Don Dokken
Donald Maynard Dokken ( born June 29, 1953 in Los Angeles ) is an American singer, with the eponymous glam metal band Dokken released several highly successful albums in the 1980s and gained international prominence.
Career
The beginning of his career is closely linked to Germany: In 1979, Don Dokken with his eponymous band, which included at that time apart from him the bassist Juan Croucier and drummer Greg Pecka, to Hamburg, where the group performed several appearances in various clubs on the Reeperbahn. One of the concerts was in the club " sounds " instead; it is recorded by Michael Wagener, had met the Dokken here. In the following three days Wagener took on with the band demos in Tennessee recording studio before the band traveled back to the United States.
1980 Dokken returned back to Germany, his band consisted of him, guitarist Greg Leon, bassist Gary Link and drummer Gary Holland. At a concert in Hamburg Dieter Dierks was among the spectators. The music producer liked Dokken 's voice, and so the two exchanged their phone numbers. In a visit to the U.S. a little later Dierks made contact with Dokken on to ask him the Scorpions at the pre-production for their album to support blackout, as their singer Klaus Meine has had to undergo vocal cord surgery. The resulting demos with the song Dokken were destroyed; But Dokken took the background vocals for the title blackout, No One Like You and Dynamite on with the band.
His band was given the opportunity to free more demos in Dierks take 'Studio, where at that time the band Accept worked in return. Their manager Gaby Hauke took the Dokken tapes to Hamburg and gave the tape to a record deal with Carrere Records. With new members, namely with drummer Mick Brown and guitarist George Lynch Dokken took Carrere for the album Breakin ' the Chains, which was released under the name " Don Dokken " in 1981 in Germany. Although Juan Croucier was listed on the CD cover as the bassist for the group actually played Accept bassist Peter Baltes the bass on the album; Producer Michael Wagener was.
Until 1983 the debut album of the band with the non- primed notation Breaking the Chains in the U.S., where Dokken could sign a contract with Elektra Records.
1984 succeeded the band with the album Tooth and Nail the commercial breakthrough in the U.S.; the group produced until 1987 three -platinum studio albums, 1988 was followed by the live album Beast from the East; in March 1989 sparked the band Dokken on by internal strife.
In May 1985, the singer took part in the recording of the song Stars, which had Ronnie James Dio, Jimmy Bain and Vivian Campbell wrote for the music project Hear 'n Aid; In 1989 he produced the self-titled debut album by the American hard rock band XYZ.
Was published in 1990 under the name " Don Dokken " the album Up from the Ashes, the Dokken with Peter Baltes, John Norum, Billy White and Mikkey Dee had recorded. His plan to release the album under the band name Dokken, members of the previous occupation had prevented by legal means. Up from the Ashes reached number 50 of the U.S. album charts. As early as 1994 worked the classic members of the band again on new material, but in 1998 rose Lynch again. Since then, a steady line-up changes took place in the band; only drummer Mick Brown and Don Dokken form the main cast.
In spring 2000, Dokken was a guest at the Paris concert of German progressive metal band Vanden Plas. He sang with the band the title of Kiss of Death, which is contained in the original on the album Dokken Back for the Attack. The concert at the Élysée Montmartre was recorded and published under the title Spirit of Live on 8 September 2000.
2008, the singer took another solo album titled Solitary, which was sold exclusively at gigs. In the autumn of 2010 he had to undergo a vocal cord surgery; the first concert after this operation was held in Anchorage ( Alaska) on February 4, 2011.