John first played guitar at age 8 when he noticed his sister (who was taking organ lessons at the time) was allowed to stay up past her bed time to practice. He soon dropped it when his plan failed. At age 12, he began playing again when he was invited into the band of his friend Kevin Moore, who would later become the keyboardist of Dream Theater. John began to practice in earnest whilst also working out so that his body could absorb the ultimate brunt of true shred. He was a largely self-taught guitarist who developed his skills through attempts to equal the chops of his idols, who included Steve Morse, Steve Howe, Steve Vai, Al Di Meola, Alex Lifeson, and Allan Holdsworth. He has jokingly referred to his guitar idols as "the Steves and the Als".
John attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts with childhood friend John Myung (bass), where they met future bandmate Mike Portnoy (drums). These three in addition to another childhood friend of Petrucci and Myung, Kevin Moore (Keyboards), formed the band Majesty, which would later become Dream Theater.
While Dream Theater is what John is most commonly associated with, he was also a part of the band Liquid Tension Experiment and has appeared as a guest on several records by other artists such as the Age of Impact album by the Explorers Club. It is worth mentioning, however, that Liquid Tension Experiment also included Dream Theater co-members Mike Portnoy and Jordan Rudess, Jordan joining Dream Theater after LTE's success.
John also came out with a guitar instructional video, "Rock Discipline", which covers alternate picking, warmup exercises, sweep picking, chords, legato, and other techniques for developing one's guitar playing.
In 2001 he was chosen by Joe Satriani and Steve Vai to tour with them on the popular G3 guitar tour, which exposed him to a massive number of new fans and inspired him to record a solo album. Suspended Animation was released on March 1, 2005, and made available for order from his web site. He also appeared on the 2005, 2006 and 2007 G3 tours.
Petrucci also wrote and recorded two instrumental soundtrack songs for a Sega Saturn game titled Digital Pinball: Necronomicon. Each track is roughly two minutes long and they are simply titled "Prologue" and "Epilogue". Petrucci is an avid Sega Saturn gamer, and has revealed in interviews that he never tours without one.
In 2007, John Petrucci went on G3 tour again, this time with Joe Satriani and Paul Gilbert.
In 2020 he released his second solo album Terminal Velocity with Mike Portnoy on drums and Dave LaRue on bass who also appeared on his first solo album.
Dream Theater bandmate Jordan Rudess revealed in an interview that Petrucci is a practicing Catholic. Petrucci is married to Rena Sands, a guitarist in the all-female heavy metal band Meanstreak, and they have 3 children, SamiJo and Reny (who are twins), and Kiara.
John Petrucci won the "Guitarist of the Year 2007" award recently in Total Guitar Magazine.
Jaws of Life
John Petrucci Lyrics
Jump to: Line by Line Meaning ↴
Miscellaneous
Menel Song / Always Look On The Bride Side Of Life
[Ilde / Altman]
I'm feeling like… half of me is gone
I am experiencing a sense of loss and emptiness equivalent to half of my being.
I think I went and lost the other one
I believe that I also lost the other half of myself, leaving me feeling even more incomplete.
No one seems to know the way to go
I am surrounded by people who are equally unsure and directionless, offering me no guidance or direction.
And I feel like I'm the only one
It seems like I am the only person who is truly lost and struggling, while everyone else appears to be confidently moving forward.
No one has the perfect way to show
None of the people I encounter have the ideal solution or method to demonstrate to me for finding my way forward.
Which way the winds of destiny will blow
It is unclear which direction fate will take me, or what the future holds for me.
And I don't know what I'm supposed to be
I am uncertain about my purpose or role in life and have no clear sense of what my destiny may be.
But it feels like something's growing inside of me
Despite my confusion and uncertainty, I sense that something powerful and significant is developing and evolving within me.
Like the jaws of life, it clamps down on me
This powerful force within me feels like it is tightening its grip and exerting pressure like a set of heavy, crushing jaws.
Now I feel like I can face eternity
As this inner power continues to grow, I am gradually gaining a sense of strength and purpose that makes me feel capable of facing anything, even the prospect of eternity.
And the truth is finally shown to me
As I continue on this journey of self-discovery, the truth about who I am and what I am meant to do is gradually becoming clear to me.
Like a blinding light that carries me
This newfound clarity is like a bright, shining light that guides me forward and helps propel me towards my destiny.
To a place where I know I'm meant to be
With this clarity and sense of purpose, I am gradually being led towards a destination or goal that feels like the culmination of all my hopes and dreams.
Contributed by John B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
king keys of the kingdom
One of the most accomplished musicians in metal music, everything Petrucci and Portnoy touch just turns to gold
AestheticBiker82
5:21 that harmonized epicness. It's been years since this album has been released and that still makes my ears take notice.
Justin Penny
kungfuman82 still get chills every time I hear it
Nina Holičová
Absolutely delicious for ears😊
Die4got
İn my opinion, bass in this song is so freakin amazing
Fabio Riato
Because it's Dave LaRue. The guy is a monster!
bebito hermoso
Si correcto
Nina Holičová
Yes! The sound of bass is flowing through all the time.
Jim
4:26
Fuad Aziz
how does JP tune so critical tracks and play flawlessly? Suspended Animation is Rockzzz.... Jp is one of my fav guitarists...hats off to you, JP.