Miljenko Matijevic

Miljenko Matijevic (born November 30, 1964) is a Croatian-American singer, best known as the lead vocalist and songwriter of the hard rock band Steelheart. He has a big following in South Korea and has worked on several South Korean TV series.^[1] He has also released several soundtracks for South Korean TV series.^[2] In 2010, he did a tour with Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger of rock band the Doors, singing the parts of Jim Morrison.^[3][4][5]

Matijevic was born on November 30, 1964, in Zagreb.^[6] He lived there with his brother and grandparents until 1970 when his parents collected him from Croatia and moved with him and his brother to Scarsdale, New York. When Matijevic was 7, the family moved to Greenwich, Connecticut. Michael's brother, John, learned to play the guitar and Michael would often sing along, particularly country music, as that is what their father enjoyed. When Michael was 9 he joined the local church choir. However, the biggest change was when Michael was 11 and discovered Led Zeppelin.^[7]

After being seen playing at a local club in the band the Mission, Don Stroh, owner of Showcase Studios, called Matijevic saying he should come in and rehearse with a band in his studio. This is where Matijevic first met Chris Risola and James Ward, along with Jack Wilkinson, and Red Alert was formed.

Jack Wilkinson was eventually replaced and two former members of the band Rage of Angels who played on their 1989 debut album joined: John Fowler (1966–2008) on drums and Frank DiConstanzo as a rhythm guitarist. Michael soon devoted all attention to the band, and not his college work. He, John and James left for Los Angeles in the hope of getting a record deal, despite having no contacts. However, within a month, the band had a record deal.

Their first album, Steelheart, released in 1990, sold over a million copies and was supported by a world tour. The follow-up, Tangled in Reins, released in 1992, was supported by a tour in Europe and Asia.^[8][9][10]

Al finalizar su gira por Estados Unidos en 1992, abriendo para Great White , Steelheart fue invitado a abrir un concierto adicional para la banda Slaughter . En la noche de Halloween, en el McNichols Arena de Denver , Colorado , Steelheart estaba interpretando "Dancing in the Fire" del álbum Tangled in Reins cuando Matijevic sufrió un grave accidente. Matijevic decidió trepar a una estructura de iluminación que, por alguna razón, estaba mal asegurada. No logró trepar a la estructura y no pudo esquivar la pieza de equipo de 450 kilos, que lo golpeó en la parte posterior de la cabeza, lanzándolo de cara contra el escenario. El resultado del accidente fue una fractura de nariz, pómulo y mandíbula, una torsión de columna y una grave pérdida de memoria. Matijevic encontró la fuerza para salir del escenario y fue llevado inmediatamente al hospital. El incidente marcó el fin de la formación original de Steelheart. ^{[ 7 ]}

Steelheart se reformó con una nueva formación y lanzó el álbum Wait en 1996. La banda lanzó el álbum Good 2B Alive en 2008. ^{[ 8 ]} En 2010, Michael realizó una gira con Ray Manzarek y Robby Krieger de la banda de rock The Doors , cantando las partes de Jim Morrison .

Steelheart lanzó el álbum Through Worlds of Stardust en 2017 y el álbum en vivo Rock'n Milan en 2018. ^{[ 11 ]}

• Sitio web oficial