Biography
In a music scene where only the strongest endured, Jani Lane personified the era’s unrestrained indulgence, pleasure-seeking, and hard-rock ethos. Serving as Warrant’s frontman, he drove the group toward major success through singles such as “Heaven,” “Down Boys,” and “Cherry Pie.”
Born John Kennedy Oswald in Ohio, Lane performed with several regional metal acts during the late 1970s and relocated to Los Angeles in the mid-1980s. There his group Plain Jane became a fixture of the city’s flamboyant glam-rock club scene. Erik Turner soon recruited Lane and drummer Steven Sweet into Warrant. Columbia Records signed the band, and Lane celebrated by purchasing a black Corvette that he promptly destroyed with his portion of the advance.
Recording the debut album Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich proved traumatic; after discovering his girlfriend’s affair with a close friend, Lane suffered a breakdown that required psychiatric hospitalization. Upon regaining stability he completed his vocal tracks, and the record became one of glam metal’s top commercial achievements. The follow-up Cherry Pie did not replicate that performance, and the rising prominence of grunge prompted the label to drop Warrant.
Lane departed the band in 2002 to launch a solo career. He issued Back Down to One the following year, yet soon entered rehabilitation for exhaustion tied to alcohol and drug use. Recovering, he took minor acting parts and appeared on various compilations before attempting to form a new version of Warrant, an effort halted by attorneys representing the original lineup. He later joined the VH1 reality series Celebrity Fit Club. Lane was discovered deceased in a Los Angeles hotel room on August 11, 2011, at the age of 47.
Born John Kennedy Oswald in Ohio, Lane performed with several regional metal acts during the late 1970s and relocated to Los Angeles in the mid-1980s. There his group Plain Jane became a fixture of the city’s flamboyant glam-rock club scene. Erik Turner soon recruited Lane and drummer Steven Sweet into Warrant. Columbia Records signed the band, and Lane celebrated by purchasing a black Corvette that he promptly destroyed with his portion of the advance.
Recording the debut album Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich proved traumatic; after discovering his girlfriend’s affair with a close friend, Lane suffered a breakdown that required psychiatric hospitalization. Upon regaining stability he completed his vocal tracks, and the record became one of glam metal’s top commercial achievements. The follow-up Cherry Pie did not replicate that performance, and the rising prominence of grunge prompted the label to drop Warrant.
Lane departed the band in 2002 to launch a solo career. He issued Back Down to One the following year, yet soon entered rehabilitation for exhaustion tied to alcohol and drug use. Recovering, he took minor acting parts and appeared on various compilations before attempting to form a new version of Warrant, an effort halted by attorneys representing the original lineup. He later joined the VH1 reality series Celebrity Fit Club. Lane was discovered deceased in a Los Angeles hotel room on August 11, 2011, at the age of 47.
Albums
