Miljenko Matijevic (born November 30, 1964) is a Croatian-American singer, best known as the lead vocalist and songwriter of the hard rock band

Steelheart Steelheart is an American glam metal band from Norwalk, Connecticut, that formed in 1989. At the time that their debut was recorded, the band's members consisted of vocalist Miljenko Matijevic, lead guitarist Chris Risola, rhythm guitarist Fra ...

. He has a big following in South Korea and has worked on several South Korean TV series. He has also released several soundtracks for South Korean TV series. In 2010, he did a tour with

Ray Manzarek Raymond Daniel Manzarek Jr. ( Manczarek; February 12, 1939 – May 20, 2013) was an American keyboardist. He is best known as a member of the rock band the Doors, co-founding the group in 1965 with fellow UCLA School of Theater, Film and Te ...

and

Robby Krieger Robert Alan Krieger (born January 8, 1946) is an American guitarist and founding member of the rock band the Doors. Krieger wrote or co-wrote many of the Doors' songs, including the hits " Light My Fire", " Love Me Two Times", " Touch Me", and " ...

of rock band

the Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, comprising vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most influential and controversial rock acts ...

, singing the parts of the late

Jim Morrison James Douglas Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer, songwriter, and poet who was the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band the Doors. Due to his charismatic persona, poetic lyrics, distinctive vo ...

Early life

Matijevic was born on November 30, 1964 in

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

. He lived there with his brother and grandparents until 1970 when his parents collected him from Croatia and moved with him and his brother to

Scarsdale, New York Scarsdale is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The Town of Scarsdale is coterminous municipality, coextensive with the Village of Scarsdale, but the community has opted to operate ...

. When Matijevic was 7, the family moved to

Greenwich, Connecticut Greenwich ( ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 63,518. It is the largest town on Gold Coast (Connecticut), Connectic ...

. Michael's brother, John, learned to play the guitar and Michael would often sing along, particularly

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

music, as that is what their father enjoyed. When Michael was 9 he joined the local church choir. However, the biggest change was when Michael was 11 and discovered

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...

Career

After being seen playing at a local club in the band The Mission, Don Stroh, owner of Showcase Studios, called Matijevic saying he should come in and rehearse with a band in his studio. This is where Matijevic first met

Chris Risola Chris Risola (born June 30, 1958) is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the original lead guitarist for the glam metal band Steelheart. Career Risola first started playing guitar at age 13. In high school, he studied m ...

and James Ward, along with Jack Wilkinson, and Red Alert was formed. Jack Wilkinson was eventually replaced and two former members of the band Rage of Angels who played on their 1989 debut album joined: John Fowler (1966-2008) on drums and Frank DiConstanzo as a rhythm guitarist. Michael soon devoted all attention to the band, and not his college work. He, John and James left for

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

in the hope of getting a record deal, despite having no contacts. However, within a month, the band had a record deal. Their first album, ''

'', released in 1990, sold over a million copies and was supported by a world tour. The follow-up, ''Tangled in Reins'', released in 1992, was supported by a tour in Europe and Asia. At the end of their U.S. tour in 1992 opening for

Great White Great White is an American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1977. The band is named after both the shark with the same name, and guitarist Mark Kendall's former stage nickname. In August 2008, Great White estimated they had sold aroun ...

, Steelheart was invited to open an additional show for the band Slaughter. On Halloween night, at the McNichols Arena in

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

, Steelheart was performing "Dancing in the Fire" from the ''Tangled in Reins'' album when Matijevic was involved in a serious accident. Matijevic decided to climb a lighting truss which was for some reason improperly secured. He failed to climb the rig and failed to dodge the 1000 pound piece of equipment, which hit him in the back of the head, driving him face first into the stage. The outcome of the accident was a broken nose, cheekbone, jaw, twisted spine, and severe memory loss. Matijevic found the strength to walk off the stage and was immediately taken to the hospital. The incident marked the end of the original lineup of Steelheart. Steelheart reformed with a new lineup and released the album, ''Wait'', in 1996. The band released the album ''Good 2B Alive'' in 2008. In 2010, Michael did a tour with

and

of rock band

The Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, comprising vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most influential and controversial rock acts ...

, singing the parts of the late

Miljenko Matijevic - picture by Simone van den Boom

Steelheart released the album, ''Through Worlds of Stardust'', in 2017 and the live album, ''Rock'n Milan'', in 2018.

Discography

Steelheart

South Korean singles

Filmography

Television series

Film appearance

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Matijevic, Miljenko 1964 births Living people 20th-century Croatian male singers Croatian singer-songwriters Croatian male singer-songwriters Croatian record producers 21st-century American male singers 21st-century American singer-songwriters American heavy metal singers American male singer-songwriters American record producers Yugoslav emigrants to the United States Musicians from Zagreb Steelheart