Don Dokken
Donald Maynard Dokken (born June 29, 1953 in Los Angeles ) is an American singer who released several very successful albums in the 1980s with the glam metal band Dokken named after him and achieved international fame.
Career
The beginning of his career is closely linked to Germany: In 1979 Don Dokken came to Hamburg with his band named after him, which at the time also included bassist Juan Croucier and drummer Greg Pecka, where the group performed several appearances in various clubs on the Reeperbahn . One of the concerts took place in the “Sounds” club ; it is recorded by Michael Wagener , whom Dokken met here. For the next three days, Wagener recorded demos with the band at the Tennessee recording studio before the band traveled back to the United States.
In 1980 Dokken returned to Germany, his band consisted of himself, guitarist Greg Leon, bassist Gary Link and drummer Gary Holland. Dieter Dierks was among the audience at a concert in Hamburg . The record producer liked Dokken's voice, so the two exchanged phone numbers. During a visit to the USA a little later, Dierks contacted Dokken to ask him to support the Scorpions in the pre-production of their album Blackout , as their singer Klaus Meine had to undergo a vocal cord operation. The resulting demos with Dokken's singing were destroyed; Dokken took on the backing vocals for the tracks Blackout , No One Like You and Dynamite with the band.
In return, his band was given the opportunity to record further demos for free in Dierks' studio, where the band Accept was also working at the time. Their manager Gaby Hauke took the Dokken tapes with her to Hamburg and got the band a record deal with Carrere Records . In a new line-up, namely with drummer Mick Brown and guitarist George Lynch , Dokken recorded the album Breakin 'the Chains for Carrere, which was released in Germany in 1981 under the name “Don Dokken”. Although Juan Croucier was listed as the group's bassist on the album cover, Accept bassist Peter Baltes actually played bass on the album; Michael Wagener was the producer.
It was not until 1983 that the band's debut album appeared in the United States, with the unappreciated spelling Breaking the Chains , where Dokken was able to sign a contract with Elektra Records.
In 1984 the band had their commercial breakthrough in the USA with the album Tooth and Nail ; the group produced three platinum studio albums by 1987 , followed by the live album Beast from the East in 1988 ; In March 1989, Dokken broke up the band after internal quarrels.
In May 1985, the singer took part in the recording of the song Stars , which Ronnie James Dio , Jimmy Bain and Vivian Campbell had written for the music project Hear 'n Aid ; In 1989 he produced the self-titled debut album by the American hard rock band XYZ.
In 1990 the album Up from the Ashes was released under the name “Don Dokken” , which Dokken had recorded with Peter Baltes, John Norum , Billy White and Mikkey Dee . His plan to release the album under the band name Dokken had been prevented by the members of the previous line-up by legal means. Up from the Ashes reached number 50 of the US album - charts . As early as 1994, the classic line-up of the band was working on new material again, but in 1998 Lynch got out again. Since then there has been a constant line-up change in the band; only drummers Mick Brown and Don Dokken make up the regular cast.
In the spring of 2000, Dokken was a guest at the Paris concert of the German progressive metal band Vanden Plas . He sang with the band the song Kiss of Death , which is originally included on the Dokken album Back for the Attack . The concert at Élysée Montmartre was recorded and published on September 8, 2000 under the title Spirit of Live .
In 2008 the singer recorded another solo album called Solitary , which was sold exclusively at concerts. In autumn 2010 he had to undergo vocal cord surgery; the first concert after the operation took place on February 4, 2011 in Anchorage ( Alaska instead).
Discography
As a producer
- 1989: XYZ: XYZ
With Dokken
- 1979: Back in the Streets
- 1981: Breakin 'the Chains
- 1983: Breaking the Chains (reissue)
- 1984: Tooth and Nail
- 1985: Under Lock and Key
- 1987: Back for the Attack
- 1988: Beast from the East (Live)
- 1994: Dokken (Japan CD)
- 1995: Dysfunctional
- 1997: Shadowlife
- 1999: Erase the Slate
- 2002: Long Way Home
- 2004: Hell to Pay
- 2008: Lightning Strikes Again
- 2012: Broken Bones
Solo albums
- 1990: Up from the Ashes
- 2008: Solitary (self-distribution)
With other artists
- 1981: Blackout (Scorpions album; demos and backing vocal )
- 1985: Stars
- 2000: Spirit of Live (guest appearance at Vanden Plas )
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d group dynamics in: Rocks - the magazine for Classic Rock, issue 01/2012, pages 54 to 61
- ^ Don Dokken Talks About Vocal Surgery ; Bravewords.com, October 22, 2010
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Dokken, Don |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Dokken, Donald Maynard (real name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 29, 1953 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Los Angeles , California , United States |