Heavy metal outfit
Rough Cutt formed in Los Angeles in late 1981. Originally dubbed Magic, the founding lineup featured frontman
Paul Shortino, guitarist
Jake E. Lee, keyboardist
Claude Schnell, bassist Joey Christofanilli, and drummer David Alford. When
Schnell exited in the fall of 1982 to join
Dio, the group renamed itself
Rough Cutt, dropping Christofanilli and adding guitarist Chris Hagar and bassist Matt Thorr, with whom
Lee previously collaborated in an early incarnation of hair metal hitmakers
Ratt. Weeks later
Lee resigned from
Rough Cutt to back
Ozzy Osbourne, and after adding guitarist
Craig Goldie, the quintet produced its first demo tape under the auspices of producer
Ronnie James Dio. Prior to signing to Warner Bros.,
Goldie jumped ship to
Dio's band as well, and new guitarist
Amir Derakh signed on for
Rough Cutt's self-titled 1985 debut. After issuing Wants You! the following year,
Rough Cutt split when
Shortino left the lineup to replace
Kevin DuBrow in
Quiet Riot; the posthumous Rough Cutt Live followed in 1995. While
Derakh later resurfaced in the alt-metal act Orgy, in 2000
Shortino assembled a new incarnation of
Rough Cutt with guitarist
Jimmy Crespo, bassist
Sean McNabb, keyboardist J.T. Garrett, and drummer John Homan. By the release of their 2002 LP
Sacred Place, the group was officially renamed Paul Shortino's The Cutt. ~ Jason Ankeny