Jack Russell goes off on Terry Ilous about Great White.

Jack Russell & Terry Ilous are battling Great White Singers

 

 

Jack Russell goes off on Terry Ilous  – Great White singer Vs: Great singer, the battle continues

Exclusive Metal Sludge Update

Posted By: Metal Sludge

Los Angeles, CA — Terry Ilous the current singer of Great White (featuring Mark Kendall) recently did a interview at The Rock Tologist. And it seems that Terry has said some things that have upset the other Great White singer Jack Russell.

Here is an excerpt from Terry’s interview.

“The band (Great White) was started by Mike Kendall back in 1978, at the time, in 1978 Jack Russell wasn’t even around, Jack Russel was in jail.” Terry Llous

The Rock Tologist: There has been a lot of turmoil lately around the right to use Great White name. How does that affect the guys in the band?

Terry Llous: Well, Daniel, I have to tell you that everyone is a bit annoyed and upset… I don’t want to get info controversy, all I want to say is that the history of the band is very simple. The history speaks for itself. Mark Kendall started the band in 1978 with a different singer, a different drummer and a different bass player. Then band was by then called Dante Fox. This line-up toured for about two years, before Jack Russell joined the band. Basically, the band then toured and changed the name, but the point is that the band was started by Mike Kendall back in 1978, at the time, in 1978 Jack Russell wasn’t even around, Jack Russel was in jail. Now, how does he defect me and the band…it’s really annoying to be honest with you. I’m not saying anything bad about Jack whatsoever, but I’m starting to get annoyed. I’ve never heard of a singer leaving a band and taking the name with him, I mean, when Steve Perry left Journey he called himself Steve Perry formerly of Journey, the same goes for Lou Gramm (Foreigner), Ozzy Osbourne or David Coverdale. The bottom line is that when you leave the band, let’s not forget that Jack never got fired, he left the band on his own accord.  

 

So once again, the situation is very annoying to be honest, because it’s affecting our shows, it’s bothering our fans, not to mention that the fact that Jack is saying so many bad things about us is just wrong.  You know, I wish Jack only the very, very best, success and health; whatever he want I’m good with that. Still, I don’t thing that saying bad thing about his former band members is right, I think he should be more of a gentleman. It’s like a relationship with your ex-girlfriend or your ex-wife. When it’s over, it’s over, and you have to remember the good times and move on.

TRT: Great White is now up against Jack Russell’s Great White. Are you confident in reaching the top spot?

Terry: Absolutely! (laughs)

TRT: No problem there, then?

Terry: No problem there! You know, Jack was a great singer, and he did wonderful things with the band. I would never criticize Jack. I’m not that kind of a person. If he can comeback with a great album I would say good for him. All I want for us is to move on and be happy. I just want to be left alone and do my thing, that’s all.

TRT: One more question about Jack. He in particular has an army strong pack of devoted fans. How does it feel stepping into his shoes, on stage that is?

Terry: I’d like for him to step into my shoes if he can do it! I’m a lead singer from XYZ and everybody knows that I have lots of chops. Singing my songs is not easy. Anyway, every time that I go onstage it’s always a pleasure for me to sing songs that Jack and Mark have written or co-written… I know that Mark was mostly the writer in the band…it’s always a pleasure to sing this songs. In a certain way Jack will always be with me onstage, because I will be singing things like “Save Your Love” and “Lady Of Red Light”. Every time I sing those songs the fans would be singing thinking about him, and to be honest with you, they should thing about him, because he was the voice in Great White before.  So I only have respect for him, even my new fans should respect him as well.

As far as going on stage and filling his shoes…well, jack was a great singer, and I’m also a great singer. It’s not like, o my god I don’t know if I can do it! The truth is that Jack and I are very similar but we are different also. I’m European so I’m very flashy onstage. My influences are Freddie Mercury and people like that, you know, people that put on a great show. So again, Jack and I are very similar, that’s why I am the singer in Great White now, because of the similarities, the blues, the rock, except that I’m a bit heavier that him. I grew up listening to Ronnie James Dio, my heart is into metal but also blues, because I’m very personal.

To check out Terry’s full interview at The Rock Tologist, go HERE.

So after this interview has hit the web, Jack Russell has sent Metal Sludge his thoughts on Terry’s recent comments. We’ll let Jack take over from here.

“I told my former band members that I was taking the name GREAT WHITE…they were terminated.” Jack Russell

I hope this doesn’t come across as being too harsh or spiteful, I just want the truth to be told and I’ve had more than enough of people talking about things they know nothing about, and talking about me when they don’t even know me. I have done my best not to discuss the personal, private matters of my former band members, however, I have the right to confront my accusers.

It has come to my attention that Terry Illous feels I am not a gentleman.  He also claims that I left my band.  I can only assume that because English is not his first language, that he does not understand the meaning of the words “gentleman” or “leaving”.   Being the gentleman that I am, I have no problem coming to his aid and helping him understand the terms a little better.  Not being a gentleman would be to sign my name to a statement sent out to the press revealing all the personal and private medical history of someone, and discussing private things in a public forum, regarding someone you have never even met.

As far as the word “leaving” goes, the definition of the word “leave” is: “to depart from permanently; quit”

As I have said in some of my earlier interviews, I did not leave GREAT WHITE.  I told my former band members that I was taking the name GREAT WHITE and moving on-in other words, they were terminated.  I guess they don’t understand the meaning of the word “terminated”.  Perhaps this will help: “TERMINATED:  To discontinue the employment of; dismiss”

When you leave something, you don’t take it with you, example, if you “leave” your wife, you don’t take her with you.  So to be perfectly clear, I DID NOT LEAVE THE BAND.

He also had the audacity to discuss the history of GREAT WHITE. I did not realize that Terry was with Mark Kendall and I back in 1978, when I first jammed with Mark in his cover band Zzyzzx.   He wasn’t, which is why his statement about the beginnings of  the bands that became GREAT WHITE is completely inaccurate, and is clearly documented, contrary to what he may have been told..  Mark called me in 1978 and asked me to jam with his cover band Zzyzzx.  After doing so, I told him he should quit that band and I would quit the band I was jamming with, and we should start our own band, and we did.  After that, the band names went from Highway, to Livewire, then to Wires, then to Dante Fox, then to Great White.  Although it is true that I was in jail for a period, it was during the time between Wires and Dante Fox, and was before the band ever became Great White. None of this is about Highway, Livewire, Wires or Dante Fox, this is about GREAT WHITE, of which I am the ORIGINAL singer.  As far as the history Terry has with GREAT WHITE, the ONLY history he knows about GREAT WHITE, is from the time I ALLOWED him to fill in for me.

Regarding stepping into his shoes and singing XYZ songs, that wouldn’t be a problem, except that I’ve never heard any of their songs and I don’t understand the comparison he makes between GREAT WHITE and XYZ.  From what I know, XYZ hasn’t sold over 10 million albums worldwide, had over a dozen videos on MTV, hadn’t received a GRAMMY nomination, etc. so the comparison eludes me.  I’m not saying that XYZ wasn’t a good band, or that Terry isn’t a good singer, but the levels of success speak for themselves. Comments like “Jack Russell “was” a great singer” is just childish and ridiculous.

As far as his statement claiming that Mark Kendall was the main songwriter in GREAT WHITE, just to get the facts straight, the truth is, if you look at all 11 albums GREAT WHITE has done, I have more songwriting credits than Mark, or anyone else ever involved with the band.  Say what you will, the facts are the facts.

I have not stated in magazines, press releases or in any public forum at all, the specific details of peoples personal problems, health issues, addictions  etc.  I have discussed the truth,  and the things that my former band members have done that truly hurt me emotionally, and have given me cause to take the actions I felt required to take.

Peace to you all,

Jack Russell

 

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