Bret Michaels

Bret Michaels is best known as the lead vocalist of the hair metal band Poison.

He made his solo debut in 1998 with A Letter from Death Row.

Michaels was born Bret Michael Sychak in Butler, Pennsylvania on 15 March 1963. He has suffered from diabetes since the age of six.

Michaels was interested in music from an early age, and his love of heavy rock was undoubtedly influenced by bands such as Kiss, Sweet, AC/DC, and Aerosmith. Michaels formed the band Paris in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in 1984. The band, which later became Poison, moved to Los Angeles in 1985 to begin touring the clubs there.

Michaels had a highly successful career with Poison in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During that time, he co-wrote ten top 40 singles including the hit, Every Rose Has Its Thorn, which held the number one spot for three weeks in Billboard’s Top Pop Singles chart.

Michaels and actor Charlie Sheen established film production company Sheen/Michaels Entertainment which produced the movie A Letter From Death Row (1998), as well as No Code Of Conduct (1998) which Michaels wrote, directed and starred in. Their company also produced the feature film, Free Money (1998), starring Marlon Brando and Mira Sorvino.

Michaels released his second solo album Songs Of Life in May 2003. The album featured cameos by C.C. DeVille and Rikki Rockett of Poison. The first single, Raine was named after Michaels’ daughter, Raine Elizabeth Michaels, born on May 20, 2000 to mother Kristi Lynn Gibson.

Michaels recently completed work on his third solo album, Freedom of Sound. Marking a departure from his previous work, this album is targeted at the country market, and its first single All I Ever Needed, made it to #46 on the Country Singles Chart.