Slaughter

Slaughter is an American hard rock band formed in Las Vegas, Nevada in late 1988 by lead vocalist Mark Slaughter and bassist Dana Strum, both veterans of Vinnie Vincent Invasion - the band formed by former KISS guitarist Vinnie Vincent. When Chrysalis Records pulled Vincent's $4 million contract after he exceeded his credit line with the label, they transferred the deal directly to Slaughter and Strum, who recruited lead guitarist Tim Kelly and drummer Blas Elias to complete the lineup. Their 1990 debut Stick It to Ya was an immediate commercial success, selling over two million copies worldwide and earning double platinum certification on the strength of three Billboard Hot 100 singles including Fly to the Angels (number 19) and Up All Night (number 27). The band won the 1991 American Music Award for Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock New Artist, beating out major contemporaries, and toured alongside Kiss, Poison, Ozzy Osbourne, and Damn Yankees. The follow-up The Wild Life (1992) earned gold certification. The band navigated lineup troubles and the grunge-era downturn through the mid-1990s, releasing Fear No Evil (1995) and Revolution (1997), but tragedy struck on February 5, 1998 when guitarist Tim Kelly was killed in an automobile accident in the Arizona desert. The band pressed on, recruiting guitarist Jeff Blando as Kelly's permanent replacement, and released Back to Reality in 1999. Slaughter has remained a fixture on the rock festival and package tour circuit ever since, performing at events including Monsters of Rock Cruise, M3 Rock Festival, and Rocklahoma for a fanbase that has followed them for more than three decades.