Ratt Artistfacts

1981-
Stephen PearcyLead vocals1981-2000, 2007-
Jake E. LeeGuitar1981
Robbin CrosbyGuitar1982-1991
Warren DeMartiniGuitar1981-2018
Juan CroucierBass1981-1992, 2012-
Bobby BlotzerDrums1982-2014
Robbie CraneBass1996-2012
John CorabiGuitar2000-2008
Jizzy PearlLead vocals2000-2006
Carlos CavazoGuitar2008-2018
Before there was Ratt, there was Mickey Ratt, a San Diego band led by Stephen Pearcy with a name that poked fun at Mickey Mouse. They moved to Los Angeles in 1980 and a year later shortened the name to Ratt. By the end of 1982 they had their core lineup in place with guys from the local scene. This lineup, led by Pearcy and the twin guitar attack of Robbin Crosby and Warren DeMartini, held together until 1992, when the band split up. They went through a litany of lineup changes after re-forming in 1996, most significantly with former L.A. Guns singer Jizzy Pearl taking over from 2000-2006 after Pearcy left the group.
Jake E. Lee, who became Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist for the albums Bark At The Moon (1983) and The Ultimate Sin, was a member of the band in 1981 when they were still known as Mickey Ratt. He lived with Warren DeMartini, who took over as his replacement.
Ratt was a big part of the '80s glam metal scene in Los Angeles that fomented around the Sunset Strip. They were good friends with Mötley Crüe, who helped them land a deal with Atlantic Records.
They have a distinctive name for their music: Ratt 'n' Roll.
Their debut album, Out Of The Cellar, was released in 1984 and includes their big hit "Round And Round." Many listeners only know them for that song, but Ratt built a huge fanbase and their first four albums went Platinum. Unlike other hair metal bands, they never landed a big hit ballad, which limited their reach.
Their first two videos - for "Round And Round" and "Back For More" - have appearances by Milton Berle, a vaudeville and radio comedian who became one of the most popular entertainers in the early years of television. The connection: the band was managed by Berle's nephew, Marshall Berle.
The girl on the cover of Ratt's debut album, Out Of The Cellar, is Tawny Kitaen, who was dating Robbin Crosby. She also stars in the "Back For More" video. Kitaen became one of the most famous video vixens on MTV when she appeared in a series of Whitesnake videos a few years later.
They toured with Poison in 1987 but somehow resisted the urge to call it the Ratt Poison Tour. Instead, they called it the Dancing Undercover Tour.
They've had their share of squabbles, particularly between Stephen Pearcy and Bobby Blotzer. In 2015, Blotzer created a new version of the band with an entirely different lineup. They ceased operations in 2017 after the original band took legal action.
Robbin Crosby got addicted to heroin during his time in the band, which likely led to his HIV diagnosis in 1994. He died of complications from AIDS in 2002 when he was just 42.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

More Songfacts:

Cleveland RocksIan Hunter

"Cleveland Rocks" was written by an Englishman. Ian Hunter wrote the song after touring America in the late '70s and finding that Cleveland was by far the most receptive city to his brand of Glam Rock.

Big Yellow TaxiJoni Mitchell

Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi" is about the commercialization of Hawaii. On her first trip to the islands, she looked out of her hotel window and saw a parking lot as far as the eye could see.

Gives You HellThe All-American Rejects

The first US Top 10 hit with the word "hell" in the title was "Gives You Hell" by The All-American Rejects in 2008.

White as SnowU2

Bono came up with the idea of focusing on a soldier's last thoughts as he dies from his wounds in the U2 song "White As Snow" after reading William Golding's 1956 novel Pincher Martin.