Tesla

Initially known as City Kidd and formed in 1981, Tesla re-invented themselves in 1985 and with their new name entered the late '80s rock fray alongside guitar acts such as Extreme, Mr. Big and Bon Jovi. Tesla's 1970-style jeans and T-shirt image was out of kilter with their big hair contemporaries and initially the band appeared to be a throwback. But behind the old school image lay real substance, a fact borne out by three consecutive platinum albums - The Great Radio Controversy, Five Man Acoustical Jam and Psychotic Supper, all of which spawned hit singles. Five Man Acoustical Jam was in many ways a pioneering album, featuring stripped-down acoustic versions of the band's songs, plus covers of some pop classics, and is credited as being the inspiration behind MTV's hugely popular unplugged series. The follow-up album Bust A Nut fell victim to the wave of grunge which swept all before it in the early '90s stealing audiences and record sales from conventional rock bands like Tesla. In 1995 problems with addiction forced guitarist Tommy Skeoch to quit, and the band struggled to recapture their former magic. They took a brief hiatus, then in 2000 released live album Replugged Live which saw them back in the game. In 2008 the band released their sixth studio album Forever More on their own record label Tesla Electric Company Recordings. In 2016 the band embarked on a tour with Def Leppard and REO Speedwagon.

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