About Poison
Poison was originally formed in 1983 and was originally named “Paris”. They switched their name when parents protested their shows saying that their brand of music was “poisoning” the lives of their children.
Bret Michaels (vocals), Matt Smith (guitar), Bobby Dall (bass), and Rikki Rockett (drums), made the original line-up. Eventually Matt Smith had to leave the band and so they auditioned three possible guitarists to take his place- future Guns ‘N Roses guitar legend, Slash, Steve Silva (from The Joe Perry Project), and C.
moreC. DeVille who the band picked.
Poison’s live shows were filled with old Harleys and car parts-which they would blow up as they dumped confetti on themselves from boxes in the ceiling. In the tradition of glam rockers, the band wore make-up, used a lot of hairspray, and wore women’s clothing. They were eventually signed to the independent music label Enigma Records in 1986 releasing their debut album,
Look What the Cat Dragged In, the same year. The album delivered four singles: “Cry Tough”, “Talk Dirty to Me”, “I Want Action” and “I Wont Forget You”. It eventually peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200 in May 1987. Poison went on from there to became an international sensation.
less
