| Biography |
| * Formed in 1982, in Harrisburg, PA with Bret, Bobby, Rikki, and original guitarist Matt Smith. Band sells everything in 1984 and moves to L.A. in an old ambulance and a beat up Chevette. |
| * Poison lives in poverty as they work their way up the L.A. scene. In 1985, Matt Smith gives in to pressures and leaves the band, returning to PA. Poison auditions and selects a new guitar player, C.C. DeVille. |
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| * Continuing to reinvent the L.A. scene, Poison sell out the legendary Troubadour for two nights. |
| * Enigma Records offers Poison an independent record deal and a $30,000 recording budget. In eight days, Poison turns that $30,000 into LOOK WHAT THE CAT DRAGGED IN. It is released in 1986 and sells 40,000 copies. |
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| * Capitol Records sees Poison's potential as both a live draw and to sell records and offers a distribution deal and a video. "Cry Tough" is released as a single and video. Poison embarks on road opening for national bands such as Ratt and Quiet Riot. |
| * With no guarantee of a next record, Poison takes one last shot at a single and releases "Talk Dirty To Me." Radio and MTV embrace it and the bomb explodes. "I Want Action" and "I Won't Forget You" are released, keeping the band on the road thru '87. LOOK WHAT THE CAT DRAGGED IN will go on to sell more than four million copies. |
| * 1988 Poison releases OPEN UP AND SAY...AHH! with lead single "Nothin' But A Good Time." OPEN UP goes platinum within two weeks of its release. Poison heads out on the road opening for David Lee Roth and Ratt. |
| * Poison launches first ever headline tour, criss-crossing the globe on the heels of "Fallen Angel," "Every Rose Has Its Thorn," and "Your Mama Don't Dance." The tour is tagged by critics as the "greatest show since KISS." * "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" goes Gold as a single and climbs to Number One on the Billboard Singles Chart. OPEN UP sells over six million units.* 1990 Poison records FLESH & BLOOD - releases "Unskinny Bop" as lead single and embarks on tour. "Unskinny Bop" is Poison's second Gold single - album ships platinum |
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| * "Something To Believe In" marks Poison's third Gold single and becomes one of the longest running videos on MTV. "Ride The Wind," "Life Goes On," and "(Flesh & Blood) Sacrifice" continue to fuel the tour and radio pushes FLESH & BLOOD into multi-platinum status. * After two consecutive years on the road, band members are at each others throats with personal differences, drug addictions, etc. |
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