Kix is an American hard rock/heavy metal band who achieved popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s.Kix was started by Brian "Damage" Forsythe and Donnie Purnell in Dec. of 1977 in Hagerstown, Maryland. The first song Brian and Donnie played together was Atomic Bombs. They played with two musicians from Pittsburgh, "Tee" and "Tunes." The first practices were at the Old Mill Inn, in Williamsport, Maryland, just outside of Hagerstown. Because "Tee" and "Tunes" lived so far away the rehearsals didn't work out. They started rehearsing with Ronnie "10/10" Younkins, whom Ronnie asked to join the new band. Soon after they invited Donnie Spence to join as a drummer. He didn't have a car so he was picked up every day for rehearsals.
Steve Whiteman was added to the band after a couple of other lead singers (Terry Brady and Sam Smith) didn't work out. Steve also played drums, so he and Donnie Spence, who was also a good singer, would alternate drums and lead vocals. Steve though, sang all the difficult songs. The guys met Steve at a show at The Other Place in Ridgely, WV. They had heard about him, and went to see him play with his old band. During the break they took him out to the car and played him a cassette of their original songs. They asked him to join. A week later Steve moved to Hagerstown, to join what was then called "The Shooze."
After a while, Donnie Spence didn't work out anymore. Jimmy "Chocolate" Chalfant was recruited as the drummer for "The Shooze." Jimmy was Donnie Purnell's old bandmate and had played with him in his previous bands "Fire and Rain", "Starship" and "Jax". Brian used to go see Donnie and Jimmy playing those bands. From the beginning Ronnie had envisioned this as the perfect line-up: Donnie (who also wrote cool songs), Jimmy and Ronnie, all musicians he knew and admired from around town. So by late 1979 the classic Kix lineup of Steve Whiteman (lead vocals), Ronnie "10/10" Younkins (lead guitars), Brian "Damage" Forsythe (rhythm guitars), Donnie Purnell (bass, keyboards, backing vocals), and Jimmy "Chocolate" Chalfant (drums, backing vocals) was complete.
They changed their name to "The Generators," when they realized there was another band out of Chicago, named "The Shooze." They began recording their first album on Atlantic in 1980 before eventually settling on "Kix."
Vixen is an all-female American hard rock band which achieved some commercial success during the late 1980s and early 1990s as part of the Los Angeles, California glam metal scene.
Vixen was formed in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1980 by guitarist Jan Kuehnemund while still at high school. In 1984, an early version of the band with Kuehnemund, singer Janet Gardner and bassist Pia Maiocco (who later married guitarist Steve Vai) appeared in the movie Hardbodies, as the on-screen band Diaper Rash. In 1985, the band moved to Los Angeles, California to be part of the L.A. rock scene.In 1997, drummer Roxy Petrucci reformed Vixen, with Janet Gardner (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Gina Stile (lead guitar), and Rana Ross (bass). This lineup toured the United States in 1997, and in 1998 Gardner, Stile, and Petrucci recorded the album Tangerine. After the release of the new album, Roxy's sister Maxine Petrucci was brought in to play bass on a U.S. tour of 1998, but they were sued for copyright infringement by Kuehnemund.
In 1999, Share Pedersen joined her husband's band, the Dogs D'Amour, who were reforming after a long hiatus. She appeared on their 2000 album, Happy Ever After, playing bass, keyboards, and, backing vocals. Share and her husband, Bam, also have their own band, Bubble, which is very popular in L.A..
Wrathchild (sometimes known as Wrathchild UK in the United States due to a naming conflict with Wrathchild America) were an English heavy metal band. Formed in 1980, the group are one of the first (if not the first) true bands of the glam metal genre, starting off at least a year before other bands of the genre such as Mötley Crüe. In addition, they were part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene. However, they did not gain the same level of success or influence as their American counterparts.
In their home country, the band were well known for their D.I.Y. aesthetic (common for many NWOBHM bands), over the top stage shows, and striking image. During their early days, they would often play in pubs but still used confetti, pyrotechnics, and dressed in full glam metal gear, including their trademark platform boots and huge, teased hair.
Dokken is an American heavy metal and hard rock band that was formed in 1978. The group accumulated numerous charting singles and has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide.[2] The band was a nominated for a Grammy.
Dokken was composed of founder Don Dokken on vocals, George Lynch on lead guitars, Juan Croucier on bass, and "Wild" Mick Brown on drums. In 1983 Croucier left Dokken in order to join Ratt and was replaced by Jeff Pilson. Currently, Dokken and Brown remain from the original line-up. After several personnel changes on guitar, Dokken's attorney Jon Levin stepped in to fill the role in 2004. In 2001, Barry Sparks replaced Jeff Pilson on the bass guitar. In 2009, Sean McNabb replaced Barry Sparks on bass guitar.
L.A. Guns is a name used by two American glam metal bands whose music is frequently associated with the L.A. glam metal scene which grew up around the Sunset Strip in the 1980s, in particular the sleaze rock subgenre. Three members of the first L.A. Guns lineup, including founder Tracii Guns, were involved in the formation of the first incarnation of Guns N' Roses. L.A. Guns merged with fellow L.A. group Hollywood Rose, but they soon all left the group.
L.A. Guns were then reformed by singer Paul Black initially under a different moniker until Tracii joined the band. The lineup changed to what is now known as the classic lineup with Phil Lewis on vocals, Tracii Guns on lead guitar, Mick Cripps on rhythm guitar, Kelly Nickels on bass and Steve Riley on drums releasing three moderately successful albums. During the early 90's the group were dropped from their label and several members left the group with the band going through numerous lineup changes afterwards. In 1999 the classic lineup reunited for a reunion tour and later began recording new material.
In 2002 Tracii left the group forming Brides of Destruction with Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx. The remaining members decided to continue on without Tracii, adding guitarist Stacey Blades and releasing new material on the album Tales from the Strip. After Tracii put the Brides on hiatus he formed a solo band he eventually renamed L.A. Guns. Both bands continue to tour under the L.A. Guns moniker.
Roxx Gang were a glam metal band formed in Largo, Florida in 1985.
They were fronted by Kevin Steele, who formed the band along with guitarist Eric Carrol. After going through several lineup changes, the band garnered record company attention in 1987 with their Love 'Em and Leave 'Em demo. The band recorded their debut album Things You've Never Done Before with their lineup now consisting of Steele, Jeff Taylor Blanchard (guitar), Wade Hays (guitar), Roby "Strychnine" Strine (bass), and David James Blackshire (drums). It was produced by Beau Hill and went on to sell a quarter million copies worldwide. The band broke up in 1991 due to infighting and record company issues. Steele then formed a new version of the band along with Roby Strine, with guitarist Dallas Perkins and drummer Andy James, who promptly departed within a year after the band's following died. Then drummer Tommy Weder and Toronto guitarist Stacey Blades joined the group. Strine quit in 1994 and was replaced with Dorian Sage. The band released its first album since Things called the Voodoo You Love and went on to release several more albums in the late 1990s. The band also added guitarist Jeff Vitolo and Vinnie Granese to the band. After playing and touring together for years, in 1998–1999 this new lineup went on to tour and record under the name "Mojo Gurus". In 2000 Blades Quit Roxx Gang citing musical and personal differences and moved to L.A. where he hooked up with L.A. Guns in 2003, replacing Tracii Guns.
Hanoi Rocks was a Finnish rock band formed in 1979, whose most successful period came in the early 1980s. The band broke up in 1985 after the death of their drummer, Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley. Original members vocalist Michael Monroe and guitarist Andy McCoy came back together in 2001 and were active with the new line-up of Hanoi Rocks until 2009.
In the 80s Hanoi Rocks was the most successful Finnish band internationally and are still popular in the United States, Japan, and England. They were also one of the first rock bands to tour in Asia, and were the first western rock band to play in Delhi. According to Finnish radio and TV personality Jone Nikula (who was also Hanoi Rocks' tour manager in the 2000s), Hanoi Rocks' albums have sold around 780.000–1.000.000 copies around the world, but mostly in Scandinavia and Japan. They are more known for their energetic live performances than for album sales though.
The band have been cited as pioneers of hair metal.
Every Mother's Nightmare (EMN) is a Heavy Metal band formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1987 by vocalist Rick Ruhl and guitarist Steve Malone. Bassist, Mark McMurty, and drummer, Jim Phipps, completed the lineup. EMN blended blues, metal, and southern rock for their sound. Before moving to Nashville, Rick Ruhl spent his formative teenage years in the West Knoxville area (Concord Tn.) where he was most likely influenced by that area's local garage rock bands (featuring Bruce Watkins, Kevin Morgan and Eddie Francis.)
EMN's career ended as quickly as it started. With the label-signing frenzy of the late '80's of hard rock/metal bands, EMN benefited and gained some minor success. However, just as quickly, they were swallowed up in the even-larger signing frenzy of grunge.
They reached their biggest success with the single, 'Love Can Make You Blind,' which reached #22 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks.
EMN still enjoys a local following in the Memphis and Nashville music scene.
Cry Wolf was a melodic hard rock band from the San Francisco Bay Area, originally named Heroes formed in the mid '80's with Tim Hall (vocals), Steve McKnight (guitar), Phil Deckard (bass), John Freixas (drums) and JC Crampton (Keyboards).
In 1986, the band moved to Los Angeles and started working the Hollywood club circuit, soon thereafter recruiting Hall's friend Paul Cancilla on drums. During recording sessions for their demo, the keyboardist, JC left and they were forced to change the name of the band. To generate a mailing list and search for a name at the same time the band ran a contest in the local BAM magazine. The person(s) who came up with the winning name would win Mötley Crüe tickets. The name "Cry Wolf" was chosen out of hundreds of entries.
At about the same time, a demo of the band was out on the streets and was starting a buzz on the strip. Word got out overseas and Cry Wolf was convinced to release it as a limited red vinyl in Japan and do a handful of live shows, all of which sold out. The band was promptly offered a recording contract and released their critically acclaimed self-titled debut on Epic/Sony which featured the Beatles song "I Am The Walrus".
Winger is an American heavy metal/hard rock band formed in New York City that gained popularity during the late 1980s and early 1990s. The band's two platinum albums, Winger and In the Heart of the Young, along with charting singles "Seventeen", "Headed for a Heartbreak", and "Miles Away", put the band on the top of the charts by the early 1990s. In 1990, the band was nominated for an American Music Award for "Best New Heavy Metal Band". As the music scene changed in the early to mid-1990s with the popularity of grunge, the band faded after their third release Pull.
After disbanding in 1994, bassist/lead vocalist Kip Winger went on to a solo career, guitarist Reb Beach went on to touring projects with artists like Dokken and Alice Cooper, and the band's other members pursued or resumed careers as session musicians. Rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Paul Taylor left the band before the recording of its 1993 album Pull and was replaced by guitarist John Roth for the album's tour; Roth has been a full-fledged recording and touring member since then. The band reunited in 2001 for several successful tours, but halted activity again in 2003 due to Reb Beach's touring commitment with Whitesnake as well as his solo album "Masquerade" and involvement with "supergroup" project The Mob with King's X frontman Doug Pinnick and Night Ranger drummer Kelly Keagy, resulted in a single self-titled album in 2005. In 2006, the band's 1993 touring line-up (minus Paul Taylor but including John Roth) re-united to record the band's first studio album in over 13 years, IV. The band has toured in support of the album into 2008. In 2009 the band released 5th album Karma
