Complete List Of Skid Row Band Members

Skid Row is a hard rock band formed in New Jersey in the mid-late ‘80s. After releasing their first album in 1989, they found commercial success with hit singles “18 And Life” and “I Remember You.” Known for their attitude and unique sound, which was heavier than most rock music then, Skid Row has a longevity that many bands of the ‘80s didn’t have. The group remains active, touring and releasing music, with 3 “classic” members left.

Dave “Snake” Sabo is a founding member and guitarist for Skid Row. As one of the 3 core members who have stayed with the band from the late ‘80s through the present day, Sabo has performed on every Skid Row release. His childhood friendship with rock icon Jon Bon Jovi would be crucial to the band’s signing to Atlantic Records, with whom they would release their first 3 albums. Bassist Rachel Bolan and Sabo are the primary songwriters within the band and, collectively, are responsible for the group’s hits.

Matt Fallon held down the frontman position in Skid Row for their first year together. Hailing from Brooklyn, NY, Fallon spent his early career fronting Steel Fortune alongside Skid Row guitarist Dave “Snake” Sabo and later fronting legendary thrash metal Anthrax as they wrote and recorded their Spreading The Disease album. During his year in Skid Row, Fallon is credited as a co-writer, along with founding guitarist Dave “Snake” Sabo, on the closing track, Midnight/Tornado, on the band’s self-titled debut album.

John Ratkowski Jr. performed drums in the band’s first incarnation, lasting from 1986-1987. Along with vocalist Matt Fallon, Ratkowski Jr. left his mark on the band through their original demo tapes.

As part of the very first lineup of Skid Row, Cody Howell played bass in the group for only a few months, contributing no recorded material. Howell was replaced by longtime bassist Rachel Bolan.

Similar to Dave Sabo, bassist Rachel Bolan is considered to be a founding member of Skid Row, as well as being one of the band’s primary songwriters. Bringing his punk attitude, songwriting prowess, and business mindset to the group, Bolan has been and continues to be a major contributor to the Skid Row brand. Being a longtime member, he has played on every release the band has had, from 1989’s self-titled album to 2022’s The Gang’s All Here.

Skid Row went through several different players, starting with Steve Brotherton in their search for their permanent second guitarist. Brotherton performed on the band’s early demos.

Kurtis Jackson was the band’s second attempt at adding a second guitarist to the group. Jackson would leave the band after a few months, contributing no recorded material.

Jim Yuhas was the band’s third hire for the second guitarist position. Yuhas would last until March ‘87 and with no recorded contributions, he was replaced by Scotti Hill.

Guitarist Scotti Hill linked with Skid Row in the mid-late ‘80s, joining the band in March of ‘87. Hill and Sabo would go on to become an undeniably powerful guitar duo, certainly one of the best of the era. When Scotti Hill and Rob Affuso joined the group, they were clearly the missing piece Skid Row had been looking for. With the lineup solidified, the band rose to the top rapidly. Hill has contributed impeccable guitar work to each release Skid Row has had and, alongside Bolan and Sabo, he remains with the band today.

As Jim Yuhas was replaced by guitarist Scotti Hill, in March of ‘87, John Ratkowski Jr. was also replaced by hard-hitting drummer Rob Affuso. Affuso spent over a decade with the band, performing on their classic albums, Skid Row and Slave to the Grind, as well as their ‘95 release Subhuman Race, their ‘92 covers EP, B-Side Ourselves, and 1995 live album, Subhuman Beings On Tour. After a series of conflicts and strained relationships within the group, Affuso was asked to leave the band. After he departed from Skid Row, Affuso continued his career drumming for artists like Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses and Gilby Clarke.

The final piece for the classic Skid Row lineup is the frontman, Sebastian Bach. After a brief stint in Detroit’s Madam X, Bach performed at rock photographer Mark Weiss’s wedding. There he was spotted by Jon Bon Jovi’s parents and put in contact with Dave Sabo. He then flew back to New Jersey to audition for Skid Row. Like Affuso, Bach performed on the band’s first 3 albums and their covers EP & 1995 live album. After tensions within the band grew and grew, it all came to a head during an argument over new material, according to Bach in an interview with Legendary Rock Interviews. The relationship between Bach and his former bandmates has continued to be quite rocky, with the potential for reunion being shot down countless times by the band’s remaining members. Since his separation from Skid Row, Sebastian Bach has released several solo albums and acted in various television shows and Broadway productions.

One of the band’s longest-running members, outside of the core lineup, Johnny Solinger sang with Skid Row for over 15 years, lasting from 1999 up until 2015. Solinger was called in to replace Sebastian Bach just before the turn of the century. During his first year in the band, he performed with Skid Row on their tour opening for the legendary KISS. Throughout his time with the group, Solinger sang on 2 studio albums, Thickskin & Revolutions Per Minute, and 2 EPs, United World Rebellion 1 & 2. The singer claimed he left the band to focus on his solo career, while bassist Rachel Bolan denied this and stated, “At certain times, you just get the feeling someone isn’t putting a hundred percent into things… we decided to make a change.” Johnny Solinger was replaced by Tony Harnell the day he was fired from Skid Row.

Charlie Mills joined the band as a replacement for longtime drummer Rob Affuso. Without ever recording with the band, Mills left the group due to what he called a “lack of income”.

Phil Varone, founder and former drummer of Saigon Kick, teamed up with Skid Row as their drummer for a handful of years in the early ‘00s. Throughout his 4 years in the band, the group toured with legendary rock acts such as Kiss, Poison, Def Leppard and more. Varone performed on one release with the group, their 2003 studio album, Thickskin. He left the band in 2004 for “personal reasons,” according to Blabbermouth.

In 2004, Timothy DiDuro replaced Phil Varone for a brief period before Varone rejoined and left again, then being replaced by another drummer, Dave Gara.

Drummer Dave Gara held his place behind the kit with Skid Row for 6 years. Throughout that time, Gara contributed drums to the band’s fifth studio album, Revolutions Per Minute, released in 2006. No reason has been cited for his departure.

Rob Hammersmith has held his current position as drummer of Skid Row for over a decade. Hammersmith replaced Dave Gara back in 2010 and has since contributed to every recording since United World Rebellion: Chapter One, released in 2013. His consistent ability behind the kit creates the perfect backbone that Skid Row needs for their hard-hitting heavy metal tunes.

Formerly of ‘80s rock group TNT, Tony Harnell spent just 9 months in Skid Row, from April through December 2015. The vocalist performed on one release from the band, a revamped version of the band’s biggest hit, 18 And Life. Via a Facebook post, Harnell sums up his time with the band,”I was not fired from Skid Row. I quit. Being ignored and disrespected isn’t my thing. I had a great time performing with the band and singing so many great songs. I don’t regret a thing!”

ZP Theart, notorious for his work with power metal heavyweights Dragonforce, performed with Skid Row for about 6 years. Theart rocked as the group’s frontman, touring with them worldwide. Despite being in the band for several years, the band never released any recorded material with Theart. In 2022, the singer was dismissed from the band. When asked about the split in an interview with Guitar World, guitarist Dave Sabo said, “we had different philosophies, wants, and needs, and there was no animosity or blowout arguments; it was just time to part ways.”

Young Swede Erik Gronwall has taken over vocal duties with Skid Row as of 2022. After their split with ZP Theart, the group enlisted Gronwall to record vocals remotely on The Gang’s All Here studio album, the band’s first full-length release in over 15 years. The energetic frontman has revitalized the group with his seemingly limitless range and nonstop movement onstage. Gronwall has received much praise from the press as well as his bandmates. About the band’s new singer, via Blabbermouth, bassist Rachel Bolan said, “a really, really hard-working singer that takes care of his instrument.”

Feature Photo: Jamie, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons