Don Dokken
Encyclopedia
Donald Maynard Dokken is best known for being the lead singer and founder of the band Dokken
. He is known for his vibrato-laden, melodic vocal style which has made him an influential figure in American heavy metal. After enjoying mainstream success with Dokken, he parted ways with the band in 1988 and pursued a solo career. His 1990 solo album, Up from the Ashes, featured Europe
guitarist John Norum
and spawned two singles.
He is the only original member in Dokken next to drummer Mick Brown.
Don reformed Dokken in the early 1990s and has been continuing on with the band ever since. He released his second solo album titled Solitary in 2008, which was a stylistic departure from his Dokken material. He continues to tour with Dokken today and is known for his unique stage persona.
-based band called Airborn, and had the opportunity to reach a record deal in Germany
. After seeing the band Xciter, and future bandmates George Lynch
and Mick Brown, he knew that they would complete the band that would land the record deal. Although Lynch and Brown were not interested in joining forces with him when he first contacted them, he went ahead to Germany. Don, with the help of one of Xciter's songs, did get the record deal, and he finally convinced Lynch and Brown, along with bassist Juan Croucier
, to join him in Dokken soon after he received it.
During his time in Germany, Dokken befriended the German band Scorpions
, and sang with them in rehearsals for their Blackout album while lead vocalist Klaus Meine
was being treated for nodes on his vocal cords. Meine recovered and returned to record the album, although Dokken's background vocals remained on several tracks.
In 1983, America saw the release of the first Dokken album, Breaking the Chains which had a moderate reception. However Juan Croucier left the band to join Ratt
. Jeff Pilson
was brought in for their second release, Tooth and Nail, and at this time metal fans and critics began to take notice of the band. Don's strong, melodic vocals, coupled with Lynch's blazing guitar playing, guided Dokken to national fame.
of sorts, made up of guitarists John Norum
(of Europe
fame) and Billy White ( of Watchtower
fame) , bassist Peter Baltes
(of Accept fame), guitaris and drummer Mikkey Dee
(of King Diamond
fame and then Motörhead).
Both Dee and Baltes had previously been members of Dokken during the late 1970s for brief periods. Two music videos were made for the singles "Mirror Mirror" and "Stay". Also, during the late 1980s and early 1990s, Don spent time as a producer for the metal band XYZ
.
He also made a guest appearance on the German progressive metal band Vanden Plas
's Spirit of Live
album as the vocalist for their live performance of Dokken's "Kiss of Death" with which the studio version can be found on Vanden Plas's "Far Off Grace" album.
's new group, Lynch Mob
. They joined up with Jeff Pilson
, and started to write new songs. In 1994, they sent what they had written to George Lynch, who was impressed with the material. Together, they decided to reunite and tour again. This reunion lasted for three years and resulted in two new Dokken albums, an acoustic live disc, and a full live concert recorded in Japan in 1995.
In the late-1990s, Dokken once again parted ways with George Lynch, gained guitarist Reb Beach
, and later kicked off a new era with guitarist John Norum
after the departure of Reb Beach. That union didn't last long as Norum departed quickly to re-unite with Europe
. Norum was briefly replaced by Italian guitarist Alex De Rosso for the live tour http://www.musicmight.com/artist/united+states/california/los+angeles/dokken until Don managed to find a permanent replacement and in 2003 Guitarist/Lawyer Jon Levin
filled that position where he continues to this day at Don's side.
Since 1994, Dokken has released six studio albums, two live albums, a Greatest Hits album, as well as their first two DVDs. Don Dokken released a new solo album titled Solitary in 2008 and Dokken released a new album titled Lightning Strikes Again
during the same year. On March 1, 2010, the band Dokken's second greatest hits album, aptly titled Greatest Hits, was digitally released to iTunes
and Amazon.com
. The physical album with additional tracks is set to release from King Records (Japan) on April 21, 2010 and will be available in the United States through Cleopatra Records
at a later date.
On September 22, 2010, in an interview with BraveWords.com, Don Dokken revealed that he would be undergoing vocal surgery, to correct problems with nodes and tears in his vocal chords. http://www.bravewords.com/news/146892 February 4, 2011 Anchorage, Alaska was Dokken's first show since surgery.
Dokken
Dokken is an American heavy metal and hard rock band formed in 1978. They split up in 1989 but reformed four years later. The group accumulated numerous charting singles and has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide...
. He is known for his vibrato-laden, melodic vocal style which has made him an influential figure in American heavy metal. After enjoying mainstream success with Dokken, he parted ways with the band in 1988 and pursued a solo career. His 1990 solo album, Up from the Ashes, featured Europe
Europe (band)
Europe is a Swedish rock band formed in Upplands Väsby in 1979 under the name Force by vocalist Joey Tempest, guitarist John Norum and drummer Tony Reno. Although widely associated with glam metal, the band's sound incorporates heavy metal and hard rock elements...
guitarist John Norum
John Norum
John Norum is a rock music guitarist and founder of the Swedish band Europe . Concurrent to his role with Europe, he also maintains a side solo project...
and spawned two singles.
He is the only original member in Dokken next to drummer Mick Brown.
Don reformed Dokken in the early 1990s and has been continuing on with the band ever since. He released his second solo album titled Solitary in 2008, which was a stylistic departure from his Dokken material. He continues to tour with Dokken today and is known for his unique stage persona.
Early success
In the late 1970s, he was playing in a Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
-based band called Airborn, and had the opportunity to reach a record deal in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. After seeing the band Xciter, and future bandmates George Lynch
George Lynch (musician)
George Lynch is a hard rock/heavy metal guitarist best known as a member of the band Dokken, his own bands Lynch Mob and Souls of We.-Pre Dokken:...
and Mick Brown, he knew that they would complete the band that would land the record deal. Although Lynch and Brown were not interested in joining forces with him when he first contacted them, he went ahead to Germany. Don, with the help of one of Xciter's songs, did get the record deal, and he finally convinced Lynch and Brown, along with bassist Juan Croucier
Juan Croucier
Juan Croucier is a Cuban-American heavy metal musician.-Career:Croucier attended Torrance High School in Torrance, California. Formerly a bassist for well known metal bands Dokken and Ratt during the 1980s, Croucier was also very briefly in Quiet Riot...
, to join him in Dokken soon after he received it.
During his time in Germany, Dokken befriended the German band Scorpions
Scorpions (band)
Scorpions are a heavy metal/hard rock band from Hannover, Germany, formed in 1965 by guitarist Rudolf Schenker, who is the band's only constant member. They are known for their 1980s rock anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and many singles, such as "No One Like You", "Send Me an Angel", "Still...
, and sang with them in rehearsals for their Blackout album while lead vocalist Klaus Meine
Klaus Meine
Klaus Meine is a German singer, best known as the lead vocalist and occasional rhythm guitarist of the heavy metal band Scorpions...
was being treated for nodes on his vocal cords. Meine recovered and returned to record the album, although Dokken's background vocals remained on several tracks.
In 1983, America saw the release of the first Dokken album, Breaking the Chains which had a moderate reception. However Juan Croucier left the band to join Ratt
Ratt
Ratt is an American heavy metal band that had significant commercial success in the 1980s. The band is best known for songs such as "Round and Round," "Wanted Man," "Lay It Down," "You're in Love", "Slip of the Lip", "Back For More", "Dance", "Body Talk", "I Want a Woman", and "Way Cool Jr." Ratt...
. Jeff Pilson
Jeff Pilson
Jeff Pilson is an American bass guitarist, best known for his stint in the heavy metal band Dokken...
was brought in for their second release, Tooth and Nail, and at this time metal fans and critics began to take notice of the band. Don's strong, melodic vocals, coupled with Lynch's blazing guitar playing, guided Dokken to national fame.
Solo release
In the late 1980s, however, personal tension between Dokken and Lynch took its toll on the band. In 1988, after the Monsters of Rock Tour and a further platinum album, Don Dokken decided to break up the band and they went on their separate ways. Don Dokken originally wanted to continue on with the Dokken name, but since Lynch maintained partial ownership, he was forced to put out his next album under the Don Dokken name, and it became known as his first solo album. The album, titled Up from the Ashes, was released in 1990, and was very similar to the Dokken catalog. This project was a supergroupSupergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
of sorts, made up of guitarists John Norum
John Norum
John Norum is a rock music guitarist and founder of the Swedish band Europe . Concurrent to his role with Europe, he also maintains a side solo project...
(of Europe
Europe (band)
Europe is a Swedish rock band formed in Upplands Väsby in 1979 under the name Force by vocalist Joey Tempest, guitarist John Norum and drummer Tony Reno. Although widely associated with glam metal, the band's sound incorporates heavy metal and hard rock elements...
fame) and Billy White ( of Watchtower
Watchtower (band)
WatchTower is an American progressive metal band based in Austin, Texas. The band were influenced by late 1970s progressive rock and acts such as Rush and UK as well as the burgeoning New Wave of British Heavy Metal...
fame) , bassist Peter Baltes
Peter Baltes
Peter Baltes, born April 4, 1958 in Solingen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, is a German hard rock and heavy metal musician. He is a member of the German heavy metal group Accept, which he played as bassist with on 15 albums, selling more than 17 million records around the world...
(of Accept fame), guitaris and drummer Mikkey Dee
Mikkey Dee
Micael Kiriakos Delaoglou , better known as Mikkey Dee is a drummer/songwriter in the Heavy metal band Motörhead. A Swede of Greek descent, he has been known for his speed and precision since his mid-80s stint with King Diamond.- Early life :Delaoglou began his musical career with local bands...
(of King Diamond
King Diamond
Kim Bendix Petersen , better known by his stage name King Diamond, is a Grammy Award nominated Danish heavy metal musician. As a vocalist, he is known for his extensive vocal range, in particular his usage of falsetto. He is the lead vocalist for both Mercyful Fate and the eponymous King Diamond...
fame and then Motörhead).
Both Dee and Baltes had previously been members of Dokken during the late 1970s for brief periods. Two music videos were made for the singles "Mirror Mirror" and "Stay". Also, during the late 1980s and early 1990s, Don spent time as a producer for the metal band XYZ
XYZ (metal band)
XYZ is a hard rock band, formed in the late 1980s. XYZ started off as the unofficial house band of "The Whiskey", a nightclub in Los Angeles. The original members were, Terry Ilous , Bobby Pieper , Patt Fontaine and Joey Pafumi...
.
He also made a guest appearance on the German progressive metal band Vanden Plas
Vanden Plas (band)
Vanden Plas is a German progressive metal band, based in Kaiserslautern and founded in the mid 1980s. In 1991, they recorded the song "Keep On Running" as an anthem for the local national league football club FC Kaiserslautern, and did the same in 1994 with "Das Ist Für Euch"...
's Spirit of Live
Spirit of Live
Spirit of Live is the first live album by the progressive metal band Vanden Plas. The song "Kiss of Death" features Don Dokken as guest on lead vocals and "Rainmaker" features Patrick Rondat as guest on lead guitar.-Track listing:# "I Can See" - 4:26...
album as the vocalist for their live performance of Dokken's "Kiss of Death" with which the studio version can be found on Vanden Plas's "Far Off Grace" album.
Dokken reunion
Around late 1993, Don started to talk with Mick Brown, who had recently left George LynchGeorge Lynch (musician)
George Lynch is a hard rock/heavy metal guitarist best known as a member of the band Dokken, his own bands Lynch Mob and Souls of We.-Pre Dokken:...
's new group, Lynch Mob
Lynch Mob (band)
Lynch Mob is an American band featuring former Dokken guitarist George Lynch, who has been the band's only permanent member. The rest of the original band which featured Oni Logan, Anthony Esposito and Mick Brown have come and gone, and in some cases, come back.-1989 Formation:Lynch Mob was formed...
. They joined up with Jeff Pilson
Jeff Pilson
Jeff Pilson is an American bass guitarist, best known for his stint in the heavy metal band Dokken...
, and started to write new songs. In 1994, they sent what they had written to George Lynch, who was impressed with the material. Together, they decided to reunite and tour again. This reunion lasted for three years and resulted in two new Dokken albums, an acoustic live disc, and a full live concert recorded in Japan in 1995.
In the late-1990s, Dokken once again parted ways with George Lynch, gained guitarist Reb Beach
Reb Beach
Reb Beach is an American rock guitarist. He is a member of the bands Winger and Whitesnake...
, and later kicked off a new era with guitarist John Norum
John Norum
John Norum is a rock music guitarist and founder of the Swedish band Europe . Concurrent to his role with Europe, he also maintains a side solo project...
after the departure of Reb Beach. That union didn't last long as Norum departed quickly to re-unite with Europe
Europe (band)
Europe is a Swedish rock band formed in Upplands Väsby in 1979 under the name Force by vocalist Joey Tempest, guitarist John Norum and drummer Tony Reno. Although widely associated with glam metal, the band's sound incorporates heavy metal and hard rock elements...
. Norum was briefly replaced by Italian guitarist Alex De Rosso for the live tour http://www.musicmight.com/artist/united+states/california/los+angeles/dokken until Don managed to find a permanent replacement and in 2003 Guitarist/Lawyer Jon Levin
Jon Levin
Jon Levin is the current guitarist for the American heavy metal band Dokken.-Early years:Jon Levin was involved with music very early on in life. He began playing piano at age 4, trumpet by age 7, and guitar at age 9...
filled that position where he continues to this day at Don's side.
Since 1994, Dokken has released six studio albums, two live albums, a Greatest Hits album, as well as their first two DVDs. Don Dokken released a new solo album titled Solitary in 2008 and Dokken released a new album titled Lightning Strikes Again
Lightning Strikes Again
Lightning Strikes Again is the tenth studio album by heavy metal band Dokken. It was originally scheduled for release on October 24, 2007, in Japan and on October 29 worldwide, but was postponed until 2008. The album was eventually released on May 13 in the US.The album entered the Billboard Top...
during the same year. On March 1, 2010, the band Dokken's second greatest hits album, aptly titled Greatest Hits, was digitally released to iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
and Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
. The physical album with additional tracks is set to release from King Records (Japan) on April 21, 2010 and will be available in the United States through Cleopatra Records
Cleopatra Records
Cleopatra Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label.- History :Founded in 1992 by Brian Perera, it specializes in gothic rock, hard rock, heavy metal and reissues of out-of-print music...
at a later date.
On September 22, 2010, in an interview with BraveWords.com, Don Dokken revealed that he would be undergoing vocal surgery, to correct problems with nodes and tears in his vocal chords. http://www.bravewords.com/news/146892 February 4, 2011 Anchorage, Alaska was Dokken's first show since surgery.
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
SWE Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
SWI Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
|||||||
| 1990 | Up from the Ashes
|
50 | 27 | 38 | |||||
| 2008 | Solitary
|
— | — | — | |||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||