[6] Strum has worked with a number of artists and groups, playing bass, co-writing, and/or producing songs, such as The Beach Boys,[7] Détente,[8] Sweet Savage,[9] Ace Frehley,[10] Kik Tracee,[11] Dennis Bono, Vince Neil,[12] and Ozzy Osbourne,[13] among others.

[25] In January 1983, while still a member of Modern Design, Strum held auditions for Ozzy Osbourne, who was searching for a replacement guitar player following the death of Randy Rhoads in a plane crash in March 1982.

[26] Jake E. Lee, lead guitarist for the band Rough Cutt, was ultimately chosen for the position, beating out George Lynch, the former guitar player for Xciter and The Boyz.

[25][28] In late November 1983, they opened for Cheap Trick in Kiel Opera House, St. Louis, MO, and the performance was recorded live for the RKO Radio Network.

[38][39][40] The video "Boys Are Gonna Rock", directed by Jeff Stein, was produced featuring Mark Slaughter as the singer over Fleischman's vocal track.

[48][49][35] Bobby Rock stated in an interview that Strum played a producer role to Vinnie Vincent, offering suggestions and direction while tracking solos, and being "an extraordinary engineer when it came to "punching in.

Three months after the release of their second album, Vinnie Vincent Invasion played their final concert on August 26, 1988, in Anaheim, California, and it was officially announced that the group had disbanded.

[52] In an interview with Circus magazine in late 1988, Mark Slaughter stated that the split was amicable, saying "When we first joined the Invasion, we were told that it would be a group situation, but it gradually changed to the point where we were all sidemen.

[54] After leaving Vinnie Vincent Invasion in August 1988, Dana Strum shared a cramped apartment in Los Angeles with seven other struggling musicians, including his former and future bandmate Mark Slaughter.

However, their differences worked to their advantage, and after securing a deal with Chrysalis Records, they wrote songs, often penning lyrics on top of Domino's Pizza boxes at 3 a.m., and held formal auditions for their new band [56][38] They sought two individuals who shared their "one for all and all for one" philosophy, had no issues with substance abuse, and were "fan oriented".

[57] Guitarist Tim Kelly joined after meeting Mark Slaughter at a barbecue, while drummer Blas Elias secured his spot after impressing the two in a videotaped audition and playing live in Los Angeles.

[61] Stick It To Ya was the first album on the label to be released exclusively on CD and cassette, with a limited number of vinyl copies distributed to select fans and media members.

[65][66] Slaughter's first hit single, "Up All Night", directed by Michael Bay,[40] debuted on Headbangers' Ball and held the No 1 spot on Dial-MTV for eight weeks in March and April 1990.

[14] The band made their live debut on May 4, 1990, opening for Kiss on the Hot In The Shade Tour in Lubbock, Texas, on the day when Slaughter's first album received a gold record, signifying 500,000 copies sold.

[32][67] Stick It To Ya became the band's most commercially successful album thanks to heavy airplay on MTV and support slots on Kiss's American tour, that was certified Platinum three months later.

[78][79] In August of that year, the band participated in the MTV Celebrity Challenge at the Denver Grand Prix along with members of Mötley Crüe, Skid Row and Winger, among others, with Dana Strum finishing fifth in the race.

[81][82][83] In January 1991, Strum and the other members of Slaughter collectively received the American Music Award for Best New Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Artist, and their album Stick It To Ya went double Platinum.

[87] During their tour with Kiss, Slaughter received a request from Interscope Records to write a song for the movie Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, which starred Keanu Reeves.

Discussing The Wild Life in interviews, Dana Strum and Mark Slaughter inevitably mentioned classic rock giants like Queen, Boston and Journey.

While Strum characterized the album as a "harder-edged record", music critics described Slaughter's second studio effort as "over-flowing with quick 'n' catchy riffs, memorable melodies, layers of vocal harmonies, and stretches of sound effects.

[98][99] Describing the documentary, Dana Strum explained that he "wanted to show more than the usual band on the road, in the tour bus, leaving the hotel, signing autographs".

[100] The cover art for The Wild Life was controversial, featuring a 17th-century line drawing of a man cracking a whip high over the head of a child who shields himself as he holds a guitar,[92] which the band explained was supposed to show the oppression of youth by adults.

[110] At the time, Revolution showcased the band's ambition to be at the forefront of rock technology, it was one of the first albums to be an enhanced CD, allowing audiences not only to listen to the music, but also to watch it via CD-Rom.

However, despite the album's technological innovation and experimentation with new sound, Slaughter, like many other hard-rock bands, struggled to maintain commercial success amidst the rising popularity of alternative rock music.

[39][119] In June 1999, Slaughter released their seventh album, Back to Reality, which marked a return to their signature style of "crunchy lead guitar and ear-piercing vocals".

The band, which includes Strum on bass, Jeff Blando on guitar and Will Hunt on drums, who later was replaced by Zoltan Chaney, has been touring and playing various venues such as casinos, theaters and music festivals ever since.

[136][137][138] In 1978, Dana Strum played bass in the band BadAxe and regularly performed on the LA Club Circuit, sharing the stage with the acts such as Van Halen and Quiet Riot.

[23][140] In a 1986 interview with Metal Mania, Strum reflected on the disappointment of losing a promising collaboration at such a young age stating that the group had potential, but expressed his confidence that Rhoads' talent would lead to great success in the future.

"[5] In January 1983, Strum's connections within the music industry proved instrumental wnen Ozzy Osbourne found himself in need of a guitar player to replace Brad Gillis on tour following the tragic death of Randy Rhoads.

"[146] In addition, Strum owned two more Arbors at the time — one with a Jackson passive pickup, the other with an EMG active single coil — and a mid '70s Black Fender Precision that he used in the studio.