Dokken

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Dokken
Origin Los Angeles, U.S.
Genre(s) Heavy metal
Hard rock
Glam metal
Years active 1977-1988, 1993-Present
Label(s) Elektra/CMC
Website http://www.dokken.net/
Members
Don Dokken
Jon Levin
Barry Sparks
Mick Brown
Former members
George Lynch
Reb Beach
John Norum
Jeff Pilson
Juan Croucier
Greg Leon

Dokken is an American heavy metal and hard rock band which was formed in 1976. The group became one of the classic metal bands from their era, accumulating numerous charting singles and selling over 10 million albums. While the band became associated with bands like Ratt, Motley Crue, Quiet Riot, Warlock, and Def Leppard, their style of traditional metal characterized by extravagant use of lead guitars and soaring melodic vocals backed by a heavy thumping bass still sets them apart from similar acts to this day. Though some have insisted that Dokken produced an image that was somewhat "glam," their music, due largely to the unique style of world renowned guitarist George Lynch, was traditionally heavy with technical expertise, and the band relied much less on a "glam" image than later glam metal bands such as Poison and Cinderella, focusing more on the musical aspect. Nevertheless, they failed to achieve the same commercial success as any of the aforementioned bands.

Dokken was composed of founder Don Dokken on vocals, George Lynch on lead guitars, Jeff Pilson on bass, and Mick Brown on drums. Currently, Dokken and Brown remain from the original lineup. After several lineup changes on guitar, Dokken's attorney, Jon Levin, stepped in to fill the role. In 2001, Barry Sparks replaced Jeff Pilson on the bass guitar.

Contents

[edit] Band history

Dokken was formed in the late 1970s when guitarist George Lynch and drummer Mick Brown from the group Xciter teamed up with Don Dokken on vocals and Jim Monanteras as a temporary bassist to record Back in the Streets with Carerre Records. Lynch replaced earlier Dokken guitarist Greg Leon who was also a replacement for Randy Rhoads in Quiet Riot.

In 1978, Juan Croucier replaced Monanteras as another temporary bassist; that same year the band released the singles "Hard Rock Woman," and "Paris is Burning." In 1981 the band released the album Breaking the Chains in Europe, which was re-mastered and re-released by Elektra Records in the US on September 18, 1983. While the band was very popular in Europe by then, they had not yet made the charts in the US. For UK rock fans, Dokken offered a tantalising glimpse of the kind of slick, but still very heavy rock coming out of America. Magazines such as Kerrang! blazed a trail for Dokken in the UK.

Juan Croucier left Dokken in 1981 to join the band Ratt and was replaced by Jeff Pilson who became their first official bassist. 1984 was Dokken's breakout year in the US with the release of the album Tooth and Nail on September 13. The album contained several hit songs: "Just Got Lucky", "Alone Again", and "Into The Fire". The album sold over one million copies in the US alone and peaked at #49. On November 9, 1985, the album Under Lock and Key was released. It also sold over one million copies with hits like "In My Dreams" (#24), "The Hunter" (#25) and "It's Not Love."[1] During this time in the 1980s, Dokken opened up for such bands as Judas Priest, Twisted Sister, and Aerosmith, among others.

Following a successful tour with Scorpions, Dokken returned to the studio in December 1986 to record Dream Warriors, a song for the movie A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. The track brought the band to the attention of many UK hard rock fans. The song was released as a single (Dream Warriors / Back For The Attack) on February 10, 1987. After this release, the band took nearly half a year off before returning to the studio to record the album Back for the Attack. The album was released on November 27, 1987. it spawned the hits "Burning Like A Flame" (#20) and "Heaven Sent" became the band's most popular release, reaching #13 on U.S. charts. It included a remixed version of the single "Dream Warriors" (#22), The accompanying music video, which featured band members interacting with the film's characters, was the band's most popular video. Back for the Attack became Dokken's third record to reach platinum status. Sculptor Steve Fiorilla's customized writhing skeleton guitar was the highlight of another Dokken video.

Recordings from their tour in Japan led to the release of Beast from the East on November 16, 1988 before the band broke up due to creative differences between Don and George. During this hiatus, Lynch and Brown formed Lynch Mob and recorded two albums. Wicked Sensation 1990 and Lynch Mob 1992 Don Dokken also recorded a solo album, Up From The Ashes in 1990. Jeff Pilson fronted the band, War and Peace, while George Lynch also released a solo album. Lynch's first solo effort, Sacred Groove reunited him with Don Dokken for the writing of the track We Don't Own This World. Dokken was also supposed to sing lead on the track, however at the last moment, Don was unable to attend the studio session and was replaced by Matthew and Gunnar Nelson. The band reunited in 1993, but didn't release an album until Dysfunctional in 1995 with Columbia Records. One Live Night, a live acoustical album was released in 1996 by CMC, along with Shadowlife in 1997.

In 1998, Lynch left the band to reunite Lynch Mob and was replaced by Reb Beach of the band Winger. They released Erase the Slate in 1999 and Live from the Sun in 2000. In 2001, Beach was replaced by John Norum (formerly with the band Europe), and Jeff Pilson was replaced by Barry Sparks on bass. 2002 also saw the release of the album Long Way Home. That year, they were also featured in the Metal Edge Rockfest 2002.

In 2004, John Norum left to join a reunited Europe and was replaced by Jon Levin (who formerly played guitar on Doro's Force Majeure), and they released the album Hell to Pay. Currently, the band is touring lightly, and has scheduled some concert dates with fellow 1980s metal band Great White. In addition, they are also working on new songs of what will become their tenth studio album, tentatively named Lightning Strikes Again named after the song in the album "Under Lock and Key".

On July 14, 2007, Dokken performed at glam metal festival Rocklahoma, and in 2008 they released Lightning Strikes Again and are currently planning a summer tour in support of the album with Sebastian Bach and Poison.

[edit] Guest appearances

Members and ex-members of the band have appeared on various tribute albums. George played guitar on "Anthem" on a tribute album to Rush, while George Lynch and Jeff Pilson have appeared on tribute albums to Iron Maiden. Jeff Pilson also appeared as the bassist for Steel Dragon in the movie Rock Star (starring Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Aniston), which was loosely based on Judas Priest. They also appeared in Dio's Hear 'n Aid in the '80s, and were featured prominently in the music video.

[edit] Members

[edit] Current members

  • Don Dokken – lead vocals, guitar (1977-1988, 1993–present)
  • Jon Levin – guitar (2004–present)
  • Barry Sparks – bass, backing vocals (2001–present)
  • Mick Brown – drums, backing vocals (1981-1988, 1993–present)

[edit] Past members

[edit] Discography

[edit] Studio Albums

[edit] Live Albums

[edit] Compilations

[edit] Singles/EPs

  • Back in the Streets (EP) (1979)
  • Breaking the Chains (1983) #32
  • Into the Fire (1984) #21
  • Just Got Lucky (1984) #27
  • Alone Again (1985) #20
  • The Hunter (1985) #25
  • In My Dreams (1986) #24
  • It's Not Love (1986)
  • Dream Warriors (February 10, 1987) #22
  • Burning Like A Flame (1987) #20
  • Heaven Sent (1988) #13
  • Prisoner (1988) #37
  • Walk Away (1988)
  • Too High to Fly (1995) #29

[edit] Trivia

 Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.
  • Heavy Metal Parking Lot is a documentary about concert goers before a Dokken / Judas Priest concert in 1986.
  • Toured as part of the U.S. 'Monsters of Rock' Festival in the summer of 1988, along with Van Halen, Scorpions, Metallica, and Kingdom Come.
  • Shared the same management company as Metallica in the '80s.
  • George Lynch claims that Spinal Tap's history was exactly like Dokken.
  • The online cartoon strip Home on the Strange featured a character in their September 7th comic entitled "Party Party, Part 3" who claimed his occupation was to keep Dokken's "Wikipedia entry pure" and adding; "Evil men edit their entry to claim that Don Dokken is the retarded cousin of Ronnie James Dio. Others slander them with accusations of love affairs with Boy George. But then I restore truth to the world!"[2]
  • 1985 Dwight Schrute (The Office) loved Dokken as shown in Dwight's web log entry September 27, 08:50 PM Time Encapsulated, by 1985 Dwight signing a letter to his future self in a time capsule "Dokken Rules. Dwight."
  • In an episode of Wonder Showzen, a segment extolls the virtues of biological modification on a pre-natal child. Advertising that you can "change your baby's DNA, so their acne spells the name of your favorite band", Dokken's logo is shown spelled in acne on a child's forehead.
  • The band is named in Stephen King's novel, The Stand when Julie Lawry claims to have slept with the bassist from Dokken.
  • Inspired the expression "We're rokken like Dokken!"

[edit] References

  1. ^ allmusic ((( Dokken > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))
  2. ^ Home on the Strange: Party Party, Part 3

[edit] External links