Michael Starr (singer)

Ralph Michael Saenz (born May 17, 1965), better known as Michael Starr, is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He is the lead singer of the comedic glam metal band Steel Panther.[1]

Michael Starr
Starr performing in June 2017
Background information
Birth nameRalph Michael Saenz
Also known as
  • David Lee Ralph
  • Michael Diamond
  • Michael Saenz
Born (1965-05-17) May 17, 1965
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
OriginLos Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • musician
InstrumentsVocals, guitar
Years active1980s–present
Associated acts

Early life

Ralph Michael Saenz was born in Chicago on May 17, 1965. He is of Spanish and Swedish descent.[2] He was raised primarily in the Van Nuys neighborhood of Los Angeles, where his father was a college professor. He is often cited as having a Ph.D. in English from University of California, Berkeley, however, this is a common misconception, as Saenz had used this claim in order to get an apartment when his credit was being checked. [3][4]

Career

Saenz was the lead singer for the David Lee Roth-era Van Halen tribute band Atomic Punks from May 1994 to December 2008, where he used the stage name David Lee Ralph. He formed the band with future bandmate, Steel Panther guitarist Russ Parrish. Saenz was briefly the lead singer for L.A. Guns, singing on the Wasted EP. He also has sung for the bands 7% Solution, First Cause, Long Gone, and Nightfall (where he also played lead guitar). Nightfall was also featured on the KNAC radio sponsored Pure Rock compilation, with Ralph going under the name Michael Saenz.

Saenz appeared briefly in the 2001 film Rock Star, seen in the glass booth auditioning when Mark Wahlberg's and Jennifer Aniston's characters walk into the audition. He glares at the two before Wahlberg's character takes his turn to audition.

Saenz formed Steel Panther, a parody metal band, in 2000 with Parrish under the name Metal Shop (soon changed into Metal Skool, Danger Kitty [for a commercial], then into Steel Panther). The band has become successful worldwide, and has many celebrity fans who have performed onstage with them.

He provided background vocals for AFI on the albums Sing the Sorrow and Decemberunderground [5]

Personal life

Saenz lives in Sherman Oaks with his wife - an actress named Jocelyn - and their three children.

Discography


With Steel Panther
Main article: Steel Panther discography

With Metal Sludge
  • Hey That's What I Call Sludge – Vol 1 (2003)

With L.A. Guns
  • Wasted (1998)

Guest appearances
gollark: How do you actually cool 300W in the space of LGA1151 or whatever? Direct-die water cooling?
gollark: They're probably going to ship the i9-10900 non-K with a stock cooler just powerful enough for a laptop CPU, knowing Intel.
gollark: It sounds like you introduced a bug. Can you post the code?
gollark: Though the extra sequential read speed isn't useful a huge amount of the time.
gollark: Loads do now, flash storage is very fast.

References
  2. From an interview with the Swedish magazine Hårdrock.
  3. http://www.therockpit.net/2011%20Articles%20Interviews/Interview-Michael-Starr-Steel-Panther-July-2011.php
  4. https://www.loudersound.com/features/steel-panther-is-the-joke-starting-to-wear-thin
  5. http://www.artistdirect.com/artist/ralph-saenz/648335
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