Poison is an American
glam metal
Glam metal (also known as hair metal or pop metal) is a subgenre of heavy metal that features pop-influenced hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat rock anthems, and slow power ballads. It borrows heavily from the fashion and image of 1970s glam r ...
band formed in 1983, in
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
Mechanicsburg is a borough in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. The borough is eight miles (13 km) west of Harrisburg. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 8,981.
...
. The most successful incarnation of the band consists of lead singer and rhythm guitarist
Bret Michaels
Bret Michael Sychak (born March 15, 1963), known professionally as Bret Michaels, is an American singer and musician. He gained fame as the frontman of rock band Poison who has sold over 50 million albums worldwide and 15 million records in the U ...
, drummer
Rikki Rockett
Richard Allan Ream (born August 8, 1961), better known by the stage name Rikki Rockett, is an American drummer for rock band Poison.
The band has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide and 15 million records in the United States alone.
Bi ...
, bassist and pianist
Bobby Dall
Robert Harry Kuykendall, also known as Bobby Dall (born November 2, 1958), is an American musician best known as the bassist for the multi-platinum selling rock band Poison.
The band has sold over 50 million albums worldwide and has sold 15 milli ...
, and lead guitarist and backing vocalist
C.C. DeVille
C.C. DeVille (born Bruce Anthony Johannesson; May 14, 1962) is an American guitarist best known as a member of rock band Poison. The band has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide, including 15 million in the United States. In addition to ...
. The band achieved huge commercial success in the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s and has sold 16 million records in the United States and over 50 million albums worldwide.
The band is perhaps best known for the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 number one hit single "
Every Rose Has Its Thorn
"Every Rose Has Its Thorn" is a power ballad by American glam metal band Poison. It was released in October 1988 as the third single from Poison's second album '' Open Up and Say... Ahh!''. The band's signature song, it is also their only number- ...
", and other top 40 hit singles in the 1980s and 1990s, including "
Talk Dirty to Me
"Talk Dirty to Me" is a single from American glam metal band Poison. Released on February 18, 1987, it was the second single from their debut album ''Look What the Cat Dragged In''. The song peaked at No. 9 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becomin ...
", "
I Won't Forget You
"I Won't Forget You" is a power ballad by the American glam metal band Poison, originally from the album ''Look What the Cat Dragged In''.
Released as a single in 1987 on the Enigma label of Capitol Records, the song peaked at number 13 on the ...
", "
Nothin' but a Good Time
"Nothin' But a Good Time" (also known as "Nothing But a Good Time") is the first single from the hard rock/glam metal group Poison's second studio album '' Open Up and Say... Ahh!'', with the band releasing that album in May 1988. B-sides "Livin' ...
", "
Fallen Angel
In the Abrahamic religions, fallen angels are angels who were expelled from heaven. The literal term "fallen angel" never appears in any Abrahamic religious texts, but is used to describe angels cast out of heaven"Mehdi Azaiez, Gabriel Said R ...
", "
Your Mama Don't Dance
"Your Mama Don't Dance" is a hit 1972 song by the rock duo Loggins and Messina. Released on their self-titled album ''Loggins and Messina'', it reached number four on the ''Billboard'' pop chart and number 19 on the ''Billboard'' Easy Listening ...
", "
Unskinny Bop
"Unskinny Bop" is a song by American glam metal band Poison, released as the first single from their third studio album, '' Flesh & Blood'' (1990), on June 18, 1990. The song peaked at number three on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, number five on ...
", "
Something to Believe In", "
Ride the Wind
''Ride the Wind'' (1982) by Lucia St. Clair Robson is the story of Cynthia Ann Parker's life after she was captured during the Comanche raid on her family's fort. In 1836, when she was nine years old, Cynthia was kidnapped by Comanche Indians. ...
", and "
Life Goes On."
The band's breakthrough debut album, the multi-platinum ''
Look What the Cat Dragged In
''Look What the Cat Dragged In'' is the debut studio album by American glam metal band Poison (band), Poison, released on May 23, 1986 through Enigma Records. Though not a success at first, it steadily built momentum and peaked at #3 on the US B ...
'', was released in 1986, followed by ''
Open Up and Say... Ahh!'', which was certified 5× platinum in the US. Their third consecutive multi-platinum and best selling album was ''
Flesh & Blood''. In the 1990s following the release of the band's first live album, ''
Swallow This Live
''Swallow This Live'' is the first live album by American glam metal band Poison. It was released in 1991 by Capitol Records. The album peaked at number 51 on the Billboard 200, number 42 on the Cash Box albums chart, and was certified Gold in 20 ...
'', the band experienced some line up changes and the fall of glam metal with the
grunge
Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...
movement. But the band's fourth studio album, ''
Native Tongue'', still achieved Gold status and the band's first compilation album, ''
Poison's Greatest Hits: 1986–1996'', went double platinum.
The original line up reformed for a greatest hits reunion tour in 1999. The band began the 2000s with the release of ''
Crack a Smile... and More!'', followed by the ''
Power to the People'' album. They released the album, ''
Hollyweird
Hollyweird is the sixth studio album by American glam metal band Poison, released on May 21, 2002 through Cyanide Music and debuted at No. 103 on The Billboard 200 chart and No. 8 on the Independent Albums chart and sold 11,000 copies in its fir ...
'', in 2002 and in 2006 the band celebrated their 20-year anniversary with ''
The Best of Poison: 20 Years of Rock'' tour and album, which was certified Gold and marked Poison's return to the
''Billboard'' top 20 charts for the first time since 1993. Band members have released several solo albums and starred in reality TV shows. Since their debut in 1986, they have released seven studio albums, four live albums, five compilation albums, and have issued 28 singles to radio. In 2012
VH1
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 Commun ...
ranked them at No. 1 on their list of the "Top 5 Hair Bands of the '80s".
History
![Poison logo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Poison_logo.svg)
Early years (1983–1985)
Poison, initially named Paris, was formed in 1983, in
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
Mechanicsburg is a borough in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. The borough is eight miles (13 km) west of Harrisburg. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 8,981.
...
and consisted of lead vocalist
Bret Michaels
Bret Michael Sychak (born March 15, 1963), known professionally as Bret Michaels, is an American singer and musician. He gained fame as the frontman of rock band Poison who has sold over 50 million albums worldwide and 15 million records in the U ...
, guitarist Matt Smith, bassist
Bobby Dall
Robert Harry Kuykendall, also known as Bobby Dall (born November 2, 1958), is an American musician best known as the bassist for the multi-platinum selling rock band Poison.
The band has sold over 50 million albums worldwide and has sold 15 milli ...
and drummer
Rikki Rockett
Richard Allan Ream (born August 8, 1961), better known by the stage name Rikki Rockett, is an American drummer for rock band Poison.
The band has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide and 15 million records in the United States alone.
Bi ...
.
Michaels began his performing career with a basement band called Laser and, then, in 1979, joined longtime childhood friend Rockett to form a band called the Spectres. In 1980, Michaels and Rockett teamed up with Smith and Dall to form the band Paris and the group started playing the club circuit, performing mostly rock cover songs in local bars. According to
Vicky Hamilton
Vicky Hamilton (born April 1, 1958) is an American record executive, personal manager, promoter and club booker, journalist, playwright, screenwriter, documentary filmmaker, and artist.
She is noted for managing the early careers of Guns N' R ...
, Poison's first manager, the band's sound at this time revolved around guitarist Smith, who was by far the best musician in the group. While Smith was responsible for music, Dall was more business-minded and Rockett and Michaels focused on the band's stage show and image.
Paris formed a strong local following in Pennsylvania but saw little opportunity of larger success there, and the decision was made to move to Los Angeles. In March 1983, Paris changed their name to Poison and headed west to California.
Arrival of DeVille
Now based in Los Angeles, Poison's stage show began earning them considerable attention in the West-Hollywood
Sunset Strip
The Sunset Strip is the stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through the city of West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with the city of Los Angeles near Marmont Lane to its western border with Beverly H ...
club circuit. The band lived together in a small apartment on Orange St. in Hollywood, and many local female fans began bringing them bags of groceries and cleaning the apartment in exchange for the opportunity to spend time with the band members. The Pennsylvania natives endured culture shock upon settling in Hollywood; "The first week we're seeing people get their asses kicked out front. I remember this pimp was literally smacking the hell out of his ho across the street", Rockett recalled of Poison's early days on the Sunset Strip. That same pimp would later pull a large knife on the band when they decided to intervene, and they learned quickly not to get involved in such matters.
Hamilton, who had previously represented
Stryper
Stryper is an American Christian metal band from Orange County, California. The group's lineup consists of Michael Sweet (lead vocals, guitar), Oz Fox (guitar), Perry Richardson (bass guitar), and Robert Sweet (drums).
Formed in 1983 as Roxx ...
and who would go on to discover
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKa ...
, negotiated a deal with influential club
The Troubadour which would provide the band with a regular gig and allow them to further develop their image and stage show. They recorded demos for
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...
but ultimately the label passed on the band.
By 1985, guitarist Smith was rapidly becoming disillusioned with Poison, as he was about to become a father and was growing doubtful of the band's chances of success. He subsequently left the band and returned home to Pennsylvania, leaving Poison's future very much in doubt. The band auditioned several guitarists in Los Angeles and eventually narrowed the field down to two candidates:
Slash
Slash may refer to:
* Slash (punctuation), the "/" character
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters
* Slash (Marvel Comics)
* Slash (''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'')
Music
* Harry Slash & The Slashtones, an American rock band
* Nash ...
and
C.C. DeVille
C.C. DeVille (born Bruce Anthony Johannesson; May 14, 1962) is an American guitarist best known as a member of rock band Poison. The band has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide, including 15 million in the United States. In addition to ...
. The band knew Slash from the band
Hollywood Rose
Hollywood Rose was an American glam metal group formed in 1983. They are best known as the precursor for what would eventually become Guns N' Roses. The group was founded by Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin and Chris Weber, while they were aided during li ...
, of which he was a member before joining Guns N' Roses, but the band was hoping to find an east coast guitarist. DeVille had recently turned down an offer to join Christian rockers Stryper, and although the rest of Poison were duly impressed with his playing and image, they didn't care for his brash New York personality. DeVille reportedly dismissed the material written by the band which he had been asked to learn for the audition, and clashed with Poison over which songs would encompass the audition. Michaels and Dall, in particular, disliked the guitarist on a personal level and had strong misgivings about hiring him. Ultimately, in spite of their apprehension, the band decided that DeVille's talent and drive to succeed made him the best choice. In the end, the band's desire to replace Smith with another east coast guitarist fueled the move to hire DeVille over Slash. The band also saw hit-single potential in the song DeVille brought with him to the audition, a song from his previous group The Screaming Mimis entitled "Talk Dirty To Me".
''Look What the Cat Dragged In'' and ''Open Up and Say...Ahh!'' (1986–1989)
![Los Angeles based music group, Poison, 1986 (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Los_Angeles_based_music_group%2C_Poison%2C_1986_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Unable to secure a major label recording contract, Poison signed with the smaller
Enigma Records
Enigma Records (also known as Enigma Entertainment Corporation) was a popular rock and alternative American record label in the 1980s.
History
Enigma Records launched as a division of Greenworld Distribution, an independent music importer/dis ...
in 1986 (see
1986 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1986.
Specific locations
*1986 in British music
* 1986 in Norwegian music
Specific genres
* 1986 in country music
* 1986 in heavy metal music
* 1986 in hip hop music
* 1986 ...
) for approximately $30,000, a fraction of the hundreds of thousands of dollars many similar acts were receiving from major labels at the time. Their debut album, ''
Look What the Cat Dragged In
''Look What the Cat Dragged In'' is the debut studio album by American glam metal band Poison (band), Poison, released on May 23, 1986 through Enigma Records. Though not a success at first, it steadily built momentum and peaked at #3 on the US B ...
'', was released on May 23, 1986, with the band members themselves partially funding the recording. The album was initially expected to produce only one single, "
Cry Tough"; however, ''Look What the Cat Dragged In'' became a surprise success and subsequently spawned three charting hits: "
Talk Dirty to Me
"Talk Dirty to Me" is a single from American glam metal band Poison. Released on February 18, 1987, it was the second single from their debut album ''Look What the Cat Dragged In''. The song peaked at No. 9 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becomin ...
", "
I Want Action
"I Want Action" is the third single from Glam metal band Poison, originally from the album ''Look What the Cat Dragged In''.
The song was released as a single in 1987 on the Enigma label of Capitol Records, and peaked at number 50 on the ''Billb ...
", and "
I Won't Forget You
"I Won't Forget You" is a power ballad by the American glam metal band Poison, originally from the album ''Look What the Cat Dragged In''.
Released as a single in 1987 on the Enigma label of Capitol Records, the song peaked at number 13 on the ...
", The record became the biggest-selling-album in Enigma's history. With heavy rotation on MTV, their debut earned the band tours with fellow glam rockers
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 ...
,
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
Quiet Riot
Quiet Riot is an American Heavy metal music, 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 F ...
, as well as a coveted slot in the Texxas Jam in Dallas. In 1987 the band recorded a cover of the
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, ...
song "
Rock and Roll All Nite
"Rock and Roll All Nite" is a song by American rock band Kiss, originally released on their 1975 album '' Dressed to Kill''. It was released as the A-side of their fifth single, with the album track "Getaway". The studio version of the song pe ...
" for
soundtrack to ''Less than Zero''.
Poison's second album, ''
Open Up and Say...Ahh!'', was released May 21, 1988. It peaked at No. 2 on the American charts. The album included the band's biggest hit, the No. 1 single "
Every Rose Has Its Thorn
"Every Rose Has Its Thorn" is a power ballad by American glam metal band Poison. It was released in October 1988 as the third single from Poison's second album '' Open Up and Say... Ahh!''. The band's signature song, it is also their only number- ...
", along with other hits "
Nothin' but a Good Time
"Nothin' But a Good Time" (also known as "Nothing But a Good Time") is the first single from the hard rock/glam metal group Poison's second studio album '' Open Up and Say... Ahh!'', with the band releasing that album in May 1988. B-sides "Livin' ...
", "
Fallen Angel
In the Abrahamic religions, fallen angels are angels who were expelled from heaven. The literal term "fallen angel" never appears in any Abrahamic religious texts, but is used to describe angels cast out of heaven"Mehdi Azaiez, Gabriel Said R ...
", and the
Loggins and Messina
Loggins and Messina was an American rock- pop duo consisting of Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina, who achieved their success in the early to mid-1970s. Among their well-known songs are "Danny's Song", "House at Pooh Corner", and "Your Mama Don't D ...
cover "
Your Mama Don't Dance
"Your Mama Don't Dance" is a hit 1972 song by the rock duo Loggins and Messina. Released on their self-titled album ''Loggins and Messina'', it reached number four on the ''Billboard'' pop chart and number 19 on the ''Billboard'' Easy Listening ...
". The album's initial cover art was controversial, as it depicted a demonic female figure with an obscenely long tongue. A censored version of the cover followed, focusing on the figure's eyes. In 1989, the band released their first video album titled ''
Sight for Sore Ears'' which featured all their music videos from the first two albums.
Conflict pursued the band persistently. Michaels' frequent brawling garnered him further lawsuits in Atlanta, Los Angeles and Tallahassee. Bryn Bridenthal, head of publicity at Geffen Records, filed a $1.1 million lawsuit against the band for drenching her with drinks and a bucket of ice at a music industry party. Then, Sanctuary Music, Poison's former management company, filed a $45.5 million breach of contract suit against the band. Poison retaliated with charges of mismanagement of funds.
Easy Action
''Easy Action'' is the second studio album by the American rock band Alice Cooper, released by Straight Records in March 1970. The title comes from a line from one of the band's favorite films, the musical ''West Side Story''. As with ''Pretties ...
filed a lawsuit, claiming that Poison stole the chorus of their song "We Go Rocking" for their single
I Want Action
"I Want Action" is the third single from Glam metal band Poison, originally from the album ''Look What the Cat Dragged In''.
The song was released as a single in 1987 on the Enigma label of Capitol Records, and peaked at number 50 on the ''Billb ...
.
As recalled by Easy Actions singer in an interview with Rock United, they received an unspecified financial settlement for the alleged plagiarism in 1989. DeVille put the amount at $25,000 in a 1994 radio interview with
Lonn Friend
Lonn Friend (born July 29, 1956) is an American journalist and author. Friend is best known for his work in the late 1980s and '90s as editor of ''RIP Magazine''. Friend began his career in 1982, as associate editor of ''Hustler Magazine'', the ...
.
''Flesh & Blood'' and ''Swallow This Live'' (1990–1992)
Poison continued their adherence to the "work hard, play hard" motto, following up with their third album, ''
Flesh & Blood'', which was released June 21, 1990. It also was highly successful, being certified 3× Platinum in the U.S. and 4× Platinum in Canada. The album's success prompted the impetus for a further world tour. The album also features an alternative cover, as the original featured what appeared to be running ink or possibly blood from a tattoo. The record went multi-platinum, spawning two gold singles: "
Unskinny Bop
"Unskinny Bop" is a song by American glam metal band Poison, released as the first single from their third studio album, '' Flesh & Blood'' (1990), on June 18, 1990. The song peaked at number three on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, number five on ...
" and the ballad "
Something To Believe In" which was dedicated to the band's security guard and close friend James Kimo Maano who had died."
Ride the Wind
''Ride the Wind'' (1982) by Lucia St. Clair Robson is the story of Cynthia Ann Parker's life after she was captured during the Comanche raid on her family's fort. In 1836, when she was nine years old, Cynthia was kidnapped by Comanche Indians. ...
" and "
Life Goes On" were the other single releases that charted, the last single released was the title cut, "
Flesh & Blood (Sacrifice)".
Poison received a letter from Secretary of Defense
Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce Cheney ( ; born January 30, 1941) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He is currently the oldest living former U ...
thanking the band for contributing 20,000 CDs of the album ''Flesh & Blood'' to lift the morale of U.S. Troops during Desert Storm, and their continued support of the Armed Forces.
One of the band's few appearances in the UK was on August 18, 1990, at
Donington's Monsters of Rock
Monsters of Rock was an annual hard rock and heavy metal music festival held in Castle Donington, England, from 1980 to 1996, taking place every year except 1989 and 1993. It later branched into other locations such as the Netherlands, Poland, ...
festival in the summer of 1990.
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 ...
and
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...
headlined with Poison,
Quireboys
The Quireboys are an English rock band formed in 1984 in London, with strong ties to Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle. When the band formed they were originally known as The Queerboys and later as the London Quireboys in the United States and ...
and
Thunder
Thunder is the sound caused by lightning. Depending upon the distance from and nature of the lightning, it can range from a long, low rumble to a sudden, loud crack. The sudden increase in temperature and hence pressure caused by the lightning pr ...
supporting them. This event was broadcast on
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
.
After two consecutive years on the road, band members were at each other's throats with personal differences and drug addictions. Poison recorded several performances during its 1990/1991 Flesh & Blood world tour, which were released in November 1991 as the band's fourth album, ''
Swallow This Live
''Swallow This Live'' is the first live album by American glam metal band Poison. It was released in 1991 by Capitol Records. The album peaked at number 51 on the Billboard 200, number 42 on the Cash Box albums chart, and was certified Gold in 20 ...
''. The double album features live tracks from Poison's first three studio albums and four new studio tracks including the single "
So Tell Me Why
"So Tell Me Why" is a single by American hard rock band Poison, from their 1991 '' Swallow This Live'' album. The song peaked at number 25 on the UK Singles chart
Background
The song was one of four new studio tracks on the live hits album, the ...
", which were the last recorded before C.C. DeVille's departure from the band later that year.
''Native Tongue'', ''Greatest Hits'' and ''Crack a Smile'' (1993–2000)
DeVille was fired and replaced by guitarist
Richie Kotzen
Richard Dale Kotzen Jr. (born February 3, 1970) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. As a solo artist, Kotzen has back catalogue of more than 20 album releases. He was a member of glam metal band Poison from 1991 to 1993, Mr. Big ...
. Poison's fourth album, ''
Native Tongue'', was released February 8, 1993. It was strongly influenced by Kotzen's fresh songwriting contributions and guitar performance. It marked a change for the band as they abandoned their anthemic party tunes to focus on more serious subjects, and was far more
blues-rock oriented than glam metal. Containing the singles "
Stand
Stand or The Stand may refer to:
* To assume the upright position of standing
* Forest stand, a group of trees
* Area of seating in a stadium, such as bleachers
* Stand (cricket), a relationship between two players
* Stand (drill pipe), 2 or 3 ...
" which featured the Los Angeles First A.M.E. Church Choir on backing vocals, "
Until You Suffer Some (Fire And Ice)
"Until You Suffer Some (Fire and Ice)" is a song by American hard rock band Poison. It was released as the second single from their 1993 album, '' Native Tongue''. The song peaked at number 32 on the UK Singles Chart.
Background
The single fea ...
" and "
Body Talk", the album received generally positive reviews and did go Gold, but following the arrival of
grunge
Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...
sales were sluggish compared with the first three albums. The band toured in support of the album, but tensions mounted between Kotzen and the rest of the band. Kotzen's future in the band was doomed when it was discovered that he had become romantically involved with Rockett's then-fiancée Deanna Eve. Kotzen was promptly fired, and replaced by
Blues Saraceno
Blues Saraceno (born October 17, 1971) is an American rock guitarist, composer and music producer, currently residing in Los Angeles, California. He was discovered by ''Guitar for the Practicing Musician'' magazine at the age of 16, which assis ...
in November 1993, who completed the world tour with the band including the famous "Hollywood Rock" concerts in
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
and
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...
,
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, where they played to over 165,000 people.
Poison began recording its sixth album, ''
Crack a Smile
''Crack a Smile... and More!'' is the fifth studio album from the American hard rock band Poison. The record was released on March 14, 2000. The album features guitarist Blues Saraceno, who was hired as the band's new lead guitarist following th ...
'', in early 1994. Recording was brought to an abrupt halt in May 1994, when Michaels was involved in a car accident where he lost control of his
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...
. Michaels suffered a broken nose, ribs, jaw, and fingers and lost four teeth. After his recovery in 1995, the band continued recording the album. The album became shelved shortly after this, with no release date anywhere in sight. Instead, the label opted for a ''
Greatest Hits
A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...
'' compilation, which featured two new tracks with Saraceno on guitar, "Sexual Thing" and "Lay Your Body Down". The first Greatest Hits album was released on November 26, 1996, and sold extremely well, going on to reach double platinum status.
After several years apart, Michaels and DeVille were able to patch up their differences; and Michaels welcomed DeVille back into Poison in 1996 to replace Saraceno.
Michaels was involved with
Pamela Anderson
Pamela Denise Anderson (born July 1, 1967) is a Canadian-American actress and model. She is best known for her glamour modeling work in ''Playboy'' magazine and for her appearances on the television series ''Baywatch'' (1992–1997).
Anders ...
. After Poison's and Michaels' longtime attorney, Ed McPherson, obtained a Federal injunction prohibiting the distribution of an explicit
sex tape
Amateur pornography is a category of pornography that features models, actors or non-professionals performing without pay, or actors for whom this material is not their only paid modeling work. Reality pornography is made porn that seeks to em ...
that the couple made, an abridged version of the tape appeared on the internet in 1998.
Michaels and actor friend
Charlie Sheen
Carlos Irwin Estévez (born September 3, 1965), known professionally as Charlie Sheen, is an American actor. He has appeared in films such as ''Platoon'' (1986), ''Wall Street'' (1987), '' Young Guns'' (1988), '' The Rookie'' (1990), ''The Thr ...
co-founded a production company called Sheen Michaels Entertainment. In 1998, Michaels made his acting debut alongside Charlie and
Martin Sheen
Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez (born August 3, 1940), known professionally as Martin Sheen, is an American actor. He first became known for his roles in the films ''The Subject Was Roses'' (1968) and ''Badlands'' (1973), and later achieved wid ...
in the movie ''
A Letter from Death Row'', which was also written and directed by Michaels.
The ''Greatest Hits'' reunion tour took place in the summer of 1999, with the original lineup. The show at
Pine Knob Amphitheater
Pine Knob Music Theatre (formerly DTE Energy Music Theatre) is an outdoor amphitheater located in Independence Township, Michigan, approximately northwest of Detroit (it has a Clarkston, Michigan mailing address). Built by the Nederlander Organi ...
in metro
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
drew a sell-out crowd of 18,000, and other shows averaged crowds of 12,000. In addition, the band appeared on VH1's ''
Behind the Music
''Behind the Music'' is a documentary television series on VH1. Each episode profiles and interviews a popular musical artist or group. The program examines the beginning of their career, their road to success, and the hardships they may have ...
''. On March 14, 2000, ''
Crack a Smile...and More!'' was finally released, with the single "
Shut Up, Make Love
"Shut Up, Make Love" is a song by American rock band Poison. Released in 2000, it was the first single presented to radio stations from their 2000 album, '' Crack a Smile...and More!''.
Release
The song also appears on the second promo single " ...
" and power ballad "
Be the One". In addition to the outtakes, live recordings from the 1990 installment of 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 Un ...
'' series were included.
''Power to the People'' and ''Hollyweird'' (2001–2002)
After the Poison reunion DeVille soon released his solo album, ''
Samantha 7
Samantha 7 was an American rock band founded in 1998 by C.C. DeVille, lead guitarist from the rock band Poison. They released the self-titled album ''Samantha 7'' in 2000 and C.C. Deville performed lead vocals and guitar on the album. The band als ...
'', and Michaels released the solo/Poison album ''Show Me Your Hits'' which featured re-recorded Poison classics. The album featured Michaels performing Poison hits in a new way and also featured other artists with Michaels on selected tracks. Poison also released ''
Power to the People'', their first album with DeVille in nine years. The record contained five new studio songs: "
Power to the People" which features a music video, "Can't Bring Me Down", "
The Last Song", "Strange", and "I Hate Every Bone In Your Body But Mine", the latter with DeVille on lead vocals for the first time.
In May 2001 Poison released the web single "
Rockstar
Rock Star or Rockstar may refer to:
Films
* ''Rock Star'' (2001 film), an American film starring Mark Wahlberg
* ''Rockstar'' (2011 film), an Indian Hindi-language film by Imtiaz Ali
* ''Rockstar'' (2015 film), an Indian Malayalam-language fi ...
" as a preview of the upcoming new album and went on tour with
Warrant.
Poison's sixth full studio album, ''
Hollyweird
Hollyweird is the sixth studio album by American glam metal band Poison, released on May 21, 2002 through Cyanide Music and debuted at No. 103 on The Billboard 200 chart and No. 8 on the Independent Albums chart and sold 11,000 copies in its fir ...
'', was released on May 21, 2002. It was Poison's first full album of new material with DeVille back in the band. The album was heavily criticized by both critics and fans, feeling it had poor production quality and an unimpressive new sound. One popular site said "It's muddy, under-produced, badly mixed and features crappy drum and guitar sounds". Other reviewers were more impressed, such as
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
, who declared it "one of Poison's best records, if not their best".
A cover of ''
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
'' song "
Squeeze Box" and "
Shooting Star" were also released as a singles for the album.
''Best of Ballads & Blues'' and ''The Best Of Poison'' (2003–2006)
![Poison2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Poison2.JPG)
Following the Hollyweird world tour Poison released their second compilation album, ''
Best of Ballads & Blues
''Best of Ballads & Blues'' is a greatest hits compilation album from the American hard rock band Poison. It was released August 5, 2003 on Capitol Records.
Content
Unlike '' Poison's Greatest Hits: 1986-1996'', this compilation focuses on th ...
'', in 2003. It contains a new acoustic version with new lyrics of "Something to Believe In" and a new acoustic version of "Stand". Michaels also released his second solo album, ''
Songs of Life'', which featured singles "Bittersweet" and "Raine" which featured a music video and was dedicated to his daughter. On January 7 that year, after almost 20 years with Poison, Rockett released his first solo album, ''
Glitter 4 Your Soul
''Glitter 4 Your Soul'' is the debut studio album by Poison drummer Rikki Rockett, released in 2003 (and reissued in 2008). The record features former Poison band member Blues Saraceno on guitars also Poison front man Bret Michaels provides lea ...
'', which was distributed online.
During the summer of 2004, Poison was invited to serve as the opening band on
Kiss's "Rock the Nation" tour. Poison were largely inactive in 2005 which is when Michaels released his third solo album, the country-rock-influenced ''
Freedom Of Sound
''Freedom of Sound'' is the second solo studio album by Bret Michaels, lead singer of the rock band Poison.
It is a country rock album released in 2005, the same year Bret Michaels was a judge on the country music reality tv show ''Nashville S ...
'', which included the single "
All I Ever Needed" featuring Jessica Andrews, which also featured a music video and appeared on
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
's "Hot Country Songs" chart, with its best position being number 45.
After a year off, Poison returned to the music scene. They celebrated their 20th anniversary with a "20 Years Of Rock" world tour in the summer of 2006, with fellow rockers
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
Endeverafter
Endeverafter (stylized as EndeverafteR) was an American Heavy Metal music, heavy metal Musical ensemble, band from Sacramento, California.
History
file:Michael Grant LAGuns.jpg, Band founder Michael Grant
Endeverafter was formed in 2004 by lead ...
opening. The tour swiftly became one of the most successful tours of 2006 in the U.S., averaging about 10,000 people per night. To complement it, the band had released an anniversary compilation album ''
The Best Of Poison: 20 Years Of Rock'', in April that year. The album also features a new single, a cover of
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 succes ...
's "
We're An American Band
''We're an American Band'' is the seventh studio album by American hard rock band Grand Funk Railroad, credited as Grand Funk. The album was released by Capitol Records on July 15, 1973 (see 1973 in music) and was certified gold by the RIAA ...
", produced by
Don Was
Don Edward Fagenson (born September 13, 1952), known professionally as Don Was, is an American musician, record producer and record executive. Primarily a bass player, Was co-founded the funk-rock band Was (Not Was). In later years he produced s ...
and also features a music video. The compilation debuted at No. 17 with a first week sales total of 39,721, which marked Poison's return to the top 20 charts for the first time since 1993.
On August 1, 2006, Capitol Records released remastered versions of the first three Poison albums: ''
Look What the Cat Dragged In
''Look What the Cat Dragged In'' is the debut studio album by American glam metal band Poison (band), Poison, released on May 23, 1986 through Enigma Records. Though not a success at first, it steadily built momentum and peaked at #3 on the US B ...
'', ''
Open Up and Say...Ahh!'' and ''
Flesh and Blood'', in honor of Poison's 20th anniversary. All three include bonus tracks.
''Poison'd!'' and ''Live, Raw & Uncut'' (2007–2009)
On January 3, 2007, Poison announced on their official
MySpace page that they would like their fans to help pick favorite classic rock songs for the new studio album that they are to record. The fans replied with suggestions like
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd ( ) is an American rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida. The group originally formed as My Backyard in 1964 and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (lead vocalist), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Ju ...
's "
Freebird",
Sweet's "
The Ballroom Blitz
"The Ballroom Blitz" (often called "Ballroom Blitz") is a song by British glam rock band The Sweet, written by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman. The song reached number one in Canada, number two in the UK Singles Chart and the Australian Chart, and ...
", and
AC/DC
AC/DC (stylised as ACϟDC) are an Australian Rock music, rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm Young, Malcolm and Angus Young. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock, and Heavy metal ...
's "
You Shook Me All Night Long
"You Shook Me All Night Long" is a song by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, from the album ''Back in Black''. The song also reappeared on their later album ''Who Made Who''. It is AC/DC's first single with Brian Johnson as the lead singer, rep ...
", along with
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 ...
's "
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 ...
".
During 2007, Poison went on a summer tour with
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 ...
. They released their covers album, now named ''
Poison'd!
''Poison'd!'' is the seventh and most recent studio album by American glam metal band Poison, released June 5, 2007. The 14-track album features recordings of Poison's favorite rock classics. Nine new tracks and five previously released covers m ...
'', on June 5, 2007, through Capitol Records. The album entered the
''Billboard'' 200 chart at No. 32 and charted at No. 12 on the
Top Rock Albums
The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...
, selling 21,000 copies in its first week. The first single, "
What I Like About You", featured a music video from the band.
White Lion
The white lion is a rare color mutation of the lion, specifically the Southern African lion. White lions in the area of Timbavati are thought to have been indigenous to the Timbavati region of South Africa for centuries, although the earliest r ...
was removed from the tour due to legal issues, and
Vains of Jenna
Vains of Jenna was a Swedish sleaze rock/metal band formed in Falkenberg in 2005. They later moved to Los Angeles, though most of the band members now reside back in Sweden. In January 2012, the band confirmed on Facebook and MySpace that th ...
took their place. The August 2 sold-out show in at the
Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre St. Louis
The Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre (originally Riverport Amphitheatre and formerly the UMB Bank Pavilion and Verizon Wireless Amphitheater) is an outdoor concert venue in Maryland Heights, Missouri, near St. Louis.
History
The venue was built ...
, Missouri was taped for a live concert
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 ...
and for a HDNet Concert special called: ''Poison: Live, Raw & Uncut'' that aired on October 26, 2007, as part of Heavy Metal Halloween. The band also appeared that night on the channel's Sound Off with
Matt Pinfield
Matthew Pinfield (born May 28, 1961) is an American television host, disc jockey, and music executive. He first reached national prominence as VJ on MTV. He served two stints as the host of the alternative music program '' 120 Minutes'', from 19 ...
.
The band played at the
Rock2Wgtn
The Rock2Wgtn Festival was a two-day music festival. It is the second major music festival to be held in New Zealand, the first being the Big Day Out, but Rock2Wgtn is the first purely metal/rock festival. It is also the first two-day festival, as ...
rock festival in
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
, New Zealand, on the weekend of March 22–23, 2008. The festival also included fellow legendary rockers Kiss,
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 ...
, Alice Cooper,
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 ...
, and Finnish hard rock act
Lordi
Lordi () is a Finnish hard rock/ heavy metal band, formed in 1992 by the band's lead singer, songwriter and costume maker, Mr Lordi (Tomi Petteri Putaansuu). In addition to their melodic metal music, Lordi are also known for wearing monster ma ...
.
Poison played at 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 de ...
2008. The band then went on tour in the summer of 2008 with
Sebastian Bach
Sebastian Philip Bierk (born April 3, 1968), known professionally as Sebastian Bach, is a Canadian-American singer who achieved mainstream success as the frontman of the hard rock band Skid Row from 1987 to 1996. He has acted on Broadway and ha ...
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 ...
.
![Poison Sweden Rock 2008](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Poison_Sweden_Rock_2008.jpg)
Poison live in concert DVD titled ''
Live, Raw & Uncut
''Live, Raw & Uncut'' is a music DVD/CD combo from the Hard rock band Poison, released in 2008 for their summer tour. It sold around 2,400 copies in its first week of release to debut at position No. 8 on Billboard's Top Music Videos chart.
CD
...
'' was released on July 15, 2008, which was filmed in St. Louis, Missouri during the Poison'd tour in 2007. This DVD/CD set was initially exclusive to Best Buy stores and includes behind-the-scenes footage as a bonus feature as well as a live audio CD with selections from the concert. It sold around 2,400 copies in its first week of release to debut at position No. 8 on Billboard's Top Music Videos chart. Also in 2008 a live CD version of the Poison DVD
Seven Days Live
''Seven Days Live'' is the fourth video/DVD album from the American heavy metal/glam metal Poison, featuring a live concert at the Hammersmith Odeon, in London England, from the Native Tongue world tour in 1993, in support of the fourth Poison ...
was released.
On June 7, 2009, Poison made a special appearance at the
63rd Tony Awards
The 63rd Annual Tony Awards, which recognized Broadway productions of the 2008-2009 season, were presented on June 7, 2009 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The ceremony was broadcast by CBS, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris.
The cut-off d ...
, performing "Nothin' But a Good Time" with the cast of
''Rock of Ages'', which features "Nothin' But a Good Time" as a song in the show. As Michaels was exiting the stage, he was struck in the head by a descending set piece and knocked to the ground. He suffered a fractured nose and a split lip requiring three stitches.
Solo success, health issues and touring (2010–present)
In 2010, an
unauthorized biography
An unauthorized biography is a biography written without the subject's permission or input. The term is usually restricted to biographies written within the subject's lifetime or shortly after their death; as such, it is not applied to biographi ...
was released titled ''A Shot of Poison'' featuring a collection of tales from over twenty years with the band, based on the personal encounters of author, rock journalist and music industry insider Christopher Long.
On April 12, 2010, Michaels was rushed to the hospital after suffering intense stomach pains, and an emergency
appendectomy
An appendectomy, also termed appendicectomy, is a Surgery, surgical operation in which the vermiform appendix (a portion of the intestine) is removed. Appendectomy is normally performed as an urgent or emergency procedure to treat complicated acu ...
was performed. On April 22, 2010, Michaels was again rushed to the hospital, this time with an "excruciating" headache. Doctors discovered that he had suffered a massive
subarachnoid hemorrhage
Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is bleeding into the subarachnoid space—the area between the arachnoid membrane and the pia mater surrounding the brain. Symptoms may include a severe headache of rapid onset, vomiting, decreased level of consci ...
. He was in critical condition, and while some reports suggested that his condition had stabilized, others later stated that this was premature. On April 28, Michaels' representatives reported that he was conscious and speaking, albeit slowly, for the first time since he was hospitalized. In a news conference on May 5, 2010, Dr. Joseph Zabramski said Michaels has been released from the hospital and that "He's just one of those lucky people" and that "he'll make a complete recovery".
In the same year, Michaels released
Custom Built
''Custom Built'' is the third studio album by American musician Bret Michaels, lead singer of the rock band Poison. It was released on July 6, 2010 and is Michaels' first studio album since 2005's ''Freedom of Sound''.
Announced on Michaels' Faceb ...
. Half of the new album was enriched with previously released solo material. The lead-off single
Nothing to Lose features pop singer
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip hop ...
and was the most added song to radio in the week of its release. Custom Built received mixed to negative reviews and it peaked at number 14 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200, topping both the Independent Albums and Hard Rock Albums.
This marks the highest US chart entries by a member of Poison since
Flesh & Blood in 1990.
On March 1, Poison announced a 2011 Summer tour 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 ...
and
New York Dolls
New York Dolls were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved much commercial succe ...
to celebrate their band anniversaries named the
Glam-A-Geddon 25/30/40. Also for Poison's 25th anniversary, a double CD named ''
Double Dose: Ultimate Hits'' consisting exclusively of songs distributed by Capitol/EMI was released May 3, 2011. The compilation charted at No. 17 in Canada.
In 2012, Poison and
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), a ...
performed at the ''Rock of Ages'' tour named after their
1983 song and after the
2012 motion picture of the same name, where the songs of both bands played a central role. Michaels also resumed his "Get Your Rock On" solo tour, named after his then latest single.
After completing the ''Rock of Ages'' tour, the bandmembers went their separate ways. Joint projects did not go beyond their announcements. Michaels continued touring and played almost exclusively Poison's single releases with his solo band. He released ''
Jammin' with Friends'' featuring re-recorded alternate versions of Poison and Michaels solo tracks on June 25, 2013 peaking at #80 on the ''Billboard'' 200.
[ In June 2014, Rockett co-founded the band ]Devil City Angels
Devil City Angels is a rock supergroup formed by guitarist Tracii Guns (L.A. Guns), drummer Rikki Rockett ( Poison), bassist Eric Brittingham (Cinderella) and vocalist and rhythm guitarist Brandon Gibbs ( Cheap Thrill).
History
file:Traciibw (cr ...
. DeVille, Dall and Rockett performed together without Michaels as a live band dubbed The Special Guests in the summer of 2015. Brandon Gibbs accompanied them on vocals. At the end of 2015, drummer Rockett was diagnosed with oral cavity cancer, and joint projects had to be put on hold because of the necessary treatment.
In 2017, Poison went on a co-headlining a tour with 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), a ...
and special guest Tesla throughout the spring and summer and coincided with limited headline acts throughout the US and Canada celebrating their recent 30-year anniversary. The Nothing But a Good Time Tour
The Nothing But a Good Time Tour was a concert tour headlined by the American glam metal band Poison. Cheap Trick and Pop Evil provided support throughout the tour. The tour began May 18, 2018 at Five Points Amphitheatre in Irvine, California and ...
with opening acts 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 ...
and Pop Evil
Pop Evil is an American rock band that was formed in North Muskegon, Michigan, in 2001 by Leigh Kakaty. The band's roots reside in TenFive, a group formed in the late-1990s by Kakaty and guitarist Jason Reed.
Pop Evil won the Radio Contraband ...
started May 18 and ended July 1 of the following year.
In 2019 Michaels announced his autobiography to be released in 2020 titled ''Unbroken: My life in Pictures & Stories'' to coincide with his single release "Unbroken". It was initially set to be titled ''Roses & Thorns'' when Michaels first started working on the project and was set to be released in 2010, but kept being pushed back to include more content. In May 2020 ''Bret Michaels: Auto-Scrap-ography Volume 1: My Life in Pictures & Stories'' has been released as the first in a series of trilogies.
Poison toured North America as an opening act for 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 ...
and 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), a ...
with Joan Jett
Joan Jett (born Joan Marie Larkin, September 22, 1958) is an American singer, guitarist, record producer, and actress. Jett is best known for her work as the frontwoman of her band Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and for earlier founding and per ...
for The Stadium Tour
The Stadium Tour was a co-headlining concert tour by English rock band Def Leppard and American rock band Mötley Crüe, taking place in the summer and fall of 2022 in venues across North America. Poison and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts served a ...
from June 16 to September 9, 2022. The tour was originally scheduled for the summer of 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. During the tour, Michaels expressed doubt that the band would record another album, but hoped that they would write and record another song that evoked their hits from their heyday.
Band members
Current
*Bret Michaels
Bret Michael Sychak (born March 15, 1963), known professionally as Bret Michaels, is an American singer and musician. He gained fame as the frontman of rock band Poison who has sold over 50 million albums worldwide and 15 million records in the U ...
– lead vocals
The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...
, rhythm guitar
In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...
, harmonica
The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...
(1983–present)
*Rikki Rockett
Richard Allan Ream (born August 8, 1961), better known by the stage name Rikki Rockett, is an American drummer for rock band Poison.
The band has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide and 15 million records in the United States alone.
Bi ...
– drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
, percussion
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...
, backing vocals
A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...
(1983–present)
*Bobby Dall
Robert Harry Kuykendall, also known as Bobby Dall (born November 2, 1958), is an American musician best known as the bassist for the multi-platinum selling rock band Poison.
The band has sold over 50 million albums worldwide and has sold 15 milli ...
– bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
, piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
, backing vocals (1983–present)
*C.C. DeVille
C.C. DeVille (born Bruce Anthony Johannesson; May 14, 1962) is an American guitarist best known as a member of rock band Poison. The band has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide, including 15 million in the United States. In addition to ...
– lead guitar
Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...
, backing vocals, occasional lead vocals (1985–1991, 1996–present)[
Former
*Matt Smith – lead guitar, backing vocals (1983–1985)
*]Richie Kotzen
Richard Dale Kotzen Jr. (born February 3, 1970) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. As a solo artist, Kotzen has back catalogue of more than 20 album releases. He was a member of glam metal band Poison from 1991 to 1993, Mr. Big ...
– lead guitar, keyboard
Keyboard may refer to:
Text input
* Keyboard, part of a typewriter
* Computer keyboard
** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping
** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware
Music
* Musi ...
s, piano, mandolin, dobro, backing vocals (1991–1993)
*Blues Saraceno
Blues Saraceno (born October 17, 1971) is an American rock guitarist, composer and music producer, currently residing in Los Angeles, California. He was discovered by ''Guitar for the Practicing Musician'' magazine at the age of 16, which assis ...
– lead guitar, keyboards, piano, backing vocals (1993–1996)
Touring musicians
*Will Doughty – keyboards, piano, backing vocals (2007–present)
Former touring musicians
*Jesse Bradman – keyboards, piano, backing vocals (1993-1994)
;Timeline
Discography
;Studio albums
*''Look What the Cat Dragged In
''Look What the Cat Dragged In'' is the debut studio album by American glam metal band Poison (band), Poison, released on May 23, 1986 through Enigma Records. Though not a success at first, it steadily built momentum and peaked at #3 on the US B ...
'' (1986)
*'' Open Up and Say... Ahh!'' (1988)
*'' Flesh & Blood'' (1990)
*'' Native Tongue'' (1993)
*'' Crack a Smile... and More!'' (2000)
*''Hollyweird
Hollyweird is the sixth studio album by American glam metal band Poison, released on May 21, 2002 through Cyanide Music and debuted at No. 103 on The Billboard 200 chart and No. 8 on the Independent Albums chart and sold 11,000 copies in its fir ...
'' (2002)
*''Poison'd!
''Poison'd!'' is the seventh and most recent studio album by American glam metal band Poison, released June 5, 2007. The 14-track album features recordings of Poison's favorite rock classics. Nine new tracks and five previously released covers m ...
'' (2007)
Tours
* Look What the Cat Dragged In Tour (1986–1987)
* Open Up and Say Ahh! Tour (1988–1989)
* Nothing but a Good Time Down Under Tour (1989)
* Flesh & Blood World Tour (1990–1991)
* Native Tongue World Tour (1993–1994)
* Greatest Hits Reunion Tour (1999)
* Power to the People Tour (2000)
* Glam, Slam, Metal, Jam Tour (2001)
* Hollyweird World Tour (2002)
* Harder, Louder, Faster Tour (2003)
* Rock the Nation World Tour (2004)
* 20 Years of Rock World Tour (2006)
* POISON'D Summer Tour (2007)
* Live, Raw & Uncut Summer Tour (2008)
* 42-city Summer Tour (2009)
* Glam-A-Geddon Tour (2011)
* Rock of Ages Tour (2012)
* 30th Anniversary North American Comeback Tour (2017)
* Nothing But a Good Time Tour
The Nothing But a Good Time Tour was a concert tour headlined by the American glam metal band Poison. Cheap Trick and Pop Evil provided support throughout the tour. The tour began May 18, 2018 at Five Points Amphitheatre in Irvine, California and ...
(2018)
* The Stadium Tour
The Stadium Tour was a co-headlining concert tour by English rock band Def Leppard and American rock band Mötley Crüe, taking place in the summer and fall of 2022 in venues across North America. Poison and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts served a ...
(2022)
Awards and nominations
American Music Award
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 ...
s
Metal Edge
''Metal Edge'' was a magazine covering heavy metal music published by Zenbu Media. The magazine was founded in the summer of 1985, during the height of glam metal's success. Zenbu Media acquired ''Metal Edge'' in February 2007.
Both ''Metal Edge ...
Readers' Choice Awards
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Poison
1983 establishments in Pennsylvania
Capitol Records artists
EMI Records artists
Enigma Records artists
Glam metal musical groups from Pennsylvania
Hard rock musical groups from Pennsylvania
Heavy metal musical groups from Pennsylvania
Musical groups established in 1983
Musical quartets