Johnny Emaxx

Johnny Emaxx was born Jonathon Edward Milton Achilles Xander Xavier Jehosephat III, in the City of Commerce, California, on December 3 (he won't divulge the year, but he's gotta be younger than Gunns). He grew up a gifted, almost prodigious child, attending Spring Hill Private School for Gifted Children, but ran into trouble in his early teens and spent some time in a military academy before doing a short stint in the California Penal System (well known for producing Ricky 'Wild Thing' Vaughn). Similar to Tommy Gunns, he somehow furthered his musical education by lying his way into the Berklee School of Music (for parts of two months, at least).

Like Gunns, as well, he started his musical career in a vastly different vein, playing guitar and lead accordian for a well-known touring polka band, before landing a plum gig with Lawrence Welk's house band. Desperate for a change of pace, he stepped in to do some uncredited guitar work on Slayer's 'Show No Mercy' album. Then he had a brief gig, replacing future bandmate Dannii Lee Damage, in a band, called Paris, that would go on to fame and fortune as Poison. Frustrated by the heavy glam direction that Paris had been headed in he jumped ship, joining Dallas-based Pantera, taking the place of the departing Terry Glaze, and changing that band's course, from being a run of the mill glam metal band, to a much heavier one, which, again, resulted in fame and fortune. Of course, the fame and fortune came after the band fired Emaxx for sleeping with another band member's wife (shades of Richie Kotzen, another tangential Poison story...).

Bummed out, Emaxx headed back to the West Coast. After a particularly rough Tuesday night at Riki and Taime's World Famous Cathouse, Emaxx camped out under a humming freeway off-ramp and woke up looking at the face of his ticket to rock 'n' roll notoriety, Tommy Gunns. Nothing else need be said.