 2 March 1791) was an English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a principal leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The societies ...

– '' Under the Red and White Sky'' (1994, guitar) *

Arena An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...

– '' Crying for Help'', '' The Cry'' (1994, guitar) * Mr. So and So – '' The Overlap'' (1998, production, guitar) *

– '' The Emperor Falls'' (1999, guitar) *

Ian Mosley Ian F. Mosley (born 16 June 1953) is an English drummer. He is best known for his long-time membership of the neo-prog band Marillion, which he joined for their second album, ''Fugazi'', released in 1984. He had previously been an in-demand ses ...

& Ben Castle – '' Postmankind'' (2001, guitar) * The Reasoning – '' Awakening'' (2007, guitar) *

Gazpacho Gazpacho () or gaspacho (), also called Andalusian gazpacho (from Spanish ''gazpacho andaluz''), is a cold soup and drink made of raw, blended vegetables. It originated in the southern regions of the Iberian Peninsula and spread into other are ...

– ''Firebird'' (2005, guitar) * Swallow the Sun – ''Servant of Sorrow (alternate version from the single New Moon)'' (2009, guitar) * Edison's Children – '' In The Last Waking Moments'' (2011, guitar) *

– '' Genesis Revisited II'' (2012, guitar) * Riccardo Romano Land – '' B612'' (2017, guitar) *

– '' Broken Skies Outspread Wings'' (2018, guitar) *

Mark Kelly Mark Edward Kelly (born February 21, 1964) is an American politician, retired astronaut, and former United States Navy, naval officer serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from Arizona, a seat he ha ...

– '' Mark Kelly's Marathon'' (2020, guitar on Puppets)

References

External links

Steve Rothery's official page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rothery, Steve 1959 births English rock guitarists British lead guitarists Living people Marillion members People from Brampton Bierlow Progressive rock guitarists