Waterfront Concert: Bret Michaels

As a teenager, Michaels began playing the guitar and formed a band with Rikki Rockett, Bobby Dall, and guitarist David Besselman. After Besselman left due to creative differences, the band hired Matt Smith and rebranded as Paris in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, in 1983. Seeking fame on the Sunset Boulevard scene, they changed their name to Poison in early 1984. Michaels met Tracy Lewis that year, inspiring one of his notable songs. Matt Smith later left, replaced by C.C. DeVille, who became both Michaels’ friend and a source of conflict.