Poison

Formerly known as Paris, Poison was formed in 1984 by Bret Michaels, bassist Bobby Dall, and drummer Rikki Rockett. Poison embraced a glammy, androgynous image and began playing shows in L.A., becoming masters of self-promotion and D.I.Y. advertising in the process. The hard work won them a contract with Enigma Records in 1986, and they released their first album, Look What the Cat Dragged In, that summer. The band was already quite popular by the end of 1987, but 1988's Open Up & Say...Ahhh! proved to be Poison's commercial breakthrough, due to the massive hits "Fallen Angel," "Nothin' But a Good Time," and "Every Rose Has Its Thorn." Despite some strong reviews and a hit single, "Stand," the album proved to be a commercial disappointment. The band recorded its fifth studio album,Crack a Smile, for an intended release in 1996, but the record was shelved and replaced with the Greatest Hits: 1986-1996 disc instead. Toward the end of that year, Saraceno left and Devillereturned to the band, a move that resulted in a successful reunion tour during the summer of 1999. The Crack a Smile sessions were finally released the following spring, followed by Power to the People, which paired five new songs with 12 live tracks from the band's comeback tour. Shortly after the band stepped into the studio and recorded Hollyweird, which was released in the summer of 2002. Poision reconvened in 2006, celebrating their 20th anniversary with a nationwide tour and another greatest-hits album. In a decade fueled by party anthems and power ballads, Poison enjoyed a great amount of popularity, with only Bon Jovi and Def Leppard outselling them.