Underrated Guitar Gods of the ’80s: From Vito Bratta to Mark St. John

The 1980s produced quite a few guitar gods in rock music, but what about the underrated legends who haven’t really gotten their flowers in the decades since then? Let’s take a look at just four underrated guitar gods from the 1980s who deserve a bit more credit for their contributions to the genre.

1. Vito Bratta

The first entry on our list of underrated guitar gods from the 1980s is none other than White Lion’s Vito Bratta. He’s got quite a fanbase still, but Bratta does not come up nearly as much in conversations about rock legends from the 1980s. He was great at taps and was particularly inventive in the way he played. Like many guitarists from that era, Bratta has unfairly fallen into the “Van Halen wannabe” trap; we think his ability to stick to a melody makes him very much different.

2. John Norum

John Norum came to fame as Europe’s guitarist, and you might recognize his work on the song “The Final Countdown”. He knew how to tear up a six-string like it was nobody’s business. Songs like “Aphasia” and “Scream Of Anger” are essential listening if you want to get into his work. He hasn’t lost his spark, either. Albums like the “recent” 2017 Europe release Walk The Earth show off his ability to take on a solo like it’s easy.

3. Adrian Vandenberg

This talented guitarist has performed with Whitesnake as well as Vandenberg’s MoonKings. He’s credited as one of the main songwriters on the 1989 classic Slip Of The Tongue, though you won’t hear him on that record; an inconvenient injury prevented him from recording guitar tracks for it. Still, he’s produced a ton of work through the years that is very much rock, but with a blues, almost soul-inspired way of shredding. He’s a huge fan of Jimi Hendrix, which is quite obvious when you hear him play.

4. Mark St. John

We couldn’t leave out KISS’s former guitarist Mark St. John. He found himself in kind of an underrated era of the band, sandwiched between Vinnie Vincent and Bruce Kulick’s respective eras. You’ll only hear his KISS work on Animalize, but that work alone is incredibly underrated. He was also a member of White Tiger. “I’ve Had Enough (Into The Fire)” and “Under The Gun” are essential listening. Rest in peace, King.

Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images

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