Dimebag Darrell

American guitarist (1966-2004)

Dimebag Darrell, also known as Darrell Lance Abbott, was a legendary American heavy metal guitarist who co-founded the bands Pantera and Damageplan. He is considered one of the greatest metal guitarists of all time, known for his exceptional guitar skills and influential sound that shaped the groove metal genre.

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About the Dimebag Darrell

Darrell Lance Abbottand I Am the Nightwas released. The band’s major-label debut, Cowboys from Hellwas the band’s final studio album before its acrimonious separation in 2003. Abbott subsequently formed Damageplan with his brother Vinnie Paul and released New Found Power, the band’s only album, in 2004. Other works by Abbott included a collaboration with David Allan Coe titled Rebel Meets Rebeland numerous guest guitar solos for bands such as Anthrax. While on tour with Damageplan, Abbott was shot and killed by a fan during a performance at the Alrosa Villa nightclub in Columbus, Ohio on December 8, 2004. Three others were shot and killed before the perpetrator was killed by a police officer.

Abbott was ranked at No. 92 on Rolling Stone’s list of “The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” in 2011, and No. 19 on Louder’s list of “The 50 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” in 2018. He placed at No. 5 on Gibson’s list of “The Top 10 Metal Guitarists of All Time” in 2015, and the same year was ranked as the most influential metal guitarist of the past 25 years by VH1.

Frequently Asked Questions

Dimebag Darrell, whose real name was Darrell Lance Abbott, was an American musician who was the guitarist of the heavy metal bands Pantera and Damageplan, both of which he co-founded alongside his brother Vinnie Paul.

Dimebag Darrell is considered by many to be one of the greatest metal guitarists of all time, and was ranked highly on various lists of top guitarists, including #92 on Rolling Stone’s list of ‘The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time’ in 2011.

Dimebag Darrell began playing guitar at age 12, and Pantera released its debut album, Metal Magic, when he was 16. Originally, he went by the stage name Diamond Darrell while playing in a glam metal style.

Pantera’s major-label debut, Cowboys from Hell (1990), introduced a groove metal sound to which Dimebag Darrell’s guitar playing was central. The group’s third major-label record, Far Beyond Driven, debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 in 1994.

Dimebag Darrell was shot and killed by a fan during a Damageplan performance at the Alrosa Villa nightclub in Columbus, Ohio on December 8, 2004. Three others were also shot and killed before the perpetrator was killed by a police officer.

In addition to his work with Pantera and Damageplan, Dimebag Darrell collaborated with David Allan Coe on an album titled Rebel Meets Rebel (2006), and also provided numerous guest guitar solos for bands such as Anthrax.