Steve Riley | |
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 Riley performing with L.A. Guns in 2012 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | January 22, 1956 Revere, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | October 24, 2023 (aged 67) |
| Genres | Hard rock, heavy metal, glam metal |
| Occupation(s) | Drummer |
| Years active | 1976–2023 |
| Formerly of |
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Steve Riley (January 22, 1956 – October 24, 2023) was an American rock drummer, best known for his work with Keel, W.A.S.P., and L.A. Guns. [1]
Riley was born and raised in the Boston suburb of Revere, Massachusetts. After graduating high school in the 1970s, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a music career. [2] In 1979, he joined a revival of Steppenwolf, but the lineup broke up later that year. [3]
Riley joined up-and-coming L.A. band Keel and recorded their breakthrough album The Right to Rock with them in 1984. [4] Later that year, Riley departed Keel to replace founding member Tony Richards in W.A.S.P., another L.A. band whose debut album had recently achieved gold status in sales. As a member of W.A.S.P., Riley performed on the albums The Last Command , Inside the Electric Circus , and Live... in the Raw . [5] Vocalist Ron Keel has described Riley as "driven to succeed and to play". Keel applauded Riley's decision to leave his band for the opportunity with W.A.S.P., saying "I mean, you've got to be ready for those opportunities when they knock". Keel and Riley had remained friends. [4] However, Keel did not give Steve Riley full credit on the recording of the album The Right to Rock instead crediting Dwain Miller the replacement drummer. This remained a source of upset to Riley for many years.
Riley left W.A.S.P. and immediately joined rising Sunset Strip band L.A. Guns in 1987, becoming part of the band's "classic" lineup alongside guitarists Tracii Guns and Mick Cripps, vocalist Phil Lewis and bassist Kelly Nickels. [6] [7] He appeared on the albums Cocked & Loaded , and Hollywood Vampires . Riley was fired from the band in 1992 [7] but returned in 1995. [7]
In 2006, there were two L.A. Guns lineups, Phil Lewis's and Tracii Guns's. Riley was a member of Lewis's lineup until it folded in 2016 when merging with Guns's version. [8] Subsequently, Riley created his own version of L.A. Guns in 2019. This version released an album, Renegades, through Golden Robot records. Following lawsuits over the band name, a settlement was reached in April 2021, allowing this band to continue as Riley's L.A. Guns. [9]
Riley also starred as Billy the Bartender [10] in the 2021 American horror slasher film, Blackstock Boneyard directed by Andre Alfa. [11]
Riley had a wife named Mary Louise and a son named Cole. [12] [13] He also had two brothers named Michael and Daniel. He was a passionate fan of the Boston Red Sox and Boston Celtics, and was described by his family as a "World War 2 buff". [12]
Riley had ambitions to write and publish a memoir of his experiences in the LA metal scene, saying "I have a lot of good stories to share. I have a lot of behind the scenes stories and a lot of photos that I'd like to share too that people haven't seen." Ultimately, his touring schedule made the project impossible to complete before his passing in 2023. [3]
Riley died on October 24, 2023, at the age of 67 after a severe case of pneumonia. He had been battling the illness for several weeks. His wife and son were at his side when he passed away. He had reportedly suffered from various health issues in the years prior to his death. [12]
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Hollywood Rose was an American glam metal group formed in June 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 live shows by Rick Marrs, Andre Troxx, Daniel "DJ" Nicolson, Johnny Kreis and Steve Darrow. Rose, Stradlin and Weber, along with Kreis and Nicolson, recorded a five-song demo on January 1984. However, after a number of lineup changes, which includes Weber, Kreis and Nicolson being replaced by Slash and Steven Adler as well the departure of Stradlin, the group disbanded the same year.
L.A. Guns are an American glam metal 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.
Richard Allan Ream, 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.
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 named 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.
Brides of Destruction was an American hard rock supergroup from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2002. The band's last lineup consisted of singer London LeGrand (vocals), Tracii Guns and Scot Coogan. Previous members of the band were Nikki Sixx (bass), Kris Kohls (drums), Adam Hamilton (keyboard), John Corabi, Scott Sorry (bass) and Ginger.
Nickey Alexander is an American drummer.
Ole Beich was a Danish musician best known as the bass guitarist for the original lineups of L.A. Guns and Guns N' Roses.
Philip Francis Lewis is an English singer and musician, best known as the vocalist and occasional guitarist for the American glam metal band L.A. Guns. Born in London, Lewis has lived and worked in the U.S. since the 1980s but was privately educated at Royal Russell School in Surrey.
Michael Thomas Cripps is an Australian musician. His current musical project is The Brutalists, previous bands include L.A. Guns, Burning Retna, and several other groups.
Cocked & Loaded is the second studio album by American glam metal band L.A. Guns. Recorded at Hollywood studios One on One, Music Grinder and Conway Recording, it was produced by Duane Baron, John Purdell and Tom Werman, and released on August 22, 1989 by Vertigo Records. The album is the first to feature drummer Steve Riley. "Rip and Tear", "Never Enough", "The Ballad of Jayne", "I Wanna Be Your Man" and "Malaria" were released as the album's singles.
American Hardcore is the fifth album by the American rock band L.A. Guns. It is their only album to feature singer Chris Van Dahl and the first to feature bass guitarist Johnny Crypt. This album continues the increase in heaviness by the band started on their previous album Vicious Circle. The band was very influenced by Pantera during this time.
Cuts is an extended play (EP) by American hard rock band L.A. Guns. Recorded at Red Zone Studios in Burbank, California, it was self-produced by the band and released on December 2, 1992, by Polydor Records. The standard edition of the EP features five tracks, including three cover versions, one re-recording and one new song. The Japanese edition includes two additional cover versions. Cuts is the first L.A. Guns release to feature drummer Michael "Bones" Gershima.
Live! Vampires is the first live album by American hard rock band L.A. Guns. Recorded in August 1991 at two shows in the United States, it was self-produced by the band and released in Japan only on February 26, 1992, by Vertigo Records. The majority of songs performed on the album are from the band's third studio album Hollywood Vampires, plus one each from L.A. Guns and Cocked & Loaded. Live! Vampires registered at number 91 on the Japanese Albums Chart.
Robert Gardner is an American musician best known as the drummer for the original lineups of L.A. Guns and Guns N' Roses, and was also the backup drummer for Hollywood Rose.
The discography of L.A. Guns, an American hard rock band, consists of seventeen studio releases, nine live albums, 13 compilation albums, four extended plays, 27 singles, six video albums and 25 music videos. After some early lineup changes, the group – consisting of vocalist Phil Lewis, lead guitarist Tracii Guns, rhythm guitarist Mick Cripps, bassist Kelly Nickels and drummer Nickey Alexander – signed with PolyGram and released its self-titled debut album in 1988. It reached number 50 on the US Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Alexander was replaced by Steve Riley, and the 1989 follow-up Cocked & Loaded reached number 38 on the Billboard 200. The single "The Ballad of Jayne" gave L.A. Guns its debut on the Hot 100, reaching number 33.
Devil City Angels is an American rock supergroup formed by guitarist Tracii Guns, drummer Rikki Rockett (Poison), bassist Eric Brittingham (Cinderella), and vocalist and rhythm guitarist Brandon Gibbs.
The Missing Peace is the eleventh studio album by American hard rock band L.A. Guns.
Loud & Dangerous: Live from Hollywood is the third live album by American hard rock band L.A. Guns. Recorded on June 28, 2005, at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, California, it was self-produced by the band and released on September 12, 2006, by Shrapnel Records. The album features the Tales from the Strip era lineup of the group, which included lead vocalist Phil Lewis, guitarist Stacey Blades, bassist Adam Hamilton and drummer Steve Riley.
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