BAND HISTORY
Artist
Information
Biography
SUMMARY:
San
Diego Radio and TV Broadcasting Emmy Award winners Top Dog is an
aggressive heavy blues southern rock trio. Members have toured the
U.S., Japan, Hawaii, and Alaska. Members have opened up for DEF
LEPPARD, BLUE OYSTER CULT, ROBIN TROWER, GARY HOEY, YNGWIE
MALMSTEEN, LYNYRD SKYNYRD and other national acts. Playing
original rock compositions, written by Brian Lee, Joey Moore, and John
Klemmer. TOP DOG is primarily a concert band having performed
tunes from their CDs at San Diego’s House of Blues,
4TH & B, and the Belly-Up. Outside of recording
sessions band practice is conducted at Club Rileys in San
Diego. Club Riley is the exclusive Media Partner for the
band. TOP DOG is listed as one of the best unsigned acts in
the U.S.
DETAIL:
Formed
in 2000, band members include:
'Smokin'
Brian Lee - Lead Guitar, Vocals
Lead
Guitarist for several bands on the East and West Coast since the 80's -
never forgetting his roots as a blues rocker - his influences include
Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Muddy Waters.
BACKGROUND:
Brian
Lee started playing guitar at the early age of 11 in Japan
as a military brat in 1967 listening to the sounds of Jimi
Hendrix…it wasn’t long until he did his first gig
at a boy scout jamboree for an audience of 1300. Later on his
influences included doing covers of Hendrix and Cream songs in several
bands in the Annapolis Md. area. Throughout the early seventies, Brian
now in Jacksonville Beach Florida, played in CALIBER, a southern rock
band warming up for MOLLY HATCHET and 38 SPECIAL. Brian took over on
guitar for a few weekends with MOLLY HATCHET when one of them got sick
playing venues up and down the Fl. Coast from Daytona to Ft. Lauderdale
enhancing his southern rock roots. After a tour in the U.S. Navy, Brian
took off to visit Kauai, Hawaii and lived and surfed with brother Earl
for awhile and realized the island is way too small for a career in
rock and roll-so he set his sights on San Diego to be close to the L.A.
music scene. Around 1980 Brian took on the cover scene and made great
money throughout the 80’s playing current hits in bands such
as ROX, BANDIT, and ACE DAGGER. It wasn’t until 1985 that
Brian helped form the band FRANCE that toured Japan, Alaska, and the
entire southwest U.S. including Las Vegas, Phoenix, Yuma, L.A. and
concerts with great bands like DEF LEPPARD, QUIET RIOT, JOAN JETT and
many others exceeding crowds of 13,000. FRANCE recorded and sold out
all their copies of their first LP “Cool Moves”.
They stayed together as a top cover/circuit/ concert act for 12 years
and recorded several albums, being offered 3 record deals. Continuing
into the 90’s and outlasting many of the clubs they played
in, FRANCE had a change of pace and hired on a new frontman still in
jail on a work furlough, got him out to do shows! He had to call the
band SCOUNDREL because of this…the band now went on to
record several heavy/southern rock songs and toured the far east- this
time playing for 5000 in Kinser, Okinawa and all over Japan, Alaska
doing concerts along the way. Now Brian is exclusively playing original
southern style rock in a lil’ ol’ band from San
Diego called TOP DOG, he has completely returned to his southern roots
performing concerts at larger venues in the southwest. TOP DOG is
currently in the studio recording their second CD after releasing their
first CD “Unleashed”, they are listed as one of the
best unsigned acts in the U.S.
'Jammin' Joey
Moore - Lead Vocals, Bass Guitar
With
that raspy voice of experience, Joey is a true bluesman. His influences
include Elvis, Cream, John Mayall and Eric Clapton.
BACKGROUND:
Joey
was born in Portsmith, Virginia. He was the fourth of six
kids, or as his mother liked to say "the baby of the first
litter". His father was an officer in the Navy so the family
moved around a lot, finally settling in San Diego, CA when Joey was
seven years old. He saw the Beatles performing on the Ed
Sullivan show when he was nine and he asked his father if they got paid
for doing that. When his father said, "Yes they do", Joey's
fate was sealed. At age eleven, he wrote the lyrics to, "Hungry Lil'
Boy". When he was thirteen, he joined his first band, TEEN
SYMPATHY. The band had a keyboard and guitar with Joey
singing lead vocals. They would perform at Masonic Temple
dances, school functions and family parties singing originals, Doors
and Santana. A few years later the other band members wanted
to add a bass player but he disagreed and left the band. Joey
then went out, bought a bass guitar and learned how to play it on his
own. He was then able to put his own music to his song
"Hungry Lil' Boy". Joey went on to help create a band called
BIG MOUTH, The drummer was ex-Navy. One guitar
player was an ex-Army sergeant, the other guitar player was an
ex-Marine sergeant, the lead singer was an ex-sergeant from the Natn'l
Guard, and 17 year old Joey played bass and shared vocals.
For three years they toured all over the U.S. and opened for
BLUE CHEER, J GILES, ELVIN BISHOP and LEE MICHAELS. Later,
Joey was asked to join a band called ZACHARIAH that played top 40 cover
tunes. The band also did a 50's show under the name Axel Rod
And The Sliders. They performed in the Great Northwest and
were very popular at several of the Universities and many clubs
in between. Next, the band NIGHT FLIGHT asked Joey
to join them. It was a great group, his bass and lead vocals
fit right in with their keyboard, drums, guitar and two female lead
singers. NIGHT FLIGHT did popular cover tunes and were the
house band at Mom's Saloon in San Diego for eight years. Then
they went out on the road performing in Orange County and Los Angeles
for another two years. The next five years Joey was playing
bass and singing lead vocals with a club band called THE
SOURCE. They did cover tunes at several clubs around Southern
California. Joey then joined the band NOT GUILTY.
Their group consisted of drums, guitar and bass performing original
songs and cover tunes. In the five years together, they
opened for ROBIN TROWER, MOLLY HATCHETT, PAT TRAVERS, CANNED HEAT, and
also played at many clubs around San Diego. Later, Joey
played with the band RAZ'N CAIN that original and cover tunes around
San Diego and two tours in Japan. BOSS TWEED was a band that
mixed originals and Blues cover tunes. Joey was with them for
four years playing bass and singing lead vocals at clubs, private
parties, fund raisers and twice at the Del Mar Fair. Later,
the band RAZL'N CAIN asked Joey to rejoin their group. He
shared playing bass and lead vocals with another bass player/lead
singer. The group played originals and cover tunes at clubs,
fund raisers and private parties around Southern California.
In 2000, TOP DOG was created, Joey had played with drummer
"Klem Dog" in the band NOT GUILTY and had heard many good things about
the guitarist Brian Lee. Brian and Joey both had several
original songs and both had been lead singers. The three of
them decided to perform all original songs. Their first CD
"Unleashed" was released in 2001. TOP DOG has opened for
LYNYRD SKYNYRD, INGUIE MALMSTEEN, and GARY HOEY. The band
currently plays at clubs, fund raisers, private parties, and concerts
around San Diego and Southern California.
John
"Klem-Dog" Klemmer Drums, Percussion, Vocals
Heavy,
powerful double bass aggressive drummers are hard to find until now.
His heavy blues/rock influences are Hendrix, Trower, J. Winters, Stevie
Ray Vaughan and Pat Travers.
BACKGROUND:
John started
playing drums at the age of 12. His drum influences are Buddy
Rich, Ansley Dunbar, Tommy Aldridge and many more. John
joined his first band at the age of 16 playing a club in San Diego
called Led Bedders. Since John was under 21 years old he had
to remain on stage and could not walk around the club. In the
70's he auditioned for a band called MIKEY RAT. John was
asked to join the band only to turn them down for financial
reasons. The band later became know as RAT, a national
touring act out of San Diego. Later, John joined a band
called TEASER with guitarist JAKE E. LEE who later went on to play with
OZZY OSBOURNE. TEASER played concerts and clubs throughout
San Diego. John also helped form a band called NOT GUILTY
that opened for BLUE OYSTER CULT, ROBIN TROWER, PAT TRAVERS, MOLLY
HATCHET, URIAH HEAP to name a few and also played clubs throughout San
Diego. Currently, John helped form TOP DOG, one of San
Diego's hottest original acts playing concerts at 4th&B and the
House of Blues. TOP DOG has opened for YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, GARY
HOEY, and LYNYRD SKYNYRD and played at clubs and private parties
throughout San Diego.
What
sets Top Dog apart from other bands is their experience in knowing how
to excite a crowd with showmanship and original tunes true to the
band's heavy blues roots.
The
band is smooth, unhurried, and confident, providing fans at every gig
with a high-energy Rock 'n Roll performance.
The
band is very comfortable on television having performed
regularly on KUSI-TV in San Diego.
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