Buckcherry formed in Los Angeles, California, in the middle of 1995, when vocalist Josh Todd and guitarist Keith Nelson were introduced through a mutual tattoo artist. Todd eventually met lead guitarist Keith Nelson through their tattoo artist. The duo made a few demos before being joined by bassist Jonathan Brightman and drummer Devon Glenn, calling themselves Sparrow. The group changed its name to Buckcherry after receiving a cease-and-desist letter from a record label called Sparrow, owned by EMI. With the later addition of second guitarist Yogi Lonich, Buckcherry signed with DreamWorks Records and issued their self-titled debut LP in 1999. Steeped in swaggering, hard-rock riffs and old-school rock and roll swagger reminiscent of Guns N' Roses and AC/DC, the band quickly built a loyal following on the Los Angeles club circuit.
The band's true breakthrough came after a rocky early run. Singles such as "Check Your Head" and "For the Movies" were modern rock hits, raising their profile by the summer of 2000, and the following year, Buckcherry released their second album, Time Bomb. Although it wasn't widely noticed by critics, AC/DC recruited the band as an opening act for a series of shows, but in July 2002, founding member Joshua Todd unexpectedly quit the group, sending Buckcherry into a multi-year hiatus. The band's fortunes changed dramatically when Todd and Nelson reunited with a new rhythm section, and in 2005 reformed Buckcherry with a new lineup, releasing a new album in 2006, 15, which contained the band's biggest crossover hits to date, "Crazy Bitch," and their first Billboard Hot 100 top ten hit, "Sorry." The album was a commercial phenomenon: it was certified double platinum by the RIAA for sales in excess of two million copies, while "Crazy Bitch" was certified quadruple platinum for sales in excess of four million units and "Sorry" was certified double platinum for sales in excess of two million units. "Crazy Bitch" also earned the band industry recognition, as the song accrued over 435 million in total audience impressions and helped Buckcherry grab their second Grammy nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance. Following the success of 15, Buckcherry continued to build on its momentum with steady releases and evolving lineups. Their fourth album, Black Butterfly, was released in 2008, their fifth album, All Night Long, was released in 2010, and the band released their sixth album, Confessions, in 2013. The band weathered significant lineup shifts over the years, most notably when founding guitarist Keith Nelson and drummer Xavier Muriel announced their departure due to musical differences in May of 2017. Todd hired guitarist Kevin Roentgen and drummer Sean Winchester as replacements, and unveiled his new lineup of Buckcherry with the 2019 album Warpaint, which featured a cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Head Like a Hole" as its lead single. Through it all, Josh Todd has held the role of lead vocalist since the band's formation in 1995, continuing to lead the group as its frontman and sole remaining original member. Buckcherry remains active today, still touring and recording behind Todd's leadership even as the surrounding lineup has continued to shift, most recently featuring guitarist Stevie D., bassist Kelly LeMieux, and other latter-day members. Decades after their debut, the band's brand of unapologetic, hook-driven hard rock, epitomized by anthems like "Lit Up" and "Crazy Bitch," has cemented their reputation as one of the defining party-rock acts to emerge from the Los Angeles scene of the late 1990s, carrying that same sleazy, riff-heavy energy into arenas and clubs alike for a new generation of rock fans.
For Wayne Dennon, Buckcherry was a recurring subject behind the lens, one he photographed across six different shows between 2006 and 2010, a span that captured the band right at the height of their post-"15" resurgence. Those performances, spread across five cities in three states, yielded 210 photographs now preserved in this archive, images that have drawn 161,605 views from visitors revisiting the raw energy of Buckcherry's live shows through Wayne's lens.
