Bret Michaels

As shocking as it may seem, there is an entire generation of young Americans out there who think Bret Michaels is nothing more than a reality television star, part-time pop singer and plastic surgery junkie who spent spring of 2010 battling a short list of near-fatal illnesses. That, of course, is all true. But for those of you who nursed an unhealthy addiction to Aqua Net in the 1980s, Michaels is one of hair metal's true icons, a spandex-clad hunk whose resume includes fronting Poison, getting ripped in the gym and filming himself frolicking sexually with pin-up babe Pamela Anderson. In the late 1990s, long after grunge had knocked Poison and all their trashy brethren from the top of the Billboard, Michaels launched a modestly successful solo career with the release of A Letter from Death Row, the soundtrack to a movie he wrote, directed and starred in. Though Poison has remained fairly active, the singer has found the time to release several more full-lengths. 2010's Custom Built found Michaels skirting close to Nashville. One of its highlights is the lead single "Nothing to Lose," a country-flavored ballad featuring teen sensation Miley Cyrus.