Steve Vai – Bio, Net Worth, Wife, Age, Family, Facts, Height, Awards

Steve Vai is an American guitarist, composer, songwriter, and producer who is a three-time Grammy Award winner and fifteen-time nominee. He has been described as a “highly individualistic player” and part of a generation of “heavy rock and metal virtuosi who came to the fore in the 1980s”. He started his music career in 1978 at the age of 18 as a transcriptionist for Frank Zappa and played in Zappa’s band from 1980 to 1983. He embarked on a solo career in 1983 and has released eight solo albums to date. He has recorded and toured with Alcatrazz, David Lee Roth, and Whitesnake, as well as recording with artists such as Public Image Ltd, Mary J. Blige, Spinal Tap, Alice Cooper, and Motörhead. He released his first solo album “Flex-Able” in 1984, while his most successful release, “Passion and Warfare” (1990), was described as “the richest and best hard rock guitar-virtuoso album of the ’80s”. He has sold over 15 million records. 

What is Steve Vai Famous For?

• Being a guitarist, composer, songwriter, and producer from the USA. 
• For his Albums ‘Flex-Able’ and ‘Passion and Warfare’. 
• For his soulful music that explores the depth of human emotions. 

What is Steve Vai’s Nationality?

Steve Vai was born on June 6, 1960, in Carle Place, New York, the USA with the real name of Steven Siro Vai. He was born as one of the five children of John and Theresa Vai. Thus, he has four siblings. He is American by nationality and his ethnicity is Mixed. He celebrated his 62nd birthday in 2022. He loved music from a young age and started playing the organ when he was barely six. By the time he was ten, he was playing the accordion too. He picked up the guitar when he was 13. He was determined to play the instrument like Jimmy Page and started taking lessons from the noted guitarist, Joe Satriani. As a teenager, he performed with several bands and also started coaching other aspiring musicians. He attended Berklee College of Music.

Steve Vai Career Timeline

• It was in 1978, Vai a notated transcription of Frank Zappa’s “The Black Page”, and a recording of his college band, Morning Thunder, to Zappa. Zappa was impressed and put Vai on salary to transcribe his work, which included pieces from Joe’s Garage and Shut Up ‘n Play Yer Guitar albums.
• Later, he became a full-time member of Zappa’s band, going on his first tour with Zappa in late 1980.
• He worked with Zappa for two years during which he toured extensively. Zappa referred to him as his “little Italian virtuoso”. 
• He was a featured artist on the recording, Zappa’s Universe.
• He left Zappa in the year 1982 and moved to California. 
• He released his debut solo album “Flex-Able” in 1984. 
• In the year 1985, he joined Billy Sheehan and David Lee Roth’s band Eat ‘Em and Smile. 
• The group’s debut album, “Eat ‘Em and Smile” was released on 7th July 1986. 
• The group embarked on a world tour that began in May 1986 and continued through 1987. 
• The band later disbanded soon after due to creative differences between the members.
• He then joined the band ‘Whitesnake’ in the year 1989 where he played all the guitar parts in the album, “Slip of the Tongue”.
• His solo album, “Passion and Warfare” was released in the year 1990. The album included the tracks such as For the Love of God, I Would Love To, and The Animal.
• In 1996, his next album, “Fire Garden” was released which was divided into two phases – one phase containing primarily instrumental music while the other one had vocals by Vai on most of the songs.
• His 1999 album, “The Ultra Zone” pays tribute to two legendary guitarists – Frank Zappa and Stevie Ray Vaughan. 
• His concept album, “Real Illusions: Reflections” was released in 2005 and had the tracks such as Lotus Feet, Dying for Your Love, and Building the Church.
• His album “The Story of Light” was released in 2012. 
• In 2016, his album Modern Primitive” was released. 
• On 28th January 2022, his next album entitled “Inviolate” was released. Upon release, it debuted at No. 1 on the Current Hard Rock Albums chart (his first No. 1 album), No. 8 on Top Hard Rock Albums, and No. 40 on Top Album Sales. 
• In 2021, he was also featured on a track called “Lost Children of the Universe” on the latest album by Star One, a project led by Arjen Anthony Lucassen. 

Awards and Achievements

Grammy Award

• 1993: Steve Vai – Best Rock Instrumental Performance for “Sofa” from Zappa’s Universe
• 2002: Steve Vai et al – Best Pop Instrumental Album for No Substitutions: Live in Osaka
• 2008: Steve Vai et al – Best Rock Instrumental Performance for “Peaches en Regalia” single from a Zappa Plays Zappa tour

What is Steve Vai’s Net Worth?

Steve Vai is a successful guitarist, songwriter as well as a producer. As of 2022, the net worth of Steve is estimated to have $12 Million as per reports. His main source of income is from the music industry and he is living a lavish lifestyle at present. His annual salary is in millions of dollars. His talent is widely recognized in the music industry and earned him three times Grammy Awards. Guitar World magazine has named him the “10th Greatest Guitarist”.H 

Who is Steve Vai’s Wife?

Steve Vai is a married man. He tied a knot to his beautiful wife, Pia Maiocco, a bassist. They have two children namely Julian and Fire Vai. Since the late 1990s, Vai has resided in Encino, Los Angeles with his family. Their love bond is going strong with the passage of time and they are enjoying their life a lot. 

How tall is Steve Vai?

Steve Vai is a handsome man with a slim body type. He stands at the perfect height of 1.85 m or 6 feet. His body weight consists of 78 KG. His hair color is brown-black and he has a pair of brown eyes. He has got a healthy body and he is very conscious about his food intake.