Stephen Pearcy

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Stephen Pearcy

Stephen Pearcy (born July 3, 1959) is the former lead singer of the 80's glam metal band Ratt. With Ratt, he helped catapult the band to multi-platinum success for a decade, and wrote many of the band's hits including; "Back for More", "You're In Love", "Way Cool Jr." and "Shame Shame Shame". He is also known for his high-pitched, raspy singing voice.

He has also been in the bands Arcade, Vicious Delite (VD), Vertex, Nitronic, and Band From Hell. Since 2002 he has been a solo artist.

1 Early career
2 Recent efforts
3 Trivia
4 External links

[edit] Early career

In his early teens, Pearcy aspired to be a top fuel race car driver and expressed no desire to pursue a career in music. He listened to music and occasionally went to concerts in the 1970's, however he hadn't so much as played a note in his whole life. Fate interfered in the form of a hit-and-run driver who struck Pearcy while he was riding his bike on his way home from school during the mid-1970's. While he was in the hospital recovering from his bike accident, somebody gave him an acoustic guitar. After fiddling around with the guitar for a short time, Pearcy decided to shift his vocational focus from a race car driver to playing music. He started his own band Mickey Ratt in San Diego during the late 1970's. After he and the band moved to Los Angeles in 1980, the band's name was shortened to Ratt and the original lineup was solidified. Playing clubs like The Roxy and The Whisky, Ratt amassed a large following. After releasing an eponymous six song EP in 1983, Ratt released their breakthrough album Out of the Cellar on Atlantic Records in 1984, and it went multi-platinum. After releasing one gold and four platinum albums, Pearcy left the band in February 1992. Pearcy and former Cinderella drummer Fred Coury formed Arcade in 1992. Arcade released a self-titled album in 1993 and another album the following year. In 1996, Pearcy dabbled with an industrial metal band called Vertex. Pearcy reunited with Ratt in 1997, only to leave the band for a second time in 2000 on the eve of a tour due to differences over financial allocation amongst band members.

[edit] Recent efforts

The year 2000 was a prolific one for Pearcy. He put out a collection of previously released songs called "Before and Laughter". He also formed an old school metal outfit called Vicious Delite that released a self-titled album on the Triple X label. With his connections at Triple X he founded his own record label Top Fuel Records and multimedia company Top Fuel Entertainment. Pearcy released "Social Intercourse", his first album of new solo material, in 2002.

His May 2005 album, "Fueler", has a song called "Drive With Me" that has been featured on ESPN2's weekly program devoted to National Hot Rod Association drag racing. Pearcy also released a compilation of reworked Ratt and Mickey Ratt songs in June 2005 called "Rat Attack" that included spots from ex-Dokken guitarist George Lynch and former L.A. Guns axeman Tracii Guns. After touring with W.A.S.P. and L.A. Guns earlier in 2005, Pearcy he appeared on VH Classic's Metal Mania Stripped tour along with Kip Winger, Jani Lane of Warrant, FireHouse, and Don Dokken. His acoustic version of the Ratt song "Round and Round" appears on the "VH1 Classic Metal Mania Stripped Volume 2: The Anthems" CD. Top Fuel Records is now associated with the Cleopatra label and continues to release material from Pearcy as well as find new upcoming talent. Top Fuel Entertainment is developing a funny car dragster with driver Greg Uffens.

On October 6, 2005, Pearcy posted a message on his website denying rumors of a Ratt reunion. Even so, a Los Angeles Daily News article published on October 9, 2005 quoted Ratt drummer Bobby Blotzer saying that the band was "very close" to reuniting with Pearcy. However, Blotzer posted a message later that day on Ratt's website stating the interview was out of date and inaccurate. Time will tell whether Ratt will reunite with Pearcy in 2006 or not.

[edit] Trivia

Pearcy played as the killer hippie, Timothy Bach, in the low budget horror film Camp Utopia.

In a 2001 USATODAY interview, when asked about his views on illegal music dowloading Stephen said, "I never had a view from the start. I wouldn't sue my own fans, and I'm not a greedy person. If someone wants the full package, they'll go buy it. Napster doesn't bother me."