Criss Oliva
| Criss Oliva | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Christopher Michael Oliva |
| Born |
April 3, 1963 Pompton Plains, New Jersey |
| Died | October 17, 1993 (aged 30) near Zephyrhills, Florida |
| Genres | Heavy metal, progressive metal, power metal, speed metal, thrash metal |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar, bass guitar, vocals |
| Associated acts | Savatage |
| Website | crissoliva.com |
Christopher "Criss" Michael Oliva (April 3, 1963 – October 17, 1993) was an American musician who was the lead guitarist and co-founder of the band Savatage. Oliva was the youngest of four children, the next eldest being brother Jon Oliva, with whom he formed Savatage.
His family moved around the country during his childhood, stopping off in California before making Florida their home. It was in California that Criss found music and considered it his calling, and he continued his musical interests when he moved to Florida. His main influences as a guitarist were Ritchie Blackmore, Tony Iommi, Uli Jon Roth and Michael Schenker. He spent countless hours figuring out his favorite songs on records, and when he found it difficult to figure out a part on the record he just made up his own licks. This would later help him in his songwriting.
Criss and his brother Jon formed their first band together, Avatar, in 1978, from the ashes of their former bands Tower and Alien, respectively. In 1980, the duo met up with Steve Wacholz and jammed in a shack behind the Oliva home that was dubbed "The Pit" by the band. They also gave Steve a nickname that would follow him throughout his career: "Doctor Hardware Killdrums", often shortened to just "Doc", which referred to Steve's hard playing style.
"[Criss] had the fluidity of guys like George Lynch and Warren DeMartini, but with an aggressive, melodic conviction that fit Savatage perfectly."
"You could hear [Criss Oliva's] classical roots and appreciate his knowledge and grasp of modal dexterity that was such a huge signature of his work. He was a trailblazer in metal guitar the way Randy Rhoads was before him."
"I had a great teacher. Criss Oliva was one of the greatest guitar players of the world and he taught me everything I knew."
"Criss had a feel that was staggering and a sound that was unbelievable. I simply had never heard a better guitar player."
With Steve, Criss and Jon played Tampa- (where they had moved with their family in the late-1970s) and Clearwater-area clubs for many years. In 1981, Keith Collins joined them to relieve Jon of bass guitar duties. In 1982, the band released an E.P. on Par Records. In 1983, the day before the release of their debut album, "Avatar" were forced to change their name due to copyright issues. Combining the words "Sabotage" and "Avatar", Criss (along with his future wife Dawn, his brother Jon and Jon's wife) came up with Savatage. Savatage released their first two albums, Sirens in 1983, and The Dungeons Are Calling in 1985, both on Par Records, exhibiting a variety of musical styles.
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