 Biography
Ratt's
brash, melodic heavy metal made the Los Angeles quintet one of
the most popular rock acts of the mid-'80s. The group had its
origins in the '70s group Mickey Ratt, which had evolved into
Ratt by 1983; at that time the band featured vocalist Stephen
Pearcy, guitarist Robbin Crosby, guitarist Warren DeMartini,
bassist Juan Croucier, and drummer Bobby Blotzer. The band
released their self-titled first album independently in 1983,
which led to a major label contract with Atlantic Records. Their
first album under this deal, 1984's Out of the Cellar, was a
major success, reaching the American Top Ten and selling over
three million copies. "Round and Round," the first
single drawn from the album, hit number 12, proving the band had
pop crossover potential. While their second album, 1985's
Invasion of Your Privacy, didn't match the multi-platinum
figures of Out of the Cellar, it also reached the Top Ten and
sold over a million copies. By that time, the band could
sell-out concerts across the country and were a staple on MTV
and AOR radio. Both Dancin' Undercover (1986) and Reach for the
Sky (1988) continued the band's platinum streak and their
audience, had only slipped slightly by the time of their final
album, 1990's Detonator.
In 1992, Pearcy
left Ratt to form his own band, Arcade, issuing a pair of
releases -- 1993's self-titled debut and 1994's A/2, before
forming another new band, Vertex (issuing a lone self-titled
release in 1996). With their brand of glam metal out of step
with the then-burgeoning alt-rock movement, Ratt decided to sit
out much of the '90s -- during which time DeMartini issued a
solo album, Crazy Enough to Sing to You. But by the late '90s,
the public's interest in '80s rock began to perk up, leading to
Ratt reuniting in time for 1997's Collage. Two years later,
Ratt's second self-titled release of their recording career was
issued, following the same formula as its predecessor.
Shortly
thereafter, Pearcy left the group once again, as he soon began
fronting two bands, the more modern-sounding outfit Vicious
Delite (a self-titled debut appeared in 2000) and Nitronic.
Pearcy also formed his own record label (Top Fuel Records), and
released several collections of archival material -- Arcade's
A/3: Live & Unreleased, Mickey Ratt's The Garage Tape Dayz
78-81, and under his own name, the demo collection Before and
Laughter. 2001 saw the release of Pearcy's first true solo
album, Social Intercourse. Despite Pearcy's exit of the band,
Ratt continued to carry on with new members Jizzy Pearl (former
Love/Hate) on vocals, John Corabi (former Mötley Crüe) on
guitar, and bassist Robbie Crane joining original members
DeMartini and Blotzer. In the summer of 2001, long M.I.A. Ratt
guitarist Robbin Crosby disclosed to the public that he was
battling AIDS, and Croucier soon began organizing a benefit
album for his former bandmate. After struggling for years with
the resulting health problems, Crosby died in Los Angeles in
June 2002. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine & Greg Prato, All Music
Guide |
