Ratt

In 1977, Stephen Pearcy formed Mickey Ratt in San Diego, but rebooted the lineup when relocating to LA three years later, eventually recruiting then-teenaged guitarist Jake E Lee. When Lee quit to replace the recently-deceased Randy Rhoads in Ozzy Osborne’s band, his student Warren DeMartini replaced him. That’s when Pearcy shortened the group’s name to Ratt, and added drummer Bobby Blotzer, guitarist Robbin Crosby and bassist Juan Croucier to establish what would become the band’s classic lineup.

The nephew of comedic actor Milton Berle began managing the band, releasing their 1983 debut EP on his own record label. When it began getting regular airplay on an LA rock station, Atlantic Records president Doug Morris took notice and signed them, releasing Ratt’s debut album Out Of The Cellar (named after their rehearsal space) in early 1984. Its lead single “Round And Round”, featuring a popular music video with Milton Berle dressed in drag (as his famous ‘Uncle Miltie’ character), reached #12 on the US Pop Chart that summer and was certified Gold, pushing the album to an eventual 3x Platinum certification. Ratt’s fanbase grew quickly, taking them from clubs like The Roxy and Troubadour to arenas across the country where they shared stages with Ozzy, Twisted Sister, Scorpions, Motley Crue and Billy Squier.

In 1985, Ratt avoided the ‘sophomore jinx’ with Invasion Of Your Privacy when its lead single “Lay It Down” became the band’s second (and final) top 40 hit, leading Privacy to 2x Platinum sales. Over the next five years, the band played 200 shows a year and released two more platinum-selling albums: Dancing Undercover (recorded in just nine weeks) and Reach For The Sky (recorded over seven ‘grueling’ months). Each album spawned one minor hit: “Dance” and “Way Cool Jr” respectively.

By 1990, the band was running out of steam. Hitwriter Desmond Child (Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Bon Jovi, Kiss) was recruited in place of longtime producer Beau Hill, but Detonator was still relatively unsuccessful – their first album not to achieve Platinum sales and all three singles failed to chart. Guitarist Robbin Crosby left while battling a drug addiction that would soon end his marriage, give him HIV and eventually take his life. By the time the compilation Ratt N Roll 8191 dropped, adding a modified remake of Steve Caton’s “Nobody Rides for Free” (recorded for the film Point Break), critics were deriding the band for their lackluster performances. Pearcy stepped away that year:

I didn’t quit, I said I’m taking a break. Someone else babysit. I’m going to do something else.

Pearcy formed and fronted Arcade, Vicious Delite, then Vertex over the next four years until 1996 when he, DeMartini and Blotzer reunited (adding Robbie Crane from Vertex) and began touring. The compilation Collage appeared the following year, but Pearcy fell 12 feet from a stage that July, requiring kneecap surgery that would begin his need for pain medications. Ratt’s 1999 self-titled album went largely unnoticed, followed by a 2000 tour without Pearcy – his spot filled by Love/Hate frontman Jizzy Pearl. A legal battle over the band name ensued, and a judge eventually ruled that Blotzer and DeMartini owned the trademark. Pearcy, however, still toured under the name “Stephen Pearcy’s Ratt”.

A 2005 tour opening for Vince Neil, with Pearcy back in the fold, was canceled after one show due to Neil’s car accident earlier that day. Despite Blotzer repeatedly referring to Pearcy as ‘that motherfucker’ in the 2006 airing of Behind The Music: Ratt, they again reunited with Pearcy the following year to tour with Poison. Infestation found brief chart success in 2010, but quickly fell into obscurity while the band toured with the lineup of Pearcy, Blotzer, DeMartini, Crane and Carlos Cavazo (of Quiet Riot). An indefinite hiatus followed as members pursued other projects. In 2014, Pearcy publicly announced:

I am officially done with having anything to do with them, due to the constant turmoil, unresolved business, personal attacks and threats in the public forum – and most of all, disrespect to the fans.

In 2015, Blotzer assumed full control of the Ratt brand and announced a “Ratt Experience” tour with himself as the only original member, to which DeMartini unsuccessfully sued him. Meanwhile Croucier also announced his own Ratt touring band to which Blotzer unsuccessfully sued him. In 2017, Pearcy reunited with Croucier and DeMartini and toured as Ratt, but DeMartini left the following year. In 2019, after Pearcy began mixing alcohol with pain meds for his knee, clips posted to social media websites of him ‘trashed’, ‘stumbling’ and unable to remember the words made headlines on several rock news websites.

In spring 2020, the band was forced to cancel a planned tour with Skid Row, Slaughter and Tom Kiefer (Cinderella) due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but a Geico insurance commercial put the band back in the media spotlight and sent “Round And Round” back into the top 40 thirty-six years after its inital release. That October, Ratt announced they plan to release music and resume touring but it did not pan out, with Pearcy sharing:

We were supposed to do a big summer tour with Ratt this year. I initiated doing something if the guys would get together. But there is no reason for them to do it or a need for them to do it, so I decided to just go out solo. And I am better off.