Sully Erna

Born Salvatore Paul Erna, Sully Erna is best known as the singer for the multi-platinum-selling post-grunge band Godsmack. Hailing from Lawrence, Massachusetts, Erna developed an interest in music at an early age thanks to his father, also named Salvatore Erna, who played trumpet. Erna initially started as a drummer at just three years old, and by 11 had already begun to shun sheet music, opting instead to play by ear. His first big break came in 1993 when he signed his first record deal with his band Strip Mind. The band broke up soon afterwards, but just a few years later Erna would catch another big break. Wanting to make the switch from drums to vocals, he formed the Alice in Chains-loving Godsmack in 1995. Just three years later, the band released its self-titled debut, which went quadruple platinum and rocketed Erna and Godsmack to rock stardom. Being a rock star wasn't the only thing on Erna’s plate, however. Aside from being a multi-instrumentalist, Erna is also an accomplished poker player, competing in the 2006 and 2007 World Series of Poker, managing to be the last of the celebrity contestants in both appearances and placing 237th out of a field of over 6,000 players in the 2007 WSOP. The singer also released his memoir, The Paths We Choose, in 2007. The book chronicles the frontman’s life right up until Godsmack earned their record deal. Despite heavy touring and recording with his day job, Erna also found the time to write and record a solo album. In 2010 he released Avalon on Universal Republic. Avalon Live followed in 2012, along with a limited-edition box set that included a documentary and other collectibles. After a pair of Godsmack releases, Erna once again took a break from the band for another solo project. Hometown Life arrived in late 2016. ~ Gregory Heaney