Christopher “Chris” Michael Oliva ( English Christopher “Criss” Michael Oliva ; April 3, 1963 , Pompton Plain , New Jersey , USA - October 17, 1993 , Florida ) - American guitarist , one of the founders American heavy metal band Savatage .
| Chris Oliva English Christopher "Criss" Michael Oliva | |
|---|---|
 | |
| basic information | |
| Birth name | Christopher Michael Oliva |
| Full name | Christopher Michael Oliva |
| Date of Birth | April 3, 1963 |
| Place of Birth | New Jersey Pompton Plane |
| Date of death | October 17, 1993 (30 years old) |
| Place of death | Florida |
| A country |  USA |
| Professions | Musician |
| Years of activity | 1978-1993 |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Genres | Heavy metal |
| Collectives | " Savatage " |
| Labels | , and |
Content
Biography
Chris was born in the American town of Pompton Plain, Morris County, New Jersey in a family of four, where he was the youngest.
While Chris was young, his family often moved before finally settling in Florida . During a short stop in California, Chris discovered music that he decided to make his calling only in Florida . He spent a lot of time filming guitar parts from recordings that he listened to and when he couldn’t learn something, he improvised, which later helped him to find his own style.
Origins
Chris's favorite musicians were Michael Schenker , especially his playing at UFO and the Michael Schenker Group . Chris also noted the influence on him of Alex Lifeson from Rush , Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhodes .
Savatage
Chris and his older brother John founded their first group, Avatar, in 1978, on the wreckage of two broken teams - Tower and Alien. In 1980, the duo met drummer Steve Waholz, with whom the brothers began jamming in a shack nicknamed the "hole" behind the house of the Oliva family. For their tough manner of playing drums, the brothers gave Steve the nickname “Doctor Killing Percussion” or simply “Doc”, which remained with him throughout his career.
Over the next few years, the guys stormed the Tampa and Clearwater club venues until bassist Keith Collins joined them in 1981. Prior to this, playing the bass and singing combined John Oliva . In 1982, the musicians released a mini-album on the record company Par Records.
In order to avoid confusion and litigation with the already existing Avatar group, Chris and his wife Dan came up with a new name for the group - Savatage, which they got by crossing the words Savage and Avatar. The newly-minted group released their first two albums on Par Records, providing their listeners with a cocktail of several musical styles.
In 1985, the band signed to Atlantic Records, in which released the album “ Hall of the Mountain King ” in 1987, recorded with the help of producer Paul O'Neill. Chris received many new fans with his unique playing style, including Dave Mustaine from Megadeth , with whom Savatage toured in support of the new album. Mustaine was so impressed with Chris's play that when Jeff Young left Megadeth in 1989, he asked his guitar technician Dan Campbell, who was Chris's best friend, to invite the musician to take a vacant place. Chris declined the offer and continued to speak with his brother and Savatage. The role of the second guitarist in Megadeth eventually went to Marty Friedman . “Savatage” continued with the release of the album “ Gutter Ballet ” in 1989, some parts of which John Oliva wrote while he was undergoing treatment at a rehabilitation center. The greatest achievement of Chris and his group was the release of Streets: A Rock Opera, which subsequently received platinum status.
Personal life
Chris was married to his high school friend Dan Hoppert, whom she had known since high school.
Death
On October 17, 1993, at about 3:30 a.m., Chris and his wife Dan drove north on Highway 301 heading for the Fourth Annual Livestock Festival, which was held in Zephyrhills ( Florida ), north of Tampa . The oncoming car, driven by a drunk driver, crossed a double solid line and hit Chris's 1982 Mazda RX-7, head-to-head, killing the musician on the spot. The drunk driver, who had seven drunk driving injuries, survived with minor injuries and was later found guilty of manslaughter after receiving a five-year sentence.
Chris’s grave is located at Curlew Hills Memorial Gardens in Palm Harbor , Florida . A special memorial concert took place on November 23, 1993, at which the remaining members of the Savatage played, including older brother John, who returned one night earlier, making a special set. The band played without a guitarist, instead they decided to leave a white “Stratocaster” with roses, which resembled the back cover of the album “Streets” in the place where Chris usually stood. The loss of the guitarist almost put an end to Savatage, but in the early years of the band's existence, the Olive brothers agreed that if one of them dies, the other should continue to perform with the band in memory of his brother (although some former band members think this is fiction). Subsequently, John decided to continue working with the group.
When Chris’s father was asked about his son, he said: “He lived for the guitar” and, to emphasize this, added “When I came to visit him, no matter what he did, talked on the phone or had dinner, he always had a guitar in his hands” .
Impact
The thrash metal band Overkill dedicated their song “RIP (Undone)” to Chris on the 1994 WFO album.
Heavy metal band " Vicious Rumors " dedicated to Chris the memory of "Thunder and Rain Pt. 2 "on the 1994 album" Word of Mouth ".
Equipment
At the beginning of his career, Chris used the Fender Stratocaster guitars. By the mid-1980s, he played the guitars of the now defunct Kramer. In the late 80s, Chris played the Jackson Guitars and Charvel Guitars guitars. Chris also used Les Paul guitars in the studio.
His favorite guitar was an ESP with transparent blue trim and a gargoyle painted on it, which he called the "Gargoyle Guitar."