Video of Michael Jackson's final rehearsal has been released, with the singer looking in relatively lithe form just two days before his death.
But it's not Jackson you want to know about. MusicRadar has been inundated with requests for information about his guitarist, who shares centre-stage in the rehearsal footage of They Don't Care About Us.
Watch the video below, Michael Jackson's final rehearsal.
Who's Orianthi?
But who's the guitarist? She's called Orianthi, and here's what you need to know.
1. She was born in Adelaide, Australia, in January 1985.
2. Orianthi started playing piano at the age of three, moving to acoustic guitar at six, and soon after studying classical guitar.
3. At 11 she saw Carlos Santana play live and begged her parents for a PRS guitar of her own.
4. At 14, she sent demos of her electric playing to Santana, along with a biography and some classical guitar pieces. To Orianthi's surprise, when Santana was next in Adelaide she received a personal invitation asking her to come down to soundcheck and bring her guitar. She ended up playing on-stage with Santana.
"If I was going to pass the baton to somebody, she would be my first choice" Carlos Santana
5. She played live with Steve Vai (pictured) at 15.
6. Carlos Santana says Orianthi is "an angel that can play guitar... a lady who has an incredible future", and has her signed to his personal management company.
7. Santana also says, as she matures as a player: "It's not cute any more. It's seriously ass-whupping. If I was going to pass the baton to somebody, she would be my first choice."
Santana is a smart gu, very smart.
ReplyDeleteI would also like to give her my bat.