Jani Lane (born John
Kennedy Oswald, February 1,
1964 in Akron, Ohio
) is an American
recording
artist who was the lead vocalist and songwriter for the glam metal band Warrant.
Biography
Childhood and youth
Lane was
born as John Kennedy Oswald on February 1, 1964 in Akron, Ohio, the youngest of five children. Due to
several complaints, his parents changed his name to "John Patrick
Oswald", but his birth certificate still states the former name. He
played drums (introduced to bands by his Sister, Vicky &
parents, Robert & Eileen Oswald) under the name Mitch Dynomite
in clubs by age eleven. This name (Mitch Dynomite) is listed as the
drummer in the credits for Warrant's
Latest and Greatest
cd. Throughout the years, Lane would sometimes jump behind the kit
to play with his band. He has played the drums in various
formats/gigs.
Looking for success
Graduating
from Field High School in Brimfield, Ohio
in 1982, Lane joined the band Cyren, featuring vocalist Skip
Hammonds, guitarist John Weakland, bassist
Don Hoover (and later, Rusty Fohner) with Lane on drums.
After
relocating to Florida
in 1983,
Lane played drums for Dorian
Gray, before forming Plain
Jane (1985) with future Warrant bandmate Steven Sweet. It was at this time that
Lane adopted the stage name "Jani Lane". While playing drums with
Dorian Gray, Jani began vocal training with Central Florida vocal
coach/trainer Ron Feldman. His vocal debut was performed at Fern
Park Station in Fern Park, FL.
Lane and
Sweet later relocated to Los Angeles, California
, where they took various odd jobs to
survive. Struggling to make ends meet as a musician, Lane
resorted to working in a
pornographic
video warehouse.
By 1986, Plain Jane had become a regular feature in the L.A. club
circuit.
Erik Turner, who had founded
Warrant in July 1984, was
impressed by Plain Jane's songwriting and vocal performance, and
invited Lane and Sweet to join his band.
Early years with Warrant
After generating notoriety on the club circuit,
Warrant began to attract the
attention of record labels. Following an abortive deal with A&M
records over a contribution to the soundtrack for the motion
picture
Bill
& Ted's Excellent Adventure, the band signed with
Columbia Records.
As lead vocalist with Warrant, Lane wrote six Top 40 hits:
"Heaven",
"Down Boys",
"Sometimes She
Cries",
"Cherry Pie",
"I Saw Red", and
"Uncle Tom's Cabin"( the intro was performed by Lane's older
Brother, Eric Oswald); see further
Warrant
Later years with Warrant
Lane left Warrant in March 1993, following the release of the
band's critically acclaimed record
Dog Eat Dog. He returned to
the band in September 1994, helping the band to secure a new record
with Tom Lipsky of
CMC
International.
Lane would continue to show his writing diversity, when Warrant
released
Ultraphobic in 1995 with the guitar ballad,
"Stronger Now". Then, in 1996, Warrant released the more
experimental, yet catchy,
Belly to Belly.
Due to personal and business disagreements, Lane left Warrant in
2004. In January 2008, the band's agent, The
William Morris Agency issued a new
photograph of the band with Lane prominently featured, confirming
his return to the band. It was the first time that all original
members had been in the band since 1992. The band's first show with
all original members was in May of 2008 in Nashville. Warrant then
performed a series of shows during the Summer of 2008, but by
September 2008, Warrant issues a statement saying the band would
move forward without Jani Lane fronting the band. He was replaced
with ex Lynch Mob singer Robert Mason.
Solo career
Jani has lent his vocals to numerous tribute CDs during the
beginning years of 2000 and finally released his solo effort,
Back Down To One in 2003 in Europe and (2006) in the US on
Immortal/Sidewinder Records. Lane also has had recent success with
the
VH1 Metal Mania Stripped discs where an acoustic
version of
"I Saw Red" is on disc 1, and an acoustic
swinging version of
"Cherry Pie" is on disc 2.
Lane became involved in acting in the early 1990s. He made a brief
appearance in
Caged Fear, and
also appeared in
High Strung in
1991.
Between 1997 and 2000, demos of Lane's solo material began
surfacing on the
Internet, with some bids
on
eBay reaching an estimated $US100.00 per
copy. The project, titled
Jabberwocky, represented a
significant musical departure from Lane's previous work. Although
featuring the singer-songwriter's distinct vocal melodies and
lyrics, the music had more in common with
Elton John,
Sting,
Tom Petty,
and
Bob Seger than Warrant. The CD has
never been officially released.
Lane's official debut solo album,
Back Down to One, was
released on
June 17,
2003 through
Z Records. It carried a "power
pop" sound which was more closely aligned with the sound of Warrant
than the unreleased
Jabberwocky project.
In August 2004 Lane withdrew from the
Bad Boys of Metal
tour after only 8 shows, following a dispute with
Quiet Riot's
Kevin
DuBrow.
Lane contributed vocals on the track
"Bastille Day" and
"2112 Overture/Temples Of Syrinx" for the Magna Carta 2005
Rush tribute album
Subdivisions.
As of 2007, Lane has written many tunes for his second solo effort.
He also has added that the long-awaited Jabberwocky project may be
released via 2-discs sometime in 2007.
Keri Kelli and Lane wrote a song for
Alice Cooper, titled, "The One That Got
Away." It was recorded by Cooper on his 2008 record, "Along Came A
Spider."
Lane has also finished work on his side project,
Saints of the
Underground. This project also consists of
Bobby Blotzer and
Robbie Crane (both from
Ratt), and
Keri Kelli (from
Alice Cooper). Their album,
Love the Sin, Hate the
Sinner was released on
April 22,
2008.
Personal life
In 1990, Lane began a relationship with model
Bobbie Brown. Brown is perhaps best known for
her role in the music video for the Warrant single
"Cherry Pie". Lane married
Brown in 1991 and fathered his first daughter,
Taylar Jane Lane with her in January 1992.
In 1993, in the midst of band troubles, Lane and Brown
divorced.
According to the band, "about this time in 1993, Lane started
seeing
Rowanne Brewer." Brewer is a
former pageant winner.
In 1995, they moved to Orlando,
Florida
and in 1996 they were married. Lane opened
his own nightclub in downtown Orlando, "Jani Lane's Sunset Strip",
which has since closed. Eleven months later, in 1997, Lane's second
daughter Madison Michelle Lane was born. In early 2005, Lane and
Brewer divorced. Lane has been in a relationship and engaged to
former model, actress, director Sheila Lussier since December of
2005 until December of 2008.
Lane was arrested on June 17, 2009, when he allegedly hit a parked
car in Los Angeles. Lane refused to take a sobriety test. He was
charged with driving under the influence (DUI) and hit-and-run. He
plead no contest to one count of misdemeanor DUI, and will spent
two mandatory days behind bars. As part of Jani's plea deal -- in
which authorities agreed to drop a hit-and-run charge -- Lane will
serve 36 months probation, complete 3 months in alcohol education
classes and report for 30 days of Caltrans road work.
Celebrity Fit Club
Lane was featured on VH1's
Celebrity Fit Club 2
(2005)
Discography
With Warrant
Solo
With Saints of the Underground
Other Work
- 2008 Led Box - The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Tribute: The Ocean
Notes
- WARRANT | MusicMight
- Downboys.Com - Warrant History
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