“Rock Me” : R.I.P. Jack Russell

Posted on by J. Hubner

Full disclosure, I wasn’t much of a Great White fan. Coming up in the 80s I was exposed to them and I did dig their first three albums. After …Twice Shy I tapped out because, well, I got burnt out on the whole “Once Bitten, Twice Shy” thing. MTV and rock radio ruined that song for me, and ultimately the band itself. But that’s not saying I didn’t like and enjoy those early records, in-particular Once Bitten.

Singer Jack Russell and guitarist Mark Kendall distinguished Great White from the droves of 80s glam/hair metal band that popped up quicker than weeds in a rainy Midwestern spring. Russell had one hell of a voice and Kendall had the chops of the Warren DiMartinis, George Lynchs, Jake E. Lees, and Brad Gillis, but seemed far more down to earth than those guys. He leaned into the blues-heavy riffing but could shred when the mood struck him.

Jack Russell had the kind of voice that cut through the mix. The kind of voice that commanded attention. He reminded me a lot of Fastway’s Dave King. He was everything a band wanted in a lead singer; a performer, a screamer, and with a soulful lean that leant itself well to those power ballads that got the girls to slow dance at the middle school spring ball.

The first two albums were more of the chugging riff fests that was common in the early 80s, but Once Bitten came out in 1987 and became one of my favorite albums that year. Still had the power chord riffing, but while most other bands that year were sticking to the modus operandi of dirty licks and sexy tricks Great White brought some serious groove to the scene. To this day I’ll still crank “Rock Me” when I hear it. It’s a great, bluesy, soulful, and slightly naughty rocker, and coming in over 7 minutes the band takes its time. Proper foreplay for the ears.

The other song that really gets me is the album closer and power ballad “Save Your Love”. Man, what a killer ballad. It’s not Firehouse or Poison wimpy. It’s the kind of ballad the tough guy at school listened to in his car’s cassette player, quietly sitting on the hood of his ’74 Nova at the local lake pining for the girl he can’t have. It’s the kind of power ballad I sat in my bedroom at 14 and listened to, pining for the girl I didn’t have the nerve to ask out before she moved away.

I ended up trading my best friend my copy of Poison’s Look What The Cat Dragged In for his copy of Once Bitten. I do not regret that transaction.

Once Bitten is the perfect mix of heavy pettin’ and heavy heart.

Of course the band continued on for three decades, with Dave Russell touring as Dave Russell’s Great White. He toured clear up to last month when he retired from touring due to a diagnosis of Lewey body dementia and Mutiple system atrophy. Russell died yesterday, August 15th.

So lift a glass and drink one for Jack Russell today. And make sure to crank “Rock Me” while you do it.

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15 thoughts on ““Rock Me” : R.I.P. Jack Russell”

      1. Yeah I got that response on FB too. I think it comes down to, I only had so much money to buy bands I liked, and none of my friends were into GW. I really didn’t have anyone to say “It’s more than just that one cover tune.” But that’s what I’ll order, thanks sir!

        Wait until you find out I just got my first ELP and my first Kansas. (Verdict – I don’t like ELP.)

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Well it so happens that Point is what I bought, and I played it for the first time a few hours ago. Enjoyed it.

        Did not enjoy Brain Salad Surgery. It felt like (truthfully) three guys trying to prove they were the smartest in the room. The drumming was really impressive, but the songs were too corny. And I like a lot of corn. I like Jethro Tull. But this was another level beyond Tull.

        Liked by 2 people

      8. Just wanna add… my musical past was so regimented, so insular, so specific, that I probably have a lot more surprising omissions in my collection that you wouldn’t have predicted. I guess I was just very very specific about what bands I let into my life. A band like Great White that had a longer history than, say, Ratt…it was easier to get into Ratt because they only had one album and an EP when I heard of them.

        Liked by 2 people

      9. Oh I get that. Believe me.

        Great White had a more tougher look to them than say, Poison, in 1987. Not to say that I wasn’t one of the first to snag up Look What The Cat Dragged In. I just liked seeing dudes wearing jean jackets more than sequined tops and fishnets. lol I was also a big Tesla guy.

        Check out Once Bitten, and if you like that then give Shot in the Dark a try.

        Liked by 2 people

      10. I actually got into Poison because Paul Stanley was in the video for I Won’t Forget You. I liked ballads, and Paul was my hero, so I figured I’d follow Poison. I didn’t buy any until their second album. I seemed to have two tiers to my collection. There were the bands I recorded off TV, and if I liked them enough, they’d graduate to tier 2, buying the album. Very few bands got to tier 2 without being in tier 1 first. Rare exception: Warrant.

        Liked by 2 people

  2. My buddy bought there self titled Ep waaaaay back in 84 or 85ish and from there we followed them up to the early 90’s with Psycho City. Russell had a great set of pipes and for me that was the factor. Jack went way too young..wow…
    Great writeup Sir.

    Liked by 2 people

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Published by J. Hubner

Complex Distractions is a little corner of the universe where music and conversation reign supreme. Intellectual discussions and essays written about heady records, both big and small, that despite what you might think can truly change your life. Spinning the records for the good of mankind.