Don Dokken Reflects On Band’s 80’s Heyday

 
Über Röck: “I never wanted to be a singer – honestly. I mean I was a guitar player and a singer, but guitar was my thing in my earlier bands. When I played my first big show, which was opening up for Journey, and our singer didn’t show up! I was like, “holy crap” so I sang and played guitar. After that I sang and played guitar and then after ‘Breaking the Chains’ with George in the band we were both playing guitar, but these were the days of David Lee Roth and such so there was a downside to trying to play guitar and be the lead singer. You can’t get off the mic, unless you’re like Sammy Hagar and wear a head set. Our management said “we think you should just front the band and let George play guitar”, he’s an excellent guitarist, but it was hard. It had been my crutch; it was kind of weird at first. I ended up as the lead singer because it was the days of Van Halen and other bands coming out with front men running around, going stage left and stage right and working the crowds.”
 
“I think a pivotal moment was when we started getting a following and opening up for bands like Van Halen, etc. and then obviously I got the offer to go to Germany and sing background vocals on the Scorpion’s album (‘Blackout’), and that was pivotal for me. I had done a demo and the manager for Accept was there, and they took my demos and handed me a plane ticket and told me I had a record deal. I got paid like 7,500.00 dollars – for the whole deal…so I had a record deal and no band. What some people don’t realise is that I had a solo album out in Germany, called ‘Don Dokken’. Then when we got the American record deal, they dropped the first name, and it became Dokken.”