Samantha 7

Named after a giant female robot on a Japanese children's TV program, the hard-pop trio Samantha 7 features Poison guitarist C.C. DeVille, bassist Krys "Brinks" Baratto and drummer Francis Ruiz. In 1995, DeVille conquered the drug and alcohol addictions that forced him to leave Poison at the height of their success; by the following year he was back with the band and played with them on their 1999 tour. But on his journey to sobriety, DeVille was inspired to write and play his own songs, so in 1998 he teamed up with Baratto after they were introduced by a mutual friend. Ruiz completed the lineup and the trio began crafting songs that were inspired as much by '70s AM radio hits as DeVille's heavy metal heritage. Samantha 7 recorded their self-titled debut album in just two weeks with producer Jack Blades; Samantha 7 was released in spring 2000 on Columbia Records.