Vai was a pupil of Joe Satriani as a teenager and studied at The Berklee School of Music before moving to Los Angeles at age 19. He was a huge fan of Frank Zappa's and joined Zappa's band after proving that he knew most of the repertoire and could transcribe orchestral pieces by ear. Zappa credited him on albums as the "stunt guitarist." He released the self-produced Flex-Able in 1984, combining his Zappa and Satriani influences, and went on to play with Alcatrazz, David Lee Roth, and Whitesnake. Vai released his finest solo effort, the varied Passion and Warfare, in 1990. He then formed a backing group called VAI featuring vocalist Devin Townsend for Sex & Religion before recording the solo Alien Love Secrets; Fire Garden followed in 1996, with Flexable Leftovers appearing two years later and Ultra Zone coming to light in 1999. Vai is considered to be one of rock's top instrumentalists. — Steve Huey, All Music Guide.