"Heart On The Line" by House of Lords

Gregg Giuffria - is he blessed or cursed? This talented musician got his start in the 70s rock band Angel, which was discovered by none other than Gene Simmons of Kiss. After a couple minor hits, the band dissolved and Giuffria started a solo band he named after himself. He scored another couple minor hits under the Giuffria banner in the early 80s, but big time commercial success remained evasive.

In 1987, Giuffria started a third project that would become House of Lords. And once again it was Gene Simmons who picked up the band on his own record label. James Christian was brought on board as the powerhouse vocalist (he's married to Robin Beck, for those keeping score). The band's debut self-titled album arrived in 1988 and landed a minor hit with "I Want To Be Loved," which reached #58 in 1989.

In 1991, the band followed-up with "Sahara," an album that yielded their only other charting single, "Remember My Name," which got to #72 in 1991. "Sahara" should have performed better, especially with outstanding cuts like "Heart On The Line." Do you hear Cheap Trick in this tune? That's because Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick wrote it and Robin Zander contributed backing vocals. Other guests on this overlooked record include Mike Tramp of White Lion and Steve Plunkett of Autograph. Also on this record is an excellent cover of Blind Faith's "Can't Find My Way Home."

Nearly 30 years later, Cheap Trick recorded their own version of this song for their album, "Bang, Zoom, Crazy...Hello."

House of Lords quickly fell off the mainstream map, like many hard rock acts in the 90s. Too bad the third time wasn't quite the charm for Gregg Giuffria, but he's got plenty to be proud of in his music career.

House of Lords has continued to serve up many more hard rock releases over the years, most recently with 2017's "Saint Of The Lost Souls."