The earliest incarnation of 3rd Strike was formed by vocalist Jim Korthe and his childhood friend, guitarist Todd Deguchi, in 1988.

Under the moniker Dimestore Hoods, the band also consisted of second guitarist Tom McNerney, bassist Joe Puccio and drummer Mike Russo.

Dimestore Hoods went through several lineup changes, but the core duo of Jim Korthe and Todd Deguchi remained intact.

Eventually, the band was renamed as 3rd Strike with the lineup consisting of Korthe and Deguchi alongside guitarist Erik Carlsson, drummer PJ McMullan and bassist Gabe Hammersmith.

[5]3rd Strike began recording demos in a studio owned by Pennywise guitarist Fletcher Dragge, who previously knew Korthe and Deguchi from their days in Dimestore Hoods.

A matter of weeks later, the band were performing a showcase for several different labels at the Whisky a Go Go club in Los Angeles.

[6] With famed producer Mudrock at the helm, 3rd Strike spent the latter half of 2001 recording their debut album, Lost Angel.

Coincidentally, Wright was the band's original choice for producing their album, but scheduling conflicts had initially stopped this from happening and forced them to work with Mudrock.

[5] To help build hype for the upcoming album, Hollywood Records released a four-track Selections from Lost Angel sampler in 2001.

Lead singer Jim Korthe died in his San Pedro home on January 13, 2010, at the age of 39.