Jani Lane in 1990. That year, Warrant reached the top 10 of the singles and albums charts in the US.
The Hollywood heavy metal scene of the 1980s and early 90s produced several hits that have retained their appeal, prominent among which is Cherry Pie, released by the glam-rock group Warrant in 1990. Written by the band's lead singer, Jani Lane, who has been found dead at a California hotel aged 47, the song was immediately popular for its mildly salacious lyrics. At least one American TV station initially refused to play its accompanying video, which featured a gyrating, lightly clad model, Bobbie Brown, who later became Lane's wife.
Millions of "hair metal" fans bought Cherry Pie and other singles composed by Lane, making Warrant one of the era's most recognisable acts. They failed to match the commercial success of their Los Angeles contemporaries Guns N' Roses and Mötley Crüe, with whom they shared a broadly similar image and sound, but Warrant enjoyed a long career which lasts to this day, although Lane parted ways with his bandmates on several occasions.
The youngest of five children, Lane was born John Kennedy Oswald in Akron, Ohio, to Eileen and Robert Oswald. His parents chose his middle name as a tribute to the recently assassinated US president. He learned to play the drums at an early age, assisted by his older brother Eric, and he was playing in local bands by the age of 11 under the stage name Mitch Dynamite. He attended Field high school in Mogadore, Ohio, where he showed himself to be a gifted athlete and musician. He ultimately chose to purse the latter direction despite being offered college sports scholarships.
After playing with an Akron band named Cyren, he moved to Los Angeles and played in the group Plain Jane under the stage name Jani Lane: he claimed that the inspiration for his nom de metal came from his German grandparents' pronunciation of "Johnny". Although life was sometimes difficult for Lane and the other Plain Jane musicians – he once took a job in an adult video warehouse in order to pay the bills – the band made a name for themselves, and in the mid-1980s Lane was invited to join Warrant, an established act on the LA club scene.
Warrant immediately benefited from their new singer's songwriting abilities, scoring several high-charting singles in a commercial heyday that lasted until approximately 1993, when audiences shifted their attention from glam rock to grunge. As well as Cherry Pie, Lane composed hits such as Heaven (which reached No 2 in the US), Down Boys, Sometimes She Cries and Uncle Tom's Cabin for Warrant, who toured extensively and contributed songs to film soundtracks. Their first two albums, Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich (1989) and Cherry Pie (1990), both made the top 10 in the US. However, relationships within Warrant were often strained and Lane quit the band on three occasions: in 1993, 2004 and, most recently, in 2008. While on hiatus from the group, he recorded a solo album, Back Down to One, acted in films and recorded guest vocals for several rock artists.
Lane also struggled with drug addiction and entered rehab in 2003. When he was ordered to serve 120 days in prison in 2010, after a drink-driving conviction, he issued the statement: "People have an astounding ability to forgive … I have to start with forgiving myself."
Lane's marriage to Brown, with whom he had a daughter, ended in divorce, as did his second marriage, to Rowanne, with whom he had another daughter. He is survived by his third wife, Kimberly, and four children, Taylar, Madison, Brittany and Ryan.
• Jani Lane (John Kennedy Oswald), rock singer and songwriter, born 1 February 1964; died 11 August 2011
Millions of "hair metal" fans bought Cherry Pie and other singles composed by Lane, making Warrant one of the era's most recognisable acts. They failed to match the commercial success of their Los Angeles contemporaries Guns N' Roses and Mötley Crüe, with whom they shared a broadly similar image and sound, but Warrant enjoyed a long career which lasts to this day, although Lane parted ways with his bandmates on several occasions.
The youngest of five children, Lane was born John Kennedy Oswald in Akron, Ohio, to Eileen and Robert Oswald. His parents chose his middle name as a tribute to the recently assassinated US president. He learned to play the drums at an early age, assisted by his older brother Eric, and he was playing in local bands by the age of 11 under the stage name Mitch Dynamite. He attended Field high school in Mogadore, Ohio, where he showed himself to be a gifted athlete and musician. He ultimately chose to purse the latter direction despite being offered college sports scholarships.
After playing with an Akron band named Cyren, he moved to Los Angeles and played in the group Plain Jane under the stage name Jani Lane: he claimed that the inspiration for his nom de metal came from his German grandparents' pronunciation of "Johnny". Although life was sometimes difficult for Lane and the other Plain Jane musicians – he once took a job in an adult video warehouse in order to pay the bills – the band made a name for themselves, and in the mid-1980s Lane was invited to join Warrant, an established act on the LA club scene.
Warrant immediately benefited from their new singer's songwriting abilities, scoring several high-charting singles in a commercial heyday that lasted until approximately 1993, when audiences shifted their attention from glam rock to grunge. As well as Cherry Pie, Lane composed hits such as Heaven (which reached No 2 in the US), Down Boys, Sometimes She Cries and Uncle Tom's Cabin for Warrant, who toured extensively and contributed songs to film soundtracks. Their first two albums, Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich (1989) and Cherry Pie (1990), both made the top 10 in the US. However, relationships within Warrant were often strained and Lane quit the band on three occasions: in 1993, 2004 and, most recently, in 2008. While on hiatus from the group, he recorded a solo album, Back Down to One, acted in films and recorded guest vocals for several rock artists.
Lane also struggled with drug addiction and entered rehab in 2003. When he was ordered to serve 120 days in prison in 2010, after a drink-driving conviction, he issued the statement: "People have an astounding ability to forgive … I have to start with forgiving myself."
Lane's marriage to Brown, with whom he had a daughter, ended in divorce, as did his second marriage, to Rowanne, with whom he had another daughter. He is survived by his third wife, Kimberly, and four children, Taylar, Madison, Brittany and Ryan.
• Jani Lane (John Kennedy Oswald), rock singer and songwriter, born 1 February 1964; died 11 August 2011
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