[6] Steelheart was initially formed as a band called Red Alert, whose members included James Ward (bass), Chris Risola (lead guitar), Jack Wilkenson (drums) and Miljenko Matijevic ('Mike', vocals).

Towards the end of their tour of Asia, Steelheart was asked by Slaughter to open for them at a show in Denver, Colorado on Halloween night in 1992.

While performing "Dancing in the Fire" from their Tangled in Reins album, Matijevic climbed an unsecured lighting truss, which fell toward the stage.

[3] In 1996, a revamped lineup of Steelheart emerged with guitarist Kenny Kanowski, bassist Vincent Mele and drummer Alex Makarovich, leaving Matijevic as the last original member.

In 2016, Steelheart appeared at the three-day Rockingham 2016, glam metal festival with Marten Andersson from Lynch Mob and Lizzy Borden on bass, in Nottingham, United Kingdom on October 22, as the headline act of the second day.