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 Mötley Crüe'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 – 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.
Once Bitten Twice Shy
Great White Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm a hummin' and a strummin' all over God's world
You can't remember when you got your last meal
And you don't know just how a woman feels
You didn't know what rock 'n' roll was
Until you met my drummer on the grey tour bus
I got there in the nick of time
Now it's the middle of the night on the open road
The heater don't work and it's oh, so cold
You're lookin' tired, you're lookin' kinda beat
The rhythm of the street sure knocks you off your feet
You didn't know how rock 'n' roll looked
Until you caught your sister with the guys from the group
Halfway home in the parkin' lot
By the look in her eye she was givin' what she got
I said my, my, my, I'm once bitten twice, shy babe
My, my, my, I'm once bitten twice shy baby
My, my, my, I'm once bitten twice shy baby
Ah, woman, you're a mess, gonna die in your sleep
There's blood on my amp and my Les Paul's beat
Can't keep you home, you're messin' around
My best friend told me you're the best lick in town
You didn't know that rock 'n' roll burned
So you bought a candle and you lived and you learned
You got the rhythm, you got the speed
Mama's little baby likes it short and sweet
I said my, my, my, I'm once bitten twice, shy baby
My, my, my, I'm once bitten twice shy babe
My, my, my, I'm once bitten twice shy baby
Alright!
I didn't know you had a rock 'n' roll record
Until I saw your picture on another guy's jacket
You told me I was the only one
But look at you now, it's dark as it's done
Oh my, my, my, I'm once bitten twice, shy babe
My, my, my, I'm once bitten twice shy baby
My, my, my, I'm once bitten twice shy baby
My, my, my, I'm once bitten twice, shy
So shy
Oh so shy
So shy, baby
So shy
So shy, so shy
So, so shy, so shy
The lyrics of Great White's song Once Bitten Twice Shy are about a woman who is struggling in life and taking advantage of the lead singer of the band. In the first verse, the singer describes how the woman cannot remember her last meal and does not understand how a woman feels. He then talks about how she did not know what rock 'n' roll was until she met his drummer on tour. The singer saved her from being taken advantage of by his drummer across state lines.
In the second verse, the singer describes the woman's exhaustion from being on the road and how she is 'messing around'. He mentions that the woman didn't understand how rock 'n' roll burned until she bought a candle and figured it out for herself. In the chorus, the singer repeats the phrase "once bitten twice shy" which can be interpreted in different ways, but could imply that the woman has been in bad situations before and is now cautious. At the end of the song, the singer finds out that the woman had been unfaithful and tells her that he is done with her.
Overall, the song is about the exploitation of women in the music industry and the dangers of being on the road. It also highlights the power dynamics between women and men, particularly in a male-dominated industry.
Line by Line Meaning
Well the times are gettin' hard for you little girl
You are facing difficult times, little girl.
I'm a hummin' and a strummin' all over God's world
I travel all over the world, but I still keep humming and playing music.
You can't remember when you got your last meal
You can't remember the last time you ate.
And you don't know just how a woman feels
You don't know what it's like to be a woman.
You didn't know what rock 'n' roll was
You had no idea what rock 'n' roll music was.
Until you met my drummer on the grey tour bus
You learned about rock 'n' roll music when you met my drummer on tour.
I got there in the nick of time
I arrived just in time to prevent something bad from happening.
Before he got his hands across your state line, yeah
I made sure he didn't cross any legal boundaries with you.
Now it's the middle of the night on the open road
It's late at night and we're driving on a deserted road.
The heater don't work and it's oh, so cold
The car's heater is broken and it's very cold inside.
You're lookin' tired, you're lookin' kinda beat
You look tired and worn out.
The rhythm of the street sure knocks you off your feet
The fast-paced and exciting lifestyle is wearing you out.
You didn't know how rock 'n' roll looked
You didn't know what the rock 'n' roll lifestyle entailed.
Until you caught your sister with the guys from the group
You learned about the rock 'n' roll lifestyle when you caught your sister with band members.
Halfway home in the parkin' lot
We're halfway home and parked in the parking lot.
By the look in her eye she was givin' what she got
By the expression in her eyes, it was clear she was giving it her all.
I said my, my, my, I'm once bitten twice, shy babe
I've been hurt once before and I'm cautious now, baby.
Ah, woman, you're a mess, gonna die in your sleep
You're a mess and I fear you'll die in your sleep.
There's blood on my amp and my Les Paul's beat
There's blood on my amplifier and my Les Paul guitar is heavily used.
Can't keep you home, you're messin' around
I can't keep you at home - you're always fooling around.
My best friend told me you're the best lick in town
My best friend told me you're the best musician in town.
You didn't know that rock 'n' roll burned
You didn't realize how intense rock 'n' roll music can be.
So you bought a candle and you lived and you learned
You started exploring rock 'n' roll music slowly and eventually learned about it.
You got the rhythm, you got the speed
You have the rhythm and speed required to play rock 'n' roll music.
Mama's little baby likes it short and sweet
I like my music short and sweet.
I didn't know you had a rock 'n' roll record
I didn't know you had a love for rock 'n' roll music.
Until I saw your picture on another guy's jacket
I found out you had a love for rock 'n' roll music when I saw your picture on someone else's jacket.
You told me I was the only one
You told me I was the only one for you.
But look at you now, it's dark as it's done
But now, it's clear that things are over.
Oh my, my, my, I'm once bitten twice, shy babe
I'm cautious now, baby.
So shy
So cautious.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Ian Hunter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@KR-kj4db
I'm 64 and still listening in 2023 .Show of hands who else is.
@brian70Cuda
Yep, the comment above:)
@CoolmanMinecrafter2
I may only be 21, but I've been listening to Great White since freshman year of high school, after I realized I couldn't listen to modern radio/music
@lisabaugh7411
What a BLAST this time was!!! As a late teen/early 20's what a PARTY 🎉 STILL wanting to party hearing all these great bands.
@user-kit_kit
48 an hell yes❤
@johnferguson4985
41 & still love it. MTV after school. When MTV was MTV😢.
@user-gx7th3et1z
This band is so underrated! So many great songs. Every song on this album awesome!!!
@kaylenebrady6722
Yeah that fire definitely effed everything up.
@abdonelectric957
really did. tragedy all the way around@@kaylenebrady6722
@MsRockin4ever
66 yrs young and still rocking to Great White, Excellent band