Poison

This heavy metal band was formed in Pennsylvania, USA, in the spring of 1983 by Bret Michaels (b. Bret Sychak, 15 March 1962, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA; vocals) and Rikki Rockett (b. Alan Ream, 8 August 1959, Pennsylvania, USA; drums). They were soon joined by Bobby Dall (b. Harry Kuy Kendall, 2 November 1958, Miami, Florida, USA; bass) and Matt Smith (guitar). Legendarily, Slash from Guns N'Roses also auditioned at one point. The quartet played local clubs as Paris, before moving to Los Angeles and changing their name.


Poison hit it big in the late 80s, during the hair metal boom that swept the mainstream airwaves. Their sophomore album Open Up And Say…Ahh! was a major success, with the single “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” swooning the hearts of women worldwide. Like most bands in the genre, the ‘90s were a rough time for the quintet, but they bounced back and have become relevant again, thanks to a few summer tours and front man Bret Michaels starring in his own reality show, “Rock Of Love.”

With the blockbuster success of sophomore album Open Up And Say…Ahh!, Poison became one of the top bands in hair metal, standing alongside Bon Jovi and Mötley Crüe. While “Nothin’ But A Good Time” and “Fallen Angel” were high charting singles, it would be the acoustic ballad “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” that won the band instant fame.

Current Band Members

Bret Michaels- Vocals, Guitar
C.C DeVille- Guitar, Backing Vocals
Bobby Dall- Bass
Rikki Rockett- Drums

Former Band Members

Matt Smith- Guitar (1984-1985)
Richie Kotzen- Guitar (1991-1994)
Blues Saraceno- Guitar (1994-1999)