Dana Strum
Dana Strum is an American musician who is a co-founder, bass player, and one of the two primary songwriters of the hard rock band Slaughter, an American Music Awards winner, formed in 1988. He first achieved commercial success as a member of an ex-Kiss guitarist act, Vinnie Vincent Invasion, along with his future Slaughter bandmate Mark Slaughter.
Based in Los Angeles, Strum has claimed responsibility for introducing the guitarist Randy Rhoads to Ozzy Osbourne, as well as bringing Jake E. Lee to Ozzy's solo band following Rhoads's death. Strum has worked with a number of artists and groups, playing bass, co-writing, and/or producing songs, such as The Beach Boys, Détente, Sweet Savage, Ace Frehley, Kik Tracee, Dennis Bono, Vince Neil, and Ozzy Osbourne, among others.
Early life
Strum's family came from Trinidad, British West Indies. He was born in Washington, D.C. and spent his childhood in Pasadena, California. His father was a scientist working in neurobiology and a professor and researcher of psychiatry and neuroscience. Strum's mother worked on creating cling-free nylon.Strum began playing bass guitar aged eight despite his parents' disapproval. Growing up in Los Angeles during his teenage years, his playing was influenced by rock performers such as Black Sabbath and Grand Funk Railroad. His first concert was a Black Sabbath/Captain Beyond gig in Hollywood, California. He began playing professionally on the Los Angeles Club Circuit aged sixteen.
Music career
1976–1979: BadAxe
Strum began his career in the late 1970s as a member of the progressive hard rock band BadAxe in Los Angeles, California. The band performed on the LA Circuit Scene alongside Van Halen and Quiet Riot. BadAxe gained attention for their sound, which was similar to that of bands like Black Sabbath and Deep Purple. In November 1976, BadAxe recorded an album at Stronghold Studios with Strum also serving as producer. A limited number of test pressings of the album were released by Earth Breeze Productions. The following year, the band recorded the single "Cry For Me" / "All You Can Stand" at Dalton Studios in Santa Monica, CA with Strum also co-producing.Strum left BadAxe in the summer of 1979 when he was offered the opportunity to audition for Ozzy Osbourne and become his new bass player. Osbourne was looking to form a new band following his split from Black Sabbath. Strum is credited with introducing Randy Rhoads to Osbourne at that time.
1981–1983: Modern Design
In the early 1980s, Strum joined the group Modern Design, with Ron Mancuso on guitar, Louie Merlino on vocals, and Joey DePompeis on drums. According to Mancuso in an interview from 2010, the band had significant interest from well-known producers and engineers. Modern Design began working with Pasha Records, a label that at the time was releasing records for The Beach Boys and Vanilla Fudge, among others. Despite being close to securing a record deal with multiple labels, it ultimately fell through.In January 1983, while still a member of Modern Design, Strum held auditions for Ozzy Osbourne, who was searching for a replacement guitar player following the death of Randy Rhoads in a plane crash in March 1982. Jake E. Lee, lead guitarist for the band Rough Cutt, was ultimately chosen for the position, beating out George Lynch, the former guitar player for Xciter and The Boyz.
1983–1985: Danny Spanos
While working at Pasha Records, Strum along with other members of Modern Design collaborated with Danny Spanos, a former drummer turned singer, who was also recording at the studio. In late November 1983, they opened for Cheap Trick in Kiel Opera House, St. Louis, MO, and the performance was recorded live for the RKO Radio Network. The band's album Looks Like Trouble was produced by Spencer Proffer and released in 1984. Strum also contributed to the album as a writer on the tracks "Good Girl" and "Looks Like Trouble".1985–1988: Vinnie Vincent Invasion
In 1985, Strum joined former Kiss guitarist Vinnie Vincent to form Vinnie Vincent Invasion. Robert Fleishman, the ex-vocalist for Journey, was hired as their lead singer. Over the next few months, the band went through a process of auditioning drummers until the Houston-born Bobby Rock joined the band in October 1985. Vinnie Vincent Invasion signed an eight-album deal with Chrysalis Records.After releasing their self-titled debut album in 1986, Fleischman left the group. Mark Slaughter, who Strum met while producing Sin, was brought in as the Vinnie Vincent Invasion new lead vocalist. The video "Boys Are Gonna Rock", directed by Jeff Stein, was produced featuring Mark Slaughter as the singer over Fleischman's vocal track. The video received heavy rotation on MTV. At that time, the band's look was entirely over the top glam. Strum spent the next months touring North America with Vinnie Vincent Invasion, opening for acts such as Alice Cooper and Iron Maiden.
All Systems Go, the Vinnie Vincent Invasion's second LP for Chrysalis, was recorded at Cherokee Studios. Strum was credited as co-producer, arranger, and engineer while recording the band's albums. Bobby Rock stated in an interview that Strum played a producer role to Vinnie Vincent, offering suggestions and direction while tracking solos, and being "an extraordinary engineer when it came to "punching in."
All Systems Go, released in May 1988, had a more accessible hard rock sound than their debut album and the band went on a headlining club tour with a few theaters included. The music video for "That Time of Year" became an MTV hit. In August, the band put out "Love Kills", the title song for the movie A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master. The single was also released as a music video.
Three months after the release of their second album, Vinnie Vincent Invasion played their final concert on August 26, 1988, in Anaheim, California, and it was officially announced that the group had disbanded. In an interview with Circus magazine in late 1988, Mark Slaughter stated that the split was amicable, saying "When we first joined the Invasion, we were told that it would be a group situation, but it gradually changed to the point where we were all sidemen. Vinnie wants to be a guitar hero, we want to be a band." Slaughter also explained that Strum was fired by Vincent, and Slaughter had the choice to stay but chose to leave the band and go with Strum.
Since 1988: Slaughter
1988–1989: Formation
After leaving Vinnie Vincent Invasion in August 1988, Dana Strum shared a cramped apartment in Los Angeles with seven other struggling musicians, including his former and future bandmate Mark Slaughter. Strum revealed that despite having similar modes of thought, he and Slaughter were "two distinctly different animals". However, their differences worked to their advantage, and after securing a deal with Chrysalis Records, they wrote songs, often penning lyrics on top of Domino's Pizza boxes at 3 a.m., and held formal auditions for their new band They sought two individuals who shared their "one for all and all for one" philosophy, had no issues with substance abuse, and were "fan oriented".Guitarist Tim Kelly joined after meeting Mark Slaughter at a barbecue, while drummer Blas Elias secured his spot after impressing the two in a videotaped audition and playing live in Los Angeles.
1989–1992: Breakthrough with ''Stick It To Ya''
After forming the band in January 1989, all four members lived together in a small apartment working on songs with a drum machine and four-track. Soon, they entered the Record Plant to start tracking demos.His skills in the studio helped Slaughter create the band's unique sound with "bluesy feel", a "definite melodic bass", and a "gutsy, nasty attitude", and also achieve their goal of creating songs with an eye towards commercial success on radio and MTV, and playing concert arenas.
The band aimed "to bring back emotion into rock 'n' roll", characterizing their music as “very energetic and very raw”. According to Dana Strum, the band's songs were inspired by true-life experiences, ”either about something that we went through or something we both perceive a lot of people go through but can't get a chance to express for themselves."
Strum produced the band's debut album, Stick It To Ya, alongside Mark Slaughter. It was recorded at several studios in Los Angeles, California, and was released in January 1990 on Chrysalis Records. Stick It To Ya was the first album on the label to be released exclusively on CD and cassette, with a limited number of vinyl copies distributed to select fans and media members. Prior to its release, the band conducted extensive test marketing in multiple cities, including Chicago. The album received positive reviews, with critics calling it "a smart, sassy pop-metal effort", "full of musical talent". Slaughter's first hit single, "Up All Night", directed by Michael Bay, debuted on Headbangers' Ball and held the No 1 spot on Dial-MTV for eight weeks in March and April 1990.
The cover of Stick It to Ya caused some controversy for depicting a woman bound to a carnival wheel with knives being thrown. Responding to the criticism, Strum clarified that it was not intended to be anti-women and meant to represent the "wheel of life". The band was originally planned to be featured on the wheel, but the record company opted to use a photo of Robbin Crosby's girlfriend, Lori Carr, instead.
In an interview, Strum revealed that Slaughter was "actually formed at the Record Plant in Los Angeles, rather than by going out and playing the club circuit". The band made their live debut on May 4, 1990, opening for Kiss on the Hot In The Shade Tour in Lubbock, Texas, on the day when Slaughter's first album received a gold record, signifying 500,000 copies sold.
Stick It To Ya became the band's most commercially successful album thanks to heavy airplay on MTV and support slots on Kiss's American tour, that was certified Platinum three months later. The album peaked at number 18 and remained on the Billboard 200 album chart for six months. Three months after its release, Stick It To Ya received a Platinum certification, indicating that it had sold over one million copies. Slaughter's single and video, Fly To The Angels, reached No.1 on MTV.
In 1990, Slaughter released a live mini-album called Stick It Live, featuring five songs from their debut release, which sold 500,000 copies and certified Gold. They also released their first long-form video, titled From The Beginning, including their first clips and behind-the-scenes footage on tour with Kiss, which ultimately, also certified Gold. In August of that year, the band participated in the MTV Celebrity Challenge at the Denver Grand Prix along with members of Mötley Crüe, Skid Row and Winger, among others, with Dana Strum finishing fifth in the race.
With Strum and the rest of the band members moving to Las Vegas, Slaughter became the first internationally recognized hard rock band based in Las Vegas, Nevada by December 1990. They played their first-ever concert in their hometown of Las Vegas on December 15, 1990. The day prior, the mayor proclaimed December 14 as Slaughter Rock Band Day and changed the name of Las Vegas Boulevard to Slaughter Boulevard for the day. The band also received the keys to the city, and the event was covered on national TV.
In January 1991, Strum and the other members of Slaughter collectively received the American Music Award for Best New Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Artist, and their album Stick It To Ya went double Platinum. The band also released their third music video for the song Spend My Life, which reached No.1 on MTV chart.
The band was vocal about their stance on drugs from the beginning, stating in interviews that they don't do drugs and wanted to focus on making music. As a testament to this commitment, Slaughter performed a free concert outside a Taco Bell in Miami in March 1991 to raise money for the Miami Coalition for a Drug-Free Community. Dana Strum described it as the "most ridiculously fun thing" they had done as a band.
During their tour with Kiss, Slaughter received a request from Interscope Records to write a song for the movie Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, which starred Keanu Reeves. Despite their commitment to opening for Cinderella's tour, Dana Strum and Mark Slaughter wrote the song "Shout It Out" in a hotel conference room. The track went on to achieve gold status, and a music video was produced that featured scenes from the movie.