Great White is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1979, the group was originally known as Dante Fox and consisted of lead vocalist Lisa Baker, guitarist Mark Kendall, bassist Don Costa and drummer Tony Richards. The band's current lineup includes Kendall alongside guitarist and keyboardist Michael Lardie, drummer Audie Desbrow (both of whom originally joined in 1985 and rejoined in 2006), bassist Scott Snyder (since 2008) and lead vocalist Brett Carlisle (since 2022).
From December 2011 until 2024, former Great White vocalist Jack Russell performed with his own version of the band called Great White featuring Jack Russell (formerly Jack Russell's Great White). The group's final lineup included lead guitarist Robby Lochner (who joined in 2011), rhythm guitarist Tony Montana (former bassist for Great White who joined Russell's band in 2013), bassist Dan McNay (who joined in 2016) and drummer Ken Mary (who joined in 2023, though his tenure started as a touring guest throughout 2022). Russell retired because of illness in July 2024 and died the following month.
Jack Russell and Mark Kendall first met in 1977. The pair worked together in bands with several names and lineups, before Russell was arrested for shooting a live-in maid in 1978. [1] Kendall subsequently formed Dante Fox the next year with vocalist Lisa Baker, bassist Don Costa and drummer Tony Richards. [2] Baker joined George Lynch's Xciter after around six months, with Butch Say taking her place. [3] After 18 months in prison, Russell was released and almost immediately took over as Dante Fox frontman. [1] By late 1982, both Costa and Richards had left Dante Fox to join newly-formed W.A.S.P. [4]
Costa and Richards were replaced by Lorne Black and Gary Holland, respectively. [5] Before the end of the year, the group changed its name to Great White and released its debut EP On Your Knees on the independent label Enigma Records. [6] The band subsequently signed with Alan Niven's new label Aegean Records and released Out of the Night in 1983. [1] This was followed by the group's self-titled full-length debut in 1984. [7] By 1986, Holland had been replaced by Audie Desbrow, and Michael Lardie had joined on rhythm guitar and keyboards; both debuted Shot in the Dark , released the same year. [8]
Shortly after the release of Great White's third studio album Once Bitten in June 1987, Lorne Black was replaced by Tony Montana. [9] The new bassist performed on ...Twice Shy (1989) and Hooked (1991) before leaving in early 1992 during rehearsals for Psycho City , with Dave "The Beast" Spitz taking over for the album's recording. [10] For the subsequent tour, former Dio bassist Teddy Cook joined the band. [11] Cook remained for just one studio album, Sail Away , before he was fired for being a "poser" – in late 1995, Spitz stepped in again to record Let It Rock . [11] Former Quiet Riot bassist Sean McNabb joined for the subsequent tour. [12]
Great White issued Great Zeppelin: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin in 1998 and Can't Get There from Here in 1999, before undergoing a string of lineup changes. First to leave was founding member Mark Kendall, who announced his departure on January 20, 2000. [13] Matthew Johnson (Who worked on Russell's first solo album) took his place the next month. [14] Matthew Johnson had left next, replaced by Ty Longley in July. [15] In September, drummer Audie Desbrow announced his departure, claiming that he had been fired. [16] He was followed by McNabb. [17] Russell opted to continue touring, adding Longley's Samantha 7 bandmates Krys Baratto on bass and Francis Ruiz on drums. [18] In August of 2001, Mcnabb and Kendall would rejoin the band. By November 2001, however, Russell had decided to disband the group. A final show on New Year's Eve, featuring Kendall, Lardie, McNabb and drummer Derrick Pontier (Pontier had filled in for Ruiz throughout 2001) on was released as Thank You... Goodnight! in 2002. [19]
Less than a year after Great White disbanded, Jack Russell reunited with Mark Kendall in November 2002 under the moniker "Jack Russell's Great White", with a lineup including second guitarist Ty Longley, bassist David Filice, drummer Eric Powers and keyboardist Yuko Tamura. [20] The group embarked on a tour, which was cut short on February 20, 2003, when a pyrotechnics accident at the start of their performance caused The Station nightclub fire. [21] Among the 100 people killed in the fire was Longley, who was initially reported missing but reported dead four days later. [22]
A few months after the fire, Jack Russell's Great White began touring to raise money for the families of the victims, with Russell and Kendall joined by guitarist and keyboardist Jordan Martin (Later replaced by Tyler Nelson the following year), bassist Scott Pounds and drummer Derrick Pontier. [23] Touring continued until August 2005, when all future dates were cancelled due to undisclosed "medical reasons". [24] In December 2006, a reunion of Russell, Kendall, Michael Lardie, Sean McNabb and Audie Desbrow was announced to mark the band's 25th anniversary. [25] Back to the Rhythm , the first Great White studio album since 1999, was released in 2007. [26]
During a tour in 2008, McNabb decided to leave Great White. [27] He was replaced that May by Scott Snyder. [28] He debuted on Rising , issued early the next year. [29] During the subsequent tour, Russell was forced to take a break to undergo surgery for a perforated bowel. [30] He was temporarily replaced by XYZ's Terry Ilous. [31] After one show with former Rough Cutt and Quiet Riot frontman Paul Shortino, [32] former Warrant vocalist Jani Lane took over for a run of shows later in the year. [33] Ilous returned in early 2011, although it was planned that Russell would return once he had recovered from surgery. [34] By December, however, he had formed his own version of the band, with Ilous remaining in the main group. [35]
The first lineup of Jack Russell's Great White included Russell alongside two former members of Great White (then lead guitarist Matthew Johnson, now doing rhythm guitar, and drummer Derrick Pontier), as well as guitarist Robby Lochner and bassist Dario Seixas. [35] By the time of their first live date, Evan Haymond would, temporarily, replace Matthew Johnson for their first live date. [36] After the band was renamed "Great White featuring Jack Russell", Seixas was replaced by former Great White bassist Tony Montana in July 2013. [37] Evan Haymond would again replace Matthew Johnson in August. Later on in the year, Pontier was replaced by Dicki Fliszar.
Following Haymond's second departure the following year, Montana switched to guitar, as Chris Tristram took over on bass; this lineup released the group's first single, "Hard Habit", in 2014. [38] By 2016, Tristram had been replaced by Dan McNay. [39] The band released He Saw It Comin' in 2017 and Once Bitten Acoustic Bytes in 2020. [40] [41] In 2021, the band released Great Zeppelin II, a "sequel album" to Great Zeppelin. Additionally, Michael Oliveieri had filled in for Tony Montana for this album. Dicki Fliszar would later on be replaced by Ken Mary in early 2023, with Mary having filled in for Filszar throughout 2022.
The lineup of the original Great White remained stable from Russell's 2011 departure until 2018, releasing studio albums Elation in 2012 and Full Circle in 2017, [42] and live albums 30 Years: Live from the Sunset Strip in 2013 and Metal Meltdown in 2016. [43] [44] In July 2018, the group fired Terry Ilous and replaced him with Mitch Malloy. [45] The new vocalist remained until May 2022, when he was replaced by Andrew Freeman, [46] who was later replaced by Brett Carlisle in October of the same year. [47] Throughout early 2024, Ian Smith of All or Nothing (Of which Carlisle is also the lead vocalist of), filled in for Scott Snyder, who had undergone back surgery. [48] On July 17, 2024, Jack Russell announced that he was retiring from touring, following "a recent diagnosis of Lewy body dementia and multiple system atrophy" from May of that year. [49] He died nearly a month after the announcement, on August 7, 2024, at the age of 63. [50] [51]
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mark Kendall |
|
| all Great White releases | |
Audie Desbrow |
|
| all Great White releases from Shot in the Dark (1986) onwards, except Thank You... Goodnight! (2002) | |
Michael Lardie |
|
| all Great White releases from Shot in the Dark (As additional musician) (1986) onwards | |
Scott Snyder | 2008–present (Inactive 2024) |
| all Great White releases from Rising (2009) onwards | |
Brett Carlisle | 2022-present (Touring guest 2022) | lead vocals | none | |
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Don Costa | 1979–1982 (died in 2024) | bass | The Roots of Great White 1978–1982 (2019) | |
Tony Richards | 1979–1982 |
| ||
Lisa Baker | 1979 | lead vocals | none | |
Butch Say | 1979–1980 | |||
Jack Russell |
|
| ||
Lorne Black | 1982–1987 (died 2013) |
|
| |
Gary Holland | 1982–1985 |
|
| |
Tony Montana | 1987–1992 |
|
| |
Dave Spitz |
| bass |
| |
Teddy Cook | 1992–1995 |
| ||
Sean McNabb |
|
| ||
Matthew Johnson | 2000 |
| none | |
Ty Longley | 2000–2001 (died 2003) | |||
Krys Baratto | 2000–2001 |
| ||
Francis Ruiz | 2000-2001 (inactive 2001) |
| ||
Derrick Pontier | 2001 (Initially touring guest) | Thank You... Goodnight! (2002) | ||
Terry Ilous | 2012–2018 (guest vocalist 2010-2012) | lead vocals | all Great White releases from Elation (2012) to Full Circle (2017) | |
Paul Shortino | 2010 (one show) | none | ||
Jani Lane | 2010 (guest vocalist on tour) (died 2011) | |||
Mitch Malloy | 2018–2022 (Guest appearance one show 2018) | Live (2020) | ||
Andrew Freeman | 2022 | none | ||
Ian Smith | 2024 (Touring guest) |
| none |
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jack Russell |
|
| all Jack Russell's Great White releases | |
Mark Kendall | 2002–2005 |
| none | |
Ty Longley | 2002–2003 (until his death) |
| ||
David Filice | 2002–2003 |
| ||
Yuko Tamura | keyboards | |||
Eric Powers |
| |||
Derrick Pontier |
| |||
Scott Pounds | 2003–2005 |
| ||
Jordan Martin | 2003–2004 |
| ||
Tyler Nelson | 2004–2005 | |||
Robby Lochner | 2011–2024 |
| all Jack Russell's Great White releases | |
Dario Seixas | 2011–2013 |
| none | |
Matthew Johnson |
|
| ||
Evan Haymond |
|
| ||
Tony Montana | 2013–2024 |
| all Jack Russell's Great White releases, except for Great Zeppelin II: A Tribute To Led Zeppelin (2021) | |
Dicki Fliszar | 2013–2023 (inactive 2022-2023, guest appearances 2023–2024) |
| all Jack Russell's Great White releases from "Hard Habit" (2014) to Great Zeppelin II: A Tribute To Led Zeppelin (2021) | |
Chris Tristram | 2014–2016 |
| "Hard Habit" (2014) | |
Dan McNay | 2016–2024 |
| ||
Ken Mary | 2023–2024 (touring guest 2022–2023) |
| None | |
Michael Olivieri |
|
| Great Zeppelin II: A Tribute To Led Zeppelin (2021) | |
Nate Peck | 2023 (touring guest) |
| None | |
Period | Members | Releases |
---|---|---|
1979 (as Dante Fox) |
| none |
1979–1980 (as Dante Fox) |
| |
1980–1982 (as Dante Fox) |
|
|
Late 1982 (as Dante Fox) |
| |
Late 1982 – January 1985 |
|
|
January 1985 – summer 1987 |
|
|
Summer 1987 – early 1992 |
|
|
Spring – summer 1992 |
|
|
Summer 1992 – fall 1995 |
| |
Late 1995 |
|
|
Early 1996 – January 2000 |
|
|
February – July 2000 |
| none |
July – September 2000 |
| |
Late 2000 – early 2001 |
| |
Early 2001 - August 2001 |
| |
August - December 2001 |
|
|
Band inactive January 2002 – December 2006 | ||
December 2006 – May 2008 |
|
|
May 2008 – August 2010 |
|
|
August – September 2010 |
| none |
September 2010 (one show) |
| |
September – December 2010 |
| |
Early – late 2011 |
| |
December 2011 – July 2018 |
|
|
July 2018 – May 2022 |
|
|
May 2022 – October 2022 |
| none |
October 2022 – present |
| None to date |
January 2024 – March 2024 |
| none |
Period | Members | Releases |
---|---|---|
November 2002 – February 2003 |
| none |
May 2003 – February 2004 (As Great White) |
| |
February 2004 - August 2005 (As Great White) |
| |
Band inactive August 2005 – December 2011 | ||
December 2011 |
| none |
January 2012 |
| |
January 2012 - July 2013 |
| |
July – August 2013 |
| |
August 2013 - November 2013 |
| |
November 2013 – January 2016 |
|
|
January 2016 – early 2021; mid 2021-early 2022 |
|
|
January 2021 |
|
|
January 2022 - March 2023 |
| none |
March 2023 - July 2024 |
| none |
late 2023 |
| none |
Great White is an American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1977. The band peaked with several albums during the mid-to-late 1980s, including the platinum-selling records Once Bitten (1987) and ...Twice Shy (1989), and those albums' singles "Rock Me" and "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" received considerable airplay through radio and MTV. They charted two Top 40 hit singles on the Billboard Hot 100, with "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" and "The Angel Song." They continued to release new material into the 1990s. The band is named after both the shark with the same name, and guitarist Mark Kendall's former stage nickname.
...Twice Shy is the fourth studio album by American rock band Great White. It was released in 1989 and contained the biggest hits of their career, a cover of Ian Hunter's "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" and "The Angel Song", which reached No. 5 and No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. Another single, "House of Broken Love", was inspired by the painful relationship break-ups that vocalist Jack Russell and guitarist Mark Kendall had recently gone through. The album was certified double platinum by the RIAA in September 1989. This is the first album to feature bassist Tony Montana.
Can't Get There from Here is the ninth studio album by the American hard rock band Great White, released in 1999. The track "Rollin' Stoned" was released as a promo single and received airplay on mainstream rock radio.
Once Bitten is the third studio album by American glam metal band Great White. It was released on June 17, 1987, by Capitol Records. The album became a commercial success, selling more than one million copies and being certified Platinum in April 1988. The anthem "Rock Me" became a hit single, charting in September 1987, and is one of Great White's best known songs. AllMusic explains in their review that it brought Great White a broader audience. "Save Your Love" also charted, becoming their most famous power ballad at the time, in February 1988. "Lady Red Light" and "All Over Now" would become fan favorites and be included among 15 tracks on their later retrospective, "Absolute Hits". It was the band's last album to feature bassist Lorne Black.
Hooked is the fifth studio album by American rock band Great White, released on February 18, 1991. Though lacking a recognizable hit single and not as commercially successful as ...Twice Shy, it still managed to peak at No. 18 on the Billboard 200 album chart. The album was certified gold in April 1991. It was the band's last album to feature Tony Montana on bass guitar.
Shot in the Dark is the second studio album by American rock band Great White, released in 1986. It was originally released by Telegraph Records and distributed by Greenworld Entertainment. Later that same year it was picked up and re-issued by Capitol Records. The original issue featured a different intro to "She Shakes Me", a different recording entirely of the song "Run Away", and a different mix of the several tracks. Great White's music in this album shows the transition from the pure heavy metal of the first album to a more blues-influenced style of heavy metal, paying homage to the great rock bands of the 1970s, like Led Zeppelin and AC/DC. This was the first album to feature drummer Audie Desbrow.
Sail Away is the seventh studio album by American hard rock band Great White, released in 1994. It was a much mellower effort, dominated by acoustic guitars and laid back performances. Clarence Clemons of the E Street Band plays the sax solo on "Gone with the Wind". This is the band's first and only recording with bassist Teddy Cook, as well as their first release for Zoo Entertainment. The original issue came with a bonus CD entitled Anaheim Live. Though these CD's state that the bonus disc was part of a limited edition pressing, no other pressings on CD were made without Anaheim Live, likely because of the poor sales of the album.
Let it Rock is the eighth studio album by the American hard rock band Great White, released in 1996. It was recorded after their split with long-time manager and co-writer Alan Niven. After the acoustic sound of 1994's Sail Away, the band was determined to return to their hard rock roots.
Great Zeppelin: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin is a cover album released by the American hard rock band Great White in 1998, dedicated to songs of Led Zeppelin. It was recorded live in a concert that took place at The Galaxy Theatre of Santa Ana, California in December 1996 and released by the French label Axe Killer. The American edition was issued by Deadline Records in 1999. Deadline Records also issued a very rare vinyl version of the album in 1999, omitting 4 tracks due to time limitations of vinyl. Songs from this album appear on many compilations and also on re-issues of older albums as bonus tracks. The album was re-issued in 2005 by the Canadian label Legacy, with the title Great White Salutes Led Zeppelin. The entire album appears also on Great White's double-CD compilation A Double Dose issued by Deadline Music in 2005, along with the album of covers Recover.
Latest & Greatest is an album released by the American hard rock band Great White in 2000. It includes re-recordings of many of the bands' hits, with the exception of the live cover of Led Zeppelin's "In the Light", recorded on December 14, 1996, at the Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana, California, and the October 2, 1999 live recording of "The Angel Song", taken at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and "Rollin' Stoned", presented in its original form.
Greatest Hits is a compilation album released by the American hard rock band Great White in 2001. The album is perhaps the most widely available greatest hits package from the band, who have had several packages released, many without their express consent. A track from their previously unreleased MTV Unplugged session is included in this album.
Recover is a cover album released by the American hard rock band Great White in 2002. All of the tracks are covers of songs that the band gained the most influence from. The album was recorded live in studio in November 1989 as a two-track demo. The collection of covers of this album include songs already appeared in other Great White albums, such as the medley "Bitches and Other Women" on ...Twice Shy, "Down at the Doctors" on Hooked and "Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady" on Let It Rock. The covers of "Ready for Love" and "Fire and Water" are notable, as both were made famous by bands with Paul Rodgers as the lead singer. The former song was originally recorded by Mott the Hoople, whose guitarist Mick Ralphs was later in Bad Company and whose lead singer Ian Hunter originally performed "Once Bitten, Twice Shy", a major hit for Great White in 1989. The Dr. Feelgood song "Down at the Doctors" is misspelled in the credits as "Down to the Doctor".
Thank You...Goodnight! is a live album released by the American hard rock band Great White in 2002. The album has the subtitle 'The Farewell Concert', because it contains the final performance of the band before its temporary disbandment, as announced by singer Jack Russell in November 2001. The concert was held at The Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana, California, on December 31, 2001. This temporary break-up was short lived, as in late 2002, Russell and Kendall began to tour as "Jack Russell's Great White", which lasted until 2005. Two new songs, "Back to the Rhythm" and "Play On", were recorded on this album for the first time and reappeared in 2007 on the album Back to the Rhythm. This is the first and only release in any capacity to feature Derrick Pontier on drums.
Back to the Rhythm is the tenth studio album by American rock band Great White and first album of original material in about eight years. In 2006, Mark Kendall and Jack Russell wrote 15 songs for this comeback album. The album was recorded in just 24 days during March 2007 in Belmont, California. Back to the Rhythm was mixed, produced, and engineered by Michael Lardie with all members of the group contributing to the final mix.
"Rock Me" is a song by American rock band Great White, released in June 1987, as the first single from their third studio album Once Bitten (1987). It was a breakout hit for the band and still receives significant airplay on Classic Rock Radio. The original version clocked in at over 7 minutes, with the radio and video versions being re-recorded to fit between 3 and 5 minutes.
Rising is the eleventh studio album by the American hard rock band Great White, released in 2009. It was recorded in the winter of 2008 with completion in early 2009. Rising was mixed, produced, and engineered by Michael Lardie with all members of the group contributing to the final mix. This is the final album with long-time singer Jack Russell before the split that led to the creation of his own-fronted version of the band.
Elation is the twelfth studio album by the American hard rock band Great White, released in May 2012. It is the first Great White studio album to feature vocalist Terry Ilous. Additionally, it is the first one without original vocalist Jack Russell.
"Save Your Love" is a power ballad by American glam metal band Great White. It was the second single from their 1987 album Once Bitten. The model Traci Martinson appeared in the video for "Save Your Love". Also appearing in the video was then-new bassist Tony Montana, who replaced Lorne Black.