Since the 80’s, Poison has given us “nothing but a good time,” and served up some hard driving rock & roll as well. The band, initially named Paris, was formed in 1979, in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania and consisted of lead vocalist, Bret Michaels, and drummer, Rikki Rockett, who were childhood friends, as well as bassist, Bobby Dall, and guitarist, Matt Smith.
They changed their name to Poison and moved to California. Arriving in L.A., the group struggled to survive away from home with no family and no money, but they were determined to make it. Smith, however, was about to become a father and concerned about the band’s future and left the band to return to PA. Auditions were held, and were down to three: C.C. DeVille, Steve Silva, and Slash. Although Michaels and Dall did not initially get along with Deville, the band eventually agreed that his “fire” made him the best choice.
The band signed to independent label Enigma Records in 1986 for...