BADLANDS - USA

Badlands - 1989 – Atlantic
Voodoo Highway - 1991 - Atlantic
Dusk - 1998 - Pony Canyon

Badlands image
  
 
Members
Vocals
Savage, Black Sabbath, Blue Murder, Phenomena>>Ray Gillen>>George Lynch, Sun Red Sun

Guitar
Rough Cutt, Ratt, Ozzy Osbourne>>JAKE E. LEE [JAKEY LOU WILLIAMS]>>Solo, Bourgeois Pigs, Enuff Z’Nuff, Red Dragon Cartel

Bass
Surgical Steel>>GREG CHAISSON>>Blindside Blues Band, Red Dragon Cartel, Freakshow

Drum
Black Sabbath, Gary Moore, Lita Ford>>Eric Singer>>Alice Cooper - Surgical Steel, St. Michael, Racer X>>JEFF MARTIN>>Blindside Blues Band




History & Biography
The prevalent amount of wife swapping and nomadic behaviour brought this particular bunch of metal veterans together only to see them go into a blues direction. The founders were Jake E Lee and Greg Chaisson. The albums weren't particularly successful. Reports had it that Gillen only got the gig after his mother got hold of Lee on the telephone. It was also Gillen who brought old colleague Singer into the fold. The band was signed indirectly to Atlantic via Titanium, the label of the editor of Hit Parader. Sadly the illness of Gillen, who secretly suffered from AIDS, meant a lack of tour support and the eventual dissolution of Badlands. According to Lee, the band also fired manager and producer Paul O'Neill following the debut for, among other things, missing money and the man retaliated by telling Atlantic Records Gillen has AIDS leading to the label withdrawing support from the group. The band attempted to stay afloat and bring in singers like Debbie Holliday and John West (later Artension) to no avail. Former Riverdogs drummer Marc Danzeisen was in the band for a moment. Dusk was originally supposed to be called Demo and was not billed as a tribute to Gillen to respect the wishes of Gillen's family. Gillen had died December 1, 1993 in New York from AIDS. Gillen was fired from the band and was replaced by John West. No matter, Atlantic dropped the band. Dusk was a collection of demo material stemming from 1992 to 1993. They were eventually issued in Japan in 1998.

Dusk was reissued in 2004. Rob Lamothe of Riverdogs had a song called Blue Ray on his 1998 solo album paying tribute to Gillen. Greg Chaisson joined Red Dragon Cartel following the departure of bassist Ron Mancuso from that latter band.


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Badlands