Wild Dogs
| Wild Dogs | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Portland, Oregon |
| Genres | Heavy metal, Speed metal |
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Members | Matt McCourt |
| Past members | Jeff Mark Danny Kurth Pete Holmes |
Wild Dogs is an American heavy metal band from Portland, Oregon, formed loosely in 1981 by original members Jeff Mark, Danny Kurth, Matt McCourt, and Pete Holmes. The band has since released six albums, three live albums and one DVD. Wild Dogs rose to local and regional recognition in the 1980s as a pioneer of metal in the Pacific Northwest, followed by international recognition after the release of their second album.
Wild Dogs has experienced numerous line-up changes. McCourt is the only original and constant member of the band. Several attempts to reunite most of the original band members have failed, most recently in July 2010. McCourt has kept the band active for over 30 years, playing local and regional shows and international festivals with various band members. He continues to reproduce CDs and do interviews for fanzines and radio stations.
In the summer of 1981, Jeff Mark, Mick Zane, Pete Holmes and Matt McCourt teamed up to perform in Portland as the Ravers, promoting McCourt’s release of "I Was a Teenage Rock 'n' Roller" on Matchbox Records.
Guitarist Mark, drummer Holmes, vocalist McCourt and bassist Danny Kurth were asked to record a few songs for a recording class at Recording Associates. The first session produced "Fugitive of the Law", which also featured local guitarist Kip Doran. The second session produced "We Got the Power," "Runnin Away," and "Tonight We Rock." The third session proved to be the turning point. Drummer Pete Holmes was lured away by the band Black 'n Blue and was replaced by Black n Blue frontman Jaime St. James. The next session yielded "The Tonight Show," "Life is a Game," "I Need a Love to Call My Own," "Two Wrongs," and the song included on a local FM radio station (KGON) compilation album, “Born to Rock."
McCourt saw a one time news segment on the new Music Television cable channel (MTV) about Shrapnel label president Mike Varney, who was searching for unsung guitar heroes. Jeff Mark was known as one of the most notable guitarists in Portland. McCourt sent Varney a demo of their recording sessions with Recording Associates. Varney offered an appearance on his compilation series. The band originally named themselves DMZ, but changed it to Wild Dogs after being inspired by two old hound dogs that the band passed daily, on the stairwell at their practice studio.
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