Formed:
1984 in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
1984 in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
Core Group Members:
- Bret Michaels (born Bret Michael Sychak on March 15, 1963 in Butler, Pennsylvania) – Lead vocals, guitar
- C.C. DeVille (born Bruce Anthony Johannesson on May 14, 1962 in Brooklyn, New York) – Lead guitar
- Bobby Dall (born Robert Harry Kuykendall on November 2, 1958 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) – Bass guitar
- Rikki Rockett (born Richard Allan Ream on August 8, 1961 in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania) – Drums
Early Years:
Though glam-influenced hair metal group Poison formed initially as Paris in the area around suburban Harrisburg, Pennysylvania, Michaels, Dall, Rockett and original guitarist Matt Smith soon decided to pursue their dreams of rock and roll stardom (where else?) in the more appropriate showbiz climate of Los Angeles. After the quartet relocated to the West Coast in 1985, Smith left the band and was replaced by DeVille. With its lineup intact, the group began to hone its sound in Sunset Strip clubs, exhibiting a full-tilt glam image through makeup and costumes that often overshadowed its music.
Though glam-influenced hair metal group Poison formed initially as Paris in the area around suburban Harrisburg, Pennysylvania, Michaels, Dall, Rockett and original guitarist Matt Smith soon decided to pursue their dreams of rock and roll stardom (where else?) in the more appropriate showbiz climate of Los Angeles. After the quartet relocated to the West Coast in 1985, Smith left the band and was replaced by DeVille. With its lineup intact, the group began to hone its sound in Sunset Strip clubs, exhibiting a full-tilt glam image through makeup and costumes that often overshadowed its music.
Debut Album & Instant Stardom:
After signing to Enigma records in 1986, Poison issued its debut album, Look What the Cat Dragged In, to relatively little fanfare. What got record buyers’ attention initially was the album’s cover, which featured unabashedly feminized portraits of each band member, a glammed-up image far more excessive than any preceding pop metal band. Still, as it built slowly into 1987, the album’s music began to gain steam, as “I Want Action,” “I Won’t Forget You,” and, especially, “Talk Dirty to Me” became substantial hit singles. Eventually the record would go on to sell more than 2 million copies within a year’s time.
After signing to Enigma records in 1986, Poison issued its debut album, Look What the Cat Dragged In, to relatively little fanfare. What got record buyers’ attention initially was the album’s cover, which featured unabashedly feminized portraits of each band member, a glammed-up image far more excessive than any preceding pop metal band. Still, as it built slowly into 1987, the album’s music began to gain steam, as “I Want Action,” “I Won’t Forget You,” and, especially, “Talk Dirty to Me” became substantial hit singles. Eventually the record would go on to sell more than 2 million copies within a year’s time.
Poison Avoids the Sophomore Slump:
If Look What the Cat Dragged In was a monumental success for a debut release, Poison’s 1988 follow-up, Open Up and Say… Ahh!, successfully raised the bar and made the band one of the world’s biggest rock bands of the time. Musically, the record continued the band’s straightforward formula of big guitars and party anthems but also injected a mild measure of variety in the serious rocker “Fallen Angel” and the hugely popular ballad “Every Rose Has its Thorn.” By late 1988, Poison had staked a genuine claim to a status as one of hard rock’s biggest live acts and hair metal’s most serious chart threats.
If Look What the Cat Dragged In was a monumental success for a debut release, Poison’s 1988 follow-up, Open Up and Say… Ahh!, successfully raised the bar and made the band one of the world’s biggest rock bands of the time. Musically, the record continued the band’s straightforward formula of big guitars and party anthems but also injected a mild measure of variety in the serious rocker “Fallen Angel” and the hugely popular ballad “Every Rose Has its Thorn.” By late 1988, Poison had staked a genuine claim to a status as one of hard rock’s biggest live acts and hair metal’s most serious chart threats.
One Last Success Before Grunge Sounded the Death Knell:
Poison didn’t skip a beat for its third release, Flesh & Blood, issued with consistency after another two-year period. Tracks like the appallingly bad “Unskinny Bop,” the vapid “Something to Believe In,” and the similarly limited “Ride the Wind” may have indicated musical decline for the band, but that didn’t stop such hits from making the record another bona fide smash. Even so, the band began its implosion even before Nirvana broke, as DeVille’s increasing substance abuse problems affected his performance enough at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards that he and Michaels engaged in a fistfight backstage.
Poison didn’t skip a beat for its third release, Flesh & Blood, issued with consistency after another two-year period. Tracks like the appallingly bad “Unskinny Bop,” the vapid “Something to Believe In,” and the similarly limited “Ride the Wind” may have indicated musical decline for the band, but that didn’t stop such hits from making the record another bona fide smash. Even so, the band began its implosion even before Nirvana broke, as DeVille’s increasing substance abuse problems affected his performance enough at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards that he and Michaels engaged in a fistfight backstage.
Somehow this Poison Stays in the System a Long Time:
Despite the subsequent firing of DeVille and a new album in 1993 without him that was pretty much ignored in a changing rock music landscape, the original lineup of Poison managed to stage a reunion by the end of the ‘90s. Since 1999, the original lineup has more or less stayed together, mounting largely successful summer nostalgia tours into the new millennium. Along the way, the group has kept things interesting; even as DeVille found sobriety, a dispute between Michaels and Dall erupted onstage in Atlanta in 2006. As of 2007, Poison perseveres, planning another summer tour and a new album of covers.
Despite the subsequent firing of DeVille and a new album in 1993 without him that was pretty much ignored in a changing rock music landscape, the original lineup of Poison managed to stage a reunion by the end of the ‘90s. Since 1999, the original lineup has more or less stayed together, mounting largely successful summer nostalgia tours into the new millennium. Along the way, the group has kept things interesting; even as DeVille found sobriety, a dispute between Michaels and Dall erupted onstage in Atlanta in 2006. As of 2007, Poison perseveres, planning another summer tour and a new album of covers.
