Great White started their career as Dante Fox, playing their first gig in 1981 at The Troubadour in Hollywood, California. After recording several demos, the band chose as manager Alan Niven, who had worked for the independent distributor Greenworld in Torrance, California and had dealt with Mรถtley Crรผe's debut self-release. Niven suggested the name change from Dante Fox after seeing singer Jack Russell introduce Mark Kendall (guitarist) during his solo as "Mark Kendall, the Great White", due to his naturally white-blonde hair, white Fender Telecaster guitar, white jumpsuit, and white Capezio shoes. In 1982, founding members Mark Kendall, Jack Russell, drummer Gary Holland, and bassist Lorne Black recorded and released a 5-song EP, Out of the Night, on the independent label Aegean formed by Niven. Niven then convinced the Los Angeles radio station KMET to begin adding songs from the EP to its playlist in heavy rotation. KLOS-FM soon did the same. The band suddenly went from drawing 100 people to a local club to drawing thousands in L.A. concert halls such as Perkins Palace in Pasadena, The Palace in Hollywood and the Country Club in Reseda. As an unsigned act, Great White headlined at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia playing to 6,250 people. Near the end of 1983, EMI America signed the band and subsequently released Great White's eponymous debut album ('Great White') in early 1984. The band immediately toured the UK supporting Whitesnake's Slide It In tour and the entire US and Canada opening for Judas Priest's Defenders of the Faith tour. 'Shot in the Dark', their follow-up independent release, marked the arrival of drummer Audie Desbrow. By the time Capitol Records signed the band and reissued Shot in the Dark, keyboardist-guitarist Michael Lardie had come aboard. After the release of Shot in the Dark, Great White hit the road with Dokken and was on the verge of even bigger success.
The band hit the mainstream in 1987 when they released 'Once Bitten', which featured the hits "Rock Me" and "Save Your Love". Once Bitten... was certified platinum in April 1988.
The band followed up with '...Twice Shy' in 1989. The album included their biggest hit, "Once Bitten, Twice Shy", a cover of a UK hit single by Ian Hunter. They received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance. The album was certified platinum in July 1989 and then double platinum in September of that same year. The model Bobbie Brown (also known for being in Warrant's "Cherry Pie" video) appeared in the video for "Once Bitten, Twice Shy". They finished off the 80s touring in support of ...Twice Shy as headliners and with some best known bands, such as Bon Jovi.
In 1990, the band featured in the heavy metal video series Hard 'N' Heavy containing music, concert footage and interviews. The video included Slash and Duff from Guns N' Roses appearing with the band at a Children of the Night Benefit concert in L.A., the performance helping to raise money for housing abused homeless children. Both bands shared the same manager, Alan Niven at the time.
The band continued into the next decade performing the song "House of Broken Love" at the American Music Awards in January 1990. In March, Great White embarked on their first tour of Japan. They returned to the United States for the Memorial Day weekend festival dubbed The World Series of Rock, which featured Whitesnake, Skid Row, Bad English, and Hericane Alice. Great White recorded two more albums for Capitol Records, 'Hooked', which was certified gold, and 'Psycho City'. In support of Hooked, Great White did a tour as headliner tour, had a guest slot with German metal band Scorpions and travelled to Europe and Japan. Psycho City was followed by a US tour with Kiss.
Capitol issued the compilation 'The Best of Great White 1986-1992' in 1993, when Great White had already departed the label to begin work on their next studio release, 'Sail Away'. Before the release of the album, Great White spent seven months on the road headlining clubs. According to Lardie, it was "the longest stint we ever did without a break." Great White kept up the pace once Sail Away was released on Zoo Records in 1994, touring the US several times over the following year and a half. Their next release, Let It Rock, was released in 1996 through yet another label, Imago Records.
In 1999, the band released 'Can't Get There from Here' and embarked on a tour with Ratt, Poison, and L.A. Guns. The album featured the single "Rollin' Stoned", which managed to chart at No. 8 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
In a memo dated 20 January 2000 Mark Kendall announced he was leaving Great White, shortly thereafter both Audie Desbrow and Sean McNabb left Great White. Kendall was replaced by guitarist Matthew Johnson. Desbrow, clearly very unhappy with the financial state of the band posted a tirade on his website lambasting Jack Russell and Michael Lardie, while claiming to have been "fired" from Great White. Meanwhile, it was rumored that Sean McNabb was fired for going to management and asking to see the accounting books. Despite only having one original member left, the band announced plans to begin work on a new album in late 2000. Early in the process, some of the new songs were played for John Kalodner at Columbia Records. It was mutually agreed that the "magic was gone" and the band decided their heart was not in the recording process. They subsequently left Columbia Records and discontinued work on the new album. On 5 November 2001 Jack Russell announced the end of Great White, stating that he was moving on, and that Great White would play one final farewell show on 31 December 2001 at the Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana, CA. Both Kendall and McNabb rejoined the band for the farewell show, recorded for a live CD entitled 'Thank You...Goodnight!' released by Knight Records. The live album includes two new tracks, "Back to the Rhythm" and "Play On" from their discontinued studio sessions, both of which would ultimately wind up on their reunion album 'Back to the Rhythm' in 2007.
In late 2002, in part due to his failure to attract good audiences while on the road with his solo band, Jack Russell contacted Kendall, who himself was struggling to gain an audience on his own. Kendall agreed to play some dates with Russell's band, allowing Russell to use the name Great White once again. Billed as "Jack Russell's Great White," the tour was to consist primarily of classic songs from the Great White catalog with some of Russell's solo work mixed in. Eventually, more dates were added and the tour extended through the early months of 2003.
The band returned to the national spotlight on 20 February 2003. At the beginning of a Great White performance at The Station night club in Rhode Island, pyrotechnics used by the band's crew created a spray of sparks that ignited the foam soundproofing material in the ceiling around the stage. One hundred people including the band's guitarist Ty Longley, died in the fire that followed. In 2008 the band agreed to pay $1 million to survivors and victims' relatives of the fire while admitting to no wrongdoing. This amount also covers former tour manager Daniel Biechele along with the band members, record label, and management as it existed at the time of the fire. The settlement was the maximum allowed under the band's insurance plan. Victims had previously received $3.8 million raised by United Way of America.
Though the media referred to the band as "Great White" following the tragedy in Rhode Island, the band was officially performing under the moniker of "Jack Russell's Great White" at the time of the incident. In fact, prior to the fire, the band's official website posted a message stating that Great White had not re-formed. It's unclear when the band began officially going by "Great White" again.
Great White played their first full show following the Rhode Island tragedy on 22 July, starting a benefit tour for the survivors and victims of the fire. The band toured until 2005 to raise funds for the Station Family Fund, which had been set up to help the victims of the tragedy. In late 2005, citing "medical reasons", the band canceled the second half of their summer tour. The "medical reasons" turned out to be Jack Russell's addictions to alcohol and cocaine. This was the end of this version of Great White, as Jack Russell entered rehabilitation and did not perform again until 2007. Russell used the year of 2006 to get sober and get a facelift that was detailed on ExtraTV. Russell later referred to this incarnation of Great White as "Fake White", saying "It still sounded like Great White, but not โ almost like we were doing a cover of ourselves."
Talk of a reunion of Great White began in a 2004 interview. Later in 2006, guitarist Mark Kendall officially announced that Great White had re-formed its classic lineup. The re-formed lineup of Russell, Kendall, Lardie, McNabb and Desbrow played their first date together in more than 5 years on 27 January 2007 at the Keyclub in Hollywood performing in the Harpseals.org Benefit Concert for the Seals 2007. In 2008, bassist Sean McNabb left Great White to concentrate on a career in theater and acting. McNabb was promptly replaced with Scott Snyder (Ramos, Accomplice). McNabb went on to join Dokken.
Great White released their album, 'Rising', on 13 March 2009 in Europe via Frontiers Records and on 21 April in the US.
In 2010, Jani Lane of Warrant filled in for Jack Russell, while Russell recuperated from surgery after suffering a perforated bowel. Terry Ilous (XYZ) replaced Jack Russell at the Coach House during the summer of 2010, and Paul Shortino (Rough Cutt, Quiet Riot, King Kobra) filled in for Russell when Great White performed at Stockholm Rock Out Festival in September. In December 2011, Russell formed a new incarnation of Great White with a brand-new lineup under the name of "Jack Russell's Great White".
On 18 March 2012 Great White announced their first new album with Ilous, 'Elation' , to be released in May that year, along with a live album ('30 Years: Live From The Sunset Strip') and a concert DVD of the band's 30th-anniversary show at the Key Club in Hollywood on 22 March.
Lorne Black, Great White's original bassist, who performed and recorded with the group up through the Once Bitten album, died on September 27, 2013. He was 50 years old.
On June 2, 2017, Great White released their most recent studio effort, 'Full Circle', on Bluez Tone Records, with Wagener as the producer. The song "Big Time" was released as the first single and video. On July 9, 2018, Great White announced that they had parted ways with Terry Illous as their singer and he was replaced by Mitch Malloy.
On May 31, 2022, Great White announced vocalist Andrew Freeman of Last In Line replaced Malloy as the band's lead singer and frontman.
Hold On
Great White Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
See their faces, they can't hide.
Strangers from a daydream
Running rabid, pass me by.
I'm just one man
Caught in a world's confusion
Look for a way out
Can't find no "easy solution"
Don't say die
Gotta hold on
Gotta hold on one more
Gotta hold on
Gotta hold on one more
One more day
Been around. I've seen it all
Heard all the lies
Sure I've had my blue days
But got no time to cry
The makers and takers that never give back
They got me running, they're dogs on my tracks
The song "Hold On" by Great White talks about the struggles faced by an individual in a world filled with chaos and confusion. The lyrics convey a sense of loneliness and helplessness as the individual feels trapped in society's web of illusions. The opening lines, "Staring out my window, see their faces, they can't hide. Strangers from a daydream, running rabid, pass me by," show how the person feels disconnected from the world around them, as they see people going about their daily lives but unable to relate to them or understand their actions.
The lyrics suggest that the person is trying to find a way out of this confusion but is unable to find an easy solution, as stated in the lines, "Look for a way out, can't find no easy solution, but I'll try to make it all that I need." Despite the difficulties faced by the individual, they refuse to give up and instead choose to hold on. The chorus, "Don't say die, gotta hold on, gotta hold on one more, gotta hold on, gotta hold on one more, one more day," shows how the person is determined to persevere and fight back against the challenges that life throws their way.
In the final verse, the lyrics speak of the individuals who try to take advantage of others and never give back, as they are described as "makers and takers." The person feels like they are being chased by these people, who are like dogs on their tracks. This could be interpreted as a critique of capitalism and its exploitative nature. The song's overall message is to hold on and never give up, even in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
Staring out my window
Looking out of the window with intense emotion
See their faces, they can't hide.
Observing the expressions of those around and realizing that they cannot conceal their true emotions
Strangers from a daydream
People who seem lost in thought or absent-minded
Running rabid, pass me by.
Acting without control or restraint and moving past the artist in a hurry
I'm just one man
Acknowledging that the artist is only an individual and cannot change the world alone
Caught in a world's confusion
Feeling trapped in the midst of uncertainty and disorder in society
Look for a way out
Seeking a solution to escape the current situation
Can't find no "easy solution"
Unable to locate a straightforward answer to the problem
But I'll try, to make it all that I need
Committing to put in effort to attain what's necessary
Don't say die
Encouraging others not to give up
Gotta hold on
Must persevere through the hardships
Gotta hold on one more
Need to keep going for at least one more day
One more day
Emphasizing the importance of taking it one day at a time
Been around. I've seen it all
Having experienced enough to understand the nature of the world and its troubles
Heard all the lies
Having heard so many untruths that they no longer have an impact
Sure I've had my blue days
Acknowledging that there were times of sadness
But got no time to cry
Cannot afford to dwell on the past or one's own feelings
The makers and takers that never give back
Referring to those who only take from others and never give anything in return
They got me running, they're dogs on my tracks
Feeling as though these people are chasing after and pursuing the singer
Lyrics ยฉ Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: FELIX CAVALIERE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rebelinparadise 71
The very first Great White song I ever heard. The whole album was perfect. Then...it turned pop-ish. Still have the cassette. :)
Andrew Chase
"pop-ish", no doubt suggested by their label to widen their appeal by making them more so-called "radio-friendly".
Jizzy The Froggy
Yep same with aerosmith...first album great the the others too commercial.
Trudeau likes Muhammad AllahuAkbar boom
Great white is still an awesome band no doubt like all there 90s and 80 stuff is top shelf
izzy2112
Agree to poppy after this album but same with Def Leppard after high n dry way to poppy
Marcelo Acosta
@izzy2112 Ser pop no necesariamente significa que suenen mal el Scorpions de los 80s eran mas comerciales que en los 70s y eran geniales.
Happy guy
I love Great White. No one can compare to Jack Russell!!!
Tru metalhead on Maui ey
I saw Great White when they opened for Whitesnake in 87, really great show, Jack Russell knows how to work a crowd.
Electric John
Killer tune on a killer album by a killer band...
Electric John
Love this tune
Love the album
Love Great White