BAND HISTORY

Artist Information Biography SUMMARY: San Diego Radio and TV Broadcasting Emmy Award winners Top Dog is an aggressive heavy blues southern rock trio. Members have toured the U.S., Japan, Hawaii, and Alaska. Members have opened up for DEF LEPPARD, BLUE OYSTER CULT, ROBIN TROWER, GARY HOEY,  YNGWIE MALMSTEEN,  LYNYRD SKYNYRD and other national acts. Playing original rock compositions, written by Brian Lee, Joey Moore, and John Klemmer. TOP DOG is primarily a concert band having performed  tunes from their CDs  at San Diego’s House of Blues, 4TH & B, and the Belly-Up. Outside of recording sessions  band practice is conducted at Club Rileys in San Diego.  Club Riley is the exclusive Media Partner for the band.  TOP DOG is listed as one of the best unsigned acts in the U.S. DETAIL: Formed in 2000, band members include: 'Smokin' Brian Lee - Lead Guitar, Vocals Lead Guitarist for several bands on the East and West Coast since the 80's - never forgetting his roots as a blues rocker - his influences include Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Muddy Waters. BACKGROUND: Brian Lee started playing guitar at the early age of 11 in Japan as a military brat in 1967 listening to the sounds of Jimi Hendrix…it wasn’t long until he did his first gig at a boy scout jamboree for an audience of 1300. Later on his influences included doing covers of Hendrix and Cream songs in several bands in the Annapolis Md. area. Throughout the early seventies, Brian now in Jacksonville Beach Florida, played in CALIBER, a southern rock band warming up for MOLLY HATCHET and 38 SPECIAL. Brian took over on guitar for a few weekends with MOLLY HATCHET when one of them got sick playing venues up and down the Fl. Coast from Daytona to Ft. Lauderdale enhancing his southern rock roots. After a tour in the U.S. Navy, Brian took off to visit Kauai, Hawaii and lived and surfed with brother Earl for awhile and realized the island is way too small for a career in rock and roll-so he set his sights on San Diego to be close to the L.A. music scene. Around 1980 Brian took on the cover scene and made great money throughout the 80’s playing current hits in bands such as ROX, BANDIT, and ACE DAGGER. It wasn’t until 1985 that Brian helped form the band FRANCE that toured Japan, Alaska, and the entire southwest U.S. including Las Vegas, Phoenix, Yuma, L.A. and concerts with great bands like DEF LEPPARD, QUIET RIOT, JOAN JETT and many others exceeding crowds of 13,000. FRANCE recorded and sold out all their copies of their first LP “Cool Moves”. They stayed together as a top cover/circuit/ concert act for 12 years and recorded several albums, being offered 3 record deals. Continuing into the 90’s and outlasting many of the clubs they played in, FRANCE had a change of pace and hired on a new frontman still in jail on a work furlough, got him out to do shows! He had to call the band SCOUNDREL because of this…the band now went on to record several heavy/southern rock songs and toured the far east- this time playing for 5000 in Kinser, Okinawa and all over Japan, Alaska doing concerts along the way. Now Brian is exclusively playing original southern style rock in a lil’ ol’ band from San Diego called TOP DOG, he has completely returned to his southern roots performing concerts at larger venues in the southwest. TOP DOG is currently in the studio recording their second CD after releasing their first CD “Unleashed”, they are listed as one of the best unsigned acts in the U.S. 'Jammin' Joey Moore - Lead Vocals, Bass Guitar With that raspy voice of experience, Joey is a true bluesman. His influences include Elvis, Cream, John Mayall and Eric Clapton. BACKGROUND: Joey was born in Portsmith, Virginia.  He was the fourth of six kids, or as his mother liked to say "the baby of the first litter".  His father was an officer in the Navy so the family moved around a lot, finally settling in San Diego, CA when Joey was seven years old.  He saw the Beatles performing on the Ed Sullivan show when he was nine and he asked his father if they got paid for doing that.  When his father said, "Yes they do", Joey's fate was sealed. At age eleven, he wrote the lyrics to, "Hungry Lil' Boy".  When he was thirteen, he joined his first band, TEEN SYMPATHY.  The band had a keyboard and guitar with Joey singing lead vocals.  They would perform at Masonic Temple dances, school functions and family parties singing originals, Doors and Santana.  A few years later the other band members wanted to add a bass player but he disagreed and left the band.  Joey then went out, bought a bass guitar and learned how to play it on his own.  He was then able to put his own music to his song "Hungry Lil' Boy".  Joey went on to help create a band called BIG MOUTH,  The drummer was ex-Navy.  One guitar player was an ex-Army sergeant, the other guitar player was an ex-Marine sergeant, the lead singer was an ex-sergeant from the Natn'l Guard, and 17 year old Joey played bass and shared vocals.  For three years they toured all over the U.S. and opened  for BLUE CHEER, J GILES, ELVIN BISHOP and LEE MICHAELS.  Later, Joey was asked to join a band called ZACHARIAH that played top 40 cover tunes.  The band also did a 50's show under the name Axel Rod And The Sliders.  They performed in the Great Northwest and were very popular at several of the Universities and many clubs in  between.  Next, the band NIGHT FLIGHT asked Joey to join them.  It was a great group, his bass and lead vocals fit right in with their keyboard, drums, guitar and two female lead singers.  NIGHT FLIGHT did popular cover tunes and were the house band at Mom's Saloon in San Diego for eight years.  Then they went out on the road performing in Orange County and Los Angeles for another two years.  The next five years Joey was playing bass and singing lead vocals with a club band called THE SOURCE.  They did cover tunes at several clubs around Southern California.  Joey then joined the band NOT GUILTY.  Their group consisted of drums, guitar and bass performing original songs and cover tunes.  In the five years together, they opened for ROBIN TROWER, MOLLY HATCHETT, PAT TRAVERS, CANNED HEAT, and also played at many clubs around San Diego.  Later, Joey played with the band RAZ'N CAIN that original and cover tunes around San Diego and two tours in Japan.  BOSS TWEED was a band that mixed originals and Blues cover tunes.  Joey was with them for four years playing bass and singing lead vocals at clubs, private parties, fund raisers and twice at the Del Mar Fair.  Later, the band RAZL'N CAIN asked Joey to rejoin their group.  He shared playing bass and lead vocals with another bass player/lead singer.  The group played originals and cover tunes at clubs, fund raisers and private parties around Southern California.  In 2000, TOP DOG was created,  Joey had played with drummer "Klem Dog" in the band NOT GUILTY and had heard many good things about the guitarist Brian Lee.  Brian and Joey both had several original songs and both had been lead singers.  The three of them decided to perform all original songs.  Their first CD "Unleashed" was released in 2001.  TOP DOG has opened for LYNYRD SKYNYRD, INGUIE MALMSTEEN, and GARY HOEY.  The band currently plays at clubs, fund raisers, private parties, and concerts around San Diego and Southern California.   John "Klem-Dog" Klemmer - Drums, Percussion, Vocals Heavy, powerful double bass aggressive drummers are hard to find until now. His heavy blues/rock influences are Hendrix, Trower, J. Winters, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Pat Travers. BACKGROUND: John started playing drums at the age of 12.  His drum influences are Buddy Rich, Ansley Dunbar, Tommy Aldridge and many more.  John joined his first band at the age of 16 playing a club in San Diego called Led Bedders.  Since John was under 21 years old he had to remain on stage and could not walk around the club.  In the 70's he auditioned for a band called MIKEY RAT.  John was asked to join the band only to turn them down for financial reasons.  The band later became know as RAT, a national touring act out of San Diego.  Later, John joined a band called TEASER with guitarist JAKE E. LEE who later went on to play with OZZY OSBOURNE.  TEASER played concerts and clubs throughout San Diego.  John also helped form a band called NOT GUILTY that opened for BLUE OYSTER CULT, ROBIN TROWER, PAT TRAVERS, MOLLY HATCHET, URIAH HEAP to name a few and also played clubs throughout San Diego.  Currently, John helped form TOP DOG, one of San Diego's hottest original acts playing concerts at 4th&B and the House of Blues.  TOP DOG has opened for YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, GARY HOEY, and LYNYRD SKYNYRD and played at clubs and private parties throughout San Diego.    What sets Top Dog apart from other bands is their experience in knowing how to excite a crowd with showmanship and original tunes true to the band's heavy blues roots. The band is smooth, unhurried, and confident, providing fans at every gig with a high-energy Rock 'n Roll performance. The band is  very comfortable on television having performed regularly on KUSI-TV in San Diego.