In 1989, Blue Murder released their self-titled debut album, which cracked the Billboard 200 chart and spawned a minor hit with "Jelly Roll".

In 1986, guitarist John Sykes was fired from the English hard rock group Whitesnake by vocalist David Coverdale.

[4] Next came bassist Tony Franklin, formerly of The Firm, and lastly vocalist Ray Gillen, who had previously fronted Black Sabbath for a short time.

[7] In mid-1987, the group signed with Geffen Records, but as they began searching for a new lead singer, Cozy Powell abruptly left in early 1988 to join Black Sabbath, having grown frustrated with the band's slow progress.

[4][7] Unable to find a singer that satisfied all parties, the band and John Kalodner persuaded Sykes to sing lead vocals.

[16] The single "Jelly Roll" also proved to be a minor hit, reaching number fifteen on the Album Rock Tracks chart.

[5][18][19] While their debut album would go on to sell an estimated 500,000 copies by Sykes's account, Blue Murder's success fell short of expectations.

[5][20][21] Carmine Appice stated that the decision to release "Valley of the Kings" as the band's first music video was a mistake, as it was deemed too long and not "commercial enough" for MTV.

[20] Due to the failure of "Valley of the Kings", MTV refused to play the follow-up video "Jelly Roll", which Franklin felt prevented it from becoming a crossover hit.

"[21][23] According to Appice and Franklin, Sykes was deeply affected by the failure of Blue Murder's debut album, which led to a prolonged period of inactivity.

[20][29] Sykes then recruited bassist Marco Mendoza and drummer Tommy O'Steen to the group,[18] while keyboardist Nik Green was promoted to a full-time member, having already played on the band's debut album.

[30] However, Franklin had already laid down tracks for Blue Murder's second album, while Carmine Appice was brought back briefly as a session drummer.

[20][25] Sykes also recruited former Baton Rouge vocalist Kelly Keeling as a second guitarist, but he reportedly left the band a day before shooting a new music video.

[23] In 1994, the band released the live album Screaming Blue Murder: Dedicated to Phil Lynott, which was recorded in Tokyo.

[45] With Blue Murder, Sykes sought to create a heavier record than Whitesnake's eponymous album, while still retaining much of the same groove and vibe.

[49] Alter Bridge's Myles Kennedy stated in 2014: "These days there’s a whole Brotherhood Of Blue Murder out there – musicians and crew guys who love this band.