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Dana Strum (born Dana Strumwasser on December 13, 1957) is an American musician whose career spans over 45 years. He is best known as a co-founder, bass player, and one of the two primary songwriters of the US-based
hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest h ...
band Slaughter, an
American Music Awards The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show, generally held in the fall, created by Dick Clark in 1973 for ABC when the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired, and currently produced by Dick Clark Produc ...
winner, formed in 1988. He first achieved fame as a member of an ex-
Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction ...
guitarist act,
Vinnie Vincent Invasion Vinnie Vincent Invasion was an American glam metal band, formed in 1984 by former Kiss guitarist Vinnie Vincent. History Forming the band in 1984, Vinnie Vincent recruited bassist Dana Strum, who had served as a talent scout in L.A., recruiti ...
, along with his future Slaughter bandmate
Mark Slaughter Mark Allen Slaughter (born July 4, 1964) is an American singer and musician, and one of the founders of the glam metal band Slaughter. Career Slaughter was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 4, 1964. Before the formation of Slaughter, he fr ...
. Strum, who was in Los Angeles at the time, developed a reputation for finding new talented musicians, claiming responsibility for introducing the legendary guitarist
Randy Rhoads Randall William Rhoads (December 6, 1956 – March 19, 1982) was an American guitarist. He was the co-founder and original guitarist of the heavy metal band Quiet Riot, and the guitarist and co-songwriter for Ozzy Osbourne's first two solo alb ...
to
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
, as well as bringing
Jake E. Lee Jake E. Lee (born Jakey Lou Williams, February 15, 1957) is an American musician best known as lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne between 1982 and 1987 and later as a member of the band Badlands with Ray Gillen. He formed the band Red Dragon Car ...
to Ozzy's solo band following Rhoads's tragic death. Throughout his career, from mid-80s to the present day, Dana Strum has worked with a number of artists and groups, playing bass, co-writing, and/or producing songs, such as
The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by their ...
,
Détente Détente (, French: "relaxation") is the relaxation of strained relations, especially political ones, through verbal communication. The term, in diplomacy, originates from around 1912, when France and Germany tried unsuccessfully to reduc ...
, Sweet Savage,
Ace Frehley Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley (; born April 27, 1951) is an American musician, best known as the original lead guitarist and co-founding member of the hard rock band Kiss. He invented the persona of The Spaceman (a.k.a. Space Ace) and played wit ...
,
Kik Tracee Kik Tracee was a 1990s hard rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1988, during the last years of the glam metal movement, before the influx of grunge and alternative rock. History The band was formed in a Los Angeles suburb in 1988 by g ...
, Dennis Bono,
Vince Neil Vincent Neil Wharton (born February 8, 1961), best known by the stage name Vince Neil, is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist and occasional rhythm guitarist of heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, which he fronted from their 1981 format ...
, and
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
, among others.


Early life

Strum, whose family came from Trinidad, British West Indies, was born in
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
He spent his childhood in
Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. Its ...
. His father was a scientist, a pioneer in the field of
neurobiology Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions and disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, developme ...
as well as a professor and researcher of
psychiatry Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psychiatry. Initial psychi ...
and
neuroscience Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions and disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, developm ...
. His findings continue to be cited today. Strum's mother was instrumental in creating cling-free
nylon Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic. Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from petr ...
. Dana Strum began playing bass guitar at the age of eight despite his parents' disapproval. Growing up in Los Angeles during his teenage years, his playing was influenced by
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
performers such as
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped define ...
and
Grand Funk Railroad Grand Funk Railroad (often shortened to Grand Funk) is an American rock band formed in 1968 in Flint, Michigan, by Mark Farner (vocals, guitar), Don Brewer (drums, vocals), and Mel Schacher (bass). The band achieved peak popularity and succe ...
. His first concert was a Black Sabbath/
Captain Beyond Captain Beyond is an American rock supergroup formed in Los Angeles in 1971.
at
gig in Hollywood, California. Strum has been professionally playing bass and used to perform on the Los Angeles Club Circuit since the age of sixteen.


Music career


1976–1979: BadAxe

In the late 1970s, while still a high school student, Strum joined his first band BadAxe in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, California. Considered a progressive hard rock band, BadAxe used to perform on LA Circuit Scene along with future chart-toppers
Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead guit ...
and
Quiet Riot Quiet Riot is an American heavy metal band founded in Los Angeles in 1973 by guitarist Randy Rhoads and bassist Kelly Garni. The original lineup featured Rhoads and Garni with lead vocalist Kevin DuBrow and drummer Drew Forsyth, though th ...
. The quartet was getting a lot of attention appealing to people who clung to the sounds of bands like
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped define ...
and
Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Originally formed as ...
. In early November 1976, BadAxe finished an album at Stronghold Studios with Dana Strum producing. Only a few copies were released as a test pressing by Earth Breeze Productions. Next year, the band recorded the single "Cry For Me" / "All You Can Stand" at Dalton Studios in
Santa Monica, CA Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...
with Strum also co-producing. Dana Strum left BadAxe in the summer of 1979 when he was offered the chance to audition for
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
and become his new bass player. After splitting with
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped define ...
, Osbourne was hoping to put a new band together. Strum later received credit for placing
Randy Rhoads Randall William Rhoads (December 6, 1956 – March 19, 1982) was an American guitarist. He was the co-founder and original guitarist of the heavy metal band Quiet Riot, and the guitarist and co-songwriter for Ozzy Osbourne's first two solo alb ...
in Osbourne's solo band.


1981–1983: Modern Design

In the early 1980s, Strum joined a group called Modern Design with Ron Mancuso on guitar, Louie Merlino on vocals, and Joey DePompeis on drums. According to Mancuso, in an interview that he gave in 2010, there had been a lot of interest in the band from well-known producers and engineers. Modern Design started working for Pasha Records, which at that time was releasing records for
The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by their ...
and
Vanilla Fudge Vanilla Fudge is an American rock band known predominantly for their slow extended heavy rock arrangements of contemporary hit songs, such as their hit cover of The Supremes' "You Keep Me Hangin' On". The band's original line–up—vocalist a ...
among others. The band was very close to securing a record deal with several labels, but in the end, it didn't work out. In January 1983, while still a member of Modern Design, Strum held auditions for
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
, who was looking for a guitar player to fill in after
Randy Rhoads Randall William Rhoads (December 6, 1956 – March 19, 1982) was an American guitarist. He was the co-founder and original guitarist of the heavy metal band Quiet Riot, and the guitarist and co-songwriter for Ozzy Osbourne's first two solo alb ...
's death in a plane crash in March 1982. As a result,
Jake E. Lee Jake E. Lee (born Jakey Lou Williams, February 15, 1957) is an American musician best known as lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne between 1982 and 1987 and later as a member of the band Badlands with Ray Gillen. He formed the band Red Dragon Car ...
, lead guitarist for the band
Rough Cutt Rough Cutt is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles who released two studio albums on Warner Bros. Records in the mid-1980s. Rough Cutt never achieved the commercial success enjoyed by many other Los Angeles bands of that time but vari ...
, got the gig at the last minute, taking the spot from George Lynch, the former guitar player for Xciter and
The Boyz Boyz or The Boyz may refer to: Music Bands * The Boyz (German band), a German boy band of the 1990s * The Boyz (American band), an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, established in 1975 *The Boyz (South Korean band) The Boyz () ...
.


1983–1985: Danny Spanos

While working for Pasha Records, Modern Design, including Strum, Mancuso, DePompeis, and keyboardist Ross Bolton linked up with Danny Spanos, a former drummer best known for his gritty vocals, who was also recording with the studio at the time. The band opened for
Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, Nielsen and ...
in Kiel Opera House,
St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
, MO in late November 1983. The show was recorded live for the
RKO Radio Network The RKO Radio Network, a subsidiary of RKO General, was the first commercial radio network to distribute programming entirely by satellite. When it began operations on October 1, 1979, the initial RKO network was the first new full-service Ameri ...
. The album ''Looks Like Trouble'' was recorded and released in 1984. It was produced by Spenser Proffer with Dana Strum also contributing as a writer on the songs "Good Girl" and "Looks Like Trouble".


1985–1988: Vinnie Vincent Invasion

Strum joined
Vinnie Vincent Vincent John Cusano (born August 6, 1952), better known by his stage name Vinnie Vincent, is an American guitarist. He is a former member of the rock band Kiss from 1982 until mid-1984 during the band's transition out of their 1973–1983 make ...
when the former
Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction ...
guitarist contact asked him to be his partner in the creation of the Invasion. Robert Fleishman, the ex- Journey vocalist, was hired as lead singer. Over the next few months, Vincent, Fleishman, and Strum auditioned drummers until in October 1985, the
Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
-born Bobby Rock crossed their paths and became a member of The Invasion on the spot. The band signed an eight album deal with
Chrysalis Records Chrysalis Records () is a British record label that was founded in 1968. The name is both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders' names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis. It started as the Ellis-Wright Ag ...
. After releasing their self-titled debut album in the fall of 1986, Fleischman left the group.
Mark Slaughter Mark Allen Slaughter (born July 4, 1964) is an American singer and musician, and one of the founders of the glam metal band Slaughter. Career Slaughter was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 4, 1964. Before the formation of Slaughter, he fr ...
was recruited when Strum was producing Sin at the studios in
Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, who ...
, and needed some background vocals. Sin never got traction, but Slaughter soon joined Strum in the
Vinnie Vincent Invasion Vinnie Vincent Invasion was an American glam metal band, formed in 1984 by former Kiss guitarist Vinnie Vincent. History Forming the band in 1984, Vinnie Vincent recruited bassist Dana Strum, who had served as a talent scout in L.A., recruiti ...
as the band's new lead vocalist. The video "Boys Are Gonna Rock", directed by Jeff Stein, was produced featuring
Mark Slaughter Mark Allen Slaughter (born July 4, 1964) is an American singer and musician, and one of the founders of the glam metal band Slaughter. Career Slaughter was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 4, 1964. Before the formation of Slaughter, he fr ...
as the singer over Fleischman's vocal track. It was in heavy rotation on
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
. At that time, the band's look was entirely over the top glam. Vinnie Vincent Invasion spent the next months on the road performing in concert venues all over
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the C ...
, opening for
Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...
and
Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harris ...
. ''All Systems Go'', the Vinnie Vincent Invasion's second LP for Chrysalis, was recorded at
Cherokee Studios Cherokee Studios is a recording studio facility in Hollywood founded in 1972 by members of 1960s pop band The Robbs. Cherokee has been the location of many notable recordings by such artists as Steely Dan, David Bowie, Journey, The Cars, Forei ...
. While recording the band's albums, Dana Strum would not only play bass but also play a key role as co-producer, arranger and engineer. Bobby Rock stated in a 2010 interview: "Dana played somewhat of a producer role to Vinnie as they tracked solos, since he offered excellent suggestions and direction along the way, and got great performances out of him. Dana was also an extraordinary engineer when it came to "punching in", which is kind of like doing live edits." ''All Systems Go'', released in May 1988, was a bit more toned down than the debut album's antics and moved to a more accessible
hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest h ...
sound. A headlining club tour followed, with a few theaters thrown in. The group's music video "That Time of Year" became an
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
hit. In mid-August the band put out "Love Kills", the title song for the movie '' A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master''. The single was also released as a music video. Three months after releasing their second album,
Vinnie Vincent Invasion Vinnie Vincent Invasion was an American glam metal band, formed in 1984 by former Kiss guitarist Vinnie Vincent. History Forming the band in 1984, Vinnie Vincent recruited bassist Dana Strum, who had served as a talent scout in L.A., recruiti ...
played its final concert on August 26, 1988, in
Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...
. It was officially announced that Vinnie Vincent Invasion disbanded. In late 1988, in an interview with
Circus magazine ''Circus'' was a monthly American magazine devoted to rock music. It was published from October 1966 to May 2006. The magazine had a full-time editorial staff that were prolific in rock journalism, such as Paul Nelson, Judy Wieder, David Fricke ...
,
Mark Slaughter Mark Allen Slaughter (born July 4, 1964) is an American singer and musician, and one of the founders of the glam metal band Slaughter. Career Slaughter was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 4, 1964. Before the formation of Slaughter, he fr ...
claimed that the split was amicable. "When we first joined the Invasion, we were told that it would be a group situation, but it gradually changed to the point where we were all sidemen. Vinnie wants to be a guitar hero, we want to be a band," Slaughter said.


1988–present: Slaughter


1988–1989: Formation

After departing
Vinnie Vincent Invasion Vinnie Vincent Invasion was an American glam metal band, formed in 1984 by former Kiss guitarist Vinnie Vincent. History Forming the band in 1984, Vinnie Vincent recruited bassist Dana Strum, who had served as a talent scout in L.A., recruiti ...
in late August 1988, Dana Strum and
Mark Slaughter Mark Allen Slaughter (born July 4, 1964) is an American singer and musician, and one of the founders of the glam metal band Slaughter. Career Slaughter was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 4, 1964. Before the formation of Slaughter, he fr ...
moved into a crowded L.A. apartment to plan their next move. Slaughter recalled, "We were all broke, so we got seven other striving musicians to move in with us to help pay the rent." Speaking about his bandmate, Strum revealed that despite having similar modes of thought, they were "two distinctly different animals". But he thought that it all "gelled pretty well" and their distinct personalities worked to their advantage. "There's those that are daring and adventurous, and I for sure would be more for the daring and adventurous than for the tame and timid," Strum shared in a 1991 interview. After landing a deal with
Chrysalis Records Chrysalis Records () is a British record label that was founded in 1968. The name is both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders' names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis. It started as the Ellis-Wright Ag ...
, Strum and Slaughter began hammering out songs, many of the lyrics for which were written at 3 a.m. on the top of
Domino's Pizza Domino's Pizza, Inc., trading as Domino's, is an American multinational pizza restaurant chain founded in 1960 and led by CEO Russell Weiner. The corporation is Delaware domiciled and headquartered at the Domino's Farms Office Park in Ann Arbor ...
boxes. The two started assembling a new band by holding formal auditions in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, California. They were looking for two other players who wanted to share their "one for all and all for one" attitude, that didn't have a drinking or drug problem, and they had to be very "fan oriented". Guitarist Tim Kelly, originally from
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
, Pennsylvania, came to them quite incidentally. Slaughter ran into Kelly at a barbecue party and once he and Strum heard him play, the guitar player was brought in as a new recruit. When the band was searching for drummers, Huston-based
Blas Elias Blas Elias (born August 18, 1967) is the drummer of the glam metal band Slaughter. He also drums for the Las Vegas production of Blue Man Group. He has toured with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) is an American ro ...
was invited to send a videotape. He came aboard after convincing the two to let him fly in and play live in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. The band was finally put together in January 1989.


1989–1992: Breakthrough with ''Stick It To Ya''

After forming the band, all four of them lived in a small apartment, and "worked with a drum machine and a four-track on the living room floor or the dining room table". Soon, they entered the
Record Plant The Record Plant is a recording studio established in New York City in 1968 and currently operating in Los Angeles, California. Known for innovations in the recording artists' workspace, it has produced highly influential albums, including Blo ...
to start working on demos. When asked about the experience in the studio,
Blas Elias Blas Elias (born August 18, 1967) is the drummer of the glam metal band Slaughter. He also drums for the Las Vegas production of Blue Man Group. He has toured with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) is an American ro ...
stated that there wasn't any pressure and anyone there "intimidating" them as the band was self-produced. Attributing the light atmosphere during the recording session to Strum, he remarked, "Dana is really good in the studio. He knows how to bring out the best in people... He makes you feel very at ease, he jokes with you. Everything is very lighthearted. It's not like, 'Okay, you're on the grill.' " The band had a definite plan of what they wanted to achieve. They were writing and recording songs with radio,
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
and playing concert arenas in mind. "The songs have a real bluesy feel with a definite melodic bass," as
Mark Slaughter Mark Allen Slaughter (born July 4, 1964) is an American singer and musician, and one of the founders of the glam metal band Slaughter. Career Slaughter was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 4, 1964. Before the formation of Slaughter, he fr ...
later described, "but also have a gutsy, nasty attitude." ''
Stick It To Ya ''Stick It to Ya'' is the debut studio album by American glam metal band Slaughter. It was released in 1990 by Chrysalis Records. It sold over 2 million copies and became one of the biggest albums of 1990. "Up All Night"(#27), "Fly to the Angels" ...
'', the group's debut album, was recorded at Red Zone Studios, Studio 55 and Pasha Music House in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, California, from May until June 1989, with Strum and Slaughter producing. When the record was finished, the band still didn't have a name. At the last minute, against Mark's initial thoughts, they "christened" the band Slaughter. The release of ''
Stick It To Ya ''Stick It to Ya'' is the debut studio album by American glam metal band Slaughter. It was released in 1990 by Chrysalis Records. It sold over 2 million copies and became one of the biggest albums of 1990. "Up All Night"(#27), "Fly to the Angels" ...
'' was slated for January 1990. Prior to the record's release, the band conducted intense test marketing. Slaughter songs were played for groups of listeners in four cities, including Chicago. Many of their favorites were the ones that made the band's first LP. ''
Stick It To Ya ''Stick It to Ya'' is the debut studio album by American glam metal band Slaughter. It was released in 1990 by Chrysalis Records. It sold over 2 million copies and became one of the biggest albums of 1990. "Up All Night"(#27), "Fly to the Angels" ...
'' also went into the record books as the first on its label,
Chrysalis A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their ...
, to be released only on CD and cassette, with no mass market
vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl m ...
edition, with a limited number of 5,000 of them sent to special fans and media members. While describing the idea of the band,
Mark Slaughter Mark Allen Slaughter (born July 4, 1964) is an American singer and musician, and one of the founders of the glam metal band Slaughter. Career Slaughter was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 4, 1964. Before the formation of Slaughter, he fr ...
asserted that it was "to bring emotion back into rock 'n' roll". The four also characterized their music as "very energetic and very raw". "Although our name is Slaughter, take the S off and it's laughter," Strum jokingly stated in an interview, "It's not a
thrash Thrash may refer to: * Thrashing (computer science), where increasing resources are used to do a decreasing amount of work * Thrash (surname) * Thrash, mascot of the Atlanta Thrashers *'' Thrash Rally'', a top-down perspective rally racing video g ...
group, it's a fun group". "It's a real
rock 'n' roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...
band. That's what we wanted," he added. According to the band, all songs had a true-life meaning. "They're either about something that we went through or something we both perceive a lot of people go through but can't get a chance to express for themselves," Strum explained. Critical reception was positive, with major outlets calling the album "a smart, sassy pop-metal effort", "full of musical talent and is definitely one of the finer tastes of metal today", also adding that "with their first hit single, Slaughter is on their way to stardom with a rapid pace that can't and won't be stopped". Slaughter's first hit single, "Up All Night", directed by
Michael Bay Michael Benjamin Bay (born February 17, 1965) is an American film director and producer. He is best known for making big-budget, high-concept action films characterized by fast cutting, stylistic cinematography and visuals, and extensive use of ...
, debuted on
Headbangers' Ball ''Headbangers Ball'' is a music television program that consisted of heavy metal music videos airing on MTV and its global affiliates. The show began on MTV on April 18, 1987, playing heavy metal music videos from both well-known and more obs ...
and got enough calls to hold down the No 1 spot on Dial-MTV for eight weeks in March and April 1990. The cover of ''
Stick It to Ya ''Stick It to Ya'' is the debut studio album by American glam metal band Slaughter. It was released in 1990 by Chrysalis Records. It sold over 2 million copies and became one of the biggest albums of 1990. "Up All Night"(#27), "Fly to the Angels" ...
'' caused some controversy when the record was released. It drew protests from feminist and antiviolence organizations for depicting Lori Carr, then
Ratt Ratt is an American glam metal band formed in San Diego, California, in the 1970s, that had significant commercial success in the 1980s, with their albums having been certified as gold, platinum, and multi-platinum by the RIAA. The group is bes ...
guitarist Robin Crosby's girlfriend, bound to a carnival wheel of a knife-thrower with blades tossed dangerously close. Responding to the criticism, Strum affirmed that it was not intended to be anti-women. "Actually, that's supposed to be like the wheel of life," he said. "And we wanted it to be us strapped on it. But the record company seemed to think she was better looking than we are, and they're right." Strum stated that "this group was actually formed at the
Record Plant The Record Plant is a recording studio established in New York City in 1968 and currently operating in Los Angeles, California. Known for innovations in the recording artists' workspace, it has produced highly influential albums, including Blo ...
in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, rather than by going out and playing the club circuit". Slaughter made their live debut on May 4, 1990. That night the band opened for
Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction ...
on the ''Hot In The Shade Tour'' in front of 10,000 people in
Lubbock, Texas Lubbock ( ) is the 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of government of Lubbock County. With a population of 260,993 in 2021, the city is also the 85th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the north ...
. The triple rock bill also featured
Faster Pussycat Faster Pussycat is an American hard rock/glam metal band from Los Angeles, formed in 1985 by vocalist Taime Downe, guitarists Brent Muscat and Greg Steele and bassist Kelly Nickels. The group has since gone through numerous lineup changes lea ...
. After stepping off stage, the band was awarded a
gold record Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
, signifying 500,000 copies sold for the first album. With the help of heavy airplay Slaughter received on
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
and following support slots to
Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction ...
on their American tour, ''Stick It To Ya'' took off and became the band's most commercially successful album that was certified
Platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platin ...
three months later. It peaked at number 18, during its six-month residency on the
Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artist ...
album chart. The band's success was celebrated at DC-3 Restaurant, located on the landing strip of
Santa Monica Airport Santa Monica Airport (Santa Monica Municipal Airport) is a general aviation airport largely in Santa Monica, California, United States. The airport is about from the Pacific Ocean (Santa Monica Bay) and north of Los Angeles International Airp ...
near
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, keeping with the theme of Slaughter's single and video, '' Fly To The Angels'', which also reached No.1 on MTV. A follow-up, '' Stick It Live'', a live mini-album, featured five live versions of songs from their debut release, recorded on opening dates with
Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction ...
. The EP, '' Stick It Live'', sold 500,000 copies, certifying
Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile m ...
. The same year saw the release of Slaughter's first long-form video, titled ''From The Beginning'', which included their very first clips, plus behind-the-scenes filmed on tour with
Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction ...
and in hotel rooms across the country. Ultimately, it was certified
Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile m ...
. In August 1990, while still on the road with
Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction ...
, the band participated in the
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
Celebrity Challenge at the Denver Grand Prix along with members of
Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1981. The group was founded by bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee, lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe has sold over 100 million albums ...
,
Skid Row A skid row or skid road is an impoverished area, typically urban, in English-speaking North America whose inhabitants are mostly poor people " on the skids". This specifically refers to poor or homeless, considered disreputable, downtrodden or fo ...
and Winger, among others. Dana Strum was fifth in the race that was run as a support event for the featured Indy-car race in the inaugural Denver Grand Prix weekend. Later, in September 1990, Slaughter had their UK debut performing at Rock City, London's Marquee and the
Hippodrome The hippodrome ( el, ἱππόδρομος) was an ancient Greek stadium for horse racing and chariot racing. The name is derived from the Greek words ''hippos'' (ἵππος; "horse") and ''dromos'' (δρόμος; "course"). The term is used in ...
. By December 1990, all members of Slaughter had moved to
Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...
, Nevada officially becoming the first internationally recognized hard rock band based in Sin City. The four-piece played their first-ever concert in their hometown of Las Vegas on December 15, 1990. The day before the show, in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, the band boarded the MGM Grand Air party plane to
Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
along with nearly 40 radio station contest winners from all over the
U.S The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. Upon landing, the party continued by the
Hard Rock Café Hard Rock Cafe, Inc. is a British-based multinational chain of theme restaurants, memorabilia shops, casinos and museums founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and r ...
, where the mayor of Las Vegas proclaimed December 14 Slaughter Rock Band Day and changed the name of
Las Vegas Boulevard Las Vegas Boulevard is a major road in Clark County, Nevada, United States, best known for the Las Vegas Strip portion of the road and its casinos. Formerly carrying U.S. Route 91 (US 91), which had been the main highway between Los Angel ...
to Slaughter Boulevard for the day. In addition, the band got the keys to the city. The big homecoming event was covered on national TV. In January 1991, Slaughter won the ''American Music Award'' for Best New Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Artist, and ''
Stick It To Ya ''Stick It to Ya'' is the debut studio album by American glam metal band Slaughter. It was released in 1990 by Chrysalis Records. It sold over 2 million copies and became one of the biggest albums of 1990. "Up All Night"(#27), "Fly to the Angels" ...
'' album exceeded 2xPlatinum status. To further the band's reach in
America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, Slaughter shot and released the third music video, ''Spend My Life'', which charted at No.1 on
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
. Around that time, Slaughter kicked off their first European tour with
Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
which was canceled that same month because of the Persian Gulf crisis. Instead, they performed a number of free shows on the
Poison Poison is a chemical substance that has a detrimental effect to life. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figuratively, with a broa ...
and Trixter tour. "It sure beats sitting around and doing nothing. The money wasn't in the budget to pay us and tickets were already being sold so we decided to gamble that we'd earn enough in T-shirt sales at the show to cover our expenses," Strum clarified. The band also traveled to
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * ...
to tape the ''
MTV Unplugged ''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV showcasing musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999 and less frequently from 2000 to 2009, when it was usually billed as ''MTV U ...
'' show, where they played an all-acoustic set, something they had never done before. From the very beginning, the band was very vocal about the fact that they didn't do drugs. During an interview, Dana Strum maintained: "We've spoken very openly that we don't. A lot of people said that was totally wrong, that's not rock 'n' roll. But I want to be a musician, not a drug addict. I wanted to play music and make people feel good." On March 23, 1991, as part of an effort to raise money for the
Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at the ...
Coalition for a Drug-Free Community, Slaughter gave a free concert outside of one of the
Taco Bell Taco Bell is an American-based chain of fast food restaurants founded in 1962 by Glen Bell (1923–2010) in Downey, California. Taco Bell is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. The restaurants serve a variety of Mexican-inspired foods, includi ...
Miami outlets, that was reportedly the band's favorite food at the time. According to Strum, that was "the most ridiculously fun thing" they had done since the formation of the band. While still on the road with
Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction ...
, the band was approached by
Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...
to write a song for the movie ''
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey ''Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey'' is a 1991 American science fiction comedy film, and the feature directorial debut of Pete Hewitt. It is the second film in the ''Bill & Ted'' franchise, and a sequel to ''Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure'' (1989). ...
'', starring
Keanu Reeves Keanu Charles Reeves ( ; born September 2, 1964) is a Canadian actor. Born in Beirut and raised in Toronto, Reeves began acting in theatre productions and in television films before making his feature film debut in '' Youngblood'' (1986). ...
. Although Slaughter was committed to opening
Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
's tour across
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the C ...
, Dana Strum and
Mark Slaughter Mark Allen Slaughter (born July 4, 1964) is an American singer and musician, and one of the founders of the glam metal band Slaughter. Career Slaughter was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 4, 1964. Before the formation of Slaughter, he fr ...
wrote the idea in a conference room at a hotel in
San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...
, Texas. A week later they stopped in a studio in
Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. T ...
, Canada to end up tracking the song ''Shout It Out'' that would later go
Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile m ...
. A music video featuring scenes from the movie was made to accompany the single.


1992–1995: Living ''The Wild Life''

After completing the tour with
Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
and taking about two weeks off, Slaughter promptly started work on their second studio album. According to
Blas Elias Blas Elias (born August 18, 1967) is the drummer of the glam metal band Slaughter. He also drums for the Las Vegas production of Blue Man Group. He has toured with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) is an American ro ...
, like their first record, the follow-up was written almost the same way in the living room of
Mark Slaughter Mark Allen Slaughter (born July 4, 1964) is an American singer and musician, and one of the founders of the glam metal band Slaughter. Career Slaughter was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 4, 1964. Before the formation of Slaughter, he fr ...
's house with a drum machine, a four-track, a small guitar, and a bass. The band did three sessions of demos before tracking the songs for the record to keep that same great vibe, "making sure nobody was getting tensed up in the studio". Recording for Slaughter's sophomore studio LP '' The Wild Life'' began in October 1991 in the same studio the band tracked their first, The Red Zone in
Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, who ...
. Tim Kelly remarked in an interview that after playing 300 live shows the band had "become a lighter, leaner, meaner machine". Once again, the drums were recorded at Pasha Records. When asked about the recording of Slaughter's second album,
Blas Elias Blas Elias (born August 18, 1967) is the drummer of the glam metal band Slaughter. He also drums for the Las Vegas production of Blue Man Group. He has toured with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) is an American ro ...
told The
Modern Drummer ''Modern Drummer'' is a monthly publication targeting the interests of drummers and percussionists. The magazine features interviews, equipment reviews, and columns offering advice on technique, as well as information for the general public. ''M ...
magazine, "Dana grew up there. When he was starting out as an engineer, he was sweeping floors at Pasha and working for
wner WNER (1410 AM) is a sports radio station in Watertown, New York, United States. The station is owned by Stephens Media Group. It broadcasts the national programming of Fox Sports Radio. History WOTT On June 11, 1958, Thousand Islands Broadcasti ...
Spencer Proffer Spencer Proffer (born Salek Profesorski, December 25, 1948) is an American media and record producer. He is the CEO of Meteor 17, a convergence media production company based in Los Angeles, California, United States. Proffer produced the firs ...
, so he knew the studio really well and liked the sound of it. And of course, when you have a good thing, you don't want to change it." Discussing '' The Wild Life'', Dana Strum and
Mark Slaughter Mark Allen Slaughter (born July 4, 1964) is an American singer and musician, and one of the founders of the glam metal band Slaughter. Career Slaughter was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 4, 1964. Before the formation of Slaughter, he fr ...
inevitably mentioned classic rock giants like Queen,
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most p ...
and Journey. While Strum characterized the album as a "harder-edged record", music critics described Slaughter's second studio effort as "over-flowing with quick 'n' catchy riffs, memorable melodies, layers of vocal harmonies, and stretches of sound effects". They also took note of the stylistic similarities with Queen stating that it was "hard to believe that
Brian May Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and astrophysicist, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen. May was a co-founder of Queen with lead singer Freddie Mercury an ...
never walked into Burbank's Red Zone Studio during the four-month period Slaughter recorded '' The Wild Life''". ''The Wild Life'' contained 13 tracks, all of which were again co-produced by Dana Strum and
Mark Slaughter Mark Allen Slaughter (born July 4, 1964) is an American singer and musician, and one of the founders of the glam metal band Slaughter. Career Slaughter was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 4, 1964. Before the formation of Slaughter, he fr ...
. The only song that didn't make it to the disc and cassette was "The Shuffle", which exclusively appeared on Slaughter's second home video released in tandem with the record. In an interview with Chicago Tribune, Strum proudly stated that Slaughter was "the only self-produced, self-written" new American rock band at the time. He added, "When the fans hear something by Slaughter, they know it's ours." Kelly explained: "Slaughter doesn't try to clump our music into one style. It would be a lie for us to play just one type of music. This record reflects our various influences." Two months before the official April in-store release date of the album, as part of the most ambitious fan thank-you at the time, Slaughter sent out a six-song
demo tape A demo (shortened from "demonstration") is a song or group of songs typically recorded for limited circulation or for reference use, rather than for general public release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas in a fixed for ...
of ''The Wild Life'' to a large number of active members of its fan club. Strum later explained that it was their "way of giving the fans something the regular public couldn't get". The cassette had the same cover as the album but was stamped "Slaughter Bootleg Demos". It also featured interviews and comments with the band. Following the release, '' The Wild Life'' album debuted at No.8 on the Billboard album chart in April 1992 and continued the commercial success of ''Stick It To Ya''.Accompanying the album, a home video with the same title, "The Wild Life", was released. It was a 72-minute long documentary of the making of the album, also including profiles of the band members. Later, it became the band's second home video to certify
Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile m ...
. It featured the title track video as well as videos to "Days Gone By" and the unreleased at the time clip of "Mad About You". In addition, it contained the video of the recording of "Times They Change" that was inspired by Slaughter's European tour during the
Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
, among others. Describing the documentary, Dana Strum explained that he "wanted to show more than the usual band on the road, in the tour bus, leaving the hotel, signing autographs". "This one walks you through the whole experience of coming off a surprising first record and embarking on the second with a harder direction," he added, "You get to see the writing of "Real Love" and the actual recording of the demo." In fact, all of the music on the home video, except for the finished video clips was Slaughter working on demos. The controversial cover art for ''The Wild Life'', a 17th-century line drawing that had been used on the cover of
Smithsonian Magazine ''Smithsonian'' is the official journal published by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The first issue was published in 1970. History The history of ''Smithsonian'' began when Edward K. Thompson, the retired editor of ''Life'' ma ...
, once again was met with some criticism. It showed a man cracking a whip high over the head of a child who shields himself as he holds a guitar. According to the band, the art was supposed to show the adults of the world trying to oppress the spirit of youth. Guitarist Tim Kelly explained, that they were trying to convey a positive image, not a negative one. "Mark and Blas came from families where they were supported in their musical interests," noted Kelly. "When we saw this picture, we saw Dana and myself as the child who was not supported in his ambitions. This album is dedicated to the kids who have
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped define ...
cranked up to 11 on their stereo, with a chair propped under the door handle and their mother screaming "Turn it down!" Kelly remarked. The tour in support of the record launched on June 9 in
Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
, as part of a triple bill with
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
and
Ugly Kid Joe Ugly Kid Joe is an American hard rock band from Isla Vista, California, formed in 1989. The band's name spoofs the glam metal band Pretty Boy Floyd's name. To date, Ugly Kid Joe have released five full-length albums, two compilation albums and ...
. By July 1992, ''The Wild Life'' proved to be another Slaughter's success as it was certified
Platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platin ...
in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...
. Around this time, the music video for "Real Love" was released and became the band's first world premiere. Soon, the tour with Osbourne was cut short because of the non-cancerous nodule found in
Mark Slaughter Mark Allen Slaughter (born July 4, 1964) is an American singer and musician, and one of the founders of the glam metal band Slaughter. Career Slaughter was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 4, 1964. Before the formation of Slaughter, he fr ...
's throat. It required surgical attention that was successfully performed in August 1992. But Slaughter's lead singer immediately began "complete vocal rest". "He had to write everything down," Strum stated. By December
Mark Slaughter Mark Allen Slaughter (born July 4, 1964) is an American singer and musician, and one of the founders of the glam metal band Slaughter. Career Slaughter was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 4, 1964. Before the formation of Slaughter, he fr ...
was back behind a microphone as the band performed on the Dick Clark's Halloween Special from
Universal Studios Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...
in
Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...
. The four continued to tour with the
Damn Yankees ''Damn Yankees'' is a 1955 musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., during ...
until midway through the 1993 season. In September 1992, Dana Strum hosted a
Rockline ''Rockline'' was a nationally syndicated radio interview program hosted by Bob Coburn that was broadcast live via satellite every Monday and Wednesday night from 8:30pm-10pm PT to radio stations in the United States and Canada. Founded in 1981, ...
show filling in for Bob Coburn, when his special guests were
Joe Satriani Joseph Satriani (born July 15, 1956)Prato, Greg"Joe Satriani – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". ''AllMusic''. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved May 28, 2014. is an American guitarist, composer, songwriter, and guitar teacher. Early in his ...
and his band and Bonham. After receiving the most media attention for their second CD effort, the band began to make arrangements to work on their next
Chrysalis A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their ...
release.


1995–1998: ''Fear No Evil''

The writing of '' Fear No Evil'', Slaughter's third studio album, in
Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...
seemed to start out like all other records thus far. Later, the band found a studio in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
that they really liked. However, they were informed it wasn't available. Instead of looking for another place, they bought the building and all the equipment and named it "Slaughterhouse". Later, when the album was finished, they moved everything out of the building and "it no longer exists". Meanwhile, in March 1993, midway into writing, guitarist Tim Kelly and then tour manager were arrested in
Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...
by drug enforcement officials for a six-plus-year-old charge involving narcotics trafficking. From this point, until the record was completed, it was under question if Tim Kelly would ever tour with the band again. A trial was held in
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
where the band testified on behalf of their bandmate and "he got off on all charges". In July, to make matters worse, Strum's dirt bike was struck by a drunk driver within a half-mile of his house in
Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...
, Nevada, causing 17 broken bones including his left wrist and two fingers on the left hand he plays bass with. He later admitted that if he hadn't been wearing a helmet he'd be dead. Things began to improve again in December 1993, when the band headed to South America and began 1994 touring, this time as headliners, in the
Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...
. '' Fear No Evil'' was completed in February 1994, followed by the tour with
Damn Yankees ''Damn Yankees'' is a 1955 musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., during ...
that started that same month. By that time, the band's record label,
Chrysalis A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their ...
, was sold to
EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...
. At first, the band saw it as "a very positive thing". Speaking about that management change,
Mark Slaughter Mark Allen Slaughter (born July 4, 1964) is an American singer and musician, and one of the founders of the glam metal band Slaughter. Career Slaughter was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 4, 1964. Before the formation of Slaughter, he fr ...
asserted: "They understand the music we make, and they can expose us to people that like the kind of music we play". However, according to the band, after flying to
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * ...
to debut the album for the record company in the middle of the year, they soon discovered that no one involved in the promoting of their early records was any longer employed by
Chrysalis A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their ...
(
EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...
) records. "When they don't know the names of the songs which made you popular," Strum admitted, "you're in trouble." Leaning on his credentials as the band's producer, Strum ended up getting Slaughter out of its record deal, which added another five unproductive months as the band was seeking a new label. There was interest from five, but Slaughter chose an independent label because Strum thought that "some of the best music was being turned out by the indies". The band signed a deal with then-newcomer,
CMC International CMC International was an American independent record label founded by Bill Cain and Tom Lipsky in 1991, focused mainly on classic rock, and classic heavy metal. The label was the haven of many hard rock, arena rock, thrash metal, glam metal, and ...
Records, a
North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and S ...
-based label that supported "American self-written, self-produced rock 'n' roll". According to Strum, "it was definitely a risky decision". "No one knew what was going to happen with CMC at the time, but we were fed up with the corporate thinking of a major label and we liked the hands-on attitude that CMC label president Tom Lipsky seemed to have," he stated. The label also had become the home of '80s hard-rock bands such as
Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harris ...
, Warrant,
Dokken Dokken is an American glam metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. It split up in 1989 and reformed four years later. The band had several hit singles which charted on the Billboard Hot 100, such as " Alone Again", " In My Dreams", and " Burn ...
and
L.A. Guns L.A. Guns is an American glam metal band from Los Angeles, formed in 1983. The lineup currently consists of Tracii Guns (lead guitar), Phil Lewis (lead vocals), Ace Von Johnson (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Johnny Martin (bass, backing vo ...
. After many delays, ''Fear No Evil'' was finally released in May 1995, in Europe and
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. Released as
hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest h ...
popularity was on the wane, it failed to have the same commercial impact as its predecessors and received mixed reviews from critics. ''Fear No Evil'' was characterized as "not boring", compiled of a mix of traditional Slaughter rockers with "the
Cult In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. Thi ...
-meets-
Lou Gramm Lou Gramm (born Louis Andrew Grammatico; 2 May 1950) is an American singer-songwriter, best known for being the lead singer of the rock band Foreigner from 1977 to 1990 and 1992 to 2003 during which time the band had numerous successful albu ...
and Foreigner sound" of their first single "Searchin'". "Searchin'" was a stretch from their familiar anthemic rock and the expected power ballad and offered "a good introduction of the more diverse musical style the band is growing into". "It'll Be Alright" was described as having "a sure
Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
sound to it", while "Breakdown N' Cry" was noted as Slaughter's first attempt at the blues. "Unknown Destination", the band's final cut, which Strum called their "most aggressive rocker" was influenced by the days when Strum and Slaughter were in a band that toured with
Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harris ...
. "The band has grown as people and as musicians, but we still stay true to our kind of music," Strum stated. The band was finally back. The band became notorious for their lurid album covers. Once again, they kept with the tradition, and '' Fear No Evil'', similarly, showed a woman being "intimate with a snake". "
Rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...
is supposed to be lived on the edge,"
Mark Slaughter Mark Allen Slaughter (born July 4, 1964) is an American singer and musician, and one of the founders of the glam metal band Slaughter. Career Slaughter was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 4, 1964. Before the formation of Slaughter, he fr ...
said in an interview, adding, "So what we figure is let's see how far we can push it with record covers before stores start threatening not to stock them". In mid-April, in early support of the album, the band embarked on a long, 18-month American tour that showcased their old hits and new music that "certainly expanded Slaughter's boundaries". "We're touring harder now than we used to,"
Mark Slaughter Mark Allen Slaughter (born July 4, 1964) is an American singer and musician, and one of the founders of the glam metal band Slaughter. Career Slaughter was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 4, 1964. Before the formation of Slaughter, he fr ...
claimed. They were performing in clubs and theaters across the country six or seven nights a week. "The personable thing is good," Slaughter added, "I think the band has grown immensely from having to do that." A Slaughter show in 1995 was described by critics as "the intense loud party atmosphere event" it had been in 1990. "We've never run on our fans. We're not a band that's going to shave our heads just because it's popular," reaffirmed Strum. "We want to re-establish old memories and tell new fans to come out and hear who we are. That's our attitude." Around this time, Slaughter also released "Rain On", a five-song import EP featuring
Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...
's " Saturday Nights Alright for Fighting", the band's first cover song. During the tour across
America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, Slaughter took a month in the late summer of 1995 to embark on their first tour of
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. According to the band, the tour was a long overdue overwhelming success. In
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, due to Kelly's ongoing legal problems, Slaughter had to perform with
Vince Neil Vincent Neil Wharton (born February 8, 1961), best known by the stage name Vince Neil, is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist and occasional rhythm guitarist of heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, which he fronted from their 1981 format ...
's guitarist Dave Marshall, Tim Kelly's long-time friend. Meanwhile, to beat ''Fear No Evil'''s release date,
EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...
/
Chrysalis A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their ...
released '' Mass Slaughter'', a greatest hits package that wasn't sanctioned by the band.
Blas Elias Blas Elias (born August 18, 1967) is the drummer of the glam metal band Slaughter. He also drums for the Las Vegas production of Blue Man Group. He has toured with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) is an American ro ...
shared in an interview: "In order for us to leave
Chrysalis A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their ...
, we had to work out a deal… we are trying to let fans know that '' Mass Slaughter'' definitely isn't the project that we are enthused about." Despite a rough ride through the mid-'90s, Slaughter made it through a turbulent time, coming up with music that was still in the vein of what they wrote in 1990. They hadn't disbanded and had made no personnel changes. Dana Strum asserted: "We were one of the few bands of our genre that has not broken up... never changed our members and never given up." "Our collective decision is to simply make a Slaughter record and not be concerned with passing trends or the business we're in," he added.


1997–1998: ''Revolution''

Slaughter's fourth studio album, ''
Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
'', was released on
CMC International CMC International was an American independent record label founded by Bill Cain and Tom Lipsky in 1991, focused mainly on classic rock, and classic heavy metal. The label was the haven of many hard rock, arena rock, thrash metal, glam metal, and ...
Records in May 1997. Dana Strum and
Mark Slaughter Mark Allen Slaughter (born July 4, 1964) is an American singer and musician, and one of the founders of the glam metal band Slaughter. Career Slaughter was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 4, 1964. Before the formation of Slaughter, he fr ...
wrote all the songs in Nashville, Tennessee, where the band's lead vocalist moved around 1996. Later that same month, the band kicked off a two-month tour to promote the album. At the time, ''
Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
'' was consistent with the band's intent to be pioneers in rock technology. The record was among the first to be an
enhanced CD Enhanced CD is a certification mark of the Recording Industry Association of America for various technologies that combine audio and computer data for use in both Compact Disc and CD-ROM players. Formats that fall under the "enhanced CD" ...
. This allowed the public to not only hear the music but to watch it via
CD-Rom A CD-ROM (, compact disc read-only memory) is a type of read-only memory consisting of a pre-pressed optical compact disc that contains data. Computers can read—but not write or erase—CD-ROMs. Some CDs, called enhanced CDs, hold both compute ...
. Dana Strum maintained that
enhanced CD Enhanced CD is a certification mark of the Recording Industry Association of America for various technologies that combine audio and computer data for use in both Compact Disc and CD-ROM players. Formats that fall under the "enhanced CD" ...
s were "the wave of the future". "It is the marriage of music, computers and video which to us is the logical next step," he stated, "Today there are only six new releases on
enhanced CD Enhanced CD is a certification mark of the Recording Industry Association of America for various technologies that combine audio and computer data for use in both Compact Disc and CD-ROM players. Formats that fall under the "enhanced CD" ...
, but by the time we put out our next album, I'll bet it will be a common trend." According to critics, ''
Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
'' had a sound, different from the three previous albums. They took note of
Mark Slaughter Mark Allen Slaughter (born July 4, 1964) is an American singer and musician, and one of the founders of the glam metal band Slaughter. Career Slaughter was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 4, 1964. Before the formation of Slaughter, he fr ...
's voice, known for reaching the clouds, was hushed and subdued. The first track, "American Pie", was described as offering
boogie-woogie Boogie-woogie is a genre of blues music that became popular during the late 1920s, developed in African-American communities since 1870s.Paul, Elliot, ''That Crazy American Music'' (1957), Chapter 10, p. 229. It was eventually extended from pian ...
riffs along with "earthy lyrics laced with references to psychedelia". "There are a few different areas we explore," drummer
Blas Elias Blas Elias (born August 18, 1967) is the drummer of the glam metal band Slaughter. He also drums for the Las Vegas production of Blue Man Group. He has toured with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) is an American ro ...
said responding to the criticism. "We always try to do that with every album. There's always going to be the main style that we kind of like and have always done real well with, but we always try to experiment," he added. Nonetheless, with the crossover of alternative rock music in the early '90s, Slaughter, like many other hard-rock bands, struggled to maintain commercial success. In an interview,
Blas Elias Blas Elias (born August 18, 1967) is the drummer of the glam metal band Slaughter. He also drums for the Las Vegas production of Blue Man Group. He has toured with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) is an American ro ...
expressed disappointment over the fact that although some radio stations were giving the album airplay, it was still difficult to get
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
support and radio play. By this point, the movement toward
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercia ...
killed many careers for big-hair metal bands, however, Slaughter along with
Dokken Dokken is an American glam metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. It split up in 1989 and reformed four years later. The band had several hit singles which charted on the Billboard Hot 100, such as " Alone Again", " In My Dreams", and " Burn ...
and Warrant were reliving their glory days opening for
Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...
on its first of what would become many package tours. The band toured extensively in an effort to capitalize on the resurgence of interest in the
hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest h ...
of the late '80s and pre-grunge '90s. The same year, Slaughter embarked on another package tour, this time with
Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1981. The group was founded by bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee, lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe has sold over 100 million albums ...
singer
Vince Neil Vincent Neil Wharton (born February 8, 1961), best known by the stage name Vince Neil, is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist and occasional rhythm guitarist of heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, which he fronted from their 1981 format ...
who had performed with Tim Kelly,
Mark Slaughter Mark Allen Slaughter (born July 4, 1964) is an American singer and musician, and one of the founders of the glam metal band Slaughter. Career Slaughter was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 4, 1964. Before the formation of Slaughter, he fr ...
and
Blas Elias Blas Elias (born August 18, 1967) is the drummer of the glam metal band Slaughter. He also drums for the Las Vegas production of Blue Man Group. He has toured with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) is an American ro ...
at a
Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...
charity event earlier in the year. Ironically, that's when the band met Jeff Blando, a talented young soundman and guitarist from
Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures rel ...
. After the tragic passing of Tim Kelly, he would become the fourth member of Slaughter.


1998–1999: ''Eternal Live'' and ''Rock Never Stops'' tour

On February 5, 1998, Slaughter's guitarist, Tim Kelly, was driving on rural road Route 96 in Arizona when an
18-wheeler A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semitruck, (or semi, eighteen-wheeler, big rig, tractor-trailer or, by synecdoche, a semitrailer) is the combination of a tractor unit and one or more semi-trailers to carry freight. A semi-trailer a ...
jack-knifed and collided with his car. He died of injuries in Baghdad, AZ. He was 35. The terrible news came when Slaughter was compiling tracks for its planned live album for
CMC International CMC International was an American independent record label founded by Bill Cain and Tom Lipsky in 1991, focused mainly on classic rock, and classic heavy metal. The label was the haven of many hard rock, arena rock, thrash metal, glam metal, and ...
. The album the band was finishing at the time of Kelly's death, '' Eternal Live'', turned out to be a tribute to the late guitarist. The 12-song collection of live tracks, recorded in late 1997 in
Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley of M ...
in front of more than 20,000 fans and hometown
Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...
, featured some of the last moments on stage for Tim Kelly. "We'd been recording shows for a live album, but when Tim died, we decided that these were the shows we had to use because it was his last times with our fans,"
Mark Slaughter Mark Allen Slaughter (born July 4, 1964) is an American singer and musician, and one of the founders of the glam metal band Slaughter. Career Slaughter was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 4, 1964. Before the formation of Slaughter, he fr ...
would later explain. Dana Strum would agree: "And I think he'd be pleased that his last recordings were not just in the studio, but were with our fans there too." The album was full of memories. Five of the songs on '' Eternal Live'' were
Top 40 radio Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...
tracks, and six of them were No.1
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
video hits. It also contained Slaughter epics "Up All Night", "The Wild Life", "Mad About You" and their melancholy anthem, "Fly To The Angels". Another
enhanced CD Enhanced CD is a certification mark of the Recording Industry Association of America for various technologies that combine audio and computer data for use in both Compact Disc and CD-ROM players. Formats that fall under the "enhanced CD" ...
from the band, '' Eternal Live'', revealed biographical text and some live concert footage when popped into a CD-Rom drive. The band members were grieving at the death of the guitar player. Uncertain if the band would continue or tour after Tim's passing, the only logical decision for them to consider was to recruit Jeff Blando, former guitarist for Left For Dead, who had been a friend to Tim Kelly and had toured with the band the previous summer as a front of house sound technician. "He was just the obvious, logical choice," Strum said of the guitarist who was chosen without an audition. "He knew the vibe, and he and Tim were friends... In fact, Tim was the first guy who came to the rest of us and said, Have you heard this guy play?" "It helped us pad the loss by bringing in another family member," Strum remarked. The band rehearsed with Jeff Blando during the last week of May 1998 with the only goal in mind to continue and make this work. They were committed to taking part in the ''Rock Never Stops'' tour, which began in mid-May and ran through mid-September, on the same bill with bands like
Quiet Riot Quiet Riot is an American heavy metal band founded in Los Angeles in 1973 by guitarist Randy Rhoads and bassist Kelly Garni. The original lineup featured Rhoads and Garni with lead vocalist Kevin DuBrow and drummer Drew Forsyth, though th ...
, Warrant,
Firehouse __NOTOC__ A fire station (also called a fire house, fire hall, firemen's hall, or engine house) is a structure or other area for storing firefighting apparatuses such as fire engines and related vehicles, personal protective equipment, fire ho ...
and
L.A. Guns L.A. Guns is an American glam metal band from Los Angeles, formed in 1983. The lineup currently consists of Tracii Guns (lead guitar), Phil Lewis (lead vocals), Ace Von Johnson (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Johnny Martin (bass, backing vo ...
. "While we were obviously in shock at first, none of us believe he would want anything but to have us keep the upbeat and positive message of Slaughter's music out there in the world," Dana Strum explained, speaking about their decision to continue touring after Tim Kelly's passing. Slaughter's first performance without Kelly was in
Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, t ...
in June 1998, as part of the '' Rock Never Stops'' tour, with Blando being received by the audience with open arms. Slaughter continued touring on the ''Rock Never Stops'' tour for which Strum came up with the name and concept to showcase bands from the so-called " hair-metal" era. Apart from Slaughter, the tour packaged acts from that scene included
Whitesnake Whitesnake are an English hard rock band formed in London in 1978. The group was originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their own entit ...
,
Vince Neil Vincent Neil Wharton (born February 8, 1961), best known by the stage name Vince Neil, is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist and occasional rhythm guitarist of heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, which he fronted from their 1981 format ...
, Warrant,
Ratt Ratt is an American glam metal band formed in San Diego, California, in the 1970s, that had significant commercial success in the 1980s, with their albums having been certified as gold, platinum, and multi-platinum by the RIAA. The group is bes ...
on single bills, who were playing to as many as 16,000 fans.


1999–2001: ''Back To Reality''

After overcoming all sorts of obstacles and experimenting a bit on its 1997 release ''
Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
'', Slaughter completed their seventh album, named '' Back to Reality'', symbolizing a return to its trademark style characterized by "crunchy lead guitar and ear-piercing vocals". That marked the first joint writing effort involving all four band members and the most challenging recording schedule to date. With the production of the CD beginning only in March 1999 in
Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...
, the album was released on June 29, 1999. In a press release for their new album,
Mark Slaughter Mark Allen Slaughter (born July 4, 1964) is an American singer and musician, and one of the founders of the glam metal band Slaughter. Career Slaughter was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 4, 1964. Before the formation of Slaughter, he fr ...
admitted: "We did stray from our true musical roots on the past couple of albums, but this time we just went in and made a true Slaughter album. This is who we are and who we want to be." Dana Strum seconded that, stating, "That's why we're calling it '' Back to Reality."'' "A lot of bands that started in our time felt the pull to sound like the current trends over the past few years and we were no different," he added, "But now we've made an album for us, not for radio stations or anyone else for that matter." '' Back To Reality'' was the band's first recording featuring their new guitar player, Jeff Blando. His style was described as "similar to guitarists such as
Randy Rhoads Randall William Rhoads (December 6, 1956 – March 19, 1982) was an American guitarist. He was the co-founder and original guitarist of the heavy metal band Quiet Riot, and the guitarist and co-songwriter for Ozzy Osbourne's first two solo alb ...
and
Zakk Wylde Zachary Phillip Wylde (born Jeffrey Phillip Wielandt; January 14, 1967) is an American musician. He is best known as the lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne and as the founder, lead guitarist, lead singer, songwriter and producer of the heavy meta ...
". The album generally received positive reviews from music critics and was described as "a solid entry in the torrent of mainstream rock". It was also noted that, with Jeff Blando filling Kelly's void, "the album screams out of the gate with a pair of adrenaline-pumping rockers, "Killin Time" and "All Fired Up." Another key track is "On My Own," a power ballad that should prove extremely radio accessible". Slaughter began a supporting tour for the new album, joining
Quiet Riot Quiet Riot is an American heavy metal band founded in Los Angeles in 1973 by guitarist Randy Rhoads and bassist Kelly Garni. The original lineup featured Rhoads and Garni with lead vocalist Kevin DuBrow and drummer Drew Forsyth, though th ...
,
Night Ranger Night Ranger is an American hard rock band from San Francisco formed in 1979 that gained popularity during the 1980s with a series of albums and singles. Guitarist Brad Gillis and drummer Kelly Keagy have been the band's only constant members, ...
and headliner
Ted Nugent Theodore Anthony Nugent (; born December 13, 1948) is an American rock musician and activist. He initially gained fame as the lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist of The Amboy Dukes, a band formed in 1963 that played psychedelic rock an ...
on the Rock Never Stops Tour. Early stops on the tour were witnessed by 8,000 to 12,000 fans per night. Strum remarked: "It's no wonder hard rock music has made a comeback." "The music of all hard rock bands will last the test of time because it has a real positive memory," he stated. "It brings back great, positive feelings. It's supposed to make you feel good, and that's what it does every night." In an interview, Strum also mentioned that 60 American rock stations were playing his band's new material. "That's five times the amount of airplay we've had in the last four years", he said. Around this time, the band was also scheduled to appear in a
VH-1 VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commu ...
special ''Where Are They Now?'' that was slated for release in the summer of the same year. In September 1999, Slaughter was featured in a major, full-page story in
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also rep ...
, marking the increase of the interest from media, when the band did more press interviews, various TV and radio shows than in previous years. The next year, in October 2000, the band completed a hugely successful 60-city tour with
Poison Poison is a chemical substance that has a detrimental effect to life. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figuratively, with a broa ...
,
Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
and
Dokken Dokken is an American glam metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. It split up in 1989 and reformed four years later. The band had several hit singles which charted on the Billboard Hot 100, such as " Alone Again", " In My Dreams", and " Burn ...
, "proving that rock is still alive and well". 2001 was marked by Slaughter taking part in ''The Voices of Metal'' tour, which included
Vince Neil Vincent Neil Wharton (born February 8, 1961), best known by the stage name Vince Neil, is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist and occasional rhythm guitarist of heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, which he fronted from their 1981 format ...
of
Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1981. The group was founded by bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee, lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe has sold over 100 million albums ...
,
Stephen Pearcy Stephen Eric Pearcy (born July 3, 1956) is an American musician. He is best known as the founder, singer, songwriter and sole remaining original member of the heavy metal band Ratt. He has also created the bands Firedome, Crystal Pystal, Arcad ...
's
Ratt Ratt is an American glam metal band formed in San Diego, California, in the 1970s, that had significant commercial success in the 1980s, with their albums having been certified as gold, platinum, and multi-platinum by the RIAA. The group is bes ...
, and
Vixen Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...
.


2002 – present

Although Slaughter has not been much in the headlines in the last 20 years, they never officially disbanded the band. The group took part in a number of tours, mostly in the
USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, most of which pair the band up with other
classic metal Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With roots in blues rock, psychedelic rock and acid rock, heavy metal bands developed a ...
and
hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest h ...
groups from the same era. While the band has not released any new studio material since '' Back To Reality'', they maintain their following and continue to tour. The band has performed concert dates each year for the past 32 years in all 50 states and different countries. In 2003, Slaughter joined headliner
Whitesnake Whitesnake are an English hard rock band formed in London in 1978. The group was originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their own entit ...
on the annual Rock Never Stops tour, also featuring Warrant and
Kip Winger Charles Frederick Kip Winger (born June 21, 1961) is an American bass guitarist and singer, active as a member of the rock band Winger and as a solo artist. He initially gained notability as a member of Alice Cooper's band, contributing bass an ...
, sponsored by
VH-1 VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commu ...
Classic television. The same year,
Capitol records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
re-released the first two Slaughter CDs ''
Stick it to Ya ''Stick It to Ya'' is the debut studio album by American glam metal band Slaughter. It was released in 1990 by Chrysalis Records. It sold over 2 million copies and became one of the biggest albums of 1990. "Up All Night"(#27), "Fly to the Angels" ...
'' and '' The Wild Life'', featuring 24-bit digital remastering, additional photos, bonus tracks and liner notes written by Dana Strum and
Mark Slaughter Mark Allen Slaughter (born July 4, 1964) is an American singer and musician, and one of the founders of the glam metal band Slaughter. Career Slaughter was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 4, 1964. Before the formation of Slaughter, he fr ...
. 2004 was marked by the release of a
DVD-A DVD-Audio (commonly abbreviated as DVD-A) is a digital format for delivering high-fidelity audio content on a DVD. DVD-Audio uses most of the storage on the disc for high-quality audio and is not intended to be a video delivery format. The s ...
titled ''Then and Now'' that combined 12 songs and 50 rare photos of the band over the years. Slaughter toured from March to November headlining various venues. In 2005, the band and
VH-1 VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commu ...
teamed up to release a CD of the band's unplugged called ''Stripped'' which kicked off with a sell-out performance in
Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...
. The band toured during the year and broke new ground with casino performances and SRO shows. On March 15, 2006, the
VH-1 VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commu ...
''Stripped''
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...
hit the retail stores. 2006 was also marked by the release of a
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...
that contained live performance footage and band camera footage shots over the years. The band continued touring. In 2007, Slaughter was featured on a compilation CD, Pacific Rim, that became
Platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platin ...
within its first week of release. The group also filmed many of its live performances for a DVD release. In January, the band joined
Vince Neil Vincent Neil Wharton (born February 8, 1961), best known by the stage name Vince Neil, is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist and occasional rhythm guitarist of heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, which he fronted from their 1981 format ...
of
Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1981. The group was founded by bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee, lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe has sold over 100 million albums ...
on a
cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as "sho ...
playing along with
Skid Row A skid row or skid road is an impoverished area, typically urban, in English-speaking North America whose inhabitants are mostly poor people " on the skids". This specifically refers to poor or homeless, considered disreputable, downtrodden or fo ...
and
Ratt Ratt is an American glam metal band formed in San Diego, California, in the 1970s, that had significant commercial success in the 1980s, with their albums having been certified as gold, platinum, and multi-platinum by the RIAA. The group is bes ...
. It was reported by the band that in 2007 Slaughter's music was played more on radio and the internet than in the three previous years combined. Slaughter performed in front of 38,000 people at the world-famed ''Rocklahoma Music Fest'' in 2008, and later the same year participated in a full summer tour with
Vince Neil Vincent Neil Wharton (born February 8, 1961), best known by the stage name Vince Neil, is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist and occasional rhythm guitarist of heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, which he fronted from their 1981 format ...
. In June 2012, they came over to Europe for the first time to take part in the
Sweden Rock Festival The Sweden Rock Festival is an annual rock/metal festival held in Sweden since 6 June 1992. While having a clear rock/metal focus, the festival is noted for its diversity across these genres, from southern rock bands such as Molly Hatchet to dea ...
. According to the band, in 2015, Slaughter, continued to tour extensively and had performed more than 300 shows since 2010 throughout the
U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...
, Europe, Canada and
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. Slaughter has been touring headlining clubs, theaters, casinos, and rock festivals taking an unavoidable break in 2020 due to the then-burgeoning COVID-19 pandemic. In early 2021, Slaughter teamed up with Kiss My Wax Records for a limited reissue of Slaughter's '' Fear No Evil'' album featuring the Definitive Edition of a three-LP box set, sold out within weeks, that was signed by the band, and Standard Edition of a two-LP gatefold set. That was the first official pressing of '' Fear No Evil'' on
vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl m ...
.


2007–present: Vince Neil band

In 2007, Dana Strum joined
Vince Neil Vincent Neil Wharton (born February 8, 1961), best known by the stage name Vince Neil, is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist and occasional rhythm guitarist of heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, which he fronted from their 1981 format ...
's solo band. The decision to recruit Strum as bass player was made at Jeff Blando's suggestion, who was asked to assemble a backing band for Neil. Initially, the idea was met with mixed feelings from the Neil's management team. Though reluctant, eventually they agreed, and Vince Neil band including Dana Strum on bass, Jeff Blando on guitar and
Will Hunt William Hunt (born September 5, 1971) is an American drummer. He has been a member of rock band Evanescence since 2007, and has also played for Skrape, Dark New Day, Black Label Society, Device, Crossfade, Staind, Static-X, and Slaughter. ...
on drums, who later was replaced by Zoltan Chaney, have been touring and playing various venues such as casinos, theaters and music festivals ever since. The band's set usually includes a healthy selection of
Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1981. The group was founded by bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee, lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe has sold over 100 million albums ...
songs, songs from Vince Neil's solo albums and some covers. Strum co-engineered and played bass on Vince Neil's third solo album, '' Tattoos & Tequila'', that was released via
Frontiers Records Frontiers Music – formerly Frontiers Records – is an Italian record label, predominantly producing hard rock. It was founded in 1996 by Serafino Perugino and is based in Naples. History In 1996, Serafino Perugino started working in the m ...
and
Eleven Seven Music Eleven or 11 may refer to: *11 (number), the natural number following 10 and preceding 12 * one of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011, or any year ending in 11 Literature * ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn *''E ...
in June 2010. The album was recorded in the winter of 2009 and also featured Jeff Blando on guitar and Zoltan Chaney on drums. It included two new songs: "Tattoos & Tequila" that was also released as a music video, and "Another Bad Day" both produced by
Marti Frederiksen Martin Harold "Marti" Frederiksen (born July 1, 1962) is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. He writes and produces music primarily in rock, country, and pop. He is best known for his work with many artists and bands incl ...
(
Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whitford (guitar). Their style, which is rooted in blues-ba ...
,
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
,
Def Leppard Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1976 in Sheffield. Since 1992, the band has consisted of Rick Savage (bass, backing vocals), Joe Elliott (lead vocals), Rick Allen (drums, backing vocals), Phil Collen (guitar, backing vocals), ...
), and a selection of classic cuts from some of the rock giants that have influenced
Vince Neil Vincent Neil Wharton (born February 8, 1961), best known by the stage name Vince Neil, is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist and occasional rhythm guitarist of heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, which he fronted from their 1981 format ...
throughout his musical career. The cover songs were produced by Neil and
Jack Blades Jack Martin Blades (born April 24, 1954) is an American rock musician. He has worked in the bands Rubicon, Night Ranger (as bassist and one of the lead vocalists), and Damn Yankees (as one of the founding members). He has also recorded with T ...
(
Damn Yankees ''Damn Yankees'' is a 1955 musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., during ...
,
Night Ranger Night Ranger is an American hard rock band from San Francisco formed in 1979 that gained popularity during the 1980s with a series of albums and singles. Guitarist Brad Gillis and drummer Kelly Keagy have been the band's only constant members, ...
).


Talent scout


Randy Rhoads

In 1978, Dana Strum played bass in BadAxe and was a regular at the LA Club Circuit sharing the stage with the likes of
Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead guit ...
and
Quiet Riot Quiet Riot is an American heavy metal band founded in Los Angeles in 1973 by guitarist Randy Rhoads and bassist Kelly Garni. The original lineup featured Rhoads and Garni with lead vocalist Kevin DuBrow and drummer Drew Forsyth, though th ...
. For months he'd watched
Randy Rhoads Randall William Rhoads (December 6, 1956 – March 19, 1982) was an American guitarist. He was the co-founder and original guitarist of the heavy metal band Quiet Riot, and the guitarist and co-songwriter for Ozzy Osbourne's first two solo alb ...
, Quiet Riot's guitar player, perform with his band. "I would go to the
Starwood Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. was one of the largest companies that owned, operated, franchised and managed hotels, resorts, spas, residences, and vacation ownership properties. It was acquired by Marriott International in 2016. ...
just to see Randy play," Strum said in an interview. "It was the first thing for me that wasn't good or bad – it was extraordinary." One night toward the end of 1978, Strum got the courage to speak to Randy. According to Strum, he told to Rhoads: "You know, there's gotta be something out there for you, man. You're just too good." Strum ultimately discovered what that something may be several months later. In early 1979,
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
had been fired from
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped define ...
, and had spent months drinking in a room at Le Parc Hotel in
West Hollywood West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most prominent gay villages in ...
. Meager attempts were made by
Jet Records Jet Records was a British record label started by Don Arden in 1974, featuring musicians such as Lynsey de Paul, Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), Roy Wood, Gary Moore, Ozzy Osbourne, Alan Price, Adrian Gurvitz, Riot and Magnum. History Th ...
to convince Ozzy to at least think about starting a new band. Eventually, in the summer of 1979, Osbourne went to see Strum playing at the Starwood. After the gig, Ozzy offered the young bassist an invitation to audition for him, breaking up Strum's band. "I was a huge fan f Black Sabbath so I was very excited to meet Ozzy," Strum recalled. They agreed to meet the next day at
Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by nonconformity, free-form improvisation, sound experiments, musical virtuosity and satire of ...
's rehearsal studio on
Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades east to Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It is a major thoroughfare in t ...
.
Gary Moore Robert William Gary Moore (4 April 19526 February 2011) was a Northern Irish musician. Over the course of his career he played in various groups and performed a range of music including blues, blues rock, hard rock, heavy metal, and jazz fu ...
was there. "I had no idea who he was, but he was stunning. When I started talking to Ozzy I ended up saying to him: 'This guy ooreis not the guy for you' ", stated Strum, adding, "But I know the guy you need." Ozzy ignored that, but he did recruit Strum as his new bassist. The next day he found himself driving Osbourne around LA, checking out prospective guitarists. "He had a list with names and addresses, and we would just show up. It was bizarre," Strum said. They were going to people's garages, and apartments, even ran across George Lynch at some point. Strum kept on insisting: "Look, let's forget this. I know the guy." In September 1979, Strum phoned Rhoads relentlessly to convince him to audition. He said, " 'You know I told you there had to be something out there for you? Well, you know the band Black Sabbath?' But before I could get another word out he said: 'Yeah, man, I really don't like them' ". Nevertheless, Strum talked Randy into coming down that night to play for Ozzy at Dalton Records in
Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...
where Dana Strum used to live and work part-time.
Rudy Sarzo Rodolfo Maximiliano Sarzo Lavieille Grande Ruiz Payret y Chaumont (born November 18, 1950) is a Cuban American hard rock/ heavy metal bassist. He remains best known for his work with Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne, and Whitesnake, and has also played ...
, Rhoads's Quiet Riot bandmate, recalled later that initially Randy was not really interested in auditioning, but agreed simply to get Strum off his back. By the time Rhoads came down to the studio with his old
Gibson Gibson may refer to: People * Gibson (surname) Businesses * Gibson Brands, Inc., an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and audio equipment * Gibson Technology, and English automotive and motorsport company based * Gi ...
practice amp, his old six-band equalizer and his
Les Paul Lester William Polsfuss (June 9, 1915 – August 12, 2009), known as Les Paul, was an American jazz, country, and blues guitarist, songwriter, luthier, and inventor. He was one of the pioneers of the solid-body electric guitar, and his prototyp ...
, Ozzy, completely stoned, fell asleep. Strum recalled: "I'd booked time at the studio and persuaded Randy to come down and play, and there was no way I was going to let that slide now." He went in to Ozzy, who wanted Strum to take him home, pulled Osbourne into the control room and made him listen. "'Okay, we'll see this Jesus of guitar players!'," Ozzy said. "I'm starting to wish I'd never opened my mouth. Ozzy wants to go home. Randy says he doesn't like Sabbath," recollected Strum. The control room was dimly lit, so Ozzy focus solely on Rhoads's playing. Rhoads was sitting on a stool on the other side of the glass. Strum asked him just to do the guitar solo he did at the Starwood. Strum said, "It was louder than hell, it sounded huge." Less than a minute later, Ozzy – who had passed out – raised his head, leaned towards Strum and said, "Tell that kid he's got the job. An then, take me home." With Rhoads still playing, Strum rushed Ozzy back to his hotel. Then he came back to tell the guitarist the news. The following day, there was a brief meeting at Ozzy's hotel, during which Randy failed to impress Ozzy by drinking Diet Coke and dressing "very extravagantly." Nevertheless, few days later, the meeting was followed by a jam session at Mars rehearsal studio where Ozzy, Strum and Rhoads were joined, at Randy's suggestion, by drummer
Frankie Banali Frankie Banali (November 14, 1951 – August 20, 2020) was an American rock drummer, most widely known for his work with heavy metal band Quiet Riot. His signature tone and iconic drum intros first became famous on their album '' Metal Health' ...
. According to Strum, "It was a pretty wild band." They rehearsed for about a week and, all of a sudden, Jet Records decided to send Strum and Banali home. In a 1986 interview to Metal Mania, Strum shared: "At that age, it's a devastating blow to you when you put together something that starts to really click, and you know in your heart it's gonna work-and all of a sudden it isn't there anymore. I knew that Randy was gonna happen in a big way, and if I left with any good feeling it was at least somebody was gonna get something good out of it."
Randy Rhoads Randall William Rhoads (December 6, 1956 – March 19, 1982) was an American guitarist. He was the co-founder and original guitarist of the heavy metal band Quiet Riot, and the guitarist and co-songwriter for Ozzy Osbourne's first two solo alb ...
went on to record two studio albums with Ozzy Osbourne –
Blizzard Of Ozz ''Blizzard of Ozz'' is the debut solo studio album by English singer Ozzy Osbourne, released on 12 September 1980 in the UK and on 27 March 1981 in the US. The album was Osbourne's first release following his firing from Black Sabbath in 1979. ...
(1980) and Diary Of A Madman (1981) and toured with Ozzy's solo band across Europe and North America until his tragic death in a small plane crash in
Leesburg, Florida Leesburg is a city in central Florida. The population was 20,117 at the 2010 census. As of 2019, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 23,671. Leesburg is in Lake County, between Lake Harris and Lake Griffin, at the head of the ...
, on March 19, 1982. "He was the best guitarist I'd ever seen," Dana Strum said. "It was Randy's sound – along with
Eddie Van Halen Edward Lodewijk Van Halen ( , ; January 26, 1955 – October 6, 2020) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, keyboardist, backing vocalist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Van Halen, which he co-founded along ...
's – that changed the whole way the next generation of guitar players thought about music. The ones they tried to emulate but never could."


Jake E. Lee

In January 1983,
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
was in need of a guitar player for his band to replace
Brad Gillis Bradley Frank Gillis (born 15 June 1957) is a guitarist most famous for playing with the band Night Ranger. He was in the band Rubicon during the 1970s before Night Ranger. Since forming in 1979, Gillis and drummer Kelly Keagy are the only memb ...
on tour after
Randy Rhoads Randall William Rhoads (December 6, 1956 – March 19, 1982) was an American guitarist. He was the co-founder and original guitarist of the heavy metal band Quiet Riot, and the guitarist and co-songwriter for Ozzy Osbourne's first two solo alb ...
died. Again, he enlisted the help of Dana Strum. Strum arranged auditions for 10 guitar players who were supposed to be the best in L.A. at that time, including
Jake E. Lee Jake E. Lee (born Jakey Lou Williams, February 15, 1957) is an American musician best known as lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne between 1982 and 1987 and later as a member of the band Badlands with Ray Gillen. He formed the band Red Dragon Car ...
, lead guitarist for the band
Rough Cutt Rough Cutt is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles who released two studio albums on Warner Bros. Records in the mid-1980s. Rough Cutt never achieved the commercial success enjoyed by many other Los Angeles bands of that time but vari ...
, and George Lynch, the former guitar player for Xciter and the Boyz. After the auditions, Lynch ended up joining Osbourne on tour, learning the songs and playing at the soundchecks. Apparently, Ozzy wasn't very happy with George Lynch's sound and asked Strum to have Mitch Perry and Jake E. Lee audition with him at S.I.R. studios in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. The night before the audition they were asked to learn "
Crazy Train "Crazy Train" is the debut solo single by English heavy metal vocalist Ozzy Osbourne and was released in 1980 from his debut album as a solo artist, ''Blizzard of Ozz'' (1980). A live version of the song recorded in 1981 from the album ''Trib ...
" and " I Don't Know". Jake E. Lee wasn't familiar with the songs and had to borrow the album from a friend to learn them. The next day, he was offered the gig, despite showing up late, not knowing the songs as well as he should have and refusing to do an "off-the-cuff solo" for them. Strum later recalled: "I was told that George might not be the guy. Ozzy,
Sharon Sharon ( he, שָׁרוֹן ''Šārôn'' "plain") is a given name as well as an Israeli surname. In English-speaking areas, Sharon is now predominantly a feminine given name. However, historically it was also used as a masculine given name. In ...
, and Tommy kinda seemed to fancy Jake and his whole trip and vibe. George was shocked, very pissed and very upset. This was the worst thing for him." Jake E. Lee left for England in three days to play the European gigs with Osbourne. Later in 1983, he was featured on Osbourne's Bark At The Moon album, becoming the first guitarist to play on Ozzy's studio albums after Randy Rhoads.


Style and influences

In an interview for ''Circus'' magazine in 1990, Dana Strum told that he spent a lot of time around
R&B music Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...
during his childhood when living in
Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. Its ...
. The population of Pasadena at the time was known to be a highly mixed group of people. He attributed the bluesy feel of much of Slaughter's music to this early exposure. Strum would later mention that when he was a teenager he used to play along
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped define ...
and
Grand Funk Railroad Grand Funk Railroad (often shortened to Grand Funk) is an American rock band formed in 1968 in Flint, Michigan, by Mark Farner (vocals, guitar), Don Brewer (drums, vocals), and Mel Schacher (bass). The band achieved peak popularity and succe ...
records, also stating that his first concert was a Black Sabbath/
Captain Beyond Captain Beyond is an American rock supergroup formed in Los Angeles in 1971.
at
gig. In 2012, Strum recalled that he "saw the real Black Sabbath" and "just loved" them. He thought that these guys were "onto something different, no one sounds like these people". He also added: "I love music. I love
the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
. Nobody sounds like them, you know. It's so different, so unique, and so interesting." He affirmed that if it weren't for
Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. On ...
or
Geezer Butler Terence Michael Joseph "Geezer" Butler (born 17 July 1949) is a English musician and songwriter. He is best known as the bassist and primary lyricist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath. He has also recorded and performed with Heaven & Hell ...
, he would have never played the bass. In another interview for
Circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclis ...
, Strum pointed out the heavy influence of Queen. He claimed: "They changed my life in high school. I went from being totally enthralled with Black Sabbath to Queen, with those distorted guitar sounds and wild arrangements. They really gave me a whole new enthusiasm for music."


Equipment

Throughout his music career Strum was most often seen playing custom designed V-shape basses made for him by Arbor Guitars. In a 1988 issue of ''Circus'' magazine, it was reported that, as part of his music gear, Strum was using a Korean-made Arbor bass modified with a Badass II bridge. He explained: "It's got a single
Seymour Duncan Seymour Duncan is an American company best known for manufacturing guitar and bass pickups. They also manufacture effects pedals which are designed and assembled in America. Guitarist and luthier Seymour W. Duncan and Cathy Carter Duncan foun ...
vintage single-coil pickup which is directly wired into a 500K potentiometer with no tone circuit," also adding, "It has a maple fretboard, and is a neck-through-the-body model. It's a simple bass." In addition, Strum had two more Arbors at the time — one with a
Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, ...
passive pickup, the other with an EMG active single coil — and a mid '70s Black
Fender Precision The Fender Precision Bass (often shortened to "P-Bass") is a model of electric bass guitar manufactured by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. In its standard, post-1957 configuration, the Precision Bass is a solid body, four-stringed instrum ...
that he used in the studio. Strum stated: "It's still got stock pickups in it. It's the only one I've ever recorded with." Strum also used Dean Markley .105 gauge strings, a
Sunn Sunn (stylized in all lowercase) amplifiers was a brand of musical instrument amplifiers based in Tualatin, Oregon, United States. History In early 1963, the Kingsmen, a band based in Portland, Oregon, became known for their hit version of ...
Coliseum preamp, two
Carvin Carvin () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography An ex-coalmining commune, now a light industrial and farming town, situated some northeast of Lens, completely encircled by the N17 and ...
DC-900 power amps and 1330 Carvin bottoms loaded with
Electro-Voice Electro-Voice (EV) is an American manufacturer of audio equipment, including microphones, amplifiers, and loudspeakers, focused on pro audio applications such as sound reinforcement. As a subdivision of Bosch Communications Systems Inc. since 20 ...
15L speakers. In the past few years, Strum has been using live a white Bluesman Vintage custom Superbird bass.


Discography


With Slaughter


Other notable contributions


Soundtracks

Dana Strum also produced and co-wrote the themes for the syndicated radio programs "
Rockline ''Rockline'' was a nationally syndicated radio interview program hosted by Bob Coburn that was broadcast live via satellite every Monday and Wednesday night from 8:30pm-10pm PT to radio stations in the United States and Canada. Founded in 1981, ...
" and "Powercuts".


Filmography


Music videos


Documentaries, TV series, and other appearances

Strum is often falsely credited as the guitar store clerk in the movie ''
Wayne's World "Wayne's World" was originally a recurring sketch from the NBC television series ''Saturday Night Live''. It evolved from a segment titled "Wayne's Power Minute" (1987) on the CBC Television series '' It's Only Rock & Roll'', as the main charact ...
'' (1992). In 1993, in ''Circus magazine'' he affirmed: "Although I've been told there is an amazing resemblance, the guy in the movie is definitely not me. When they were filming that movie, I was submerged in the studio recording ''The Wild Life''."


References


External links


Historical interview with Charles England
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strum, Dana 1958 births Guitarists from Washington, D.C. American rock bass guitarists American heavy metal musicians American heavy metal bass guitarists American male bass guitarists Glam metal musicians Living people American people of German descent Slaughter (band) members Vinnie Vincent Invasion members American male guitarists 20th-century American guitarists