You're So Vain :)

Faster Pussycat formed in Hollywood thanks to Taime Downe. The name, “Faster Pussycat,” came from the Russ Meyer film Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! After several changes, Faster Pussycat came to what was known as their best line up, consisting of Taime Downe, Greg Steele, Brent Muscat, Kelly Nickels, and Mark Michals. Before even getting into the studio to record their first album, Kelly Nickels left the band and was replaced by Eric Stacy. The band released their self-titled album in 1987 and managed to build a cult following. The band put out two promotional videos from the first album. These videos were for the songs, “Bathroom Wall” and “Don’t Change That Song”.

In the United States, the band toured with Alice Cooper, David Lee Roth, and Motorhead.  Two years later, the band would go on to record their most successful album to date, Wake Me When It’s Over. The album reached gold status. While the band was touring for the album in 1990, Mark Michals was arrested in Nebraska for trying to mail heroin to his hotel room and was immediately kicked out of the band. In 1990, the band also covered Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain”.

In 1993, the band broke up and all of the members went separate ways. Taime Downe was involved with an act called Pigface before moving on to The Newlydeads with Kyle Kyle of Bang Tango. The band reformed in 2001 with three original members, along with some of the former band mates from the Newlydeads. Before the tour was completely finished, Brent Muscat left and Tracii Guns from L.A. Guns filled in the rest of the tour.

In 2006, Brent Muscat, Eric Stacy and Brett Bradshaw began performing under the name Faster Pussycat and claiming to be the original band. Becoming outraged, Taime Downe sent out a bulletin on MySpace saying that Brent’s version of the band was just a tribute band. In July of 2007, Brent Muscat dropped the matter and the name was left to Taime Downe.

 Current Members

Taime Downe - lead vocals (1986–1993, 2001–present)
 Xristian Simon - guitar (2001–present)
 Ace Von Johnson- guitar (2010–present)
 Danny Nordahl - bass (2001–present)
Chad Stewart - drums, percussion (2001–present)

Past Members
Greg Steele - guitar, piano, backing vocals (1986–1993, 2001)
Brent Muscat - guitar, backing vocals (1986–1993, 2001–2005)
Eric Stacy - bass (1987–1993)
Kelly Nickels - bass (1986–1987)
Brett Bradshaw - drums, percussion (1990–1993)
Mark Michals - drums, percussion (1986–1990)
Michael Thomas - guitar (2005–2010)

Discography
Faster Pussycat (1987)
Wake Me When It’s Over (1989)
Whipped! (1992)
The Power and the Glory Hole (2006)

18 & Life :)

Classic Line-Up

Skid Row formed in New Jersey, in late 1986. It’s been said that Jon Bon Jovi was in a position to seek out new music. Jon had been friends with Dave Sabo of Skid Row for some time and they had made a promise that if one became famous before the other they would help one another out. Skid Row was signed to Atlantic Records in 1988 and began to record their first album. By this time, Skid Row had signed a publishing deal with Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. Skid Row released their self-titled album in 1989 and became an instant success.

They toured the UK several times and became significantly more popular there than they did in the United States. Sebastian Bach (The lead singer) was hit in the head with a bottle that was thrown onstage from the crowd. Being a complete hothead, Sebastian threw the bottle back and hit a girl in the face. The girl did not throw the bottle. The incident was later known as “The bottle incident”

Current Line-up

The band later went on to release three more albums, Slave to the Grind, B-Side Ourselves, and Subhuman Race.  Subhuman Race was released in 1995. The album didn’t make as much of an impact as Skid Row or Slave to the Grind. The band’s music was rarely played on MTV due to the grunge movement.

Eventually, Sebastian Bach was fired in late 1996 after he and Rachel Bolan argued over a change to open up for KISS.  After leaving Skid Row, Sebastian Bach went on to make his debut on Broadway in Jekyll & Hyde and later in The Rocky Horror Show. He tried out for the band Velvet Revolver, a band which was formed by Slash and Duff McKagan from Guns N’ Roses. Then, from 2003 to 2007, Sebastian Bach started as Gil on the show Gilmore Girls.

The band never actually disbanded, though many of the remaining members went on to play with a band called Ozone Monday. Skid Row re-formed without Sebastian Bach and released three more albums. During 2011, it was rumored that Sebastian Bach was returning to Skid Row to do a few live shows

Current Members
Dave Sabo - rhythm & lead guitars, backing vocals (1986–present)
Rachel Bolan - bass, backing vocals (1986–present)
Scotti Hill - lead & rhythm guitars (1987–present)
Johnny Solinger - lead vocals (1999–present)
Rob Hammersmith - drums (2010–present)

Past Members
Jim Yuhas
John Ratkowski Jr.
Matt Fallon
Sebastian Bach
Rob Affuso
Charlie Mills
Phil Varone
Timothy DiDuro
Dave Gara

Discography
Basement Tapes (rare demo) (1988)
Skid Row (1989)
Slave to the Grind (1991)
B-Side Ourselves (EP) (1992)
Subhuman Race (1995)
Subhuman Beings on Tour (LIVE EP) (1995)
40 Seasons: The Best of Skid Row (1998)

Livin' On A Prayer :)

Bon Jovi formed in Sayreville, New Jersey, in 1983. The band started playing local showcases where they opened for local talent and were signed to Mercury Records shortly thereafter. The band originally were going to call themselves Johnny Electric, but Pamela Maher, suggested Bon Jovi to go along with other bands such as Van Halen. The members of the band weren’t at all thrilled with the name, but two years later they would become successful with that name. The band recorded their debut album, Bon Jovi, on January 21, 1984. The album spawned only one single. After the release, the band found themselves opening for bands like Scorpions and Kiss. In 1986, Bon Jovi began a six month run of the U.S. with Ratt.

In the spring of 1986, Bon Jovi relocated to Canada to record Slippery When Wet. The album was released in August of 1986 and would become Bon Jovi’s breakthrough album. The album  had three singles, which are probably some of Bon Jovi’s best songs, the singles included “You Give Love a Bad Name”, “Livin’ on a Prayer”, and “Wanted Dead or Alive”. “Wanted Dead or Alive” is still tagged as the Bon Jovi national anthem. Once the band had toured the album, the released New Jersey in September of 1988. From the New Jersey album, the band released the singles “Bad Medicine” and the love ballad “I’ll Be There for You”. After the back to back touring, the band was finally starting to feel the burn.

Between 1990 and 1991, all of the members had gone their separate ways. Jon Bon Jovi recorded a solo album, and recorded the song “Blaze of Glory” for the soundtrack for the motion picture Young Guns II. In May 2009, the band released special editions of Bon Jovi albums were released. All of the re-released albums featured artwork and photos from the time when the albums were released. Currently, Jon Bon Jovi has stated that the band is writing for a new album.

Current Members

Jon Bon Jovi – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1983–present)
David Bryan – keyboards, backing vocals (1983–present)
Tico Torres – drums, percussion (1983–present)
Richie Sambora – lead guitar, backing vocals (1983–present)

 Additional Members

Hugh McDonald - bass guitar, backing vocals (1994-present)
Bobby Bandiera - guitars, vocals (2005-present; touring only)

 Past members

Alec John Such - bass guitar, backing vocals (1983–1994)

 Unofficial members

Dave Sabo - lead guitar (1983)

Discography
Bon Jovi (1984)
7800° Fahrenheit (1985)
Slippery When Wet (1986)
New Jersey (1988)
Keep the Faith (1992)
These Days (1995)
Crush (2000)
Bounce (2002)
Have a Nice Day (2005)
Lost Highway (2007)
The Circle (2009)

Wait :)

White Lion. Circa 1987

White Lion started as an American\Danish band that formed in New York City in 1983 by Mike Tramp, who’s Danish, and Vito Bratta, who’s American. After Mike Tramp moved from Denmark in 1983, he met Vito Bratta who was from Staten Island. The two decided to form a band.  They searched for other members and found Nicki Capozzi, drummer, and Felix Robinson, bassist. They, then, formed White Lion. The band got singed to Elektra Records in 1984 and recorded Fight to Survive. The record company was unhappy with the way the record sounded and terminated the band’s contract after they refused to release the album. Both the drummer and bassist left the band.

In 1987, the band got signed to Atlantic Records and released the album Pride. The band released three singles from the album, but it wasn’t until they released “When the Children Cry” that the album would actually make any sales. With the release of “When the Children Cry”, it got a heavy rotation on MTV, making Pride one of 20 rock albums to have more than one top 10 hits.

Tramp's White Lion. As you can tell they aren't as pretty.

After White Lion broke up, Mike Tramp went on to form Freak of Nature.  James LoMenzo and Greg D’Angelo joined Zakk Wylde’s band, Lynyrd Skynhead. In 1999, Mike Tramp gathered new musicians and released Remembering White Lion, which featured new versions of some of the band’s classic music. This started the White Lion feud. In 2004, Remembering White Lion was released yet again, but the names was changed to The Last Roar, and the band’s name came up as Tramp’s White Lion. Currently, Tramp put White Lion on hold and released his solo album Stand Your Ground.

 Current Members

Mike Tramp - lead vocals (1983–present)
 Jamie Law - guitars (2005–present)
 Troy Patrick Farrell - drums (2005–present)
 Claus Langeskov - bass (2005–present)
Henning Wanner - keyboards (2005–present)

Past Members
Vito Bratta - guitars (1983–1992)
James LoMenzo - bass (1984–1991)
Greg D'Angelo - drums (1984–1991)
 Nicki Capozzi - drums (1983–1984)
 Felix Robinson - bass (1983–1984)
 
Discography
Fight to Survive (1985)
Pride (1987)
Big Game (1989)
Mane Attraction (1991)
Remembering White Lion (1999)
Return of the Pride (2008)

Girls, Girls, Girls :)

Motley Crue was formed in 1981 by their bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who later were joined by Mick Mars and Vince Neil. Since then, the band has gone on to sell more than 80 million records worldwide. All four members have had their own problems with the law, alcohol, and drugs; most famously heroin and cocaine. When the band first began, Nikki Sixx was in a band called London and began working out a project with Tommy Lee and another guitarist, with whom Tommy had worked with in the band Suite 19. Nikki and Tommy then met Mick Mars one night while illegally buying alcohol. After the band had become a threesome, they saw lead singer Vince Neil sing for a band called Rock Candy. Vince first declined, but came around on the 1st of April.

The band soon after met their first manager, Allan Coffman. The band then released their first single, "Stick to Your Guns/Toast of the Town", which they released on Lethur Records. In November of 1981, they released their debut Too Fast for Love, which they self produced at Lethur Records, where it sold 20,000 copies. By then, Coffman had set up a tour of Canada, which later landed Motley a record deal with Elektra Records. Too Fast for Love was re-mixed and released yet again on August 20, 1982. After the band played the US Festival, and with the help of constant play on MTV which was fairly new at the time, the band finally found the success that they needed.

The band quickly rose to fame, but along with the high of the fame, came some of the lows, too. In 1984, Vince Neil was charged with a DUI and vehicular manslaughter, after he was involved in a head on collision and killed Hanoi Rocks drummer Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley. On December 23, 1987, Nikki Sixx was declared dead after a fatal heroin overdose. The medic in the ambulance was a Crue fan and revived Nikki by giving two shots of adrenaline to the heart. His two minutes of death inspired the song "Kickstart My Heart". After his short death, the band released Dr. Feelgood. After releasing the album, Nikki Sixx had kept journal entries from 1987 to 1988, which he later released in 2006 at The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rockstar.

Current MembersMick Mars-guitar, backing vocals (1981–present)

Tommy Lee-

drums, percussion, piano, backing vocals (1981–1999, 2004–present)

Vince Neil-

lead vocals (1981–1992, 1996–present)

Nikki Sixx-

bass, backing vocals (1981–present)

Past MembersJohn Corabi– lead vocals, guitar (1992–1996)

Randy Castillo – drums, percussion (1999–2002)

Samantha Maloney – drums, percussion (2002–2004, touring drummer)

DiscographyToo Fast for Love (1981)

Shout At The Devil(1983)

Theatre of Pain

(1985)

Girls, Girls, Girls

(1987)

Dr. Feelgood

(1989)

Motley Crue

(1994)

Generation Swine

(1997)

New Tattoo

(2000)

Saints of Los Angeles

(2008)

Down On Me :)

Here’s a band that maybe you probably wouldn’t hear on the radio, but with the Sturgis Rally every year this band comes to serve the Full Throttle Saloon. Jackyl formed in Kennesaw, Georgia in 1990. Though they may not typically be a hair band, they’re still classified as such. Besides Jesse James Dupree being on every season of Full Throttle Saloon on TruTV, the band is best known for the song “The Lumberjack”.

The band released their self-titled album from Geffen Records and went platinum in 1992. In 1994, their second album Push Comes to Shove was released. That same year the band played at Woodstock ’94 in Saugerties, New York. Again in 1997, the band released another album. This one entitled Cut the Crap. The album featured Brian Johnson from AC/DC. In 2000, Jesse James Dupree recorded and released a solo album called Foot Fetish. Jackyl has also set two Guinness world records. The first in for playing 100 concerts in 50 days and another one for performing 21 concerts in a 24 hour period. Now-a-Days, you can see the guys on Full Throttle Saloon.

Current Band Members
Jesse James Dupree - Lead vocals / Guitar / Chainsaw
 Jeff Worley - Guitar
 Roman Glick - Bass
 Chris Worley – Drums

Past Members
Jimmy Stiff - Guitar
Ronnie Honeycutt - Vocals
Thomas Bettini – Bass

Discography

Jackyl

Push Comes to Shove

Night of the Living Dead[live]

Cut The Crap

Choice Cuts[best-of]

Stayin’ Alive

Relentless

20 years: The Best Of Jackyl

Live at the Full Throttle Saloon

When Moonshine and Dynamite Collide

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Pour Some Sugar On Me :)

Def Leppard formed in 1977 as a part of the British Heavy Metal movement. Continuing in 1979, the band had developed a following. The band consists of Joe Elliott, Rick Savage, Rick Allen, Phil Collen, and Vivian Campbell for the past twenty years. To date, this is the bands longest time with one line-up. The band became popular with commercial success anywhere between the early ‘80s and the early ‘90s.

Def Leppard released their debut album on March 14, 1980. On Through the Night made it to the top 15 in the UK, but many fans that they had captured up until this time weren’t as thrilled by the music because many thought the band was trying too hard to gain American fans.  By this time, the band had caught the attention of Robert John “Mutt” Lange, who also produced AC\DC and was married to Shania Twain for a lengthy amount of time. “Mutt” helped to set out to release the bands second album High ‘n’ Dry.

The guy in the middle is Steve Clark

Rick Allen

The band then moved to Dublin, Ireland in 1984 to write the Hysteria album. On New Year’s Eve of 1984, Rick Allen, the drummer, got into a car accident in the hills outside of where the band came from. The drummer’s corvette swerved off of the road and went through a wall. Rick Allen lost his arm.  Even though he was left with just his right arm, Allen continues to drum for Def Leppard using his legs to make up for the arm that he lost.

With the release of Hysteria, the band finally hit it big in the United States. In 1991, guitarist Steve Clark was found dead from an accidental mix of prescribed drugs and alcohol. January 8 was the twenty-first anniversary of his death.  In 2011, the band released a live album called Mirrorball. Def Leppard embarked on a summer tour. They actually played at the Buffalo Chip this summer. The band also announced that they will be touring with Poison during summer 2012.
Past Members
Steve Clark – guitars, backing vocals (1978–1991)
 Pete Willis – guitars, backing vocals (1977–1982)
 Tony Kenning – drums, percussion (1977–1978)
 Frank Noon – drums, percussion (1978)

Current Members
Joe Elliott – lead vocals, additional guitars, additional keyboards (1977–present)
Phil Collen – guitars, backing vocals (1982–present)
Vivian Campbell – guitars, backing vocals (1992–present)
Rick Savage – bass guitar, backing vocals, additional guitars, additional keyboards (1977–present)
Rick Allen – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1978–present)

Discography
On Through the Night (1980)
 High 'n' Dry (1981)
 Pyromania (1983)
 Hysteria (1987)
 Adrenalize (1992)
 Retro Active (1993)
 Vault: Def Leppard's Greatest Hits (1980–1995) (1995)
 Slang (1996)
 Euphoria (1999)
 X (2002)
 Yeah! (2006)
 Songs from the Sparkle Lounge (2008)
Mirrorball: Live And More (2011)

Don't Know What You Got 'Til It's Gone :)

Cinderella started as a band in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1983.The band was started by lead singer Tom Keifer and the bassist Eric Brittingham. Cinderella went through line-up changes throughout the next two years and finally got their big break in 1985. Jon Bon Jovi saw the band perform at the Empire Rock Club in Philadelphia and later got the boys signed the label that his band belonged to. The band emerged while the ‘80s and its hairband fiasco were already in full swing. Throughout most of the ‘80s they became widely popular thanks to a heavy MTV rotation. By the ‘90s, however, the band suffered many setbacks, and break-ups that would later jeopardize their place in the music industry.

Cinderella released their first studio album in 1986 called Night Songs and went on tour in 1986 with Poison. Both bands opened for a band called Loudness. Entering into 1987, the band embarked on arena tours opening up for such act such as, David Lee Roth, and Bon Jovi. They released their second album called Long Cold Winter. A tour with 254 shows kept the band busy over 14 months and included the Moscow Music Peace Festival playing alongside, Ozzy Osbourne, Scorpions, Motley Crue, Bon Jovi, and Skid Row.

Throughout the ‘90s, the band released two more albums, but just as predicted, the band slowly started disappearing. Mercury Records went on to drop the band in 1995 when the band went on hiatus. Starting again in the ‘00s the band began to tour, but with no new music. In 2006, the band toured with Poison in honor of both of their debut albums making it to the 20 anniversary mark. They were planning to tour in 2008 with Warrant, Lynch Mob, and Lynam, but in June, it was released that Tom Keifer had hemorrhaged his left vocal cord making it impossible to sing and time soon. In 2011, Cinderella went out on a 25 anniversary tour.

Current Members

Tom Keifer – lead vocals, rhythm & lead guitars, acoustic guitar, keyboards, piano, mandolin, Dobro, Saxophone, harmonica (1983–present)
Jeff LaBar – lead & rhythm guitars, acoustic guitar, backing vocals (1985–present)
Eric Brittingham – bass, backing vocals (1983–present)

Fred Coury – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1986–1991, 1996–present)

Past Members
Michael Smerick – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals (1983–1985)
 Tony Destra – drums, percussion (1983–1985)
 Jim Drnec – drums, percussion (1985–1986)
 Jody Cortez – drums, percussion studio (1986)

Discography

Night Songs (1986)

 Long Cold Winter (1988)

 Heartbreak Station (1990)

 Still Climbing (1994)

Cherry Pie :)

Beginning Line-Up

Warrant started as a “heavy metal band” from Hollywood, California, but like many of the other bands that started in the same area they were commonly considered hair metal or glam. Throughout 1989-1996, Warrant released five albums, which commonly beat the other bands of the era that didn’t make other album releases roughly after 1993. The band still made albums and attended concerts throughout the 90’s and 00’s, even after they had continuous problems with their line-up.  Warrant was formed by Erik Turner in 1984. Jani Lane and Steven Chamberlain joined the band a year later.

Jani Lane

January of 1988 seemed to be a great time for the band. Warrant signed a recording contract with Columbia and began recording their debut album in April. The album gained the band some real success and it spawned three singles. After they released the album, the band toured with Cinderella, Poison, and Motley Crue. The band releases a second record in 1991 and toured with Poison to promote it. The album spawned another three singles.

The ‘80s came and went, but this brought in the ‘90s, which proved to be a time of turmoil for the band. Warrant released another album in 1992, but it didn’t sell as well as the previous two. Later in the year, Jani Lane left the band, which had been dropped by Columbia records when the grunge movement came in. The band went on the Rock Never Stops Tour in 1998 and 2003. The guitarist and keyboardist left in 2000. Jani Lane left Warrant again in January of 2004, taking two other band mates with him.

Current Line-Up

The band seemed to be doing well as of recently and there had been take about a reunion between the band, but in 2008, the announcement was made  that Jani had once again left that band  and it was the last time that he would be performing with the band. By January 2011, the announcement was made that the band had some of the music down for Warrant’s new album. 

 On August 11, 2011 it was announced that Jani Lane was found dead at a Comfort Inn hotel on the 20100 block of Ventura Boulevard in Woodland Hills, California. It was rumoured that Lane died from alcohol poisoning. Later in October, the Coroner’s office finished the investigation and said that Lane suffered from “acute ethanol poisoning.”

 Current Members

Erik Turner – rhythm & lead guitars, backing vocals (1984-)
Jerry Dixon – bass guitar, backing vocals (1984-)
Steven Sweet – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1986-1994, 2004-)
Joey Allen – lead & rhythm guitars, acoustic guitar, talk box, backing vocals (1987-1994, 2004-)
Robert Mason – lead vocals (2008-)

 Discography

Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich (1989)
Cherry Pie (1990)
Dog Eat Dog (1992)
Ultraphobic (1995)
Belly to Belly (1996)
Greatest & Latest (1999)
Under the Influence (2001)
Born Again (2006)
Rockaholic (2011)

Welcome To The Jungle :)

Around 1987

The band began in Los Angeles around 1985 and began to gather a following with their mixture of punk, blues, thrash and the current fad at the time: hair metal. Appetite for Destruction was the debut album released by GNR on Geffen Records in late 1987. The album itself sold well despite the fears of the bands management. Geffen Records feared that the record wouldn’t sell and the band would be a complete dud, but boy, did they prove them wrong. Appetite sold well over 20 million copies and spawned 3 singles.

2009 lineup

During the early ‘90s, the band, more Axl Rose than anybody, fired drummer Steven Adler over his apparent heroin addiction. While it was a new start toward the band, many of the other members dealt with several other drug related problems at the time. As the band went into the studio to record the next albums, Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, the band hired a new drummer Matt Sorum and a keyboardist Dizzy Reed. After the Use Your Illusion albums were released, the band endured a tour that lasted almost two and a half years. By then, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin left the band to deal with some personal problems and, of course, with the fans this caused an uproar. Several videos on the internet show kids, who were possibly our age at the time, with signs asking “Where’s Izzy?”, but nobody would say for sure.

The Band around 1991

By 1994, Gilby Clarke quit the band. May of the members started their own side projects now that the band was starting to falter. In 1996, Slash quit saying that he and Axl were having creative differences. Within the next year or so, Duff McKagan and Dizzy Reed also left, leaving Axl as the only original member of the band left. 1998 rolled around and Axl Rose went into the studio with a new band, though they were still under the name Guns N’ Roses, and began to record a new album that would take almost ten years to finish. In 2008 the album Chinese Democracy was released, but didn’t really contain much of a following as the band’s first three albums did. Slash, Duff Mckagan, and Matt Sorum teamed up with Stone Temple Pilots front man to form Velvet Revolver.

Current Members:                    
Axl Rose- lead vocalist (1985- )                  
Tommy Stinson-Bassist (1997- )                                  
Brian Mania-Drums (2001- )                                         
Richard Fortus-Guitarist (2002- )                                 
Robin Finck-Guitarist (2002- )                                       
Dizzy Reed-Studio keyboardist (1990- )
Chris Pittman-Live keyboardist (1998- )
Past Members:

Tracii Guns, guitar (1985)
Robbie Gardner, guitar (1985)
Slash, guitar (1985-1986)
Duff McKagan, bass (1985-1997)
Izzy Stradlin, guitar (1985-1991)
Steven Adler, drums (1985-1990)
Matt Sorum, drums (1990-1997)
Robbie Gardner, guitar (1985)

Discography:

Appetite for Destruction (1987)

GN’R Lies (1988)

Use Your Illusion I (1991)

Use Your Illusion II (1991)

The Spaghetti Incident? (1993)

Chinese Democracy (2008)

Every Rose Has It's Thorn :)

Before I begin, I must say that I’m a little impartial to this band. I’ve seen them twice and absolutely love them. Granted, they’re also a band that my mom listened to when she was a little older than I was makes it awkward at times, but it also makes a cool bonding moment.
Imagine that it’s 1983, you’re jamming with your buddies in the garage, but you want to make this jamming real. You want to be famous. Playing in the garage was fine for a while, but you’re getting too old for that. You want to break out. You want to be famous. Imagine less than just a year later, you’re packing up your belongings and moving away from home. You’re moving to L.A. You're moving far away to the city of glitter, glitz, and rock n' roll. That’s exactly what Poison did. They kicked it to L.A. promoting and playing on the sunset strip. At this time Poison consisted of Bret Michaels, Matt Smith, Bobby Dall, and Rikki Rockett.

By the time the band had made it to the strip, their guitarist Matt Smith had become a father and thought that band wasn’t going anywhere. He left the band and returned home to Pennsylvania. The band auditioned replacement guitarists and eventually came down to three people who seemed to fit: Slash, who went on to become famous with Guns N’ Roses, Steve Silva from The Joe Perry Project, and a guitarist born in New York named C.C. DeVille. The band eventually agreed that C.C. made the best fit.

In 1986, the band was signed to Enigma Records. Their debut album: Look What the Cat Dragged In, was released on August 2of 1986.

From this album Poison released four singles, “Cry Tough”, “Talk Dirty to Me”, “I Want Action”, and “I Won’t Forget You”. Their debut earned the band with the fellow glam rockers Ratt, Cinderella, and Quiet Riot.

By 1988, the band was releasing yet another album called Open Up and Say…Ahh! The album spawned one of Poison’s biggest hits “Every Rose Has Its Thorn”, which was written about one of Bret Michaels’ ex-girlfriends. The album’s first cover caused a bit of trouble for the band, it showed a female demonic figure with a crazy long tongue. A censored version of the cover just focused on the girl’s eyes. As of 1989, the band had become the seventh-best-selling hard rock band in the United States in the ‘80s, behind Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, Guns N’ Roses, Aerosmith, and Van Halen. In 1990, the band released the album Flesh & Blood, which contained the singles “Unskinny Bop”, “Ride The Wind”, and a the ballad “Something To Believe In”. Life Goes On was the fourth single and the last was the title cut.
After two years of being on the road and with the band, the members were at each other’s throat due to person differences, drug addictions, and other this. Poison recorded several live performances during its 1990/1991 Flesh & Blood tour and released a live album, Swallow This Live. The album included a new studio track including the single “So Tell Me Why”, which was one of the last songs recorded before C.C. DeVille departed from the band later that year.
After several years, Bret Michaels and C.C. DeVille patched up their differences, and C.C. returned to Poison in 1996. Bret Michaels co-founded a production company with Charlie Sheen and in 1998; he made his acting debut in A Letter from Death Row.
In 2010, Bret Michaels started his solo tour to promote the upcoming release of his autobiography. On April 12, he was rushed to the hospital after suffering stomach pains and an emergency appendectomy was performed. A little over 10 days later, Bret was returned to the hospital where they found that he had suffered a massive subarachnoid hemorrhage.
On March 1, Poison announced a 2011 summer tour with Motley Crue and New York Dolls to celebrate Poison’s 25^th anniversary and the Crue’s 30^th Anniversary named the Glam-A-Gaddeon tour. To go along with Poison’s 25^th anniversary, 35 of the bands top hits and fan favorites were put on “Poison – Double Dose: Ultimate Hits”, a new CD that ranges through their entire career and was released on May 3, 2011.

Hiya!

I'm here and clearly kicking. Haha. The blog that I have going on here will consist of the list of my fifteen favorite hair bands from the '80s. It should be quite interesting depending on how much of my knowledge on these bands I can apply. Have no fear though, we'll be going through this safely and alive (well, with the exclusion of Jani Lane), but we'll get to all of that later.
For now though, take a deep breath, sit down, grab a bowl of the saltiest snack that you can find and be prepared for a bumpy ride. We'll go through coming out, staying successful, burning out, dying, and well, everything that these hair spray, bubble gum, rock n' roll bands lived through. :)
See Ya!