Alcatrazz

Alcatrazz is a melodic hard rock band formed in 1983 in Los Angeles by Graham Bonnet, Jimmy Waldo and Gary Shea.

The band's initial line-up consisted of Graham Bonnet (former Rainbow / Michael Schenker Group - lead vocals), Yngwie Malmsteen (guitar), Gary Shea (bass), Jimmy Waldo (keyboards, vocals) and Jan Uvena (drums, vocals). Shea And Waldo were previously members of the group New England. The majority of their material was written by Malmsteen and Bonnet, with Jimmy Waldo co-writing on a few tracks. Shea dubbed the group "Alcatrazz".

After recording the first two albums, creative differences between Malmsteen and Bonnet surfaced while on tour. Due to this and his admitted desire to begin a solo career, Malmsteen quit in 1984. Waldo replaced Malmsteen with Steve Vai despite resistance from Bonnet, and the band signed with Capitol Records. After recording the album Disturbing The Peace, Steve Vai left in order to join David Lee Roth's solo band. He was replaced by guitarist Danny Johnson, who recorded what would become Alcatrazz's final studio album, "Dangerous Games", which was released in 1986. Shortly afterwards, Johnson also quit to join the band Private Life. Disheartened by an ever revolving door of guitarists, and dwindling album sales, they split up in 1987.

God Blessed Video appeared in the 2002 videogame soundtrack Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, playing on Rock station "V-Rock", a fictional radio station in the video games Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.

Bonnet has reformed the band with all new members (including former Jeff Scott Soto/Talisman guitarist Howie Simon, Impellitteri/ex-Beautiful Creatures drummer Glen Sobel, and bassist Tim Luce) and finished touring Japan as "Alcatrazz featuring Graham Bonnet" in May/June 2007. This tour was co-headlined with another ex-Rainbow vocalist Joe Lynn Turner. Their new website is located at . They are currently writing their new cd to be released in late 2007.

Meanwhile, Waldo, Shea and Uvena have put together their own new incarnation of Alcatrazz with guitarist Stig Mathisen. The project is currently lacking a vocalist, but does have its own MySpace page located at . They are threatening to sue Bonnet over the use of the name Alcatrazz, because, according to them, its use violates their intellectual property rights. Yet according to official trademark records, no one owns the name. Waldo, Shea, and Uvena applied for a trademark registration at the United States Patent Office on the same day the new version of the band announced their Japanese tour, but the registration has been denied in examination by the Patent Office so far.

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