Joel Hoekstra

Joel Hoekstra (born December 13, 1970) is an American guitarist currently in the band Whitesnake and also tours with Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Cher. 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 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.