Lynch was born in Spokane, Washington and raised near Sacramento, California. He is a highly respected modern guitarist often compared with other guitar heroes such as Randy Rhoads, Steve Vai, Eric Johnson, Eddie Van Halen, Joe Satriani, John Petrucci, and Yngwie J. Malmsteen. Lynch is well known for his famous legato technique and common use of the scale he calls the 'Gothic Octave'. Twice Lynch auditioned for the position of Ozzy Osbourne's lead guitarist, once in 1979 – losing to Randy Rhoads – and another time in 1982 to replace Brad Gillis. According to George, he was hired for three days before Ozzy changed his mind and decided to go with Jake E. Lee. Lee, however claims that Lynch "got the gig, but only went on the road for two weeks to watch the show, and never actually played with Ozzy."

Lynch came to fame in the 1980s through his work as the lead guitarist in the band Dokken (whom he had been a member of since the late 1970s). Dokken had a string of successful platinum albums that prominently featured Lynch's inventive lead guitar work and cemented his reputation as a bonafide guitar hero.

Despite being more popular than ever, Lynch left Dokken in 1988 due to internal tensions with lead vocalist Don Dokken. George formed his own hard rock band Lynch Mob which had a style similar to Dokken's, but was never as popular. In 1993, Lynch released his first solo album Sacred Groove which was well received among fans.

By 1994 George and Don had set aside their differences and Dokken reformed with their classic lineup. Dokken released two albums and a video during this period but Lynch still found time to tour with his own band, appear at guitar clinics for ESP guitars, and attend the annual NAMM Show. By 1997, tensions had again flared over creative differences and Lynch quit the band to pursue other projects. Lynch was replaced by Reb Beach, and eventually others, and Dokken continued without his involvement.

Lynch began working on a number of side projects, reforming and touring with Lynch Mob, releasing more solo albums, and forming a project with former Dokken bassist Jeff Pilson called 'Lynch/Pilson'. In 2003 George formed the 'The George Lynch Group' in which he has continued to record and regularly tour. The George Lynch Group recently performed a marathon, 26 shows in 30 days, including a much talked about feature on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The line-up is: George Lynch - Guitars, Andrew Freeman - Vocals, Vinny Appice (Black Sabbath/Dio) - Drums, Marten Andersson (Lizzy Borden/Starwood/Legacy) - Bass

Lynch currently resides in Los Angeles where he continues to record, lives healthily and embraces body building.