It seemed like a long time before Jean Beauvoir's band Crown Of Thorns unleashed themselves on an unsuspecting public, but everyone agreed it was worth the wait. Following the success of his multi-platinum solo career and the success of his band Voodoo X, Jimmy Iovine of Interscope Records called Beauvoir inquiring if he would be interested in recording a new solo album for Interscope. Beauvoir, who had been exploring a new project pitched his idea to Iovine who accepted it. Beauvoir then went about establishing his second band, Crown Of Thorns, enlisting fellow musicians Tony Thompson (Chic, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Madonna), Michael Paige (Top Session Bassist) and Micki Free (Shalamar) resulting in Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of KISS being brought on board. When word gets out Beauvoir is writing and recording new material at the request of Iovine for Interscope it triggers a well publicized bidding war within the industry.
Even Prince, a longtime fan of Beauvoir's from his Plasmatics days, who tried to hire Beauvoir as his bassist began competing against the major labels bidding as high as $1-Million for the album rights. Due to a stipulation Prince placed on the offer to have a member change in the band, which Beauvoir declined, Interscope Records emerged the victor. Due to delays in getting the album out to the public, climate changes within the industry and the arrival of Grunge, the debut Crown Of Thorns album was not released by Interscope however, other major labels who had received advanced copies stepped in offering deals. When the highly anticipated album finally hit shops it was to critical acclaim. The album hit the Metal Charts one week after release where it stayed for six months. Kerrang! dubbed it “One of the Finest American Hard Rock" albums in recent years. Prince, who had also offered Beauvoir artist deals on several ocassions remained a fan.
"Dying for Love" | LIVE Performance | Graspop Festival (2016)