Bret Michaels started his music career in the early 1980s as a rock musician and frontman from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Poison achieved fame through with the help of his role as lead vocalist of the glam metal band, which became one of the most influential bands of the hair-rock era, while delivering guitar-based anthems with swaggering stage performances.

The rock history book Look What the Cat Dragged In (1986) established Poison as a legendary rock band through their successful singles “Talk Dirty to Me” and “I Want Action.” The band released Open Up and Say… Ahh! (1988) which included the chart-topping hits “Nothin’ But a Good Time” and the power ballad “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The third album from the band titled Flesh & Blood (1990) included the successful single “Unskinny Bop” while cementing their position in rock music history. After achieving success with his band, Michaels started a successful solo music career by releasing Songs of Life (2003), Freedom of Sound (2005) and Custom Built (2010) which demonstrated his musical range and dedication to music.