Steven Siro "Steve" Vai (born June 6, 1960) is an American (United States) rock guitarist, songwriter, vocalist, producer and actor. After starting his professional career as a music transcriptionist for Frank Zappa, Vai also recorded and toured in Zappas band, starting in 1980. The guitarist began a solo career in 1984 and has released 13 solo albums as of 2008. Apart from his work with Frank Zappa, Vai has also recorded and toured with Alcatrazz, David Lee Roth, and Whitesnake. Vai has been a regular touring member of the G3 Concert Tour (G3 (tour)) which began in 1996. In 1999 Vai started his own record label, Favored Nations, intending to showcase, as Vai describes, "...artists that have attained the highest performance level on their chosen instruments."