Bret Michaels is, if nothing else, a true survivor. He
has survived a life long battle as an insulin dependent
diabetic, a well publicized near fatal car crash in 1994 and
the countless musical trends and fads of the last two
decades.
“As soon as I ever start to just go through the motions I’ll
quit,” confessed the 44 year old singer, songwriter,
producer, director and actor in a recent interview. But
there’s little chance he’ll even slow down let alone quit
anytime soon. In fact, after more than 20 years in the
business this award winning, multi platinum superstar’s
career continues to move at warp speed.
As front man for the legendary rock band Poison, Michaels
has sold 25 million records and scored an amazing 15
chartbusting Top 40 singles including “Talk Dirty to Me,”
“Something to Believe In,” “Nothing But a Good Time” and the
timeless #1 smash “Every Rose Has its Thorn.” And in the new
millennium Poison’s music has been featured in such big
screen flicks as “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” “Grandma’s Boy” and
“Deuce Bigelow-European Gigolo.” They continue to be one of
the industry’s top grossing concert attractions and their
2006 “20 Years of Rock” CD was a bona fide Top 20 gold
smash. Their current single, a remake of the 1974 Grand Funk
Railroad classic “We’re an American Band” was produced by
Don Was (The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt).
Michaels has also produced and written material for other
artists including Stevie Nicks. He wrote and produced the
song “Love’s a Hard Game to Play” which appeared on Nicks’
platinum album “Timespace: The Best Of Stevie Nicks.” More
recently Michaels could be heard providing background vocals
along with Phil Vassar on the Kenny Chesney/Uncle Kracker
duet single “Last Night Again.”
In the mid-90s Michaels formed a film production company
with actor Charlie Sheen. The partnership ultimately led to
Michaels writing, directing and starring in several films
including “A Letter From Death Row” which he executive
co-produced with Sheen.
As an actor, Michaels has made regular appearances on such
hit television shows as “Yes Dear,” “Martial Law,” and “The
Chris Isaak Show.” And he has also co-hosted “Access
Hollywood” and been a judge on the wildly popular “Nashville
Star” program.
Setting his musical sights beyond Poison, Michaels released
his debut solo album “Songs of Life” in 2003 followed by the
rootsy, Americana flavored sophomore record “Freedom of
Sound” in 2005.
“I would play music whether I made it or not,” Michaels told
a journalist in 2002 and it’s that commitment to his art
that continues to keep him at the forefront of the
entertainment industry.