Santa Barbara’s Own
Foo Fighter
Famous Band’s Lead Guitarist Chris Shiflett Inducted into Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame
By Marko DeSantis | November 18, 2021
The extraordinary rock ’n’ roll journey of Chris Shiflett begins with a starry-eyed small-town boy who grew up to become the lead guitarist for one of the greatest bands of all time. That town is Santa Barbara, that band is the Foo Fighters, and their greatness was confirmed on October 30, when the band was inducted into the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame on the first year of their eligibility. As one of his closest and oldest friends, I’m here to tell you Shiflett’s story.
It traces back to 1982, when an 11-year-old heavy-metal fan walked into Jensen Guitar & Music Co. on De la Vina Street for his first day of guitar lessons. Shiflett wanted to learn songs by such idols as Kiss and Ozzy Osbourne, but his teacher that day, Michael Frye, insisted on starting with the Beatles. So “Hey Jude” became the first song in Shiflett’s repertoire.
Fast-forward nearly 40 years, and Shiflett is onstage next to the guy who wrote “Hey Jude,” watching Sir Paul McCartney induct him and his bandmates into the hallowed Rock ’n’ Roll Hall. McCartney’s speech drew parallels between his own career and that of Dave Grohl, who founded the Foo Fighters in 1994 following the suicide of his Nirvana bandmate Kurt Cobain.
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