King Kobra was formed in California in 1983 and led by seasoned drummer Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge, Cactus, Bogart & Appice, Ozzy Osbourne Vanilla Fudge, Rod Stewart) when he approached Mark Free (Unruly Child) to add his vocals to some tracks he had previously written and recorded with guitarist Earl Slick (John Lennon, David Bowie).