About D\'Molls
D\'Molls are often an underrated glam band that broke the rules of radio friendly pop rock and defined the acronym \"sleaze rock\" in the blink of an eye. Chicago, Illinois was where group\'s founder, Billy Dior (drums, who had played with C.C. DeVille in Screamin\' Mimi\'s, which wrote the original version of what later resurfaced as Poison\'s career-breaking single, \"Talk Dirty To Me\"), Lizzy Valentine (bass/guitar/piano/vocals), Desi Rexx (vocals/guitar), and S.S. Priest (guitar) formed The Chicago Molls, which would quickly morph into the D\'Molls.
In 1985, the group, intent on securing a recording contract, relocated to Los Angeles. Within 2 weeks of arriving in Hollywood, D\'Molls inked a major recording contract with Atlantic Records and began work on their self-titled debut album. While the video for the first single, \"777,\" received substantial rotation on MTV, the album, a #2 import in England, failed to chart in the States.
The debut record has been and still is criticized for its lifeless recording that severely failed to capture the true essence of the band, which was their heavy driving, big bottomed, live/raw sound. Despite the album\'s gutless studio production, the band still toured the continental US, with Warrant as their support act. While playing in New York City, Atlantic\'s chairman/founder, Ahmet Ertegun, attended their show and was greatly moved by the band\'s live performance. He insisted that they immediately stop touring and get back in the studio to make a \"real record.\"
Disagreements within the group over choice of record producers lead to tension, and matters didn\'t better over the their choice in personal management, proof in their brief relationship with David Lee Roth\'s managers, Pete Angelus and Pat Whitley, whom the group ultimately fired due to management\'s inability to grasp the band\'s intrinsic vision/concept of D\'Molls.
D\'Molls second lp, Warped, was the record that finally captured the magic of group\'s energetic vibe that previously was only experienced by the patrons of their notorious sold out shows.
Just when Atlantic Records finally committed to making D\'Molls a top priority, giving the band carte blanche in all areas of marketing, promotion, and tour support, lead singer, Desi Rexx, decides to abruptly jump ship, without notice, hoping to secure a position on rhythm guitar for David Lee Roth\'s touring band, which was formed to promote an album on which he didn\'t even play.
Upon Atlantic Records learning of Rexx\'s self-sabotaging decision, Warped was released to only a few limited markets throughout the USA. As for Rexx, after months of rehearsal with the David Lee Roth Band, he ultimately was fired just a few days into the first leg of the European tour.
As for the rest of D\'Molls: Due to the astronomical amount of financial debt accrued during Rexx\'s tenure, Billy, Lizzy, and SS turned down Atlantic\'s offer to replace Rexx and record another album.
Upon disbanding, Priest returned to his former band Diamond Rexx and Dior started writing novels under his real name, Billy McCarthy. His debut novel, The Devil of Shakespeare was a Borders books bestseller in the summer of 2004.
Valentine, while moonlighting as a producer/songwriter, earned a bachelor\'s degree in Communication/Film from UCLA, followed by a Law Degree from Loyola Marymount Law School. At present, he resides in Los Angeles, CA, where he lives a dual life of lawyer by day, rocker by night.
And Rexx, after being let go by Roth, eventually got married, returned to Chicago.
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