Riverdogs

Guitarist Vivian Campbell joined Riverdogs in 1989, just after getting fired from Whitesnake in 1988. Initially, Campbell was going to produce the Los Angeles-based hard rockers, but during the recording of their eponymous 1990 album, he joined a lineup that included vocalist/guitarist Rob Lamothe and bassist Nick Brophy; drummer Marc Danzeisen joined the group after the album's recording. Released on Epic in 1990, Riverdogs didn't gain much traction and Campbell was soon recruited to join Def Leppard as a replacement for the recently deceased guitarist Steve Clark. Marc Danzeisen left shortly afterward, so Brophy moved to guitar and he and Lamothe recruited bassist Cary Beare and drummer Ronnie Ciago to soldier on as Riverdogs. Two albums, Absolutely Live and Bone, appeared in Europe 1993, before the group faded away during the back half of the '90s. Riverdogs attempted a reunion in 2003, complete with recording some new songs, but that was short-lived and the music was never was completed. Riverdogs were approached by MelodicRock Records in 2010 with the idea of releasing the 2003 recordings. The band decided to mount a full-fledged reunion with a lineup featuring Campbell, Lamothe, Brophy, and Danzeisen. They recorded World Gone Wild, which featured some songs from the scrapped 2003 album, and went on tour. From that point on, Riverdogs toured regularly. In 2017, they released their fourth studio album, California. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine