Mike Varney is an American musician, record producer,
music publisher and
impresario. He is the founder of the Shrapnel Label Group, which includes
Shrapnel Records,
Tone Center Records and
Blues Bureau International. He also has a 50% stake in
Magna Carta Records, a New York-based label.
Amazon.com currently lists over 790 albums as being released by record labels founded or owned by Mike Varney. He is often credited with being the individual most responsible for popularizing the mid-1980s
shred guitar boom, and has continuously specialized in producing highly acclaimed musicians within the genres of
instrumental rock,
hard rock,
jazz,
jazz fusion,
blues,
blues-rock,
progressive metal and
speed metal.