Beginning as a paint-by-numbers glam band before evolving into one of the greatest blues based metal bands of the decade, Great White were one of the few groups to never give up or attempt to cater to current fads. They managed to reach major stardom in the late 80s, but will always be remembered for the tragic events of February 20, 2003.Great White started life as Dante Fox, playing their first gig in 1981 at The Troubadour in Hollywood. After recording several demos, the band took on Alan Niven as manager, Niven having worked for independent distributor Greenworld (which dealt with Mötley Crüe's debut self-release) in Torrance, California. Greenworld released Great White's eponymous debut in 1984. Shot in the Dark, their follow-up independent release, marked the arrival of drummer Audie Desbrow who replaced original drummer Gary Holland. By the time Capitol Records signed the band and reissued Shot in the Dark, keyboardist-guitarist Michael Lardie had come aboard. After the release of "Shot in the Dark," Great White hit the road with Dokken and was on the verge of even bigger success.
The band hit the mainstream in 1987 when they released Once Bitten.... "Once Bitten..." was certified platinum in April 1988. The album featured the hit "Rock Me".
The band followed up with ...Twice Shy in (1989; see 1989 in music). The album included their biggest hit, "Once Bitten, Twice Shy", for which they received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance. The album was certified platinum in July 1989 and then double platinum in September of that same year. The model Bobbie Brown (also known for being in Warrant's "Cherry Pie" video) appeared in the video for "Once Bitten, Twice Shy". They finished off the 80s touring in support of "...Twice Shy" and with some larger bands, such as Bon Jovi.
In 1990 a heavy metal video called "HARD N HEAVY" containing music, concert footage and interviews was released. The video included Slash and Duff from Guns N' Roses appearing with the band at a "Children Of the Night" Benefit concert in LA for abused homeless children, the performance helped raise money for housing.Both bands shared the same manager.
The band continued into the next decade performing "House of Broken Love" on the American Music Awards in January 1990. That spring, Great White embarked on their first tour of Japan. They soon returned stateside for the Memorial Day weekend festival, dubbed The World Series of Rock, which featured Whitesnake, Skid Row, Bad English, and Hericane Alice. Great White recorded two more albums for Capitol — Hooked, which was certified gold, and Psycho City, which is to this day considered by many to be their most underrated effort. In support of Hooked, Great White toured, completing a headline tour, a guest slot with the Scorpions, and trips to Europe and Japan. Psycho City was followed by a U.S. tour with Kiss.
Although Capitol issued a "Best Of" compilation in 1993, Great White had already departed the label to begin work on their next studio release, Sail Away. Great White spent a grueling seven straight months on the road headlining clubs. According to Lardie, it was "the longest stint we ever did without a break." Great White kept up the pace once Sail Away was released on Zoo Records in 1994, touring the country several times over the following year and a half. Their next release, Let It Rock, was released through yet another label, Imago, in 1996.
In 1999 the band released Can't Get There From Here and embarked on a successful tour with Ratt, Poison, and LA Guns. The Album featured the single Rollin' Stoned, which managed to chart on the adult rock charts.
In a memo dated January 20, 2000 Mark Kendall announced he was leaving Great White [5], shortly thereafter both Audie Desbrow and Sean McNabb left Great White. Desbrow, clearly very unhappy with the financial state of the band posted a tirade on his website lambasting Jack Russell and Michael Lardie, while claiming to have been "fired" from Great White. Meanwhile, it was rumored that Sean McNabb was fired for going to management and asking to see the accounting books. Despite only having one original member left, the band announced plans to begin work on a new album in late 2000. Early in the process, some of the new songs were played for John Kalodner at Columbia Records. It was mutually agreed that the "magic was gone" and the band decided their heart was not in the recording process. They subsequently left Columbia Records and discontinued work on the follow up album. On November 5, 2001 Jack Russell announced the end of Great White, stating that he was moving on, and that Great White would play one final farewell show on December 31, 2001 at the Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana, CA. Both Kendall and McNabb rejoined the band for the farewell show and a live CD entitled "Thank You... Goodnight" that was recorded and released by Knight Records. This CD would include 2 new tracks, "Back to the Rhythm" and "Play On" from their discontinued studio sessions, both of which would ultimately wind up on their reunion album "Back to the Rhythm" in 2007.
In late 2002, in part due to his failure to attract good audiences while on the road with his solo band, Jack Russell contacted Kendall, who himself was struggling to gain an audience on his own. Kendall agreed to play some dates with Russell's band, allowing Russell to use the name Great White once again. Billed as "Jack Russell's Great White", the tour was to consist primarily of classic songs from the Great White catalog with some of Russell's solo work mixed in. Eventually, more dates were added and the tour extended through the early months of 2003.
Tragically, the band returned to the national spotlight on February 20, 2003. Pyrotechnics used by the band's crew created a spray of sparks that ignited the foam soundproofing material behind the stage. 100 people at The Station night club in Rhode Island, including the band's guitarist Ty Longley, died in the fire that followed.
Though the media referred to the band as "Great White" following the tragedy in Rhode Island, the band was officially performing under the moniker of "Jack Russell's Great White" at the time of the incident. In fact, prior to the fire, the band's official website posted a message stating that Great White had not reformed. It's unclear when the band began officially going by "Great White" again, but it is possible that the intense media coverage surrounding Great White caused the band to simply return to their original name in order to avoid confusion during the tours that followed.
Great White played their first full show following the Rhode Island tragedy on July 22, kicking off a benefit tour for the survivors and victims of the fire.[16] The band would tour until 2005 to raise funds for the Station Family Fund, which had been set up to help the victims of the tragedy. In late 2005, citing "medical reasons", the band would cancel the second half of their summer tour. The "medical reasons" would prove to be Jack Russell's addictions to alcohol and cocaine. He would later detail a particular low point of being caught by his ex-wife smoking crack in a laundry room. This would prove to be the end of this version of Great White, as Jack Russell would enter rehabilitation and not perform again until 2007. [18] Russell would use the year of 2006 to get sober and get a facelift that would be detailed on ExtraTV. Russell would later refer to this incarnation of Great White as "Fake White", saying "It still sounded like Great White, but not—almost like we were doing a cover of ourselves."
Talk of a reunited Great White began in a 2004 interview where Jack Russell told Metal Express "I spoke with Michael [Lardie], we threw that around a bit, and thought that sounds like a cool idea, it'd be fun. I'm pretty positive it's gonna happen … probably next year... We talked to some other people, and [former drummer] Audie [Desbrow] would not be a person I would want to play with ever again in my life. There were some bridges burned there that I just can’t forgive, and I’m a very forgiving person. I just can’t let that one go. I have to stand up for myself...". Russell's stance towards Desbrow seemed to have changed course by 2006 when he told Mitch Lafon "I talked to Michael Lardie the other day and he is into doing it. I just want to get hold of Tony Montana and Audie Desbrow. I think that would be very special for our 25th anniversary tour to have the same guys...we haven't played together in a very long time." Later in 2006 guitarist Mark Kendall officially announced that Great White has re-formed its classic lineup. The reformed lineup of Russell, Kendall, Michael Lardie, Sean McNabb and Audie Desbow played their first date together in over 5 years on January 27, 2007 at the Keyclub in Hollywood, CA performing at the Harpseals.org Benefit Concert for the Seals 2007, and the band continued to tour throughout the rest of the year.
On the bands recent tour in the UK, vocalist Jack Russell commented that "I think I'm enjoying it more now than the last time we were over, I think the older you get, at least for me anyway, you appreciate more and more. This is the twilight of our career at best, and any time we get after this is icing on the cake, it's a gift. It's been 25 or 26 years now since the band became Great White, and I've been playing with my guitarist since '78 when I was 17 years old, I'm 47 now, so that's 30years."
Current Members
Jack Russell - Vocals
Mark Kendall - Lead Guitar
Michael Lardie - Keyboards
Sean McNabb - Bass
Audie Desbrow - Drums
Former members
Ty Longley - Guitar (2000-03) (Deceased)
Tony Montana - Bass (1987-92)
Gary Holland - Drums (1982-86)
Lorne Black - Bass (1982-87)
Matthew Johnson - Guitar
Krys Baratto - Bass
Jordan Martin - Guitar
Derrick Pontier - Drums
Scott Pounds - Bass
Eric Powers - Drums
Francis Ruiz - Drums
Teddy Cook - Bass
Tyler Nelson - Guitar
Dave Filice - Bass
Discography
Studio Albums
Great White - 1984
Shot in the Dark - 1986
Once Bitten... - 1987
Recovery: Live! - 1988
...Twice Shy - 1989
Live in London - 1990
Hooked - 1991
Psycho City - 1992
The Best of Great White: 1986-1992 - 1993
Sail Away - 1994
Let it Rock - 1996
Stage - 1996
Rock Me - 1998
Can't Get There From Here - 1999
Stick It - 1999
Great Zeppelin: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin - 1999
The Best of Great White - 2000
Latest & Greatest - 2000
Greatest Hits - 2001
Rock Champions - 2001
Gallery - 2001
Thank You...Goodnight! - 2002
Recover - 2002
Extended Versions - 2004
A Double Dose - 2004
Rock Breakout Years: 1988 - 2005
Tribute to Led Zeppelin - 2005
Once Bitten, Twice Live - 2006
Rock Me: The Best of Great White - 2006
Back to the Rhythm - 2007
Official Website: http://www.mistabone.com/
Listen to Great White Music!
Watch Great White Video!
The band hit the mainstream in 1987 when they released Once Bitten.... "Once Bitten..." was certified platinum in April 1988. The album featured the hit "Rock Me".
The band followed up with ...Twice Shy in (1989; see 1989 in music). The album included their biggest hit, "Once Bitten, Twice Shy", for which they received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance. The album was certified platinum in July 1989 and then double platinum in September of that same year. The model Bobbie Brown (also known for being in Warrant's "Cherry Pie" video) appeared in the video for "Once Bitten, Twice Shy". They finished off the 80s touring in support of "...Twice Shy" and with some larger bands, such as Bon Jovi.
In 1990 a heavy metal video called "HARD N HEAVY" containing music, concert footage and interviews was released. The video included Slash and Duff from Guns N' Roses appearing with the band at a "Children Of the Night" Benefit concert in LA for abused homeless children, the performance helped raise money for housing.Both bands shared the same manager.
The band continued into the next decade performing "House of Broken Love" on the American Music Awards in January 1990. That spring, Great White embarked on their first tour of Japan. They soon returned stateside for the Memorial Day weekend festival, dubbed The World Series of Rock, which featured Whitesnake, Skid Row, Bad English, and Hericane Alice. Great White recorded two more albums for Capitol — Hooked, which was certified gold, and Psycho City, which is to this day considered by many to be their most underrated effort. In support of Hooked, Great White toured, completing a headline tour, a guest slot with the Scorpions, and trips to Europe and Japan. Psycho City was followed by a U.S. tour with Kiss.
Although Capitol issued a "Best Of" compilation in 1993, Great White had already departed the label to begin work on their next studio release, Sail Away. Great White spent a grueling seven straight months on the road headlining clubs. According to Lardie, it was "the longest stint we ever did without a break." Great White kept up the pace once Sail Away was released on Zoo Records in 1994, touring the country several times over the following year and a half. Their next release, Let It Rock, was released through yet another label, Imago, in 1996.
In 1999 the band released Can't Get There From Here and embarked on a successful tour with Ratt, Poison, and LA Guns. The Album featured the single Rollin' Stoned, which managed to chart on the adult rock charts.
In a memo dated January 20, 2000 Mark Kendall announced he was leaving Great White [5], shortly thereafter both Audie Desbrow and Sean McNabb left Great White. Desbrow, clearly very unhappy with the financial state of the band posted a tirade on his website lambasting Jack Russell and Michael Lardie, while claiming to have been "fired" from Great White. Meanwhile, it was rumored that Sean McNabb was fired for going to management and asking to see the accounting books. Despite only having one original member left, the band announced plans to begin work on a new album in late 2000. Early in the process, some of the new songs were played for John Kalodner at Columbia Records. It was mutually agreed that the "magic was gone" and the band decided their heart was not in the recording process. They subsequently left Columbia Records and discontinued work on the follow up album. On November 5, 2001 Jack Russell announced the end of Great White, stating that he was moving on, and that Great White would play one final farewell show on December 31, 2001 at the Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana, CA. Both Kendall and McNabb rejoined the band for the farewell show and a live CD entitled "Thank You... Goodnight" that was recorded and released by Knight Records. This CD would include 2 new tracks, "Back to the Rhythm" and "Play On" from their discontinued studio sessions, both of which would ultimately wind up on their reunion album "Back to the Rhythm" in 2007.
In late 2002, in part due to his failure to attract good audiences while on the road with his solo band, Jack Russell contacted Kendall, who himself was struggling to gain an audience on his own. Kendall agreed to play some dates with Russell's band, allowing Russell to use the name Great White once again. Billed as "Jack Russell's Great White", the tour was to consist primarily of classic songs from the Great White catalog with some of Russell's solo work mixed in. Eventually, more dates were added and the tour extended through the early months of 2003.
Tragically, the band returned to the national spotlight on February 20, 2003. Pyrotechnics used by the band's crew created a spray of sparks that ignited the foam soundproofing material behind the stage. 100 people at The Station night club in Rhode Island, including the band's guitarist Ty Longley, died in the fire that followed.
Though the media referred to the band as "Great White" following the tragedy in Rhode Island, the band was officially performing under the moniker of "Jack Russell's Great White" at the time of the incident. In fact, prior to the fire, the band's official website posted a message stating that Great White had not reformed. It's unclear when the band began officially going by "Great White" again, but it is possible that the intense media coverage surrounding Great White caused the band to simply return to their original name in order to avoid confusion during the tours that followed.
Great White played their first full show following the Rhode Island tragedy on July 22, kicking off a benefit tour for the survivors and victims of the fire.[16] The band would tour until 2005 to raise funds for the Station Family Fund, which had been set up to help the victims of the tragedy. In late 2005, citing "medical reasons", the band would cancel the second half of their summer tour. The "medical reasons" would prove to be Jack Russell's addictions to alcohol and cocaine. He would later detail a particular low point of being caught by his ex-wife smoking crack in a laundry room. This would prove to be the end of this version of Great White, as Jack Russell would enter rehabilitation and not perform again until 2007. [18] Russell would use the year of 2006 to get sober and get a facelift that would be detailed on ExtraTV. Russell would later refer to this incarnation of Great White as "Fake White", saying "It still sounded like Great White, but not—almost like we were doing a cover of ourselves."
Talk of a reunited Great White began in a 2004 interview where Jack Russell told Metal Express "I spoke with Michael [Lardie], we threw that around a bit, and thought that sounds like a cool idea, it'd be fun. I'm pretty positive it's gonna happen … probably next year... We talked to some other people, and [former drummer] Audie [Desbrow] would not be a person I would want to play with ever again in my life. There were some bridges burned there that I just can’t forgive, and I’m a very forgiving person. I just can’t let that one go. I have to stand up for myself...". Russell's stance towards Desbrow seemed to have changed course by 2006 when he told Mitch Lafon "I talked to Michael Lardie the other day and he is into doing it. I just want to get hold of Tony Montana and Audie Desbrow. I think that would be very special for our 25th anniversary tour to have the same guys...we haven't played together in a very long time." Later in 2006 guitarist Mark Kendall officially announced that Great White has re-formed its classic lineup. The reformed lineup of Russell, Kendall, Michael Lardie, Sean McNabb and Audie Desbow played their first date together in over 5 years on January 27, 2007 at the Keyclub in Hollywood, CA performing at the Harpseals.org Benefit Concert for the Seals 2007, and the band continued to tour throughout the rest of the year.
On the bands recent tour in the UK, vocalist Jack Russell commented that "I think I'm enjoying it more now than the last time we were over, I think the older you get, at least for me anyway, you appreciate more and more. This is the twilight of our career at best, and any time we get after this is icing on the cake, it's a gift. It's been 25 or 26 years now since the band became Great White, and I've been playing with my guitarist since '78 when I was 17 years old, I'm 47 now, so that's 30years."
Current Members
Jack Russell - Vocals
Mark Kendall - Lead Guitar
Michael Lardie - Keyboards
Sean McNabb - Bass
Audie Desbrow - Drums
Former members
Ty Longley - Guitar (2000-03) (Deceased)
Tony Montana - Bass (1987-92)
Gary Holland - Drums (1982-86)
Lorne Black - Bass (1982-87)
Matthew Johnson - Guitar
Krys Baratto - Bass
Jordan Martin - Guitar
Derrick Pontier - Drums
Scott Pounds - Bass
Eric Powers - Drums
Francis Ruiz - Drums
Teddy Cook - Bass
Tyler Nelson - Guitar
Dave Filice - Bass
Discography
Studio Albums
Great White - 1984
Shot in the Dark - 1986
Once Bitten... - 1987
Recovery: Live! - 1988
...Twice Shy - 1989
Live in London - 1990
Hooked - 1991
Psycho City - 1992
The Best of Great White: 1986-1992 - 1993
Sail Away - 1994
Let it Rock - 1996
Stage - 1996
Rock Me - 1998
Can't Get There From Here - 1999
Stick It - 1999
Great Zeppelin: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin - 1999
The Best of Great White - 2000
Latest & Greatest - 2000
Greatest Hits - 2001
Rock Champions - 2001
Gallery - 2001
Thank You...Goodnight! - 2002
Recover - 2002
Extended Versions - 2004
A Double Dose - 2004
Rock Breakout Years: 1988 - 2005
Tribute to Led Zeppelin - 2005
Once Bitten, Twice Live - 2006
Rock Me: The Best of Great White - 2006
Back to the Rhythm - 2007
Official Website: http://www.mistabone.com/
Listen to Great White Music!
Watch Great White Video!
Once Bitten Twice Shy
Save Your Love
The Angel Song
House of Broken Love
Rock Me
Lady red light
Face The Day
The Big Goodbye
Desert Moon
Love is a Lie
Mother's Eyes
Lovin' Kind
Wasted Rock Rangers (Jamming Session)
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