Please note: Due to technical difficulties we were unable to post photos prior to our publication deadline, but we've finally been able to upload them and are still in the process of editing them right now, a time consuming process with the large number of photos that were taken. The photos will be posted here as soon as possible. We apologize for the inconvenience.

          

Classic hard rockin' band Dokken was our featured band this week. With some of the best vocals and guitars of all the 80s era bands, Dokken's music soared in the charts and the band played to sold out crowds all over the world. Dokken was one of the most successful bands to come out of the 80s and their loyal following continues to this day, along with the acquisition of a new generation of young fans.

Dokken's formation began back in 1978 when Don Dokken was in a band named Airborn. In 1979 Don went to Germany to lay down some vocals on a new Scorpions album because their singer, Klaus Meine, was having vocal problems. However, Don's vocals were never used. But, while there, Don connected with the band manager of Accept. Accept was recording an album in another studio. Through their manager Don was given the opportunity of obtaining a record deal with Carrere Records. Don had tried to convince Xciter members George Lynch and Mick Brown to join forces with him in order to secure the deal, but they weren't interested. Don moved forward anyway and, with the help of one of Xciter's tunes, he clinched the deal. Soon after Don got the deal, George Lynch and Mick Brown were convinced to join with him. Juan Croucier was also then added to the lineup. The album, "Breaking the Chains", was initially released on this label in Germany under the band name Don Dokken (the name Airborn had to be abandoned after it was discovered there was already a signed band using that name).

In 1983, manager Cliff Bernstein noticed how much success Dokken was having in Germany. So, he signed them in the U.S. "Breaking the Chains" was then released in the U.S. under the band name Dokken. The band embarked on an arena tour as the supporting act for Blue Öyster Cult in the U.S. in 1983. Unfortunately, after the tour was over Dokken was almost dropped from their label because of lackluster sales. Although they were quite popular in Europe at that time, they hadn't been able to crack the American charts. It was also during 1983 that Juan Croucier left Dokken to join Ratt. He was replaced by Jeff Pilson.

Unbeknownst to anyone at the time, 1984 would turn out to be the year that Dokken would take the U.S. rock music scene by storm. The band's second album, "Tooth and Nail", was released on September 13th of that year. With the hit songs "Just Got Lucky", "Alone Again", and "Into The Fire", people began to sit up and take notice of Dokken. New fans were taken with Don's soaring vocals, George's searing guitars, and Jeff and Mick's tight rhythm section. The album proceeded to sell over one million copies in the United States alone, and peaked at number 49 on the charts. It sold about three million copies worldwide.

Dokken released their third album, "Under Lock and Key", on November 9th, 1985. It sold over a million copies in the U.S., as well. It featured the hit singles "In My Dreams", "The Hunter" and "It's Not Love". The band continued to tour, and opened for big name acts including AC/DC, Aerosmith, Judas Priest and Dio. During a tour with Judas Priest in 1986, a documentary called "Heavy Metal Parking Lot" was filmed and released. It featured fans in the parking lot before a concert by both bands.

Also in 1986, Dokken returned to the studio after touring with the Scorpions. They recorded the song "Dream Warriors" as part of the soundtrack for the movie, "A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors". On February 10, 1987 the song was released as a single. It would be about another six months before the band entered the studio again to record their album, "Back for the Attack", which was then released on November 27, 1987. This release became Dokken's most successful album, climbing to number 13 on the U.S. charts, with the help of the singles "Burning Like a Flame", Kiss of Death", and "Heaven Sent". It also became their third platinum album. In addition, the remixed version of the single "Dream Warriors" from this album went to number 22 on the charts.

Dokken embarked on a tour in support of "Back for the Attack", including joining the Monsters of Rock tour during the summer of 1988. That tour also featured Metallica, Van Halen, Scorpions, and Kingdom Come.

While touring Japan, Dokken made recordings of their shows. Those recordings were used to create the live album, "Beast from the East", which was released on November 16, 1988. This album achieved Gold status in the United States, reaching number 33 on the charts.

Unfortunately, trouble was brewing within the band. Rumors persisted about Don's and George's animosity towards each other. Because of the continued creative and personal disputes between the two, Dokken called it quits after the successful 1988 Monsters of Rock tour.

George Lynch and Mick Brown went on to form the band Lynch Mob. They released two albums, "Wicked Sensation" (1990) and the self-titled "Lynch Mob" (1992), to critical acclaim.

Don Dokken recorded a solo album in 1990 entitled "Up from the Ashes". This album resulted in two singles.

Jeff Pilson became the frontman for the band War and Peace in 1993.

Also at that time, George Lynch released his first solo album, after the breakup of the Lynch Mob. This album, "Sacred Groove" saw George and Don reuniting to write the song "We Don't Own This World". Don was also supposed to supply the vocals for the song, but was unable to make it to the studio. So, Matthew and Gunnar Nelson filled in instead.

In 1993, Don and Mick Brown started talking about coming together to record an album, since Mick was no longer part of the Lynch Mob. Jeff Pilson also rejoined them and they started working on the new album. The recording was to be another solo album by Don entitled "Dysfunctional", which was produced by Don and recorded in his own studio. John Kalodner, A&R exec for Columbia Records at the time, wanted to sign Don in order to release the album, but he wanted George Lynch to be introduced back into the band so the album could be released as a new Dokken album instead of a solo record by Don. It was now 1994 and the group decided to send what they had written to George. He was impressed by what they had and decided to rejoin Dokken in 1995 to record and release the new album. After George rewrote and re-recorded the guitar solos on the album, it was released on Columbia Records. Although grunge had taken over by this time, and glam/sleaze bands were on the decline, the band's new album still sold more than 300,000 records due to Dokken's loyal fan following.

Dokken went on tour to support "Dysfunctional", but during the tour Don and George began to experience conflicts between each other once again. These conflicts boiled over when, during a Columbia Records promotion where the band was to play live on 120 radio stations, George abruptly walked out of the studio and refused to return. Columbia then had to play an earlier recorded rehearsal tape instead. Dokken was dropped from the label four days later.

Dokken was signed to a new label, CMC, and released an all-acoustic live record in 1996 entitled "One Live Night". The band then released their next studio album, "Shadowlife", in 1997. Don was reportedly unhappy with this particular album, because apparently George took over and even replaced the Dokken logo on the album cover. Don accused George of trying to ruin the band, and quoted George from an interview he had done where he said, "This is the perfect record. This is gonna be the end of Dokken, and that is what I wanted to accomplish."

The longstanding tension between Don and George continued, and late in 1997 George refused to join Dokken for a European tour and suddenly left the band. Don enlisted guitarist John Norum to fill in for the tour, since John had played guitar on Don's 1990 solo record and, therefore, knew Dokken's song catalog. Then, just days before the band was to embark on their tour, George decided he wanted to rejoin the band. The band refused his request, and George proceeded to sue them for a million dollars. The band won out in the suit, however.

John Norum was unable to keep playing for Dokken after the European tour was over due to prior commitments, so they brought in Reb Beach, who had previously been the guitarist for Winger. With Reb as their new guitarist, the band recorded a new album in 1999. They called the album "Erase the Slate" as a way to announce a new beginning for Dokken. A live album, also with Reb on guitars, entitled "Live from the Sun" was then released in 2000. After the release of the live album, Reb departed the band because he wished to work on some other projects.

After Reb's departure, John Norum rejoined Dokken. He was between projects, so he had the time to tour with the band. Around this time Jeff Pilson also left to pursue other projects and Barry Sparks, a 6-string bass player who formerly had played with Yngwie Malmsteen and Michael Shenker, was hired to take his place. This new lineup then recorded and released a new Dokken album entitled "Long Way Home". Unfortunately, during the 2003 European spring tour in support of this album John injured his hand and was unable to continue with the band. He was replaced by Alex de Rosso, formerly of the band Dark Lord. The band pressed on and joined the Metal Edge Rock Fest tour that year, as well. Besides Dokken, the tour included FireHouse and Ratt, among others. Also, that same year, the band toured the U.S. along with Whitesnake and the Scorpions. Unfortunately, when the tour was completed Alex's work visa expired and he had to return to Italy, leaving Dokken, once again, with an open slot to fill for a guitar player.

Don decided to contact Jon Levin, formerly the guitarist for Warlock. Jon had met with the band in the past, playing some solos for a demo they were putting together, and even played a show with them back in 1998. He had also become the band's attorney. Jon agreed to join Dokken as their new guitarist and this lineup continues to this day, although temporary substitutions have occasionally been made when there were scheduling conflicts. In 2004 the band released "Hell to Pay", which features an updated sound, much different than the band's previous albums. After this release, the band toured extensively for the next two years, then they released a live CD and a compilation DVD in 2007. The CD, "From Conception: Live 1981", is actually from a live recording made in 1981 that was only recently discovered, and the DVD, "Unchain the Night", is a re-release of a compilation of music videos, interviews, and other footage that was first released on VHS in 1986.

2007 and 2008 saw Dokken performing at the glam and sleaze rock festival, Rocklahoma. And, on May 13, 2008, the band released its much anticipated album, "Lightning Strikes Again". This album, at Jon's urging, was made with the goal of returning to the classic Dokken sound. That decision has paid off with rave reviews from critics and higher record sales for the band. It is the highest charting album for Dokken in 13 years and debuted at number 133 on U.S. charts, an impressive feat in this age of "modern rock" and "nu-metal". It just goes to show that there is a great thirst for straight-up rock 'n' roll among the public that is not being quenched by the current corporate stranglehold within the recording industry that prevents the many talented bands that exist from receiving airplay on rock radio, thus denying them access to the large numbers of people who would like to hear them. This is a disservice to the bands as well as the public at large, one we hope to change.

Don Dokken basically agrees with our stance on bringing back great rock 'n' roll, as evidenced by this quote from his biography on the band's website, "Many fans of the 80s metal scene applauded Dokken for rejoining and putting out a new album when the music scene was so saturated with 'Modern Rock'. Don has been adamant about bringing hard rock music back from the grave that so many had believed it to be buried. When Don Dokken sings, people listen. When he gets up on the stage, people support him. Don is a musician that has come a long way from those days with Airborn. He has demonstrated to all of us what can be achieved when you stay true to yourself and your dreams. His belief is that rock will rise again, and he can take pride in the fact that he and Dokken will have helped pave the way."

Here, here!! We couldn't agree more, and like Don we will never give up because we believe that not only will rock rise again, but it has already begun to do so! It is thanks to the classic rock 'n' rollers who've never quit, and to the new generation of rockers who are taking up the cause, that glam, sleaze and straight-up rock is making a comeback. Thank you all!

For more info about Dokken, please visit their MySpace page and website. Make sure you see them live if they come to a town near you, and for a review of their live show please visit our Reviews page. Remember, keep rockin' with Dokken!

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