Joey Santiago

Joey Santiago

Joseph Alberto ‘Joey’ Santiago is a Filipino-American guitarist and composer. He is best known as the lead guitarist for the American alternative rock band the Pixies. He has been called ‘the most talented guitarist in the world’ by Rolling Stone magazine.

About Joey Santiago in brief

Summary Joey SantiagoJoseph Alberto ‘Joey’ Santiago is a Filipino-American guitarist and composer. He is best known as the lead guitarist for the American alternative rock band the Pixies. After the band’s breakup in 1993, Santiago formed The Martinis with his ex-wife, Linda Mallari. He also contributed to albums by Charles Douglas and former Pixies band-mate Frank Black. Santiago was born in Manila, Philippines, on June 10, 1965, the third of six sons of an anesthesiologist. In 1972, when President Marcos declared martial law, the family moved to Yonkers, New York, where Santiago attended Longmeadow High School and graduated from Wilbraham & Monson Academy in 1983. Santiago first played a guitar at the age of nine after he noticed a classical guitar hanging on his oldest brother’s wall for decoration. He cites Les Paul, George Harrison, Chet Atkins, Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass and Jimi Hendrix as major influences on his style. His guitar playing was held in high regard by critics: MTV’s Laurel Bowman commented that Santiago’s “sonic plow was the key element in the Pixy’s monstrous presence”. Santiago has described his guitar technique as “angular and bent”, and he cites his guitar style as ‘angular’ and ‘bent’ He has also been called ‘the most talented guitarist in the world’ by Rolling Stone magazine.

He has been described as ‘one of the most talented guitarists in the history of the music industry’ by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which inducted him into the Rock & Roll hall of fame in 2002. He was also named ‘The Guitar Man’ by The Rolling Stone Magazine in 2003, and ‘Guitar Player of the Year’ in 2004. He currently lives in Boston, Massachusetts, with his wife and their three children. The couple have a daughter, a son, and a daughter-in-law. They have a son and a step-son, both of whom were born in the United States and live in New York City. The pair have two step-daughters, a daughter and a son- in-law, who live in Los Angeles and New York. Santiago has been married to his wife since 2007 and has a daughter with whom he has a son. He had a son with another woman, Mary Lovering, who is also a singer-songwriter and has appeared on several Pixies albums and a number of other artists’ albums. Santiago is the father of two children, a boy and a girl.