White Lion 
Other / Reggae / Worldwide / Reggae
Of all the glam/pop-metal bands that crawled out of hair salons coast to coast during the mid- to late '80s, one of the more talented acts was New York's [wimpLink artistId="18590983"]White Lion[/wimpLink], led by singer [wimpLink artistId="3636126"]Mike Tramp[/wimpLink] (originally from Denmark) and guitarist [wimpLink artistId="14854470"]Vito Bratta[/wimpLink]. The group originally formed in 1983 and despite several bassists and drummers coming and going (including future [wimpLink artistId="86"]Black Sabbath[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="3883"]Great White[/wimpLink] bass player [wimpLink artistId="11859830"]Dave Spitz[/wimpLink]), the group managed to issue a debut, Fight to Survive, on the independent metal label Grand Slamm in 1984. With [wimpLink artistId="3636126"]Tramp[/wimpLink]'s pinup good looks and [wimpLink artistId="14854470"]Bratta[/wimpLink]'s Eddie Van Halen-esque six-string work, the group seemed destined for success (especially with such similarly styled outfits as [wimpLink artistId="3555613"]Mötley Crüe[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="13369"]Ratt[/wimpLink] storming the charts), but it would be several years before their next album would appear. Finally finding the right rhythm section (bassist [wimpLink artistId="6204593"]James LoMenzo[/wimpLink] and former [wimpLink artistId="16569119"]Anthrax[/wimpLink] drummer [wimpLink artistId="12478900"]Greg d'Angelo[/wimpLink]), [wimpLink artistId="18590983"]White Lion[/wimpLink] inked a major-label recording contract with Atlantic, issuing [wimpLink albumId="3029575"]Pride[/wimpLink] in 1987.
The album took a while to catch on, but when MTV latched onto the quartet's melodic rocker "Wait," the floodgates opened for the band and [wimpLink albumId="3029575"]Pride[/wimpLink] raced up the charts. Landing prime tour opening slots with the likes of [wimpLink artistId="945"]AC/DC[/wimpLink], [wimpLink artistId="950"]Aerosmith[/wimpLink], and [wimpLink artistId="615"]Ozzy Osbourne[/wimpLink] didn't hurt matters either and the group toured for the better part of 1988, resulting in [wimpLink albumId="3029575"]Pride[/wimpLink] holding steady on the charts. But it was more than a year after the album's release that [wimpLink artistId="18590983"]White Lion[/wimpLink] enjoyed their biggest success, with the gentle acoustic ballad "When the Children Cry," which would eventually push sales of [wimpLink albumId="3029575"]Pride[/wimpLink] over the two million mark (in addition, [wimpLink artistId="14854470"]Bratta[/wimpLink] was being recognized for his instrumental talents by racking up Best New Guitarist awards with several guitar-based magazines). But like numerous other young bands that enjoy big-time success early on in their career, [wimpLink artistId="18590983"]White Lion[/wimpLink] felt the pressure to deliver once more on their follow-up recording, which they decided to write and record directly after coming off tour rather than taking time off to re-focus.
The decision would ultimately prove to be a detrimental one for [wimpLink artistId="18590983"]White Lion[/wimpLink], as proven by the lackluster chart performance of 1989's [wimpLink albumId="4073481"]Big Game[/wimpLink]. Although the album spawned a pair of videos that racked up substantial MTV airplay (the Greenpeace tribute "Little Fighter" and a cover version of [wimpLink artistId="3536222"]Golden Earring[/wimpLink]'s classic rock standard "Radar Love"), [wimpLink albumId="4073481"]Big Game[/wimpLink] stalled on the charts and quickly faded away after being certified gold shortly after release. Down but not out, [wimpLink artistId="18590983"]White Lion[/wimpLink] regrouped for 1991's [wimpLink albumId="3460761"]Mane Attraction[/wimpLink], which saw the group slightly toughen up their sound on such tracks as the politically charged "Warsong." But with hair metal's audience quickly drying up (and such Seattle bands as [wimpLink artistId="19368"]Nirvana[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="34477"]Soundgarden[/wimpLink] waiting in the wings), the album fared even worse than its predecessor. To add insult to injury, both [wimpLink artistId="6204593"]LoMenzo[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="12478900"]d'Angelo[/wimpLink] left the band shortly thereafter, replaced with newcomers Tommy "T-Bone" Caradonna on bass and future [wimpLink artistId="946"]Megadeth[/wimpLink] member [wimpLink artistId="12852625"]Jimmy DeGrasso[/wimpLink] on drums. But before the new lineup could record, [wimpLink artistId="3636126"]Tramp[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="14854470"]Bratta[/wimpLink] came to the realization that their best days were behind them and quietly laid [wimpLink artistId="18590983"]White Lion[/wimpLink] to rest.
After [wimpLink artistId="18590983"]White Lion[/wimpLink]'s split, both Lomenzo and D'Angelo reappeared in [wimpLink artistId="3599156"]Pride & Glory[/wimpLink], a Southern rock outfit headed by [wimpLink artistId="615"]Ozzy Osbourne[/wimpLink]'s guitarist, [wimpLink artistId="35855"]Zakk Wylde[/wimpLink] (although D'Angelo would exit the group before their self-titled 1994 release was recorded). Despite all the accolades he received for his playing, [wimpLink artistId="14854470"]Bratta[/wimpLink] failed to resurface after the group's breakup. Meanwhile, [wimpLink artistId="3636126"]Tramp[/wimpLink] released several hard rock albums with Freak of Nature and later issued a solo effort, Capricorn, before reforming [wimpLink artistId="18590983"]White Lion[/wimpLink] in 1999. The band's lineup was markedly different, however, with [wimpLink artistId="3636126"]Tramp[/wimpLink] serving as the only original member. A live album was issued in 2005, and [wimpLink artistId="18590983"]White Lion[/wimpLink] presented its first batch of original material in seventeen years, Return of Pride, in 2008. ~ Greg Prato
The album took a while to catch on, but when MTV latched onto the quartet's melodic rocker "Wait," the floodgates opened for the band and [wimpLink albumId="3029575"]Pride[/wimpLink] raced up the charts. Landing prime tour opening slots with the likes of [wimpLink artistId="945"]AC/DC[/wimpLink], [wimpLink artistId="950"]Aerosmith[/wimpLink], and [wimpLink artistId="615"]Ozzy Osbourne[/wimpLink] didn't hurt matters either and the group toured for the better part of 1988, resulting in [wimpLink albumId="3029575"]Pride[/wimpLink] holding steady on the charts. But it was more than a year after the album's release that [wimpLink artistId="18590983"]White Lion[/wimpLink] enjoyed their biggest success, with the gentle acoustic ballad "When the Children Cry," which would eventually push sales of [wimpLink albumId="3029575"]Pride[/wimpLink] over the two million mark (in addition, [wimpLink artistId="14854470"]Bratta[/wimpLink] was being recognized for his instrumental talents by racking up Best New Guitarist awards with several guitar-based magazines). But like numerous other young bands that enjoy big-time success early on in their career, [wimpLink artistId="18590983"]White Lion[/wimpLink] felt the pressure to deliver once more on their follow-up recording, which they decided to write and record directly after coming off tour rather than taking time off to re-focus.
The decision would ultimately prove to be a detrimental one for [wimpLink artistId="18590983"]White Lion[/wimpLink], as proven by the lackluster chart performance of 1989's [wimpLink albumId="4073481"]Big Game[/wimpLink]. Although the album spawned a pair of videos that racked up substantial MTV airplay (the Greenpeace tribute "Little Fighter" and a cover version of [wimpLink artistId="3536222"]Golden Earring[/wimpLink]'s classic rock standard "Radar Love"), [wimpLink albumId="4073481"]Big Game[/wimpLink] stalled on the charts and quickly faded away after being certified gold shortly after release. Down but not out, [wimpLink artistId="18590983"]White Lion[/wimpLink] regrouped for 1991's [wimpLink albumId="3460761"]Mane Attraction[/wimpLink], which saw the group slightly toughen up their sound on such tracks as the politically charged "Warsong." But with hair metal's audience quickly drying up (and such Seattle bands as [wimpLink artistId="19368"]Nirvana[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="34477"]Soundgarden[/wimpLink] waiting in the wings), the album fared even worse than its predecessor. To add insult to injury, both [wimpLink artistId="6204593"]LoMenzo[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="12478900"]d'Angelo[/wimpLink] left the band shortly thereafter, replaced with newcomers Tommy "T-Bone" Caradonna on bass and future [wimpLink artistId="946"]Megadeth[/wimpLink] member [wimpLink artistId="12852625"]Jimmy DeGrasso[/wimpLink] on drums. But before the new lineup could record, [wimpLink artistId="3636126"]Tramp[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="14854470"]Bratta[/wimpLink] came to the realization that their best days were behind them and quietly laid [wimpLink artistId="18590983"]White Lion[/wimpLink] to rest.
After [wimpLink artistId="18590983"]White Lion[/wimpLink]'s split, both Lomenzo and D'Angelo reappeared in [wimpLink artistId="3599156"]Pride & Glory[/wimpLink], a Southern rock outfit headed by [wimpLink artistId="615"]Ozzy Osbourne[/wimpLink]'s guitarist, [wimpLink artistId="35855"]Zakk Wylde[/wimpLink] (although D'Angelo would exit the group before their self-titled 1994 release was recorded). Despite all the accolades he received for his playing, [wimpLink artistId="14854470"]Bratta[/wimpLink] failed to resurface after the group's breakup. Meanwhile, [wimpLink artistId="3636126"]Tramp[/wimpLink] released several hard rock albums with Freak of Nature and later issued a solo effort, Capricorn, before reforming [wimpLink artistId="18590983"]White Lion[/wimpLink] in 1999. The band's lineup was markedly different, however, with [wimpLink artistId="3636126"]Tramp[/wimpLink] serving as the only original member. A live album was issued in 2005, and [wimpLink artistId="18590983"]White Lion[/wimpLink] presented its first batch of original material in seventeen years, Return of Pride, in 2008. ~ Greg Prato
