It isn't often that a member leaves one established rock band and finds major success with another act immediately afterward, but guitarist Brad Gillis is one of the few to accomplish this feat. Raised in San Francisco, Gillis joined Bay Area funk rockers Rubicon in the late '70s, issuing a pair of obscure albums, 1978's self-titled debut and 1980's American Dreams, before disbanding. Gillis decided to team up with two of his former Rubicon bandmates, singer/bassist Jack Blades and singer/drummer Kelly Keagy, to form a more hard rock-based outfit, Night Ranger. But before the new group (which also included second guitarist Jeff Watson and keyboardist Alan Fitzgerald) could ink a deal, Gillis was offered to join Ozzy Osbourne's band in 1982, in the wake of Randy Rhoads' tragic death. Gillis promptly accepted, touring the world with the Oz, and even appearing on the live set Speak of the Devil (which was comprised entirely of Black Sabbath material).
Alligator
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