Few bands embodied the era of pop-metal like Bon Jovi. By merging Def Leppard's loud but tuneful metal with Bruce Springsteen's working-class sensibilities, the New Jersey-based quintet developed an ingratiatingly melodic and professional variation of hard rock -- one that appealed as much to teenagers as to housewives. Bon Jovi skillfully... [+] Read More

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For a brief time in the early '90s, the supergroup Damn Yankees enjoyed a considerable amount of success on the AOR circuit. Comprised of guitarist Ted Nugent, Styx guitarist/vocalist Tommy Shaw, Night Ranger bassist/vocalist Jack Blades, and drummer Michael Cartellone, the group came in on the tail-end of the heyday of polished pop-metal, and... [+] Read More

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While quite a few arena rock acts of the '70s found the transformation into the '80s quite difficult, several acts continued to flourish and enjoyed some of their biggest commercial success: Journey, Styx, REO Speedwagon, and especially Foreigner. Foreigner's leader from the beginning has been British guitarist Mick Jones, who first broke into... [+] Read More

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After recording two unsuccessful albums with Christian rockers White Heart in the early '80s, guitarist/vocalist Dann Huff found refuge in session work, eventually becoming one of the most requested, reliable, and versatile players in the business. But after years backing everyone from Michael Jackson to Amy Grant, Huff decided to give it one... [+] Read More

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Sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson were the creative spark behind Heart, a hard rock group who initially found success in the mid-'70s, only to reach greater heights after engineering a major comeback a decade later. The daughters of a Marine Corps captain, Ann (born June 19, 1950) and Nancy (born March 16, 1954) grew up in both Southern California... [+] Read More

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Sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson were the creative spark behind Heart, a hard rock group who initially found success in the mid-'70s, only to reach greater heights after engineering a major comeback a decade later. The daughters of a Marine Corps captain, Ann (born June 19, 1950) and Nancy (born March 16, 1954) grew up in both Southern California... [+] Read More

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Although the Toronto-based quintet Honeymoon Suite never managed to break through in a major way with audiences south of the border, they did find their way onto the charts a handful of times in the U.S. They also were a popular live act and opened for some of the period's biggest draws, including Heart, Journey, and Billy Idol. The band's... [+] Read More

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Jon Bon Jovi spent the years from 1983 to 1988 establishing his hard rock band Bon Jovi as one of the most popular in the Western world with multi-platinum albums such as Slippery When Wet and New Jersey. He then put the band on hold and made a solo album, Blaze of Glory (July, 1990), whose songs were inspired by the motion picture Young Guns... [+] Read More

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Fusing the complexity of British prog rock with an American heartland sound representative of their name, Kansas were among the most popular bands of the late '70s; though typically dismissed by critics, many of the group's hits remain staples of AOR radio play lists to this day. Formed in Topeka in 1970, the founding members of the group --... [+] Read More

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First rising to prominence as the frontman for platinum-selling hard rock combo Foreigner, Lou Gramm later mounted a successful solo career, cracking the Top Five in 1987 with "Midnight Blue." Born in Rochester, NY on May 2, 1950, Gramm first surfaced as the drummer with the band Black Sheep, assuming lead vocal duties prior to recording the... [+] Read More

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Mr. Big was one of the few "shredder" heavy metal bands (translation: its members were very proficient at their instruments) that realized that songcraft was more important than just simply playing a thousand notes per minute. The seeds for the group were sown when bass player extraordinaire Billy Sheehan (often called the Eddie Van Halen of the... [+] Read More

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VH1 Classic is proud to present the upcoming U.S. headlining tour for Shaw/Blades—Styx/Damn Yankees guitarist/vocalist Tommy Shaw and Night Ranger/Damn Yankees bassist/vocalist Jack Blades. It will launch March 16 in Dewey Beach, DE and conclude in April 14 in Agoura Hills, CA.
The duo is making the cross-country trek to promote their... [+] Read More

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