David Halbe 
When you’re a teenager, relationships and loyalty are an imagined obligation. We were always on the hunt for something or someone better. Great White lyrics seemed to personify this mentality.
It’s hard to imagine a world without the music of Great White. Established back in 1977, this Los Angeles based quintet seemingly took the ’80s by storm but it almost never happened. A lot of people don’t know that vocalist Jack Russell was actually tried and sentenced to prison for a botched robbery attempt that resulted in a shooting. In 1979, he was arrested for an attempted robbery of a drug dealer’s home while high on PCP. A shot into the house by Russell accidentally struck and injured a housekeeper, who fortunately survived the incident. Jack was sentenced to eight years in prison but was unexpectedly released after serving eleven months.
Great White was one of the first bands that got me into metal, I remember trading a cassette tape of Led Zeppelin IV for Great White’s Shot In The Dark (1985). The song “She Shakes Me” sealed the deal. I listened to that opening track over and over. Drilling into my teenaged brain that women and men really wanted the same thing, sex!
When you’re a teenager, relationships and loyalty are an imagined obligation. We were always on the hunt for something or someone better. Great White lyrics seemed to personify this mentality.
Great White became the soundtrack to my youth. I recall sitting in the parking lot of Galaxy World – Gala Lanes North (a bowling alley/arcade where teens would hangout) listening to the song “Rock Me” hoping I might find a partner who would rock me, with no strings attached.
I managed to see Great White one time on the Once Bitten tour opening for Whitesnake at the Rosement Horizon (Now known as the Alstate Arena). I’ll never forget it. My buddy Greg drank a whole bottle of Southern Comfort before he picked me up. He was inebriated and we barely made it to the arena. We caught just a few songs of Great White’s set. My friend vomited on this girl and her boyfriend! At the time, we thought we were in a random spot but unfortunately when the lights came up, we discovered we had the correct seats! We had to leave because he regurgitated all over our chairs and the dude was out to kick our asses! It was a memorable mess we still laugh about to this day.
Great White’s follow up effort …Twice Shy (1989) contained some of the biggest hits of their career “Once Bitten, Twice Shy” and “The Angel Song”, as well as “House Of Broken Love”. Although critics may have hailed this as the best album of their career, I freely admit I wasn’t impressed. I like my glam metal gritty and the commercial feel of this album really turned me off.
Great White fell off my radar for years until earlier this year (March) when I became obsessed with Great White’s Once Bitten. I never knew the European version of the album was different than the one released in the USA. The song “Save Your Love” was omitted and replaced with a cover song of “Gimmie Some Lovin”. I’ve often wondered if the Europeans were upset that one of the best tracks on the album was intentionally left off.
On a final note, I wanted to mention the loss of this great vocalist and lyricist should not be overshadowed by the tragedy that happened in Rhode Island. On February 20, 2003, while touring as Jack Russell’s Great White, the band played a gig at The Station in West Warwick, where a deadly fire caused by pyrotechnics occurred. It led to the deaths of 100 people including guitarist Ty Longley. While my heart breaks at this senseless loss of life, this accident was no fault of the band.
The group’s tour manager, Daniel Biechele, pled guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter and served two years in a Rhode Island prison. Lawsuit settlements totaling $176 million were paid out to survivors and victims’ families by the manufacturer of the soundproofing foam, which ignited during the blaze, as well as by radio stations and alcohol brands that sponsored the venue.
On July 17, 2024, Jack Russell announced that he was retiring from touring and disclosed that he had Lewy body dementia. Russell died less than a month after this announcement. He passed away on August 7, 2024, at the age of 63. His death was announced to the world on August 15th.
If I’ve learned anything from Jack Russell, it’s that we can’t change the past, but we can always work to overcome it. When I think about his life, cell mate to rock star, I know it took a lot of hard work, but it makes me believe, anything is possible. \m/
GREAT WHITE (1989):
- Jack Russell – Vocals
- Mark Kendall – Guitars
- Michael Lardie – Guitar, Keyboards
- Tony Montana – Bass
- Audie Desbrow – Drums
