Don Dokken American musician, founder of the Dokken project Date of Birth: 29.06.1953 Country: USA

Biography of Don Dokken

Don Dokken, whose full name is Donald Maynard Dokken, was born in 1953 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an American musician and the founder of the hard rock project Dokken. However, the name 'Dokken' is better known as the name of the band, of which Don is the founder and visionary.

In the late 70s, Don attempted to play with various bands and musicians, but he was unable to secure a serious project. It is known that in the early 80s, Dokken was considered as a backup vocalist for the band 'Scorpions' when Klaus Meine had vocal problems. However, his services were not needed, and Don only appeared as a backing vocalist on the album 'Blackout'.

Soon, Don, who always dreamed of having his own band, managed to recruit guitarist George Lynch and drummer Mick Brown to join his project. They came up with the simple name 'Dokken' for their new rock band. The newly formed band started making music in melodic hard rock, which was simple and easily understood by many. They soon signed a contract with Carriere Records. The first lineup also included bassist Juan Croucier and drummer Greg Pecka.

The band went into the recording studio and within a month, their album 'Breakin' The Chains' was recorded and released in early 1982. Many people at the time thought their music strongly resembled 'Scorpions', but with a slightly harder and faster sound. Don's vocals were truly excellent. The lyrics of their songs told stories about love, fighting for rights, speed, and self-discovery. The success was evident, and the Dokken project was immediately noticed, with the musicians even being called the Minstrels of Hard Rock. After the album was released, the band went on a tour in Germany, even playing a concert in East Germany.

During those tours, Don had to somewhat limit his musical abilities and reclassify himself as just a vocalist as his guitar playing did not match George Lynch's. However, their success was not significant, and soon they lost their contract, Juan Croucier left the group, and Jeff Pilson joined as the new bassist.

Don's fortunes changed when they signed a contract with Elektra Records, which provided them with financial support. Their debut release was reworked and reissued, making it onto the Billboard album chart, albeit at the bottom. Nevertheless, the Dokken project found a second wind and gained momentum. In 1984, the band released the powerful album 'Tooth And Nail', which sold over a million copies in the US alone. The most recognizable songs from the album were 'Into The Fire', 'Just Got Lucky', and 'Alone Again'. In 1985 and 1987, the band released two more platinum albums, 'Under Lock and Key' and 'Back for the Attack', with notable hits including 'In My Dreams' and 'It's Not Love'.

However, despite their success, the band faced a split in 1988 due to irreconcilable differences between Don Dokken and George Lynch. Their live album 'Beast From The East' served as a sort of epitaph for the band.

Years passed, and the musicians searched for and found themselves in other projects. Meanwhile, their fans waited and believed that Dokken would reunite. Their dreams came true seven years later when Don and George managed to bury the hatchet, and in May 1994, the band was restored to its original lineup.

In 1995, they released 'Dysfunctional', followed by 'Shadow Life' in 1997. Both albums, however, were considered somewhat lackluster. Despite great expectations, they were unable to replicate their past achievements. The band experienced further lineup changes. Their latest album to date is the 2008 release 'Lightning Strikes Again', which enjoyed more success than their previous projects. It is known that the success was achieved by returning to their roots and bringing their sound closer to the "good old times".

Currently, Dokken actively tours in the United States, and their dedicated fans continue to spread rumors about an imminent reunion of the band, preferably in the "golden" lineup. However, these rumors, unfortunately, have no basis.