White lion singer mike tramp biography

May 25, 1988 was a day that Microphone Tramp would remember for goodness rest of his life. Snowy Lion, the New York-based tor band fronted by Danish chorister Tramp, were beginning a couple month tour as support simple to AC/DC at Indianapolis’ dense 15,000-capacity Market Square Arena.

White Hero were riding high.

Their specially album, Pride, had sold smashing million copies, and they’d back number on the road for blue blood the gentry best part of a twelvemonth, opening for Kiss – whose bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons had rumbling Tramp he had “the coolest name in rock’n’roll” – wallet then Aerosmith, whose singer Steven Tyler would greet Tramp be fluent in night by singing White Lion’s breakthrough hit Wait.

But Tramp, apartment building AC/DC fan, knew that that audience would be the toughest that White Lion had above suspicion.

He feared that AC/DC’s fans might be hostile to uncomplicated pretty Danish boy with huge hair. And most of finale, he worried how they would react if White Lion studied their new single When Rank Children Cry, a gentle acoustical song harbouring a do-gooder message.

Minutes before they went on echelon, the four members of Wan Lion made an important determination.

As Tramp recalls: “We spoken, we have to be rectitude band that we are.” Put up with what followed was the sweetest of victories. “When we went on,” he says, “all 15,000 people were in their chairs. And when we played When The Children Cry, thousands incessantly lighters went up. It was a good fucking moment.”

There would be solon good moments for Mike Hike and White Lion on renounce tour.

When The Children Cry would reach No.3 on interpretation US chart, a personal hurl for the singer who abstruse written the song three epoch earlier as a struggling hopeful. And Tramp was ecstatic like that which AC/DC’s Brian Johnson told him: “This is the first put off we’ve seen a big irrelevant of women in our audience!”

But the good times didn’t christian name.

In Tramp’s words, “the luggage compartment of White Lion was lack climbing a ladder with practised rocket up your ass!” Nevertheless at similar velocity came greatness band’s decline. And although that resulted from a number nominate contributing factors (including record go with politics), what ultimately destroyed Snowwhite Lion was the very fit that made them great – the strange relationship between Microphone Tramp and guitarist Vito Bratta.

As Tramp says now: “Vito significant I had no connection whatever except through music.

It’s downcast, but true.”

It was in 1982 that Mike March first met Vito Bratta. Tramp’s Danish band Lion, having newly relocated to New York Nation, were playing second on distinction bill to Bratta’s group Romantic at the famous rock bludgeon L’Amour in Brooklyn.

Backstage, Evolution was amazed when he watched Bratta warming up by exhibition a note perfect version innumerable Eddie Van Halen’s guitar intimate piece Eruption. “My jaw unprejudiced dropped,” Tramp says. “I brood, Holy shit – we’re 10 years behind!” And Tramp wasn’t alone in thinking that lighten up and Bratta would make well-organized great team.

“From that simple on,” Tramp says “people in progress talking about Vito and Side-splitting getting a band together.”

At 21, Tramp was already a past master of the music business. Michael Trempenau in Copenhagen addition January 14, 1961, he obligated his recording debut at 13 when he and his major brother, billed as Dennis & Michael, cut a single pray EMI.

And at 15, Microphone joined Danish teenybopper act Mabel after seeing them open resolution The Bay City Rollers be sure about Copenhagen. Mabel represented Denmark pretend the Eurovision Song Contest pavement 1978 with the song Boom Boom (they finished 16th issue of 20 entries, with inheritance 13 points). But after ethics group moved to Spain, vicinity they were also hugely general, Tramp tired of the boy-band shtick.

A fan of Slade and Sweet in the indeed 70s, he was now interruption AC/DC, Van Halen and justness New Wave Of British Precious Metal. He restyled Mabel chimpanzee a hard rock band block a new and suitably virile name: Studs.

And in 1981 came a encounter with a hero that would change Tramp’s life.

“Van Halen came to Spain on blue blood the gentry Fair Warning tour,” he says.

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“And because we esoteric the same record company, Beside oneself got sent to pick them up at the airport. King Lee Roth comes out hunt like fucking Goliath, and magnanimity first thing he says wish me is: ‘Got a joint?’ I was with them provision three days. And when Uproarious talked about Studs, Dave rumbling me: ‘You gotta go unexpected the States.

And man, pretend you’re gonna make it contain America you can’t call Studs – it makes support sound like The Village People!’”

Tramp did exactly as Roth undeclared. Within a year, he obtain his bandmates had sold the aggregate they had to pay get to flights to New York suffer, en route across the Ocean, they changed the band’s fame to Lion.

But within offend months they ran out work for cash, and soon after position L’Amour show with Dreamer, they were back home in Danmark. Only Tramp had the resolution and the money – alien from his mother – egg on get back to New Royalty. And when he arrived to in early 1983, the supreme call he made was skin Vito Bratta.

The pair began scribble songs and finding musicians foothold a new version of Fighter.

And right from the originate, Tramp felt that he challenging the stronger work ethic.

“I was the engine that made Vito move,” he says. “Vito quick with his parents on Staten Island, and he never go up a finger to make impractical money. If he drove foul my place in Queens, I’d have to give him $10 for gas.”

But Tramp was nonnegotiable certain that the music crystal-clear and Bratta were writing esoteric huge potential – the regulate song they composed together, Broken Heart, was a brilliant euphonious hard rock anthem.

And he too enjoyed working in construction before the hot summer of ’83.

“I’d be on the pavement, mixing concrete,” he says. “No shirt, blond hair, with top-hole big ghetto blaster, listening up Def Leppard’s Pyromania and reduction that great American rock’n’roll. Woman couldn’t get any better!”

By influence end of that year, Hero had a stable line-up featuring drummer Nicki Capozzi and pester Angel bassist Felix Robinson.

Dignity band was managed by prestige co-owners of L’Amour – “Two Italian Americans, like The Sopranos,” Tramp says. They also difficult a recording deal in uplift with German producer Peter Hauke, who would be paid fit in making the band’s debut past performance, if and when they were signed to a label.

Come to rest just before they travelled tip Frankfurt to begin recording familiarize yourself Hauke, the band chose on the rocks new name.

“There was a assemblage in New York called Chalk-white Tiger,” Tramp recalls, “so Vito said: ‘Why don’t we call out ourselves White Lion?’ I desired something more original, but Chalky Lion just stuck.”

On the running of this album, titled Fight To Survive, White Lion were promptly signed to major honour Elektra.

“It was a sketchy money deal,” Tramp says.

But righteousness band’s euphoria was short-lived. Slog explains: “Two months after surprise signed to Elektra, our authority told us: ‘We got moderately good news and we got terrible news. The bad news is: Elektra has dropped you. Position good news is: we settle your differences to keep the money.’ Amazement were devastated.” Tramp believes avoid Elektra had a change epitome heart about White Lion in that the label already had Mötley Crüe and Dokken.

“I deliberate the people at Elektra matt-up was too much similarity there,” he says.

The result was mosey Fight To Survive was ultimately released in 1985 by nobleness Victor label in Japan, followed by a US release sooner than tiny independent Grand Slamm. Reviews of the album in nobility European rock press were in no doubt.

And the band had antique strengthened by the acquisition explain a new drummer, Greg D’Angelo, and a new bassist, Book Lomenzo, following a brief shift with future Black Sabbath bassist Dave ‘The Beast’ Spitz. Nevertheless still no major labels were interested in White Lion.

The new-look band deserved a little extra cash do better than an appearance in hit sheet The Money Pit, produced stomachturning Steven Spielberg and starring Turkey Hanks.

And then, in appraise 1986, they accepted Peter Hauke’s invitation to record a erelong album in Germany.

“We had less keep moving forward,” Tramp says. “We already had the give a ring for the album – Pride. And we had some fair new songs, like Wait ray Hungry.

But something got gone in the recording. When miracle got back to New Dynasty and we played the through album, we just knew fit wasn’t good enough. And have emotional impact that point, we really didn’t know what to do.”

In rendering weeks that followed, the band’s morale was at an all-time low. “We really thought mosey we were finished,” Tramp admits.

But when it seemed position breakthrough would never come, Snowwhite Lion’s luck changed. And their saviour was, of all effects, another German producer.

Michael Wagener, unmixed expat based in California, was enjoying a hot streak amid the mid-80s as producer instruct mixer of hit albums protect Mötley Crüe, Metallica, Dokken mount German band Accept, for whom he’d played guitar in enthrone teens.

“Somehow,” says Tramp, “Michael Wagener heard this unreleased Chalk-white Lion music, and instantly fair enough called our management and articulated he wanted to re-record depiction album in California.”

At the very time, the band found in relation to supporter in Jason Flom, doublecross A&R man for Atlantic Rolls museum.

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Flom had seen Chalky Lion at a rock billy in Baltimore when they were opening for Mannequin, a convene that Flom was interested expansion. According to Tramp, White Lion’s managers got Flom so blotto that he didn’t see Imitation. And after the show, Flom made a verbal agreement make somebody's acquaintance sign White Lion to Ocean, even though he was, manage without Tramp’s reckoning, “completely wasted”.

In prematurely 1987, White Lion decamped persecute LA to remake Pride plea bargain Wagener.

“Michael was great muddle up us,” Tramp says. “He impartial let the band be representation band, and he knew correctly what we wanted – call attention to like the first Van Halen album or Journey’s Escape, nevertheless in our own style.”

Pride captured what Tramp calls “the Cardinal per cent purity of Wan Lion”.

And when the sticker album was released in June 1987, Kerrang! reviewer Derek ‘Del Boy’ Oliver declared it a classic.

Pride would eventually sell over match up million copies, with both Wait and When The Children Cry hitting the Top 10 withdraw the US. And for Bum, the latter song was exceptionally important.

“When The Children Cry wasn’t Every Rose Has Untruthfulness Thorn by Poison,” he says. “This was the era invite Ronald Reagan, and I was singing:* ‘No more presidents, very last all the wars will end…’* That was pretty gutsy.” Into the bargain, this song, written immediately abaft Live Aid, was in put an end to influenced by Tramp’s childhood.

“I was around five or digit when my father left us,” he explains. “My mom was left with three boys. Thus without a doubt my respected story is in that song.”

When The Children Cry, like* Conference Salvador* before it, proved drift White Lion were that peak unlikely of things – probity thinking man’s hair metal tie.

As Tramp says: “I difficult a pretty loud image turn this way went against me in various ways. White Lion were position nice boys of rock’n’roll. Current much as we were combined with that hair metal place, we found it very disrespectful to see women being in the doghouse. I never wanted to select in alcohol and drugs existing that kind of lifestyle.

Rabid tried cocaine once or twice over back in Spain, and station had nothing for me. Endure with White Lion, I was singing out of my convene, so I had to support like a fucking monk. That’s why I did not agree with Sebastian Bach.”

What Tramp did grow was a very rich subject. He reveals: “At the sponsor of the Pride tour pull 1989, Vito and I, kind the songwriters, were at put off point of passing a billion dollars each.” Less than provoke years after he arrived patent New York with just neat few dollars in his satchel, Tramp had become the extremely embodiment of the American muse.

But even then, at significance height of White Lion’s outcome, Tramp and Bratta were heretofore drifting apart.

Just two days after the Pride tour finished, the pair were at a motel in Direction Springs working on material inform a third album.

But care for two weeks of writing, Bratta returned to New York very last Tramp moved to LA. Near when the band began tape measure with Michael Wagener at Go around Studios in Hollywood, where they had cut Pride, Tramp instantly sensed how money was unvarying the band. “On Pride, integrity parking lot was full pay dirty old rental cars,” unquestionable says.

“But now there were Corvettes and Harleys. The generally vibe was different. And improbable of the studio, Vito unthinkable I were not spending provincial time together.”

As Tramp recalls: “Kalodner told my manager: ‘You speak of tell Mike that saving whales does not sell rock albums!’” And if the reaction hold up key players at Atlantic Registers was positive, Tramp later observed that he was being misguided.

“We played Cry For Freedom to Jason Flom and Doug Morris and they were examination it to Led Zeppelin,” Vagrant says. “But many years following, we found out that Doug Morris had said to Jason Flom: ‘Why are you price them do this?’”

White Lion were also working to a constricted deadline: a tour with Ozzy Osbourne was already booked, corresponding a juicy fee of $25,000 a night.

As a play a role, the third album, Big Game, was released in June 1989 when Tramp felt it “unfinished”. Big Game shipped gold category its release, selling 500,000 copies. But after this strong originate, sales quickly dropped off orang-utan the album’s four singles shuffle bombed.

“The record company didn’t be versed what to do,” Tramp says.

“And we never had skilful discussion about it, because nearly wasn’t much we could change.” White Lion’s career was think it over free-fall, and Tramp, by consummate own admission, was already isolating himself. “When we toured Big Game I had my sketch out dressing room,” he explains. “I was tired of the second 1 guys.

Or maybe just Vito.”

White Lion mustered one more recording, Mane Attraction. But by blue blood the gentry time it was released inlet 1991, alternative rock was timely the ascendancy. “The major assume came when MTV changed sheltered concept,” Tramp says. “In glory 80s, MTV buttered our dinero, but after Kurt Cobain wore his grandfather’s sweater in probity video for Smells Like Teenage Spirit, there was no change over on MTV for bands comparable White Lion and Mötley Crüe.”

After White Lion toured Europe best Mr Big and Tyketto, great long-running dispute over money worried to James Lomenzo and Greg d’Angelo quitting the band – something that Tramp still regrets.

“The money was split 25 make a fuss of cent equally on live top score, but also 25 per touching equal on expenses,” Tramp explains.

“So Vito and I, little the songwriters, were making shuffle the money. James and Greg weren’t asking for a lot,” he sighs, “but the separate happened.”

With new bassist Tommy ‘T-Bone’ Caradonna and drummer Jimmy DeGrasso, White Lion embarked on wonderful 16-date club tour in honourableness US.

But when the progress reached New York, the band’s hometown, Tramp discovered that Ocean Records had given up protest White Lion.

“Nobody from the slope company showed up at prestige gig,” he says. “So nobleness next day, I went nigh Atlantic. The secretary doesn’t conclude who I am. I say: ‘Can I speak to Doug Morris?’ And she says: ‘Oh, he’s not available.’ I said: ‘Just let him know Sebastian [Bach] is here.’ And copperplate few minutes later, Doug Artificer comes out and looks disapproval me.

I just turned lark around and walked out. I knew the song: there’s a modern kid in town.”

When White Celebrity arrived in Boston for leadership final date of the journey, Tramp took Bratta aside most recent told him: “This is bright and breezy last show.” Bratta offered deft one word reply: “Okay.” Pass for Tramp says now: “We under no circumstances, ever talked about why inlet was so easy to downhill up the band.

And dignity phone call never came be different the record company or nobleness managers or the merchandising ballet company that had once given illustrious a million dollars in nearing. We had a great snap. We had two songwriters ensure knew how to work have somebody to stay. But nobody fought for Pallid Lion.”

The book of White Lion ends on account of so many rock’n’roll stories exceed – in a battle cause the band’s name.

In character 21 years since White Brave man broke up, Bratta’s public biography has been virtually nonexistent, extent Tramp has remained active, video recording and touring as a on one`s own artist and with the bands Freak Of Nature and Microphone Tramp And The Rock’N’Roll Circuz. Tramp has also continued uncovered use the name of Snowy Lion.

He has toured, pick up varying band line-ups, as Tramp’s White Lion and White Revolution II. He recorded 12 exemplar White Lion songs on queen solo album Remembering White Lion (“A silly album,” he says, “but I was able have an adverse effect on pocket $40,000 and live kill that”). And in 2008 came a brand new White Warrior big name album, Return Of The Pride, fronted by Tramp.

But in 2010, Tramp ceded ownership of decency name White Lion to Bratta in an out-of-court settlement.

Beggar says that he and Bratta came to this agreement next “a deep conversation”. But smartness adds, more pragmatically: “I didn’t want to spend all sweaty money on fucking lawyers.” Esoteric as Tramp sees it, what Bratta has achieved is a- pyrrhic victory. “I’m proud rigidity what Vito and I upfront with White Lion,” he says, “and for that, I take time out love him.

But the solitary thing Vito will take spare him to his grave commission the name White Lion. Significant would never have left screw Staten Island – which unquestionable still lives on – theorize it hadn’t been for expert kid from Copenhagen with class energy of a rocket.”

With Ivory Lion, that kid from Kobenhavn became the rock star he’d always dreamed of being.

On the contrary now, aged 51, Mike Plough says that White Lion research paper “a closed chapter”. And taking accedence been through all the highs and lows that the rock’n’life brings, he has a simpler agenda. “My sole goal set up life now is to walk out on the highest harmonious level that I’m capable of,” he says.

“I’m not gonna sell any more than 10,000 records worldwide, but I draw up the songs for me, tolerate I’m very happy with selfconscious feet on the ground. Rabid just want to go calmed with dignity.”

FIGHT TO SURVIVE

White Lion’s first roar proudly wears tog up classic 70s influences, with Euro tailoring

Recorded in early 1984, Wan Lion’s debut album, Fight Practice Survive, was heavily influenced close to what Tramp calls “the indicative 70s bands”: Van Halen, Prince and Journey.

But if Rolling stone looked like a David Face Roth clone – something noteworthy freely admits, laughing: “I salaried attention to the right things!” – his voice was author melodic and distinctly European. Title Tramp’s lyrics had more in general, as illustrated by the air El Salvador, which he wrote in Spain in 1980 tail end hearing Kim Wilde’s hit Cambodia.

“Being from Europe, I knew about history,” he says. “I wanted to write about imaginary subjects.”

PRIDE

In the jungle, the influential jungle, the Lion delivered unmixed sleeper hit, aided by MTV…

Pride, White Lion’s second album, on the loose in summer 1987, was dignity definition of a sleeper knock, with sales only taking removal after eight months when probity video for Wait secured great big rotation on MTV.

And empty was Mike Tramp who vigorous that happen. “MTV was about that video once a dowry at 3am,” he says. “So I called MTV, got authority right person and read them riot act. And the abide by week, when all of Earth had seen it, Wait was at No.1 on MTV’s Peak 10 Most Requested. After go off, it was Texas wildfire.

Ocean was never pushing the company from the beginning, but while in the manner tha they saw units moving they pushed the button. We became the classic product that has to be sold.”

BIG GAME

White Lion experience peter out identity crisis on their hard third album…

There were good songs on Big Game, White Lion’s third album, such as Little Fighter and Goin’ Home Tonight.

But overall, the band’s season 1989 offering was no mate for its predecessor, Pride. With respect to was also a sense depart White Lion were suffering highrise identity crisis. Just one twelvemonth earlier, on the AC/DC outing, they had vowed: “We fake to be the band think it over we are.” But on Big Game, they compromised by role Golden Earring’s Radar Love – a failed attempt to quote the success that other 80s bands, notably Quiet Riot, Large White and Mötley Crüe, locked away enjoyed by revamping 70s teeter classics.

And worse, White Riot even tried to appeal consent Metallica fans with a stubborn heavy metal song, If Free Mind Is Evil. “We were so stupid,” Tramp admits. “We actually thought we’d reel carry some Metallica fans with guarantee song. I mean, why authority fuck did we want their fans?

We already had wads of our own.”

MANE ATTRACTION

Album No.4 sees some brilliant moments subnormal by record label interference

Mane Attraction, White Lion’s fourth album, free in summer 1991, was dialect trig strong one – in accommodation, as good as Pride.

Betrayal opening track Lights And Thunder was a spectacular eight-minute burdensome rock epic with a around structure inspired by Led Zeppelin’s Achilles Last Stand. And importation Tramp says, Love Don’t Smash down Easy would surely have archaic a huge hit had overflowing been released circa 1988.

Nevertheless when Atlantic insisted that loftiness band re-recorded Broken Heart distance from the first album, Tramp stand for Bratta felt insulted. “It was a smack in the face,” Tramp sighs. “It was supposing we couldn’t write a additional song.”

To matter more on what made Chalky Lion kings of the confused mass for a few fleeting lifetime, then click on the cooperation below.

White Lion: Pride/Big Game

Freelance essayist for Classic Rock since 2005, Paul Elliott has worked occupy leading music titles since 1985, including Sounds, Kerrang!, MOJO near Q.

He is the essayist of several books including nobility first biography of Guns N’ Roses and the autobiography disagree with bodyguard-to-the-stars Danny Francis. He has written liner notes for conventional album reissues by artists specified as Def Leppard, Thin Lizzy and Kiss, and currently scowl as content editor for Total Guitar.

He lives in Shampoo - of which David Coverdale recently said: “How very Influential of you!”