Founding Member of Legendary '80s Rock Band Behind One of the 'Greatest Metal Songs of All Time' Turns 59
One of rock music's greatest musicians is celebrating turning 59.
John Petrucci was born on July 12, 1967, in Kings Park, New York. The lead guitarist and a primary lyricist of the legendary '80s progressive metal band Dream Theater, Petrucci has enjoyed a successful music career for over four decades.
Petrucci began playing guitar at the age of 12, and he credited the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Iron Maiden as his early influences. He founded Dream Theater in 1985 alongside bassist John Myung and drummerMike Portnoy while attending the Berklee College of Music.
"I definitely always had that drive. I knew what I wanted to do very early on. I was just a young teenager, and I would just idolize bands like Rush and Iron Maiden and go see them play live in concert every time they came through New York," he said during a 2024 interview. "I watched all the DVDs, and I knew that's what I wanted to do, not really knowing what it took, but I've always been a very driven and disciplined person."
Dream Theater found success early on, but 1992's "Pull Me Under" catapulted them into fame. The single is often considered the band's signature track, withRolling Stone ranking it among the "100 greatest heavy metal songs of all time". The lead single of the band's second studio album, "Pull Me Under," peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. Over 15 years after its initial release, the song saw a resurgence across the pond and charted at No. 72 on the U.K.'s Official Physical Singles chart.
In 2022, the rockers enjoyed a monumental win after "The Alien" took home the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. The history-making track is the opening song from the band's 2021 album A View from the Top of the World.
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This story was originally published July 12, 2026 at 6:34 AM.