Jon Levin (born March 18, 1966) is an American musician and the current guitarist for heavy metal band

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 ...

Biography

Early years

Jon Levin was involved with music very early on in life. He began playing piano at age four, trumpet by age seven, and guitar at age nine. Instead of having formal lessons, Levin played along to his favorite musicians including

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 ...

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...

and later George Lynch from Dokken, whose place Levin would eventually take. He played in a club band called Devias at age 19 in the

Long Island, New York Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18th ...

area, and then auditioned for and joined German band

Warlock A warlock is a male practitioner of witchcraft. Etymology and terminology The most commonly accepted etymology derives ''warlock'' from the Old English '' wǣrloga'', which meant "breaker of oaths" or "deceiver" and was given special applicatio ...

at age 22. When the grunge scene took over in the early 1990s, Levin took a break from being a musician because he wasn't interested in that type of music. Levin relocated to the West Coast and became an entertainment lawyer. In his capacity as an entertainment lawyer, Jon has served as legal counsel, working with

Jim Paidas Jim Paidas (born April 24, 1956 in Stamford, Connecticut) is an American brand-building executive and intellectual property licensing agent. He was also the drummer in the 1970s and 1980s rock bands ''Ambush'' and ''Rough Cut''. Career Paidas ...

, of Paidas Management, on a myriad of licensing programs; some of which include

Orange County Choppers Orange County Choppers (OCC) is an American motorcycle manufacturer and lifestyle brand company based in the town of Newburgh, located in Orange County, New York, that was founded in 1999 by Paul Teutul Sr. The company was featured on '' Amer ...

, '' Dog the Bounty Hunter'', ''

American Hot Rod ''American Hot Rod'' is a reality television series that originally aired between 2004 and 2007 on The Learning Channel and Discovery Channel. The series followed renowned car designer Boyd Coddington and his crew as they built hot rods and c ...

'', and ''Rockstalgia''.

Dokken

In 1998, Levin was asked by

Jeff Pilson Jeffrey Steven Pilson (born January 19, 1959) is an American musician best known for being the bass player in the glam metal band Dokken and currently classic rock band Foreigner. He has also had an extended stint with Dio in the 1990s. He is ...

, Dokken's bassist, to play some solos on a demo. He anticipated playing on a solo album for Pilson, but when he arrived at the studio, all of Dokken was present. Levin played on a Dokken track called "Dancin' (The Irish Song)" which originally was to be included on the ''

Erase the Slate ''Erase the Slate'' is the seventh studio album by American heavy metal band Dokken, released in 1999. It is the only Dokken studio album to feature former Winger guitarist Reb Beach and the last one with long-time bassist Jeff Pilson. Trac ...

'' album but instead was later included on the '' Long Way Home'' import. However, Levin did not join the group until late 2003.

Discography

With Doro

* ''

Force Majeure In contract law, (from Law French: 'overwhelming force', ) is a common clause in contracts which essentially frees both parties from liability or obligation when an extraordinary event or circumstance beyond the control of the parties, such ...

'' (1989)

With Dokken

* '' Hell to Pay'' (2004) * ''

Lightning Strikes Again ''Lightning Strikes Again'' is the tenth studio album by the American heavy metal band Dokken. It was originally scheduled for release on October 24, 2007, in Japan and on October 29 worldwide, but was postponed until 2008. The album was event ...

'' (2008) *''

Broken Bones A bone fracture (abbreviated FRX or Fx, Fx, or #) is a medical condition in which there is a partial or complete break in the continuity of any bone in the body. In more severe cases, the bone may be broken into several fragments, known as a '' ...

'' (2012)

References

1966 births 20th-century American guitarists American heavy metal guitarists Dokken members Jewish American musicians Jewish heavy metal musicians Living people People from Woodmere, New York 21st-century American Jews Warlock (band) {{metal-music-stub