Music Bloodline

Ratt

Aqua-netted glam metal band from the 1980s, who infused their brand of hard rock with serious pop hooks.

Biography

One of the key bands in the 1980s glam metal scene, Los Angeles's Ratt formed (as Mickey Ratt) back in the mid-'70s and had a brief, glorious tenure in the spotlight between '84 and '88. A widely praised (and purchased) debut album spawned the MTV hit "Round and Round," while a friendship with Motley Crue and the opening spot on a Billy Squier tour helped to raise their profile considerably. Fans continued to flock to their shows and buy their records, but critics were increasingly bored by the whole hair metal thing, and by the turn of the decade, the band had called it quits. A 1996 reunion found the band in a more sedate, bluesy vein, but this period ended sadly with the death of guitarist Robbin Crosby.