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Jennifer Batten
Biography
The 'guitar shredder' genre of the late '80s was comprised almost entirely of males, but one exception was the fleet-fingered Jennifer Batten. Born in Upstate New York, Batten got her first electric guitar at the age of eight (inspired by her older sister who already owned an instrument, as well as the Beatles and the Monkees), before her family relocated to San Diego, California, a year later. In 1979, Batten began attending G.I.T. (Guitar Institute of Technology), where she befriended such fellow up-and-comers as Steve Lynch (later of Autograph). It was through Lynch's fascination with the then-burgeoning 'two handed tapping' technique that Batten took her friend's lead and perfected the playing style -- eventually writing a book on it years later (Two Hand Rock). After graduation, Batten endured an intense practice regimen, while making ends meet by teaching at G.I.T. and playing in a variety of local bands. Batten's big career break came in 1987, when she received word from a friend that auditions were being held for a guitarist for Michael Jackson's upcoming tour in support of his comeback album, Bad. Instead of trying to secure a tryout right away, Batten took an uncommon approach, securing a tryout on the last possible day -- that way, she would have as much time to learn and perfect the King of Pop's repertoire.
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