Editor’s Note: Because it’s fun to go back, we’ve decided to re-share this old skool Top 10 list we did way back in the fall of 2012.
It’s been more than a decade, so it’s safe to say all of the below numbers have increased and then-some, imagine the L.A. Guns band’s body count?
Sadly we have lost some of these rock soldiers in the last decade as well. RIP!
Enjoy this look back to October 2nd 2012.
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Metal Sludge — Here we go with another unique Top 10 list from your friends at Metal Sludge. This list will be focusing on the rock n’ roll revolving door. That’s right folks. The very door that all these bands have to keep opening and closing to bring you their music.
This list of rock bands includes those groups with all the cool catchy name parts you’ve come to know and love. Like the use of key words like; Roses, Boys, Riot, Guns and of course Tango! We’ll also highlight groups named after cities, diseases and of course bands that don’t know how to spell.
In total, these groups have featured roughly 250 musicians over 30+ years. Some of these players (called or considered scabs if not an original member) have performed in two of the Top 10. But wait there is more. As crazy as it may sound – a few of these chameleon rockers have actually played in 3 bands from this list.
So without further rambling, we present to you, Metal Sludge’s Top 10 Rock Bands All -Time with the MOST member changes.
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10. RATT = 20 members
The original band was called Mickey Ratt as far back as 1976 and featured Stephen Pearcy on vocals. Based in San Diego the main rodent eventually headed north to Hollywood and soon the group evolved into RATT! Robin “King” Crosby was next to join and soon the band was on its way. An early version of RATT also featured guitarist Jake E. Lee. But due to the tragic death of Randy Rhoads, Ozzy was in the need of a new axeman and Jake landed that gig. He then referred his 18 year old friend from San Diego Warren DeMartini who took over on lead guitar. The band soon signed a deal with Atlantic and went onto sell millions of records. RATT were in the first wave of “hair metal” to go from the “Whisky-A-Go-Go” to the Long Beach arena.
To date the rodent rockers have featured 20 members according to Wikipedia. Some of the earliest members of RATT went onto groups like King Kobra which partially evolved into Bulletboys and Rough Cutt who morphed into Jailhouse. Later RATT line ups featured players from The Scream, Love/Hate and even Quiet Riot. It’s safe to say, the members were multiplying like rats.
In a 1999 interview that was first televised in 2006, when Ratt’s Behind the Music episode finally aired, Robin Crosby stated, “When I die, nobody cry at my funeral, in fact let’s all have a party; I’ve lived the life of ten men. I lived all my dreams and more.” Crosby died in Los Angeles on June 6, 2002.
Stephen Pearcy – lead vocals; rhythm guitar (1976–1992, 1996–2000, 2006–present)
Warren DeMartini – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals (1982–1992, 1996–present)
Bobby Blotzer – drums, percussion (1982–1992, 1996–present)
Juan Croucier – bass, backing vocals (1982–1992, 2012–present)
Carlos Cavazo – rhythm & lead guitars, backing vocals (2008–present)
Chris Hager – rhythm & lead guitars (1976–1981)
Matt Thorr – bass (1976–1981)
Bob Marks – drums, percussion (1976–1980)
Dave Alford – drums, percussion (1980–1981)
Bob Delellis – lead & rhythm guitars(1980–1981)
Jake E. Lee – lead & rhythm guitars (1980–1981)
Robbin Crosby – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals (1981–1991; died 2002)
Gene Hunter – Bass guitars (1980–1981)
Marq Torien – lead & rhythm guitars (1982)
Joey Cristofanilli – bass, backing vocals (1982)
Michael Schenker – rhythm & lead guitars (1991–1992)
Robbie Crane – bass guitar, backing vocals (1996–2012)
Keri Kelli – rhythm guitars (1999-2000)
John Corabi – rhythm guitars (2000–2008)
Jizzy Pearl – lead vocals (2000–2006)
Photo By Beth Nussbaum 1987 – Hollywood California
9. TUFF = 21 members
TUFF was formed in Phoenix by Todd Chaisson & Jorge DeSaint in 1985. After a local club show with Los Angeles’ hottest up n’ comers Poison – the band chose to relocate to Hollywood with then frontman Jimmy L’Mour. The band played a handful of shows with L’Mour in the fall of 1986 and early 1987 but then he gave notice he was leaving the band. Jimmy L’Mour real name Jim Gillette went on to form NITRO.
The band circulated fliers and sought a new frontman. Somehow one of those fliers made it to Wisconsin and in no time Steve Lauxes was on a 1-way flight to California. Upon meeting TUFF in a first audition the band asked about Steve’s stage name “Lauxes”. Steve explained it spelled Sexual backwards. Todd Chaisson told him: “Dude, that stage name sucks. Get a new one cause you’re our new singer.” And Stevie Rachelle was born. The bands debut gig was supporting Warrant at the world famous “Roxy Theatre”.
In 2001 Stevie Rachelle re-launched a new version of TUFF with the song “American Hair Band“. The track shot to #1 on Sirius Satellite “Hair Nation” fastly becaming the decades biggest requested hairband anthem. According to Wikipedia the band has had 21 members to date.
Musicians who have performed with TUFF over their career include John Corabi (Motley Crue & The Scream), Darrell Roberts (W.A.S.P. & Five Finger Death Punch), Keri Kelli (Alice Cooper & Ratt) & Jim Gillette (Nitro).
Sadly the band’s 2nd bassist Danny Wilder died of an alleged overdose in April 2005.
Editor’s Note: Read the TUFF DIARIES for the history of how this all unfolded!
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8. WARRANT = 21 members
Warrant was originally formed by Erik Turner in 1984 while still in High School. In time the band grew from a valley garage band to a regular on the Sunset Strip. Jerry Dixon was the 2nd to join and is the longest standing and only member to play continuously with the band since inception. In the fall of 1986 the band parted ways with original singer Adam Shore and recruited another local singer and drummer. This dynamic duo was Jani Lane and Steven Sweet. The band enjoyed huge success with their first 2 releases on Columbia Records including their signature smash “Cherry Pie”. Soon grunge changed everything and the smell of teen spirit downed the boys from heaven to hard luck almost overnight Throughout the years Warrant has featured a total of 27 members (including touring members) according to the trusty Wikipedia.
There have been past and present members of The Scorpions, Lynch Mob, Kingdom Come, Enuff Z’Nuff & Black N’ Blue who toured as part of Warrant over 28 years.
In a shocking headline, on August 11th 2011 Jani Lane (Vocals) was found dead in a San Fernando Valley motel room. It has been reported that his death was the cause of acute alcohol poisoning.
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7. QUIET RIOT = 22 members
In May of 1975 Kevin DuBrow joined Randy Rhoads and then bassist Kelli Garni with drummer Drew Foryth in the first edition of Quiet Riot. The band played the Los Angeles club circuit for years and was often the opener for Van Halen. But in 1979 Rhoads was snatched up by Ozzy Osbourne. Soon after Rudy Sarzo also joined Ozzy and Quiet Riot was cut in half. The band evolved a few different times and by 1982 had recruited Carlos Cavazo & Frankie Banali to complete the most well known line up. Sarzo had also returned and the band hit the big time with “Metal Health”. The release was the first ever Heavy Metal debut recording in America to reach the Billboard #1 position. Over time the band has featured 22 members according to Wikipedia records.
Tragedy has struck the band twice. First when guitar legend and original member Randy Rhoads was killed in a 1982 plane crash while on tour with Ozzy. Then more recently with the untimely death and rumored coccaine overdose of Kevin DuBrow (Vocals) in 2007.
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Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin’, Slash, Steven Adler and Duff McKagan
6. Guns N’ Roses = 22 members
Guns N’ Roses is the most successful group on our list. The band first formed in March of 1985 when Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin got together in Hollywood Rose. The original lead guitarist was Tracii Guns who was replaced by Slash after only a few shows. To date the band has sold in excess of 100 million records worldwide and has featured a total of 22 members.
The group has featured many lead guitarists including Slash, Buckethead, Bumblefoot and most recently Dj Ashba. Axl’s laundry list of players have previously performed with The Cult, Nine Inch Nails and even Bulletboys before joing Guns N’ Roses.
Original bassist Ole Beich died in 1991 in Denmark in what many think was a drowning. The family believes it was a suicide over depression that was brought on by the huge success of a band he was once part of. Ole performed only 1 show with Guns N’ Roses before quitting in May 1985. He was also part of the earliest version of LA Guns.
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5. ANTHRAX = 26 members
At the bottom end of the big 5 are Anthrax. Ironically they are also in the 5th place here on our latest list. The group Anthrax have always been headed up by founding member Scott Ian (Guitar). Scott is the only member to be in the group consistantly since they formed in 1981. In the past Metal Sludge have nicknamed Anthrax, “The LA Guns of thrash” for having so many member changes. To date the band notes 22 members and a total of 26 including touring members.
One of the bands most popular songs is “Caught In A Mosh” and we’re guessing that includes the band. In October 2011 the band was mid set when some fans rushed the stage to mosh. The security guards jumped into action and started tackling and removing the unruly fans. Only one problem. The security guards accidentally took frontman Joey Belladonna for one of the crazy fans and attacked him as well. But who can blame them. The group have had a total of 8 different singers over their career so it’s a bit hard to keep track.
Anthrax have featured members of Armored Saint, Skid Row and believe it or not – White Lion in their line up over their 31 year career.
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4. LONDON = 28 members
London was originally formed by Lizzie Grey and Nikki Sixx in 1978. But it’s safe to say the band made their biggest mark in the “Decline of Western Civilazation Part 2 – The Metal Years“. The band has been around for 34 years. This was long enough to rack up 28 members over time. Many of who became much more famous after leaving London to form or join other projects. This band was the breeding grounds for soon to be mega stars. Aside from the Motley Crue bassist, the band also featured Slash & Izzy Stradlin (Guns N’ Roses), Blackie Lawless (W.A.S.P.) and Fred Coury (Cinderella).
The band is still active today with Nadir D’Priest, Sean Lewis & Brian West – all pictured above. Oddly Tim Yasui (also pictured) is not in the group, but has been with Spiders N’ Snakes for years with Lizzie Grey who originally formed this band to start with. Crazy family tree for sure.
London will appear at the Annual “Cruefest” @ “Whisky-A-Go-Go” in Hollywood California on July 28th 2012.
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3. BANG TANGO = 30 members
Bang Tango were part of the Sunset Strip scene for a few years in a few different bands including City Slick. But in late 1987 Joe, Kyle, Tig, Mark & Kyle formed a groovy funk metal sound that took them all the way to Dial MTV with their hit “Someone Like You“. The bands employment list appears to be at 29 members – and this looks to be a partial list. Bang Tango have taken a few breaks during their 25 year career. Most notably when LeSte formed Beautiful Creatures with Dj Ashba back in 1999.
Bang Tango ReDux had a short lived career with the other (4) founding members of Bang Tango and a fill in singer back in 2010. Adding this vocalist would bring the Bang Tango total to an even 30.
No one from Bang Tango is dead, but Joe LeSte had a close call. Back in November 2009 the singer was rushed to a Chicago hospital just moments before a show at the Portage Theatre. Joe made a full recovery and is currently on tour in support of their latest studio effort “Pistol Whipped In The Bible Belt“.
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2. BULLETBOYS = 34 members
Bulletboys burst onto the scene in 1987 and were soon signed to Warner Brothers Records. The band was formed from the remains of King Kobra. Their debut hit “Smooth Up In Ya” charted and the band was certified Gold. Bulletboys released a 2nd and a 3rd disc through their major label but in 1993 Sweda & D’Anda left the group as sales dwindled. In 1998 the band made a second go of it with Torien & Vencent – but added new blood with drummer Steven Adler (Guns N’ Roses) and a fresh faced guitarist from Indiana named DJ Ashba. Both new members quit the following year to form other projects (Adler’s Appetite and Beautiful Creatures).
Bulletboys have featured some great talent over their history, a total of 34 members to be exact. Marq Torien the founding frontman was previously a guitarist in an early version of RATT as well as doing a brief stint fronting King Kobra. Some of the other members have went onward and upward to perform with bigger acts like; the Alice Cooper Band, Five Finger Death Punch, Slash’s solo band and Guns N’ Roses.
The band suffered a recent tragedy when a former member – Johnny “G” Giosa (Drums) died in a traffic accident in Los Angeles on August 29th 2011.
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1. LA GUNS = 40 members
Wow, we’ve reached the top. And our #1 band is LA GUNS. To date it is noted that the band has employed 40 members since their inception in 1983. LA Guns at one point merged with Hollywood Rose featuring Axl Rose to become Guns N’ Roses. But soon after Tracii Guns was replaced by Slash and LA Guns was reborn again in 1985. In early 1987 Phil Lewis was brought on board from England and later that same year W.A.S.P. drummer Steve Riley was added to complete the classic LA Guns line up.
Over the next 5 year period the band released a fistful of records before the changes started taking place. First Riley left in 1992, but retruned two years later for their first re-union of the classic line up. The following year vocalist Phil Lewis parted ways with the band. What followed was virtually a new singer almost every calendar year one after another. Chris Van Dahl (Cherry Street), Joe LeSte (Bang Tango), Ralph Saenz (Atomic Punks/Steel Panther) & Jizzy Pearl (Love/Hate). In 1999 the band made a go of it again for their second official classic line up reunion. That lasted less than a year and the band started Y2K with a new bassist named Muddy and the addition of Brent Muscat (Faster Pussycat) on guitar.
In 2002 Tracii Guns took a leave of absense from LA Guns to pursue a side project with Nikki Sixx called Brides of Destruction. This did not sit well with the other members of the group, and it was at this time – that LA Guns became Phil Lewis’ version. After Sixx & BOD fell apart in 2006 Guns started up his own version of LA Guns. Tracii went back to the original lead singer and Paul Black was again fronting LA Guns. After a few tours the “Black era” re-union ended, and Guns hired a new singer (Marty Casey). Another tour, and another year later, and Casey was gone. Soon after, Jizzy Pearl was back in. By 2009 there were ‘2’ versions of LA Guns battling it out for club tours, press and more.
In recent years Phil Lewis’ version with Steve Riley seemed to have found a solid replacement on lead guitar with Stacey Blades (Roxx Gang). The band have released 4 recordings with Blades on board. During this same time frame Tracii’s version has hired roughly a bakers dozen players, including singers named Scott, Tony & Dilana. With the start of 2012 Tracii Guns has devoted more time to his new project League of Gentleman or LOG, while Phil’s LA Guns have released a new record with “Hollywood Forever“.
Original LA Guns bassist Ole Beich died in 1991 in Denmark in what many think was a drowning. He was also the first bassist in Guns N’ Roses but quit after only a few shows.
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Metal Sludge’s Whacky Band Facts:
*London has had more super stars farmed from their band than any other group including Nikki Sixx, Slash, Izzy Stradlin, Blackie Lawless & Fred Coury.
*DJ Ashba has been a member of both Guns N Roses & Bulletboys – yet was not a founding member of either group. DJ was also in Beautiful Creatures which is related to Bang Tango with LeSte in the mix.
*Marq Torien has fronted the Bulletboys but also played guitar in an early RATT line up. Marq also sang a few shows for Lynch Mob who didn’t make the list.
*Speaking of Lynch Mob, holy shit! We forgot about Dokken. At a quick glance, it looks like they could have easily placed in the Top 3 with 30 plus members. Oh well it makes sense as Don formed the group in 1978.
*Guns n’ Roses has sold the most records, while Tuff has sold the least on this list.
*Tracii Guns has played guitar in Guns N’ Roses, LA Guns and for a brief time in Quiet Riot.
*Keri Kelli was never an original member of any of the groups, but has performed or toured with Ratt, Warrant & Tuff. For good measure Keri also played in Adler’s Appetite which has some relationship to Guns N’ Roses and Bulletboys.
*Joe LeSte fronted Bang Tango but also did a brief stint with LA Guns. He also formed Beautiful Creatures with current Gn’R axe slinger Ashba, and rocked the mic with Adler’s Appetite who was part of the original Gn’R.
This is like some Kevin Bacon shit wow.
*LA Guns is the only band to have a female member.
*Anthrax is the only NY band, all the others are from Hollywood.
*Scott Ian use to be a hair farmer like the rest of these guys, but is the only one to have the stones to rock his bald skull. Many others are rocking rugs and such – but of course they’ll remain nameless.
*Jizzy Pearl sang for LA Guns in 1998, then he joined RATT in 2000 and ended up back in Tracii Guns’ version of LA Guns again in 2009. Jizzy was also the original frontman for Adler’s Appetite.
*7 of 10 bands have had at least one death over their career, with Quiet Riot losing 2 members.
*Only 2 of the bands, have had the same singer throughout their career – Bulletboys and Guns n’ Roses.
*Axl Rose is the only red head of the whole list. Axl = The Ralph Malph of Rock.
Metal Sludge
Revolving Sludge
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