Group

Poison

US glam metal band

From: Mechanicsburg, United States
Since: 1983–present
Rating: ★ 3.15 (7 votes)
Releases: 51

glam metal
hard rock
rock
classic rock
heavy metal
glam rock
power pop
thrash metal

About

Poison was an American rock band formed in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania in 1983. The most successful incarnation of the band consists of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Bret Michaels, drummer Rikki Rockett, bassist Bobby Dall and lead guitarist C.C. DeVille. The band achieved huge commercial success in the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s and sold over 65 million records and DVDs worldwide. In 2012, VH1 ranked them at No. 1 on their list of the "Top 5 Hair Bands of the '80s".

The band had a Billboard Hot 100 number one hit single with "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" and other top 40 hit singles in the 1980s and 1990s, including "Talk Dirty to Me", "I Won't Forget You", "Nothin' But a Good Time", "Fallen Angel", "Your Mama Don't Dance", "Unskinny Bop", "Something to Believe In", "Ride the Wind", and "Life Goes On". The band's breakthrough debut album, the multi-platinum Look What the Cat Dragged In, was released in 1986, followed by Open Up and Say... Ahh!, which was certified 5× platinum in the US. Their third consecutive multi-platinum album was Flesh & Blood, which became their best-selling release. In the 1990s, following the release of the band's first live album, Swallow This Live, the band experienced some lineup changes and the fall of glam metal with the grunge movement, but the band's fourth studio album, Native Tongue, still achieved Gold status and the band's first compilation album, Poison's Greatest Hits: 1986–1996, went double platinum.
The original lineup reformed for a greatest hits reunion tour in 1999. The band began the 2000s with the release of Crack a Smile... and More!, followed by the Power to the People album. They released the album, Hollyweird, in 2002 and in 2006 the band celebrated their twenty year anniversary with The Best of Poison: 20 Years of Rock tour and album, which was certified Gold and marked Poison's return to the Billboard top 20 charts for the first time since 1993. Band members have released several solo albums and starred in reality TV shows. Since their debut in 1986, they have released seven studio albums, four live albums, five compilation albums, and have issued 28 singles to radio.
Poison is considered by some to be among the best glam metal acts of all time. In 2025, Ultimate Classic Rock said Poison was among the "Big Four" of glam metal, along with Mötley Crüe, Bon Jovi and Def Leppard.

From Poison (band) on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Heard on the radio

Every Rose Has Its Thorn Open Up and Say... Ahh! (20th Anniversary Edition)
Apple Music Spotify YouTube Music

Members

Bobby Dall 1983–now · original member background vocals, bass guitar, keyboard, piano
Bret Michaels 1983–now · original member 12 string guitar, acoustic guitar, guitar, harmonica, lead vocals, percussion
Rikki Rockett 1983–now · original member background vocals, drums (drum set), percussion
C.C. DeVille 1985–1991, 1996–now background vocals, guitar
Matt Smith 1983–1985 · original member · former background vocals, guitar
Richie Kotzen 1991–1993 · former background vocals, guitar, keyboard, mandolin, piano, resonator guitar
Blues Saraceno 1993–1996 · former background vocals, guitar, keyboard, piano