Steven Duren

Blackie Lawless (born Stephen Duren on September 4, 1956) is an American singer and guitarist. It all started when he was nine years old ("My brother had a guitar and I used to sneak down to his bedroom and play it when he wasn

Blackie Lawless (born Stephen Duren on September 4, 1956) is an American singer and guitarist. It all started when he was nine years old ("My brother had a guitar and I used to sneak down to his bedroom and play it when he wasn't there"), and he had his first guitar when he was about ten years old and earned his first pocket money with his first band called "The Underside". He was in a street gang with Ace Frehley and suffered a serious stab wound in a fight. At the age of 14 his father sent him to a military school in Florida to learn discipline but was thrown out after beating up a sergeant major. At 16, Blackie played with "Black Rabbit" in local bars, another early band was "Orfax Rainbow". After leaving high school he worked two years for his father's construction firm.

For about fifteen days he played for the New York Dolls replacing Johnny Thunders during their tour through Florida, late 1974. After the band broke up he went to California with Arthur Kane. They founded the "Killer Kane Band" (Single "Mr. Cool"), where Blackie was the singer. At that time his artistic name was "Blackie Goozeman". After about a year Arthur went back to New York, Blackie stayed in Los Angeles.