Doro Pesch | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Dorothee Pesch |
Also known as | "Metal Queen" |
Born | Düsseldorf, West Germany | 3 June 1964
Genres | Heavy metal |
Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
Years active | 1980–present |
Labels | |
Formerly of | Snakebite, Warlock |
Website | doromusic |
Dorothee Pesch (born 3 June 1964), known professionally as Doro Pesch or simply Doro, is a German heavy metal singer and the former frontwoman of heavy metal band Warlock. Doro's contributions to music and culture made her a global figure in metal culture for over three decades. The name Doro has also been associated with the touring band accompanying the singer, whose members have continuously changed in more than 20 years of uninterrupted activity, the most stable presences being those of bassist Nick Douglas and drummer Johnny Dee.
Doro started her career in garage bands in native Düsseldorf underground scene and achieved media visibility and some commercial success with Warlock in the 1980s. Warlock were starting to have an opening in the US market, when they went through many line-up changes and Pesch was left the only original member of the band. She started a solo career under the name Doro, in order to avoid legal battles between her record label PolyGram and her former manager. She released two albums in the US with producers Joey Balin and Gene Simmons, but they were not the breakthrough that she hoped.
During the rise of grunge and alternative rock in the 1990s, her record label relegated her productions only to the European region, where she continued to tour extensively. She remained a successful charting artist in Germany, despite living and producing her albums in the US. When classic heavy metal found again the favour of the public, she returned to tour around the world and her popularity as a veteran singer grew considerably, inspiring many new female metal artists. Doro is also known for her duets performed both live and in studio with other singers and musicians of the metal scene, whom she has befriended in her long-term career, and was the first heavy metal artist to perform a drive-in concert during the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]
To this date, she has released 19 studio albums, the latest being Conqueress - Forever Strong and Proud in October 2023. Doro continues her recording career and is a prolific touring artist all over the world. When not on tour, she resides in New York City.