JOHN CORABI Explains His 'CRABBY' Nickname: 'It's Not What You Think'

In a new interview with Dawn Osborne of TotalRock, former MÖTLEY CRÜE and current THE DEAD DAISIES frontman John Corabi spoke about the origin of his nickname "Crabby". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Somebody was just asking me — literally I still get asked, they're, like, 'Why does everybody call you 'Crabby'?' And I go, 'Well, it's not what you think.' [Chuckles] I have [MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist] Mick Mars to thank for that, because Mick used to go, 'Hey, Corabi.' And it somehow went from 'Hey, Corabi' to 'Hey, Corab' to 'Crab'. And that was it. I went from Corabi to Crab, and I've just been Crabby ever since. But that's a Mick Mars nickname, and it just stuck."

Corabi will release his debut full-length solo album, "New Day", on April 24 via Frontiers Music Srl.

"New Day" marks Corabi's first full-length solo album of original material. Recorded in Nashville during the summer of 2025 and produced by multi-platinum songwriter and producer Marti Frederiksen (AEROSMITH, Ozzy Osbourne, BUCKCHERRY),the album fuses classic '70s rock, soul, and blues influences into a sound that feels both timeless and deeply personal.

The record features the previously released singles "Così Bella (So Beautiful)" (2021) and "Your Own Worst Enemy" (2022),now presented as part of a rich collection of tracks that spotlight his commanding vocals, heartfelt lyrics, and masterful songwriting. Throughout the album, Corabi is joined by Marti Frederiksen, who adds backing vocals, guitars, piano, and percussion; Evan Frederiksen on drums, bass, B3 organ, electric guitar, mandolin, and programming; Richard Fortus (GUNS N' ROSES) on lead guitar; Paul Taylor (WINGER, Steve Perry) contributing piano, organ, and clavinet, as well as Charlie Starr (BLACKBERRY SMOKE) offering guitar solos. Together, they create an organic, instrument-driven sound built on real performances, melodic interplay, and soulful energy.

Corabi is a journeyman singer-songwriter and guitarist who burst on to the music scene with Hollywood Records recording artists THE SCREAM in 1991. Touring extensively throughout the United States on the strength of their songs "Man In The Moon", "I Believe In Me" and "Father Mother Son", John attracted the attention of radio, MTV, fans and critics alike.

MÖTLEY CRÜE's Nikki Sixx reached out to John after the departure of Vince Neil in 1992 and asked him to join the band for the writing and recording of their 1994 self-titled record. During the recording process of the follow-up "Generation Swine" album in late 1996, Neil returned to the band, and John started the band UNION with former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick.

UNION headed into a studio to record its debut self-titled album in 1998. With UNION, John released three albums between 1998 and 2001. Afterwards, John left UNION to join the band RATT on their 2001 summer tour, handling guitar and backing vocal duties. Touring constantly from 2001 to 2008, John eventually left the band to go out on his own.

John released the acoustic album "Unplugged" in 2012 and a live album, "Live 94, One Night In Nashville", in 2018, as well as multiple original and tribute singles. John received a phone call in 2015 to join the all-star collective called the dead daisies, and has since recorded the albums "Revolución", "Make Some Noise", "Live And Louder", "Burn It Down", "Light Em' Up" and a recently released blues covers record "Looking For Trouble".

For the last ten years, with THE DEAD DAISIES and as a solo acoustic artist, John has toured extensively in Europe, the United States, Japan, South America and Australia, playing all the major festivals and selling out shows to a growing, loyal fan base.

With his 2022 autobiography "Horseshoes And Hand Grenades" and 19 full-length records under his belt, spanning a 35-year career, John is anxious to release record number 20, and play the new songs live.

In February 2018, Corabi released a live album of his performance of MÖTLEY CRÜE's entire 1994 self-titled album, recorded on October 27, 2015 in Nashville, Tennessee. "Live '94: One Night In Nashville" documents the album in its entirety along with the bonus track "10,000 Miles", which was originally released as a bonus track on the Japanese version of the "Quaternary" EP.

Corabi's autobiography, "Horseshoes And Hand Grenades", came out in June 2022 via Rare Bird Books. It was written with the help of MÖTLEY CRÜE historian/author Paul Miles. The book's description promised to detail the singer's "life from the mean streets of Philadelphia to the Sunset Strip." It featured stories from Corabi's tenures in MÖTLEY CRÜE, UNION, RATT and THE DEAD DAISIES, as well as personal tales including "his parents' difficult divorce, his family's dark history of abuse [and] his run-in with a serial killer."