Queensrÿche, Great White, and Wyld Ryde

Before the original members of Queensrÿche formed their band they were all in several different metal bands that were influenced by such artists as Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden. After some of the members’ bands started to dissolve, vocalist Geoff Tate, guitarists Chris DeGarmo and Michael Wilton, bassist Eddie Jackson, and drummer Scott Rockenfield formed a band called The Mob, but soon changed their name to Queensrÿche after their song “Queen of the Reich”, which was on the band’s demo tape. The band’s demo tape made it to “Kerrang!” magazine and received a great review from the publication. This review led to Queensrÿche releasing the demo as a self-titled EP in 1983. The EP sold significantly well for an independent release and received much airplay over the radios.

In the summer of 1983 the band signed a record contract with EMI and headed on several high profile tours with bands like Quiet Riot, Twisted Sister, and Dio. The band traveled to London, UK to record their first album “The Warning”, which came out in 1984. The producer James Guthrie, who has notably worked with Judas Priest and Pink Floyd, produced the album for the band. Their debut album did fairly well on the Billboard charts reaching the No. 61 position.

By the release of the band’s 1986 album “Rage for Order” they had undertaken a more glam rock appearance due to the suggestion from their record label, but their sound headed in a more progressive rock direction, which incorporated the use of synthesizers in their heavy metal mix. The lyrics in the album also conveyed themes about artificial intelligence and technological ideas.

In 1988 the band released one of their most critically and commercially successful albums to date, “Operation: Mindcrime”. The album is a concept album that is regarded as one of the best concept albums of all time, and has been ranked by “Kerrang!” as one of the best heavy metal albums of all time. The album reached the No. 50 position on the Billboard 200 chart and was later certified platinum by RIAA. The album contained the singles “Eyes of a Stranger/Queen of the Reich”, “Revolution Calling”, and “I Don’t Believe in Love/The Needle Lies”. The song “I Don’t Believe in Love” was nominated for a Grammy Award for “Best Metal Performance”. The band’s next album “Empire”, which came out in 1990 was even more successful than “Operation: Mindcrime”. The album reached the No. 7 position on the Billboard 200 chart and has become 3x platinum. The album contained the power ballad “Silent Lucidity” that was nominated for a Grammy Award.

Although the band has had a few lineup changes and has experimented with different genres such as grunge, the band still regularly releases quality albums. The lineup after the 2012 departure of lead singer Geoff Tate consists of the members: Michael Wilton, Eddie Jackson, Scott Rockenfield, Parker Lundgren, and Todd La Torre. Queensrÿche are avid performers and tour consistently. They have played notable venues like Madison Square Garden and have toured with the likes of Iron Maiden, Kiss, Metallica, and Def Leppard.

Great White came together thanks to the musical partnership of singer Jack Russell and guitarist Mark Kendall. Initially, Russell asked Kendall to join the band he was fronting at the time, but their creative chemistry proved so potent that they went off together to form their own band. They wrote and rehearsed together until 1979, when Russell botched a robbery he was committing and accidentally shot a live-in maid in the house he had broken into. Quite rightly, he was caught and sentenced to eight years in prison, and Kendall was left to pick up the pieces on his own. He did actually put together a band called Dante Fox, and played some shows around the Orange County area of California with them. However, Russell was released from his prison sentence after 18 months and rejoined Kendall soon afterwards.

The band played their debut show with Russell at Hollywood’s legendary Troubadour venue and after recording some demo tapes, they secured the services of Alan Niven as their manager. Niven’s first act as manager was to change the band’s name to a nickname that Kendall had picked up around the L.A rock scene. Due to his naturally platinum blonde hair, his white Fender Telecaster and his habit of wearing a white jumpsuit with matching shoes on stage, he’d been given the nickname Great White after the band’s first few gigs. The band unanimously agreed on their new name and by 1982, the band were known as Great White.

By the same year, Niven had formed Aegean, his own independent record label, and with his backing the band hit the studio to record their debut E.P “Out Of The Night”. In the end, not only did he put the record out but he also convinced the L.A Radio Station KMET to playlist a couple of songs from the E.P. They ended up playing the songs so regularly that the bands profile shot up within months, and by the end of the year they were headlining and selling out concert halls all over California. By the end of 1983 the band had signed to EMI America and their self-titled debut album was released early the following year.

The band rode out the rest of the decade as the connoisseur’s hair metal band of choice. They opened for everyone from Judas Priest, and Whitesnake to Dokken and had their 1987 album “Once Bitten…” certified platinum in April the following year. Its follow up “…Twice Shy” was an even bigger deal, achieving double platinum status within five months of its release. Ever since then the band have become one of the most fondly remembered acts of the hair metal era. They were always a little more respectable than the likes of Poison and their ilk, willing to rock out in a way that arguably made them pave the way for Guns N’ Roses. To this day both incarnations of the band that still play can blow the roof of any venue they play, and with a back catalogue like theirs, they come highly recommended.