In his early teens, Pearcy aspired to be a
top fuel race car driver and expressed no desire to pursue a career in music. He started the bands Firedome and Crystal Pystal. Pearcy also wrote music for a band that he named Mickey Ratt (formed in
San Diego in 1977). In 1981, the band's name was shortened to Ratt, and the original lineup was solidified in 1983. Playing clubs such as
The Troubadour,
The Roxy and
The Whisky, Ratt amassed a large local following. After releasing an eponymous six-song EP in 1983 that sold 200,000 copies, Ratt released its breakthrough album,
Out of the Cellar, on
Atlantic Records in 1984. The band opened arena shows and tours for
ZZ Top,
Ozzy Osbourne and
Billy Squier. "Out of the Cellar" went five times multi-platinum, and the band headed its own arena tours around the world for the next ten years. After releasing four multi-platinum records and three gold albums with Ratt, Pearcy left the band in 1992. 2008 Pearcy and former
Cinderella drummer
Fred Coury formed the band Arcade in 1992. Arcade released a self-titled album in 1993 and another album the following year. In 1996, Pearcy dabbled in an
industrial metal band called
Vertex (with
Megadeth's
Al Pitrelli and drummer / electronic producer
Hiro Kuretani). Pearcy reunited with Ratt in 1996, minus Robbin Crosby and Juan Croucier, only to leave the band for a second time in 2000 on the eve of a tour due to differences over the financial allocation amongst band members. Pearcy rejoined Ratt in 2006 On November 29, 2016, Pearcy and other members of Ratt announced the upcoming Back for More Tour. A new Ratt lineup including Jordan Ziff (lead guitars) and drummer Pete Holmes (from the band Black and Blue) performed a handful of shows in late 2018 and embarked on a world tour starting in May 2019. In April 2020, Pearcy appeared with Ratt in a television commercial for the insurance company Geico, where new homeowners lament that they "have a Ratt problem." Pearcy has recorded four solo records under his own indie label Top Fuel Records. The latest, "View to a Thrill", was released on Frontiers Music/Top Fuel Records in November 2018; the music from the album was written by Pearcy and guitarist Erik Ferentinos. 2024, as a guest, Pearcy is singing the song "Shoot Shoot" on the
Michael Schenker album
My Years with UFO. ==Personal life==