Redd Kross

This Los Angeles, California, USA band was formed in 1979. Redd Kross melded elements of '70s glam-rock, '60s psychedelia and '80s heavy metal to become a popular 'alternative' act in the '80s. Originally called the Tourists, the band changed its name to Red Cross. (They were later forced to change the spelling after the International Red Cross organization threatened to sue.) At the beginning, the band consisted of 15-year-old Jeff McDonald as singer, his 11-year-old brother Steve on bass, Greg Hetson on guitar and Ron Reyes on drums. After gaining local recognition opening for such punk outfits as Black Flag, Red Cross made its first recordings in 1980 for a compilation album on the punk label, Posh Boy Records. Shortly afterwards Hetson left to form the Circle Jerks and Reyes joined Black Flag. Other musicians came and went throughout the band's history, the McDonald brothers being the only mainstay. The group's popularity grew steadily, particularly among those who listened to college radio stations, and by the end of the '80s they had recorded three albums in addition to the debut. Some featured covers of songs by such influences as the Rolling Stones and Kiss, while elsewhere the group's originals seemed to cross '70s punk with the bubblegum hits of the '60s. The group resurfaced in the autumn of 1990 with THIRD EYE, their first album for a major label, Atlantic Records. However, it was 1993's PHASESHIFTER which brought about their commercial breakthrough, with the band signing with Nirvana manager John Silva and continuing to record catchy post-punk homages to '70s kitsch.