John Corabi

Rock singer John Corabi has been a working musician for two decades, building a solid resume despite the fact that he has never truly been in a band that achieved widespread success (discounting his tumultuous stint with Motley Crue). Born on April 26, 1959 in Philadelphia, Corabi, like many musicians from his generation, was drawn into music by seeing The Beatles on television as a child. After graduating high school, Corabi worked doing various odd jobs while singing lead for his band Angora. A visit to Los Angeles during the height of the ‘80s metal scene convinced him to relocate there in 1986 and soon Angora had joined him. The band managed to attract a following, but, aside from some interest from Gene Simmons, internal dissension wrecked the group before they could land a recording deal. With guitarist Bruce Bouillet and bass player John Alderete, both from the recently defunct Racer X, Corabi formed The Scream in 1989. They released Let It Scream through Hollywood Records two years later and managed to garner airplay at rock radio with the track "Man In The Moon." In early 1992, Corabi accepted an invitation to replace the fired Vince Neil in the platinum-selling Motley Crue. With Corabi on vocals, Motley Crue released the eagerly-awaited follow-up to their career-making Dr. Feelgood, however, in the wake of grunge and with Corabi not embraced by the band's faithful, Motley Crue was an unmitigated bust despite a Top Ten placing on the album charts. When Neil returned to the fold, Corabi was left on his own and formed the band Union with ex-Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick. Although not a major commercial success, the pedigrees of the band's members ensured a following in the hard rock world and their self-titled 1998 release did well with its limited audience. Corabi would unite with another ex-Kiss player (drummer Eric Singer) and Karl Cochran (Ace Frehley) to release an eponymous album under the moniker ESP in 1999 and, would also tour with an incarnation of Ratt in the coming years.