Bret Michaels
Bret Michaels | |
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VH1 Classic | |
Website | bretmichaels |
Bret Michael Sychak (born March 15, 1963), known professionally as Bret Michaels, is an American singer and musician. He is the frontman of rock band Poison who has sold over 65 million albums worldwide[2] and 30 million records in the United States.[3] The band has also charted 10 singles to the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, including six Top 10 singles and a number-one single, "Every Rose Has Its Thorn".[4]
Besides his career as frontman, he has several solo albums to his credit, including
Early life
Michaels was born Bret Michael Sychak on March 15, 1963, to Wally and Marjorie Sychak, north of Pittsburgh in the town of Chicora, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.[1] He attended Mechanicsburg Area Senior High School. He has two sisters, Michelle and Nicole.[6] He claims that his parents had originally intended for him to have the middle name "Maverick", after the title character in the popular James Garner TV Western series Maverick.[7] He is of Carpatho-Rusyn (from his paternal grandfather), Irish, English, German, and Swiss descent.[8] Bret's great-uncle Nick Sychak fought at Omaha Beach in the Invasion of Normandy and was killed in action in France in 1944.[9]
At the age of 6, Michaels fell ill, and during a three-week stay in the hospital, he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.[10]
Music career
Michaels began playing the guitar as a teenager, forming a band with drummer
1980s–1990s
Local publicity about the band eventually led to a record deal with
1987 also saw the dissolution of his relationship with Lewis, who felt that fame had changed him. Though Michaels contends that Lewis was unfaithful to him, Lewis (now Lewis Crosby) insists that it was Michaels who was unfaithful. Michaels was inspired by the breakup to write "
Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Poison became one of the biggest glam metal bands in the world, recording their second album, the multi-platinum selling Open Up and Say... Ahh!, and their third album, the multi-platinum selling Flesh & Blood. However, their lives were characterized by the escalating tension between Michaels and DeVille that derived from their mutual drug use, which came to a head during their 1990/91 "Flesh and Blood" world tour. Also cited is the spectacle of DeVille's behavior during the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards. After getting into a fistfight with Michaels, DeVille left the band, and descended further into addiction. Poison went on with new guitarist Richie Kotzen recording the Gold album Native Tongue and then with guitarist Blues Saraceno recording the album Crack a Smile... and More!. In the mid-1990s, after a night of partying, Michaels came close to dying when he crashed his Ferrari into a telephone pole. He incurred serious injury, including broken ribs, a disfigured nose, and lost teeth.[10] In 1999, The band reunited with original guitarist, C.C. Deville. Poison went on a successful greatest hits reunion tour. In the next decade, Bret Michaels would split his time between Poison and a successful solo career.
2000s
Michaels recorded his soundtrack album in 1998 titled A Letter from Death Row which was the soundtrack to the same-titled movie he directed, wrote, and starred in. In 2000 Michaels released a country demos ep and also released the album "Show Me Your Hits" which featured re-recorded Poison classics.The album featured Michaels performing Poison hits in a new way and also featured other artists with Michaels on selected tracks. In 2001 Michaels released a unique storytellers CD titled Ballads, Blues & Stories which featured Poison and Michaels solo tracks along with recorded stories about each song.
In 2003, Michaels released a brand new studio album Songs of Life which featured the singles "Raine" (dedicated to his daughter) and "Bittersweet". Michaels also released his first solo music video for the single "Raine" which was directed by award-winning director Shane Stanley.[11] The album also featured a music video for "Menace to Society" and a 9/11 tribute "One More Day".[12]
Michaels served as a judge on the 2005 season of the reality television singing competition Nashville Star and released a country rock album in the same year called Freedom of Sound. The album features the singles "Right Now, Right Here",[13] "Open Road" which Michaels performed live on the show[14] and the hit single "All I Ever Needed" (featuring Jessica Andrews) which appeared on Billboard's "Hot Country Songs" chart, with its best position being number 45.[15] The song also featured a music video which appeared on Billboard's "Hot Videoclip Tracks" chart in 2008.[16]
Michaels released a best of album called
Michaels released a 30-minute DVD from Time Life in 2008 called Hard & Heavy Confidential featuring Bret Michaels which included acoustic versions of "All I Ever Needed", "Driven", "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" and "Something to Believe In", it also included in depth interviews.[19] The DVD was included in the Hard & Heavy CD/DVD collection from (Time Life) advertised on TV by Bret Michaels. The same four acoustic performances were also released on CD titled "Bret Michaels Acoustic Sessions".[20]
2010–2014
In 2010, Michaels released a new single called "
Michaels performed on the
On July 6, 2010, Michaels released his new album
On August 4, 2010, Michaels appeared in the fifth season of
Despite not being released as a single, a music video was produced for "Riding Against the Wind" a song from Michaels' latest album "Custom Built" that also doubles as the theme song for his new VH1 reality show
In early 2011 Michaels recorded a new song "Hit and Roll" for
On December 31, 2011, Michaels celebrated the new year with a New Year’s Eve concert from the "Get Your Rock On" solo tour. The concert took place in Springfield, IL at the Prairie Capital Convention Center. To make the night complete, this New Year's Eve bash will be featured and well documented in the music video for the new single "Get Your Rock On" from Bret's upcoming new album.[28] The single "Get Your Rock On (featuring Phil Collen & Sal Costa)" was released January 9, 2012.
In conjunction with his new single Michaels also released an alternate version titled "Get Your Ride On (featuring
Michaels toured with Def Leppard and Lita Ford in 2012.[30] In August 2012 Michaels released a new single "They Don't Make An App For That (The App Song)" through Michaels' official Bret Michaels App. The song is a fun, tongue-in-cheek country crossover tune that takes on today’s social media culture. "The App Song" features a teaser video.[31]
In January 2013, Michaels released a new single "You Know You Want It (Featuring
On April 1, 2014, Michaels released his new solo single, "
2015–present
On April 7, 2015, Michaels released a new song titled "Girls on Bars", making it the second year in a row he released a new song during the month of April. The song was co-written with Grammy award-winning songwriter of the year, Luke Laird.[36] "Girls on Bars” boasted the highest number of views of any debut single ever on CMT.[21]
On April 9, 2015, Michaels announced his new solo album titled True Grit. The album features 21 new and classic hits. The compilation was released digitally May 5, 2015 and Michaels released the video for the new single "Girls On Bars" on May 12.[37] The album is on physical release as a cd exclusively via his website.
In May 2017, Bret Michaels released a brand-new single which is a tribute to his youngest daughter, Jorja Bleu, in honor of her 12th birthday. The song titled "Jorja Bleu" features a music video which was posted at Michaels’ official YouTube channel and is a sequel to his 2003 single "Raine" which is titled after his oldest daughter.[38][39]
In 2019, Michaels released an official music video for his new single "Unbroken", which was co written with his 13-year-old daughter, Jorja Bleu. The song is about mental and physical strength over adversity.[40]
In May 2020, he released his autobiography, Bret Michaels: Auto-Scrap-ography Volume 1: My Life in Pictures & Stories which is the first in a series of trilogies.[41] The book was initially set to be released in 2010 and titled Roses & Thorns, but kept being pushed back to include more content.[42] In 2019 Michaels announced its release in 2020 and it would be titled Unbroken: My life in Pictures & Stories to coincide with his single release "Unbroken".[43] More recently, he had signed a deal with the United Talent Agency.[44]
In December 2022, Michaels announced the 2023 Parti-Gras Tour which performed between July 13 and August 6, 2023. Along with Michaels, the tour included Jefferson Starship and Night Ranger with appearances by Steve Augeri and Mark McGrath.[45]
In January 2023, Michaels released his new solo single, "Back in the Day", a throwback road-trip anthem featuring the exclusive world premiere of the video for the song on January 18.[46][47]
Rock of Love
Michaels starred in the
The show's
A third season,
Television and film appearances
Michaels and actor Charlie Sheen established a film production company, Sheen/Michaels Entertainment, which produced the movie A Letter from Death Row (1998), in which Michaels wrote, directed and starred, and for which he released a soundtrack album. They also produced No Code of Conduct that same year, which Michaels also directed and acted in. Their company also produced the feature film Free Money, starring Marlon Brando and Mira Sorvino, and the surfer movie In God's Hands in which Michaels also had a small acting role.
Michaels appeared in the CBS sitcom Yes, Dear, Season 1, Episode 6, titled Greg's Big Day, first aired November 6, 2000. He also appeared as himself in three episodes of The Chris Isaak Show from 2001 to 2004.
On May 1, 2008, Michaels appeared on a special celebrity edition of Don't Forget the Lyrics!, on which he raised $200,000 to donate to charity.[53]
In 2010, Michaels was the winning contestant on the
Michaels stars in a series named
Michaels hosted the Miss Universe 2010 pageant along with Natalie Morales on August 23, 2010.[57]
In 2020, Michaels competed in the third season of The Masked Singer as "Banana". He ended up in seventh place on April 22, 2020.
In 2023, Michaels appeared as a guest on the
In other media
Michaels was portrayed as a guest singer in the video game
Charity work
Michaels and his band visited troops at
Bret Michaels has done extensive work for Operation Homefront- a charity that provides emergency financial and other assistance to the families of service members and wounded warriors.
He earned $640,000 for the American Diabetes Association for competing in and ultimately winning Celebrity Apprentice 3.
In June, 2014, while on a national tour date in Omaha, Nebraska, Michaels became aware of a series of tornadoes that hit the Nebraska town of Pilger. He, his band, and crew, went to Pilger to see the damage and assist with clean-up. When his tour came near the area again in August, 2014, he hosted a fundraising performance in Norfolk, Nebraska, to help tornado victims in the area. [60] [61]
Personal life
While filming the finale of his reality show,
Michaels has a line of pet clothing and accessories called Pets Rock, sold at PetSmart.[30] In October 2023, he adopted a husky named Bret Michaels from the Nebraska Humane Society, after reading a story about the dog providing a blood transfusion to a sick kitten.[65]
On May 20, 2010, it was reported on his official website
Lawsuit with Tony Awards and CBS
Michaels was injured during his opening performance at the
Discography
- Studio albums
- Songs of Life (2003)
- Freedom of Sound (2005)
- Custom Built (2010)
- Jammin' with Friends (2013)
Filmography
Year | Title | Role/Notes |
---|---|---|
1994 | Burke's Law | TV series, 1 episode |
1997 | Free Money | Producer[71] |
1998 | In God's Hands | Phillips[72] |
1998 | A Letter from Death Row | Michael Raine, also writer, director and producer[73] |
1998 | The World's Greatest Magic 5 | |
1998 | No Code of Conduct | director |
1999 | High Tension, Low Budget | Documentary (The Making of a Letter from Death Row) |
1999 | Martial Law | TV series, 1 episode |
1999 | Behind the Music: Poison | |
2000 | Yes, Dear | as himself |
2002 | The Making of Bret Michaels | Documentary |
2005 | Nashville Star | TV series, season 3 |
2007 | Rock of Love with Bret Michaels
|
TV series |
2008 | Rock of Love 2
|
TV series |
2008 | Don't Forget The Lyrics | Fox TV |
2008 | Ellen-Fox Shows | February 14, 2008 |
2008 | Saturday Night Live | |
2008 | VH1's "100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs" | Host (5-part special; December 2008 – January 2009) |
2009 | Rock of Love Bus with Bret Michaels | TV series |
2009 | E True Hollywood Story: Bret Michaels | |
2009 | The Penguins of Madagascar | singing "Wheels of Thunder" in Little Zoo Coupe |
2009 | Behind the Music: Bret Michaels | |
2009 | American Pie Presents: The Book of Love | as himself |
2010 | The Celebrity Apprentice
|
as himself |
2010 | Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It
|
as himself |
2011 | Extreme Makeover: Home Edition | as himself |
2012 | The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange | as himself |
2013 | The Celebrity Apprentice: All-Stars | as himself |
2013 | Rock My RV | as himself |
2013 | Full Throttle Saloon | as himself |
2014 | Revolution | Season 2, Ep. 13 as himself |
2014 | I Love the 2000s | as himself |
2016 | Pawn Stars | Season 12 Ep. 33 Every Rose Has Its Pawn as himself |
2017 | Sharknado 5: Global Swarming | as himself |
2020 | The Masked Singer | Banana |
2020 | Impractical Jokers: Dinner Party | Episode: "The Food Ya Never Ate Episode" as himself |
2022 | Guy's Grocery Games | Episode: "Craziest Day in Flavortown" as himself; special guest judge |
Music videos
Year | Song | Director | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2003 | "Raine" | Shane Stanley | |
2003 | "Menace to Society" | Bret Michaels | Live montage video |
2005 | "All I Ever Needed" | Christie Cook | 2nd version with Iraq footage released in 2008 |
2008 | "Go That Far" (Rock of Love theme)" | Shane Stanley | 3 versions – with Rock of Love clips, with live clips and standard with no clips |
2008 | "Fallen" | Shane Stanley | 2 versions – with and without Rock of Love clips |
2008 | "Driven (Rock Mix)" | Shane Stanley | cut and uncut versions |
2010 | "Riding Against the Wind" ( Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It Theme)
|
Shane Stanley | |
2010 | "What I Got" | Bret Michaels | |
2011 | "Hit and Roll" ( Top Gear (U.S. TV series) Theme)
|
Jingle Punks Music | |
2012 | "Get Your Rock On" | ||
2012 | "Get Your Ride On" ( AMA Supercross Theme)
|
||
2012 | "The App Song" | Video Montage | |
2014 | "A Beautiful Soul" | ||
2015 | "Girls on Bars"[74] | Damien Christian D'Amico/Bret Michaels | |
2017 | "Jorja Bleu" | ||
2019 | "Unbroken" | ||
2023 | "Back in the Day" |
References
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- ^ a b "New single". Eddietrunk. March 29, 2017.2017
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- ^ "Bret Michaels Girls on Bars".2015
- ^ "BretMichaels.com » Get Ready! Visit BretMichaels.com Tomorrow Morning, Monday April 13th at 7:00a.m. EST for a Major Announcement & Live Bret Michaels". Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
- ^ "Poison's Bret Michaels releases new single dedicated to his daughter". BayFM. Archived from the original on May 22, 2017. Retrieved May 13, 2017.2017
- ^ "BRET MICHAELS – New Emotionally-Charged Single "Jorja Bleu"". Bravewords.2017
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- ^ "BRET MICHAELS' AUTOBIOGRAPHY, UNBROKEN: MY LIFE IN PICTURES & STORIES, AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER". BraveWords.2019
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- ^ Hibberd, James (April 15, 2009). "Brighter Mon. at NBC". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 7, 2011.
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- ^ "ROCKER BRET MICHAELS AND NATALIE MORALES (NBC'S 'TODAY') TO HOST THE '2010 MISS UNIVERSE; PAGEANT' ON NBC MONDAY, AUGUST 23". Missuniverse.com. August 3, 2010. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
- ^ "Q, Murr preview celebrity guests joining 10th season of 'Impractical Jokers'". wthr.com. February 8, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
- ^ Sewell, Matthew (October 25, 2007). "Bret Michaels hails troops at Al Asad Air Base". dcMilitary.com. Comprint Military Publications. Archived from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
- ^ "Bret Michaels Rocks N' Relieves Pilger". www.wowt.com. Archived from the original on August 27, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- ^ "Bret Michaels to help in Pilger". June 19, 2014. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020.
- ^ Rodriguez, Jayson. "Bret Michaels Proposes To Longtime Girlfriend", MTV, December 21, 2010
- ^ "Bret Michaels Calls Off Engagement". People. July 30, 2012. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
- ^ "Bret Michaels says hemorrhage felt like gunshot". USA Today. May 5, 2010. Retrieved March 7, 2011.
- ^ Parsons, McKenzy (October 20, 2023). "Poison frontman Bret Michaels adopts Nebraska Humane Society's kitten-saving hero, Bret Michaels". KETV. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
- ^ a b c "BretMichaels.com [Home] – Your Source for Everything Bret Michaels". Archived from the original on April 30, 2010. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
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- ^ Silverman, Stephen. "Bret Michaels Sues CBS and Tony Awards over Head Injury". People Magazine. Retrieved April 12, 2012.
- ^ Gearty, Robert. "Poison singer Bret Michaels to settle lawsuit over accident at 2009 Tony Awards". Daily News. New York. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
- ^ D'Zurilla, Christie (May 15, 2012). "Bret Michaels, Tony Awards settle lawsuit over 2009 injuries". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
- ^ "Freedom Fest Ohio 2023".
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- ^ "A Letter from Death Row". IMDb.
- Country Music Television. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
External links
- Official website
- Bret Michaels at IMDb