Criss Oliva  Christopher Michael "Criss" Oliva (April 3, 1963 – October 17, 1993) was an American musician who was the lead guitarist and co-founder of Savatage. During his lifetime, he released seven studio albums and one EP with the band. His family moved around the country during his childhood, stopping off in California before making Florida their home. It was in California that Oliva found music and considered it his calling, and he continued his musical interests when he moved to Florida. His main influences as a guitarist were Ritchie Blackmore, Tony Iommi, Uli Jon Roth and Michael Schenker. He spent countless hours figuring out his favorite songs on records, and when he found it difficult to figure out a part on the record he just made up his own licks. This would later help him in his songwriting. Oliva and his brother Jon formed their first band together, Avatar, in 1978, from the ashes of their former bands "Tower" and "Alien", respectively. In 1980, the duo met up with Steve Wacholz and jammed in a shack behind the Oliva home that was dubbed "The Pit" by the band. They also gave Steve a nickname that would follow him throughout his career: "Doctor Hardware Killdrums", often shortened to just "Doc", which referred to Steve's hard playing style. With Steve, Criss and Jon played Tampa- (where they had moved with their family in the late-1970s) and Clearwater-area clubs for many years. In 1981, Keith Collins joined them to relieve Jon of bass guitar duties. In 1982, the band released an E.P. on Par Records. In 1983, the day before the release of their debut album, "Avatar" were forced to change their name due to copyright issues. Combining the words "Sabotage" and "Avatar", Oliva (along with his future wife Dawn, his brother Jon and Jon's wife) came up with "Savatage". Savatage released their first two albums, "Sirens" in 1983, and "The Dungeons Are Calling" in 1985, both on Par Records, exhibiting a variety of musical styles. In 1984, Oliva married Dawn Marae Hoppert, his girlfriend since his time in middle school at Philippe Park near Safety Harbor, FL. Meanwhile, Savatage continued to flourish, releasing 6 further albums after signing with Atlantic Records in 1985. This was considered the "Golden Age" of Savatage, particularly when the band collaborated with producer Paul O'Neill for the first time in 1987's "Hall of the Mountain King".