Dokken Biography
Hard-Rock band formed in GERMANY and fronted by vocalist Donald Maynard Dokken who began playing since in the late '70s with a band called Airborn; Don Dokken in 1981 signed to Carerre Records and with guitarist George Lynch, bassist Juan Croucier and drummer Mick Brown recorded the group's debut album.
In Europe, their first LP, "Breaking The Chains", became a
great success; the American major label Elektra subsequently re-released
the album which, two years later, cracked The Billboard Top 200 chart
and the title-track became a Mainstream Rock top 40 hit.
After a change in the line-up, Croucier left and Jeff Pilson replaced
him on bass, in 1984 Dokken issued their second effort, "Tooth And
Nail", which entered the top 50 of The Billboard 200 chart and included
three Mainstream Rock top 30 hit singles: "Into The Fire", "Alone
Again" and "Just Got Lucky"; the band supported the album
with an international tour alongside Scorpions,
while "Tooth And Nail" reached the platinum status in the States.
The follow-up, their second million seller album "Under Lock And
Key", made Dokken one of the most dominant creative and commercial
forces in the world of melodic Hard-Rock; it peaked at #32 in U.S. spawning
such Rock radio staples as the powerful "It's Not Love", "In
My Dreams" which peaked at #24 on The Mainstream Rock Tracks and
the minor hit "Unchain The Night".
In 1987 the group gained the honours of opening for Aerosmith's
American tour, in the meantime they churned out "Back For The Attack",
which rose to #13 on The Billboard 200 Albums chart and went platinum;
its singles "Dream Warriors" and "Burning Like A Flame"
peaked at #22 and #20, respectively, on The Mainstream Rock chart. That
same year was released the double live package "Beast From The East".
By the time the relationship between the lead singer and the rest of the
band deteriorated to the point of no return and in 1988 the band broke-up.
After full five years, following various solo projects, the founder members
Don Dokken, Mick Brown, George Lynch and Jeff Pilson decided to reform
the band; they signed with Columbia Records and issued their come-back
album, "Dysfunctional", in May 1995; it reached the #47 position
on The Billboard 200 Albums chart and its single, "Too High To Fly",
entered the top 30 of the Active Rock chart.
Dokken followed it up with the acoustic live set, "One Live Night",
which was released in 1996 celebrating the successful reunion of the band.
A year later the foursome returned with "Shadowlife" on new
label C.M.C. International, but the album failed to make it past #149
on the U.S. Top 200 chart.
The follow-up album, 1999's "Erase The Slate", was recorded
after the departure of Lynch who was replaced by Winger
guitarist Reb Beach, but after the release of just one album Beach left
and John Norum joined in time for "Long Way Home" which arrived
in the spring of 2002, this album was recorded with another newcomer in
the line-up, Barry Sparks who replaced Pilson on bass.
Despite the flop of the last two albums, Dokken, after recruiting new
guitarist Jon Levin, headed back into the studio to work on their ninth
studio album, "Hell To Pay", which was released in May of 2004.
Released in May 2008, the band's next studio record, "Lightning Strikes Again", became their first U.S. charting album in over a decade reaching the #133 position on The Billboard 200.
Dokken then resurfaced in September 2012 with its eleventh effort, "Broken Bones"; it debuted at #173 on The Billboard Top 200 Albums chart.
