Joel Hoekstra

Joel Hoekstra (born December 13, 1970) is an American musician best known for his position as one of the final guitarists of the hard rock band Whitesnake. He also tours as a guitarist for Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The son of classical musicians, he started out playing cello and piano at a young age, but it was hearing Angus Young of AC/DC that inspired him to start playing the guitar. He was raised in the suburbs of Chicago, in Orland Park, but has lived in New York City since 2001. Hoekstra has performed with Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Cher, and Night Ranger, among many others, and was the lead guitarist in the Broadway musical, Rock of Ages. He also made a cameo appearance alongside Sebastian Bach, Nuno Bettencourt, Kevin Cronin and Debbie Gibson in the big screen movie adaptation of Rock of Ages.