Dokken

Dokken
Dokken at Wacken Open Air 2018
General information
Genre (s)	Heavy metal , hard rock , hair metal
founding	1978
Website	http://www.dokkencentral.com/
Current occupation
Vocals , rhythm guitar	Don Dokken (since 1978)
Lead guitar	John Levin (since 2003)
bass	Barry Sparks (since 2001)
Drums	Mick Brown (since 1979)
former members
guitar	Greg Leon (1978)
Lead guitar	George Lynch (1979–1997)
Lead guitar	John Norum (1997-1998, 2001)
guitar	Reb Beach (1999-2000)
guitar	Alex DeRosso (2001-2002)
bass	Jeff Tappen (1978)
bass	Gary Link (1978)
bass	Juan Croucier (1978, 1979-1984)
bass	Jeff Pilson (1984-2001)
bass	Peter Baltes (1977–1978, 1990)
Drums	Greg Pecka (1978)
Drums	Gary Holland (1978)

Dokken is an American glam metal - band from Los Angeles , California . The band celebrated their greatest successes in the 1980s and is named after their singer Don Dokken.

history

The early years

The singer Don Dokken began his career in Germany in the late 1970s, where he played with various American musicians. The first Dokken line-up in 1978 consisted of the namesake, the former Vic-Vergat bassist Juan Croucier and the drummer Greg Pecka. The latter was quickly replaced by Gary Holland. Other early stage members include bassists Jeff Tappen and Gary Link, and former Quiet Riot guitarist Greg Leon. With the Xciter guitarist George Lynch , Don Dokken finally found a suitable songwriting partner . The songs Paris By Night and I Can't See You Anymore caught the interest of several record companies.

In 1978, Dokken recorded the single Hard Rock Woman , limited to 500 copies , which secured the band a record deal with producer Dieter Dierks' studio in Stommeln near Cologne.

When the Scorpions recorded their album Blackout in this studio in 1982 , Don Dokken was involved as a background singer. The first album Breaking the Chains was released in 1981 by Carrere Records, soon aroused the interest of the major label Elektra and was reissued in 1983 with a different tracklist.

Also in 1982 they played a few songs with Udo Lindenberg for his album Keule .

After Breaking the Chains was released in America in 1983, the band toured the United States with Blue Öyster Cult and Aldo Nova . At the end of the year they played in the opening act for Rainbow on their USA tour, but were kicked off the tour after a few concerts - allegedly because the Rainbow guitarist Ritchie Blackmore did not want a guitarist as strong as George Lynch in an opening act. In the same year Lynch was invited again to an audition with Ozzy Osbourne . Lynch was initially awarded the job, but was kicked out by Jake E. Lee at the last minute .

The breakthrough

In 1984 bassist Juan Croucier moved to the Californian band Ratt and was replaced by Jeff Pilson . Dokken accompanied the legendary British heavy metal band Judas Priest through America as the opening act for the USA tour , later Dee Snider's band Twisted Sister and then played a European tour in the opening act for the German heavy metal band Accept .

With the 1987 album Back for the Attack , Dokken reached the peak of their career. The album made it to number 13 on the American charts, and the band again went on an extensive tour of America, this time as a support act for Aerosmith . In the same year Dokken contributed two songs to the new Freddy Krueger film Nightmare on Elm-Street Part 3 . In 1988 the band toured England as the opening act for AC / DC and was part of the American version of the Monsters of Rock Festival. On a tour of Japan, the band recorded a live album that was released in 1988 under the title Beast from the East . In 1989, after internal disputes, Dokken announced their separation.

After the dissolution

After the split, Don Dokken put together a new band, which he was not allowed to call Dokken after a complaint by the former members. The Don-Dokken band consisted of the former Europe guitarist John Norum , the ex-Watchtower guitarist Billy White, the former Accept bassist Peter Baltes and the ex- King Diamond drummer Mikkey Dee . The 1990 album Up from the Ashes only reached 50th place in the US charts and remained the only one of the band. Guitarist George Lynch and drummer Mick Brown formed the band Lynch Mob and recorded several albums. Bassist Jeff Pilson founded War and Peace and joined Dio in 1993 . He is now the bass player for Foreigner .

Reunion and renewed separation

In 1994 the band reformed after an offer from Japan and recorded the album Dokken for the local market , which was released a year later in the rest of the world under the name Dysfunctional . The album reached number 47 in the US charts. In 1996, the band released One Live Night, an acoustic live album.

The 1997 album Shadowlife only reached the top 200 on the Billboard charts. Tours through the USA and Japan followed, including with Alice Cooper . In October 1997, George Lynch left the band and was replaced by John Norum.

For the next studio album Erase the Slate , Dokken brought ex- Alice Cooper / Winger guitarist Reb Beach into the band. In the summer of 2000, Dokken toured with Poison , Cinderella and Slaughter . A year later, Jeff Pilson was seen in the movie Rock Star as the bassist in the fictional band Steel Dragon .

In 2001 John Norum returned and the new bassist was ex Yngwie Malmsteen and Michael Schenker Group member Barry Sparks . In this line-up, the band recorded the album Long Way from Home . In the summer of the same year, the band toured the United States as part of the Metal Edge Rockfest tour with the LA Guns , Ratt , FireHouse and Warrant . During the tour, Norum left the band due to an arm injury. His replacement was the Italian guitarist Alex DeRosso. The drummer Mick Brown left a short time later due to exhaustion and was replaced at a concert in Tucson / Arizona by the LA Guns bassist Adam Hamilton, who stepped in on the drums at short notice. The tour was then canceled.

In January 2003 the band toured the stadiums of America as the opening act for Scorpions and Whitesnake . In 2004 a new Dokken album called Hell to Pay was released . The new guitarist is now ex- Doro string wizard John Levin, but the album flopped.

In April 2008 the new album was released with the title Lightning Strikes Again with the line-up of Hell to Pay on Frontiers Records . In November 2009, Dokken toured the United States, opening act for Lynch Mob, the band of former guitarist George Lynch . On November 29, 2009 there was a "reunion" at the House of Blues in Anaheim when Lynch and Jeff Pilson went on stage with Mick Brown and Don Dokken for the encores and played In My Dreams from the album Under Lock And Key .

Following this event, fan circles speculated about an imminent reform of the group to its original line- up , fueled in May 2010 on the Dokken website by the question of whether there would be a great announcement soon . On December 8, 2010, however, Lynch stated on his website that this reunion would not take place, although he and Jeff Pilson had really tried to make it happen. The failure to come about was solely Don Dokken's decision. Literally Lynch wrote:

"We feel it's important to let folks know there will be no Dokken reunion in the foreseeable future, if ever. This is Don's decision, despite Jeff's and my best intentions and efforts over the past few years to make this happen in good faith. My apologies to VH1, Eddie Trunk, Steve Strange and all the fans who were pulling for this to happen. "

“We believe it's important to let people know that there won't be a reunion with Dokken anytime soon, if at all. This is Don's decision, despite Jeff and my best intentions and efforts over the years. We did this with a clear conscience. I apologize to VH1, Eddie Trunk, Steve Strange and all the fans who believed in a reunion. "

Trivia

• In his early years Dokken had a lot in common with the German heavy metal pioneers Accept . The band got their record deal with Carrere Records, not least thanks to the help of Accept manager Gaby Hoffmann (at that time still Gaby Hauke). In addition, Accept bassist Peter Baltes recorded all the bass tracks on the album Breaking The Chains as a studio musician , and in 1986 Dokken accompanied the Solinger as the opening act on their Russian Roulette European tour.
• For the film Nightmare on Elmstreet 3 - The Dream Warrior , Dokken contributed two songs ( Dream Warriors, Into The Fire ). The video clip for Dream Warriors contains excerpts from the film, the song can be heard in the credits.
• Dokken is featured in an advertising campaign for Norton products. You're threatening a dead chicken in the spot.

Discography

Studio albums

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)					Remarks
		DE	AT	CH	UK	US
1983	Breaking the chains	-	-	-	-	US136 (13 weeks) US	First published: September 18, 1983
1984	Tooth and Nail	-	-	-	-	US49 platinum (74 weeks)US	First published: September 13, 1984
1985	Under lock and key	-	-	-	-	US32 platinum (67 weeks)US	First published: November 9, 1985
1987	Back for the attack	-	-	CH25 (2 weeks) CH	UK96 (1 week) UK	US13 platinum (33 weeks)US	First published: November 2, 1987
1988	Beast from the East	-	-	-	-	US33 gold (17 weeks)US	First release: November 16, 1988 live album
1995	Dysfunctional	-	-	-	-	US47 (6 weeks) US	First published: May 23, 1995
1997	Shadowlife	-	-	-	-	US146 (1 week) US	First published: April 15, 1997
2008	Lightning Strikes Again	-	-	-	-	US133 (1 week) US	First published: May 13, 2008
2012	Broken Bones	-	-	-	-	US173 (1 week) US	First published: September 21, 2012
2018	Return to the East Live (2016)	DE50 (1 week) DE	-	CH63 (1 week) CH	-	-	First published: May 20, 2018 live album

more publishments

• 1979: Back in the Streets (EP)
• 1994: The Best of
• 1996: One Live Night
• 1999: The Very Best of
• 1999: Erase the Slate
• 2000: Live from the Sun
• 2002: Then and Now
• 2002: Long Way Home
• 2003: Japan Live '95
• 2003: Alone Again and Other Hits
• 2004: Change the World: An Introduction
• 2004: Hell to Pay
• 2006: The Definitive Rock Collection
• 2007: From Conception: Live 1981
• 2010: Greatest Hits

Singles

year	Title album	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes)					Remarks
		DE	AT	CH	UK	US
1985	Alone Again Tooth and Nail	-	-	-	-	US64 (11 weeks) US	First published: May 1985
1986	In My Dreams Under Lock and Key	-	-	-	-	US77 (7 weeks) US	First published: January 1986
1987	Burning Like a Flame Back for the Attack	-	-	-	UK78 (2 weeks) UK	US72 (8 weeks) US	First published: December 1987

More singles

• 1979: Hard Rock Woman
• 1982: We're Illegal
• 1983: Breaking the Chains
• 1984: Bullet to Spare
• 1985: Just Got Lucky
• 1986: Lightning Strikes Again
• 1986: Dream Warriors (Soundtrack Nightmare 3 )
• 1988: Alone Again (Live)
• 1988: So Many Tears
• 1988: Heaven Sent
• 1988: Walk Away (Live)
• 1995: Shadows of Life
• 1995: Nothing Left to Say
• 1997: I Feel
• 1999: Maddest Hatter
• 2010: Almost Over

Video albums

• 1985: Unchain the Night (US:platinum)

Web links

• Official website
• Biography musicmight.com (English)

Individual evidence

1. ^ George addresses the Dokken reunion, on the record . George Lynch. Retrieved December 8, 2010.
2. ↑ georgelynch.com, December 10, 2010
3. ↑ ^{a b} Chart sources: CH UK US
4. ↑ Music Sales Awards: US