Blue Murder were an English hard rock band led by guitarist-vocalist John Sykes. The group was formed in 1987 following Sykes's dismissal from Whitesnake. The initial line-up was rounded out by bassist Tony Franklin and drummer Carmine Appice. In its nascent stage, vocalist Ray Gillen and drummer Cozy Powell were attached to the project. In 1989, Blue Murder released their self-titled debut album, which cracked the Billboard 200 chart and spawned a minor hit with "Jelly Roll". Nevertheless, the record proved to be a financial disappointment for both the band and their label Geffen Records.
By the early 1990s, Blue Murder's style of music had fallen out of fashion with the popularity of grunge. Coupled with the slow progress on a follow-up album, Franklin and Appice chose to leave the band, leaving Sykes to put together a new line-up. In 1993, Blue Murder released Nothin' But Trouble, which failed to chart. After a live album the following year, Blue Murder were dropped by their record label and broke-up. In the years since, there have been numerous attempts to reunite the band to no avail.