Back in the eighties, Richie Kotzen was among the young shredders that were protégés of the infamous label Shrapnel Records. He went on to join Poison for one memorable album (Mother Tongue) and Mr Big as a replacement for Paul Gilbert. In recent years, Kotzen has ditched the pick in favor of playing with his fingers, and has veered his music towards soulful rock n’ roll with the Winery Dogs and as a solo artist with a great husky voice.