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Like the fearsome, deadly denizen of the deep that shares its name, Great White knows something about survival of the fittest. The Southern California blues-rock band first took a bite out of the rock scene in 1984 and has never let go. Great White has achieved worldwide success, encompassing sales of over six million records. They received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance for the song "Once Bitten, Twice Shy", and earned a double platinum certification for the album …Twice Shy.
Great White has been churning out memorable songs since the early 80's, when Russell and Kendall joined forces and adopted the blues-based sound that went against the era's glam rock grain. Great White quickly attracted attention on the L.A. club scene. Their independently released EP Out of the Night sold 20,000 copies and got local airplay. Great White was snapped up by EMI America, which issued the eponymous Great White in 1984. That year, the band embarked on their first European tour with Whitesnake, and segued to a five month U.S. arena run with Judas Priest.
Shot in the Dark, their follow-up independent release, marked the arrival of drummer Audie Desbrow. 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 1987 follow-up Once Bitten…, which featured the hit tracks "Rock Me", "Lady Red Light", and "Save Your Love", went platinum. Their next album …Twice Shy, which featured the Top 5 hit "Once Bitten, Twice Shy", more than doubled that tally.
The late 80's were boom years for the band, marked by non-stop touring with some of hard rock's biggest names. 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. 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.
Great White was put into hyperdrive, but the whirlwind pace didn't faze the band. In fact, they are gearing up for a tour with Ratt, Poison, and LA Guns, and are already working on their next album. "This whole year has been like being sucked up in a tornado, like going from one extreme to the other. It's been amazing. It's been like a Cinderella story," Russell raves.
Represented Worldwide
Web Sites:
www.mistabone.com
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