Dokken is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1976 as Airbourne, the group originally consisted of eponymous guitarist Don Dokken, lead vocalist Paul Goldwin, bassist Juan Croucier and drummer Bobby Blotzer.
By the time they recorded their debut album Breaking the Chains , the band's lineup featured of Don Dokken as lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist, lead guitarist George Lynch, bassist Juan Croucier and drummer Mick Brown.
Except eponymous vocalist, the current lineup of Dokken includes the guitarist Jon Levin (since 2003), bassist Chris McCarvill (since 2015) and drummer Bill "BJ" Zampa (since 2019).
Don Dokken formed his eponymous band Dokken in October 1978, after two years fronting a group called "Airbourne". [1] The outfit's first recording was the single "Hard Rock Woman", on which Robin Trower band members Rustee Allen (bass guitar) and Bill Lordan (drums) performed, as Dokken was yet to hire an official band. [2] By the time the release was printed, bassist Steven R. Barry and drummer Greg Pecka had been brought in, so they were credited on the sleeve as band members. [3] For the band's first tour in Germany the same year, Barry was replaced by Juan Croucier. [4] [5] The tour spawned recordings for the EP Back in the Streets , recording in October 1979 and was released in 1989. [6]
A second German tour followed in October 1980, which featured a lineup of Dokken with lead guitarist Greg Leon, bassist Gary Link and drummer Gary Holland. [7]
In April 1981, Croucier and Blotzer returned to Dokken. On July new guitarist George Lynch and drummer "Wild" Mick Brown of band "Xciter" was joined. [2] After signing with Carrere Records, the band recorded its debut album Breakin' the Chains until September, which was initially credited to Don Dokken as a solo release. [8] Bass on the album was performed by Accept's Peter Baltes, as Croucier reportedly "missed the deadline to get to Germany" for the sessions. [9]
After its release, the band returned to the US and, according to Don Dokken, "For a year and a half, nothing happened" – Croucier joined Ratt, while Lynch and Brown returned to "Xciter". [10]
In the summer of 1983, Breaking the Chains was re-recorded with Croucier and released in 18 September by Elektra/Asylum Records. [11] A few month before its release, Croucier left to commit full-time to Ratt. [11]
Croucier was replaced after the release of Breaking the Chains by Jeff Pilson. [12] This lineup remained constant throughout the rest of the 1980s, releasing the band's most successful albums in Tooth and Nail , Under Lock and Key , Back for the Attack and Beast from the East . [13]
In March 1989, however, the group broke up due to ongoing tensions between Dokken and Lynch. [14] Dokken has claimed that Lynch's excessive drug use was the reason for the split, [15] while the guitarist has blamed disagreements over financial arrangements for the breakup, claiming that the frontman "decided that he wanted it all, he didn't wanna share it with us". [16]
In late 1994, Lynch was convinced to reunite with Dokken to complete a reformation of the band's previous lineup, adding lead guitar overdubs to a new album released the next year, Dysfunctional . [17] However, after one more album, Shadowlife , Lynch left again in late 1997. [18] He was replaced by former Europe guitarist John Norum, who joined partway through an American tour before the end of the year. [19] By the next summer, former Winger and Alice Cooper guitarist Reb Beach had taken over the position. [20] Beach recorded one studio album, Erase the Slate , before Norum returned in July 2001. [21] The group started recording a new album, but in October 2001 it was announced that Pilson had been replaced for the sessions by bassist Barry Sparks, although this was initially not a full-time replacement. [22] The following month, however, Don Dokken confirmed that Pilson had officially left to focus on his various other projects. [23]
After the release of Long Way Home , John Norum left again in June 2002. [24] Although his departure was initially credited to an injury, the guitarist later explained that it was due to tensions with Don Dokken, claiming that "he became this awful person that I didn't want to have anything to do with." [19] Following Norum's second departure, the band was temporarily joined by Italian guitarist Alex De Rosso. [25] The 2002 tour also saw drummer Mick Brown replaced for one show by Adam Hamilton of L.A. Guns due to a recurring shoulder injury. [26] By late 2003, Dokken had a new full-time lead guitarist in Jon Levin, formerly of Warlock, who debuted on Hell to Pay in 2004. [27]
Following the release and promotion of Lightning Strikes Again , Sparks temporarily left to tour with UFO in the summer of 2009, with former Great White bassist Sean McNabb taking his place. [28] Early the next year, Sparks had to step back from his duties with both bands in order to take care of a family member. [29] McNabb subsequently remained, debuting on the 2010 collection of re-recordings Greatest Hits . [30] He also performed on 2012's Broken Bones , before being replaced in November 2014 by former Yngwie Malmsteen vocalist Mark Boals due to his inability to commit full-time to Dokken. [31] Within a year, however, Boals had been replaced by Chris McCarvill. [32]
In June 2016, following months of rumours, it was announced that the "classic" Dokken lineup including guitarist George Lynch, bassist Jeff Pilson and drummer Mick Brown (still a regular member) were set to reunite for a short run of shows in Japan that October. [33] Despite receiving offers to add more shows in various countries around the world, Don Dokken assured fans that a reunion would "never happen again" after the Japanese tour. [34] Footage from one of the shows was later released as Return from the East Live (2016) in April 2018. [35]
On May 7, 2019, Brown announced that he was "taking a break" from performing with Dokken. [36] Within a couple of months of the announcement, Don Dokken added that Brown was permanently retiring, with his temporary replacement Bill "BJ" Zampa of House of Lords taking his place in the group. [37] In 2020 the band released The Lost Songs: 1978–1981, on which Levin and Zampa performed some overdubs on old tracks. [38]
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Don Dokken |
|
| all releases | |
George Lynch |
|
|
| |
Jon Levin | 2003–present |
|
| |
Chris McCarvill | 2015–present |
| Heaven Comes Down (2023) | |
Bill "BJ" Zampa | 2019–present (touring 2008–2010) |
|
|
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Juan Croucier |
|
|
| |
Bobby Blotzer |
| drums | Breakin' the Chains (1981)(tracks 6–8) | |
Paul Goldwin | 1976 | lead vocals | none | |
Jeff Tappen | 1977 | bass guitar | ||
Greg Pecka | 1978–1980 | drums |
| |
Steven R. Barry | 1978–1979 |
| none | |
Gary Link | 1980–1981 | bass guitar | ||
Gary Holland | drums | |||
Greg Leon | 1980 | lead guitar | ||
Mick "Wild" Brown |
|
| all releases from Breakin' the Chains (1981) to Return to the East Live (2016) | |
Warren DeMartini [39] | 1982 | guitar | Breakin' the Chains (1983) - track 10 | |
Jeff Pilson |
|
| all releases from Tooth and Nail (1984) to Live from the Sun (2000) & subsequent live albums | |
John Norum |
|
| Long Way Home (2002) | |
Reb Beach | 1998–2001 |
| ||
Barry Sparks | 2001–2009 |
|
| |
Alex De Rosso | 2002–2003 |
| none | |
Sean McNabb | 2009–2014 |
|
| |
Mark Boals |
|
|
|
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mikkee D | 2001 | bass guitar | Mikkee stood in for Jeff Pilson, who was working on solo material, at the Sweden Rock Festival in 2001. [40] | |
Adam Hamilton | 2002 | drums | Hamilton substituted for Mick Brown for one show in the summer of 2002 due to a recurring shoulder injury. [26] | |
Greg Smith | 2003 |
| Smith filled in for Barry Sparks, who was busy fulfilling other tour commitments, on several occasions. [41] [42] | |
Frankie Banali | 2004 | drums | ||
K.J. Hunter | 2006 | One off show in 2006 at the House of Blues. | ||
Vik Foxx | 2007 | |||
Jeff Martin | 2008 |
| Martin and Marks each filled in for Mick Brown during Dokken's touring in the summer of 2008. [43] [44] | |
Bobby Marks | drums | |||
Jimmy DeGrasso | 2012 | DeGrasso temporarily took over from Mick Brown during the summer of 2012, as he was touring with Ted Nugent. [45] | ||
Jack Russell | 2017 | lead vocals | Russell made a guest appearance on "Alone Again" at Dokken's M3 Rock Festival performance in April 2017. [46] | |
Ira Black | lead guitar | Black temporarily substituted for regular guitarist Jon Levin during a tour in November and December 2017. [47] |
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bill Lordan | 1978 | drums |
| |
Rustee Allen | bass guitar | |||
Peter Baltes | 1981 | Breakin' the Chains (1981) | ||
Period | Members | Releases |
---|---|---|
1976 (as "Airborne") |
| none |
1976 – 1977 |
| |
1977 |
| |
1977 – September 1978 |
| |
October 1978 (temporary recording lineup (session); as solo artist) |
|
|
October 1978 – June 1979 |
| none |
July 1979 – September 1980 |
|
|
October – December 1980 |
| none |
January – March 1981 |
| |
April – June 1981 |
| Breakin' the Chains (1981) (2 tracks) |
July – September 1981 |
|
|
November 1981 – May 1982 (as "Dokken") |
|
|
Band inactive May – October 1982 | ||
October – December 1982 |
| Breaking the Chains (1983) (track 10) |
January – October 1983 |
| Breaking the Chains (1983) (re-recorded) |
October 1983 – March 1989 |
|
|
Band inactive March 1989 – March 1990 | ||
March – April 1990 (as solo artist) |
| none |
April 1990 – December 1991 |
|
|
Band inactive December 1991 – mid 1993 | ||
Mid 1993 – November 1994 |
| none |
December 1994 – August 1997 |
|
|
September 1997 – August 1998 |
| none |
August 1998 – June 2001 |
|
|
June 2001 – June 2002 |
|
|
June 2002 – March 2003 |
| none |
March 2003 – February 2009 |
|
|
February 2009 – October 2014 |
|
|
November 2014 – February 2015 |
| none |
February 2015 – August 2016 |
| |
September — October 2016 (special reunion tour) |
|
|
November 2016 – May 2019 |
| |
May 2019 – present |
|
|
Dokken is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. It split up in 1989 and reformed four years later. The band has had several hit singles which charted on the Billboard Hot 100, such as "Alone Again", "In My Dreams", and "Burning Like a Flame", and has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide. The live album Beast from the East was nominated for the inaugural Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 1989.
George Lynch is an American guitarist, best known for his work with the hard rock band Dokken and his post-Dokken solo band Lynch Mob. He is regarded as one of the most renowned and influential rock guitarists of the 1980s, noted for his distinctive playing style and sound.
L.A. Guns are an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1983. The lineup currently consists of Tracii Guns, Phil Lewis, Ace Von Johnson, Johnny Martin, Adam Hamilton and Shawn Duncan. The first incarnation of the group was formed by Tracii Guns and Rob Gardner in 1983 and merged with fellow Los Angeles group Hollywood Rose to form Guns N' Roses in March 1985. After only a brief tenure in that band, Guns reformed L.A. Guns with a new lineup, consisting of Paul Black, Mick Cripps, Robert Stoddard, and Nickey Alexander. Black would soon be replaced by former Girl singer Phil Lewis while former Faster Pussycat bassist Kelly Nickels was added to the group. Later, Alexander would be replaced by former W.A.S.P. drummer Steve Riley with this being known as the "classic lineup" of L.A. Guns. They achieved moderate chart success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. However, the group went through numerous lineup changes and failed to regain mainstream attention.
Tracy Irving Richard Ulrich, known professionally as Tracii Guns, is an American guitarist best known as the co-founder of glam metal group L.A. Guns, as well as the supergroups Brides of Destruction and Contraband. He was also a founding member of Guns N' Roses, but left shortly afterwards and was replaced by guitarist Slash.
Tooth and Nail is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Dokken, released on September 14, 1984 through Elektra Records.
Jeffrey Steven Pilson 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.
Michael J. Brown, also known as "Wild" Mick Brown, is an American retired drummer who played in the rock bands Dokken, Lynch Mob, The End Machine, and Xciter, as well as in Ted Nugent's band.
Robert John Blotzer is an American musician best known as the drummer for metal band Ratt. He attended Torrance High School in Torrance, California along with his future Ratt bandmate Juan Croucier.
Donald Maynard Dokken is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and founder of glam metal band Dokken. He is known for his vibrato-laden, melodic vocal style which has made him an influential figure in American glam rock.
Lynch Mob is an American hard rock band, formed in 1989 by former Dokken guitarist George Lynch, who is the band's only permanent member.
Peter Baltes is a German musician, best known as former bassist of heavy metal band Accept and as current bassist of U.D.O.
Back in the Streets is a 1979 EP by the American heavy metal band Dokken, recorded in 1979 during the band's tour of Germany.
Benedictum is an American heavy metal band formed in 2005 in San Diego, California that now resides in Phoenix, Arizona. Their current lineup consists of vocalist Veronica Freeman, guitarist Pete Wells, bassist Aric Avina, and drummer Rikard Stjernquist. Since their formation the band released four studio albums, debuting with Uncreation in 2006, followed by Seasons of Tragedy in 2008, both through Spain-based label Locomotive Music, before signing with Italian label Frontiers Records for their third album, Dominion, issued in 2011. Their fourth and most recent album, Obey, was released on Frontiers Records in 2013.
Ratt was an American glam metal band 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 perhaps best known for hit singles such as "Round and Round" and "Lay It Down", tracks that ranked on Billboard's top 40 at No. 12 and No. 40, respectively, as well as other songs such as "Wanted Man", "You're in Love" and "Dance". Along with bands such as friendly rivals Mötley Crüe, Ratt has been recognized as instrumental in the formation of the early 1980s Los Angeles glam metal scene, also known as "hair metal" or "pop metal".
Souls of We is an American hard rock supergroup from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2007. The lineup consists of London LeGrand (vocals), George Lynch (guitar) and Johny Chow (bass). Since 2009, Jordan Mancino has been the band's drummer, replacing Yael.
T&N is an American hard rock band formed in 2011 by then-current and former members of Dokken.
The End Machine is an American supergroup originally consisting of guitar player George Lynch, bass player Jeff Pilson, drummer Mick Brown and singer Robert Mason. According to a 2021 interview with guitarist George Lynch, the band is an intentional return to the classic Dokken sound.