Blackie Lawless | |
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_(cropped).jpg) Lawless performing in 2025 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Steven Edward Duren (1956-09-04)September 4, 1956 (age 69) Tampa, Florida, U.S. |
| Genres | Heavy metal,Christian metal,shock rock,glam metal,[1]hard rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, musician, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, bass guitar |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Member of | W.A.S.P. |
| Formerly of | London, Circus Circus,Sister,New York Dolls |
Steven Edward Duren (born September 4, 1956), better known by his stage nameBlackie Lawless, is an American singer, songwriter and musician, best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist (formerly bassist) forheavy metal bandW.A.S.P.[2]
Duren was born inTampa, Florida,[3] and raised inStaten Island, New York City.[4] He had a fundamentalistBaptist upbringing.[5] He has said that he was "very active" in church as a youth and wasborn again at age 11. In his late teens, Duren strayed from the church and became interested in the occult. Although he would only study occultism for a short time before leaving that too,[6] he continued to use themes of occultism up until his return to theChristian faith in recent years.
Lawless began his career in music playing with bands such as Black Rabbit and Orfax Rainbow. In 1975, afterJohnny Thunders left theglam rock bandNew York Dolls in the middle of a tour of Florida, the band started auditioning for guitarists. Lawless was hired but only stayed for the remainder of the tour.[7]After the tour, he went to California with bassistArthur Kane and helped found Killer Kane. At that time, Lawless' stage name was "Blackie Goozeman" as stated on the back of Killer Kane's only EP. About a year later Kane returned to New York City but Lawless decided to stay inWest Los Angeles. In 1976, he formedSister, which also featured future W.A.S.P. guitaristRandy Piper. Around 1978, a new lineup was assembled which includedNikki Sixx as bassist andLizzie Grey on guitar. Later,Chris Holmes joined.[8]
Lawless later formed a band called Circus Circus in 1979, with Piper again appearing in the lineup. In 1981, following Circus Circus' failure, Lawless joined Lizzie Grey and Nikki Sixx's bandLondon, with whom he played a few gigs and recorded two songs as demos, though by this time Sixx had already departed to formMötley Crüe. In 1982, Lawless switched to bass after firing original member, Rik Fox. The lineup was completed with Chris Holmes onlead guitar andTony Richards on drums.[9]
W.A.S.P. underwent numerous lineup changes,[10] with Lawless being the last remaining original member and chief songwriter. Many of his songs tend to deal with religious orapocalyptic themes, due to his Christian upbringing. Lawless has stated in interviews that he has returned to the Christian faith and considers himself a born-again Christian.[2]
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Lawless cites influences which includeAC/DC,Black Sabbath,the Beatles,Kiss, andAlice Cooper.[2]
Lawless's stage theatrics are heavily influenced by Alice Cooper and Kiss, often imitating Gene Simmons and/or Paul Stanley during performances.[11]
In the mid-1980s, W.A.S.P. faced controversy as Lawless spoke out in defense of heavy metal music against theParents Music Resource Center after the band faced intense scrutiny for their single "Animal (F**k Like a Beast)".Despite this, the band achieved their greatest success from 1985 to 1988, with several hit singles including "L.O.V.E. Machine", "I Wanna Be Somebody", and "Wild Child".[12] In November 2022, Lawless admitted during a Q&A session that he and the band use backing tracks in their live performances.[13]
In a 1989 interview with Erica Ehm, Blackie Lawless stated that he had been shot at twice due to band-related circumstances. This, with the combination of excessive death threats, resulted in the FBI "living with him" for a month. During the same interview, Blackie had stated that at one point he wanted to be a senator.[14]
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