Billy Idol and Steve Stevens are the latest names to be inducted into Guitar Center’s Hollywood Rockwalk.
The star-studded strip at Sunset Boulevard has been Guitar Center’s way of honoring rock greats since 1985, with the pair now joining the likes of Eddie Van Halen, Carlos Santana, and 2024 inductee, Gary Clark Jr.
Stevens – who is also famed for the Top Gun anthem – has been Idol’s flamboyant foil since day dot, which has seen him craft guitar solos with toy ray guns, and pen a score of rock classics.
“Billy Idol and Steve Stevens didn’t just write hits, they built a partnership where a punk frontman and a virtuoso guitarist made each other sharper,” says Guitar Center CEO, Gabe Dalporto. “The Rebel Yell intro alone has inspired generations of guitar players. Walk into any Guitar Center on a Saturday, and you’ll still hear someone chasing that tone. That’s the definition of Rockwalk-worthy.”
“Steve and I have spent so much of our lives around music shops, trying new things while working hard to perfect our sound, with Guitar Center right at the center of it all,” Billy Idol returns. “Being inducted into the Rockwalk together feels like a real full-circle moment after all these years of making music side-by-side.”
Stevens is equally as honored at the nod, which will see their handprints and signatures cast in cement at an in-store ceremony.
“We join some of the greatest musicians ever in this honor,” he notes. “I hope some young guitarist looks down at our impressions and marches inside to buy his first guitar, just as I did. This building is filled with dreams and possibilities. All you need is desire and passion.”
Eric Clapton, Black Sabbath, and Jimi Hendrix (posthumously) have also been inducted into the Guitar Center Rockwalk, with Zakk Wylde performing at the late Dimebag’s 2007 induction.
Elsewhere, Dalporto has been talking to Tosin Abasi about why the electric guitar design needs to evolve as the launch of Guitar Center’s in-house guitar brand draws nearer.
