Burst Into Fame

Teeming with guns, drugs, and poverty, growing up on the violent streets of Lawrence, Massachusetts, could easily have turned Sully Erna into a household name for all the wrong reasons. Instead, with music as his outlet starting when he was just 3 years old, Erna used it as a successful means to escape.

From humble beginnings in a gritty city northwest of Boston and making it through some crazy years “being really good at being bad” to becoming one of rock’s top superstars, Erna says he wouldn’t change a thing about his turbulent childhood.

Catching Fire

It’s interesting to think what Erna may have become had music not run through his veins. Instead, the frontman for Godsmack is preparing to celebrate the band’s 30-year anniversary next year.

“I am really proud of the way the band has stayed together over the years,” the 56-year-old lead singer and songwriter said in a recent interview. “We got through a lot of tough times when some bands would let their egos get in the way and would have broken up. There were lots of drugs, drinking, and hangovers, but we got help and now we’re a really tight family. We were able to fight to get to the other side.”

Over the past three decades, Godsmack has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide, had three consecutive No. 1 debut albums, and more top 10 singles than any other band in rock history. To date, Godsmack has eight albums, and earned four Grammy Awards nominations, two iHeartRadio Music Awards nominations, and one Billboard Music Awards win.

Reflecting on their accolades, Erna and fellow Godsmack members bassist Robbie Merrill, lead guitarist Tony Rombola, and drummer Shannon Larkin, decided their latest album, “Lighting Up the Sky,” would be their final studio album.

“We were talking about everything we have done along the way and talked about building the tour,” Erna said. “We have had 27 Top 10 singles and 13 number ones, so even if we played back-to-back shows, we wouldn’t be playing all the fan favorites, so we had an epiphany. We thought about our fans and what they wanted.

“When people go see their favorite band, they want to hear their favorite songs, not necessarily the new stuff. It would be like going to an Aerosmith concert and not having them play ‘Dream On,’” he explained. “We thought maybe we have arrived and decided it was time to honor our catalog, so we decided to create the best show we can.”

From Godsmack’s four-time platinum self-titled debut to last year’s final album, the band’s top songs, “Voodoo,” “Awake,” “I Stand Alone,” and “Under Your Scars,” are deeply rooted in their hard-core fan base. While their final studio album may be their last, this is hardly the end for Godsmack, which recently had a hot fall tour.

“‘When Legends Rise’ is a great song to perform live,” he said. “‘You and I’ is also a fun one because it feels like a 70s rock song, and ‘Awake’ is great for its drum battle.”

Kindling the Dream

Some fans may not know that Erna is a multi-instrumentalist, initially starting as a powerhouse drummer before transitioning to vocalist and lead songwriter. “John Bonham and Buddy Rich shaped my play as a drummer, and then I started looking at frontmen like James Hetfield and Steven Tyler,” he said. “They helped define me as a musician, and Joe Perry made me want to transition to become a rock star.”

To become the rock star he yearned to be, Erna said he had to look the part which meant covering himself in tattoos. “Tattoos haven’t been in my life for a long time,” he admitted. “There was a moment when I wanted to shape myself as a rock star, so I needed to look like one. I didn’t have a lot of money, so I dated a stripper who paid for some. I look down at my old tattoos and they don’t have a lot of significant meaning, but I do remember the times I got them. I have a portrait of my daughter, who is one of the most important people in my life, on my chest.”

Another favorite tattoo can be found on Erna’s back. “I’m not religious, but I consider myself spiritual which helps me to expand my mind more,” he said, explaining, “Down my spine, I have a star at the back of my neck and eight moon cycles that end with an inverted star to symbolize the reverse of polarities. The Wiccan religion was also pivotal in my life. I was looking for faith and this earthy, Native American religion helped me find balance, so I also have one that is a star inside a circle.”

Over the years, the avid motorcycle enthusiast collected several bikes, including choppers and a customized 1998 Harley-Davidson Softail. Erna’s go-to bike now is a stripped-down 2005 Ultra Classic “that’s really comfortable.” Laughing, he said, “As you get older, you look cool, but you don’t feel too cool.”

Stoked By the Flame

Godsmack songs are emotional, and Erna admits that some were difficult for him to write. “Everything on the first album was raw,” he said. “I was going through a heavy breakup that broke my heart. There are some songs on that record where I remember being in that place. On our last album, there’s a song called ‘Truth’ that’s about someone who betrayed our relationship. We were heading toward marriage and that was the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

In 2016, Erna shared his journey in a memoir titled “The Paths We Choose.” “I never planned on writing a book,” he said. “It started out reminiscing over some stories and then I thought I wouldn’t believe some of the stories if I hadn’t lived them. Then I started collecting stories, had a manuscript, was writing a book, and started to feel a story of perseverance.”

Last year, he produced a documentary, “I Stand Alone: The Sully Erna Story,” that spans his formative years to where he is today. “The documentary came about after the book,” he explained. “A documentary is tough to fit 30 years of your life into just 90 minutes, but it’s about endurance, hanging in, and allowing time to shine. You will really get your chance if you hang in there long enough. You can’t crumble, although there were many times I wanted to.”

Today, Erna serves as an inspiration with his mental health nonprofit The Scars Foundation (scarsfoundation.org), which he founded after losing several close friends to overdoses and suicides. “I was tired of losing people to things we can’t see,” he said. “We need to come up with a system to help people.

“I had a lot of experience with mental illness growing up on the streets of Lawrence, and never knew I had experience with mental illness,” he continued. “Through the foundation, we provide assistance with suicide prevention, addiction, and PTSD. We are in our sixth year partnering with great people and businesses. We are soon going to have a new category to help widows and people who have lost a child. They are heavy topics, but scars are left on someone in pain, and pain doesn’t know the difference. It just hurts.”

During a recent collaboration with Nashville musician Cory Marks, Erna was approached to see if he was interested in doing vocals on a single, “Make My Country Rock.” When asked if he will eventually transition into a country rock star, with a laugh he said, “I don’t categorize music. I just thought it was a great song.”

Erna, who “focuses on one thing at a time with intense laser focus,” wanted to close out 2024 as “big and strong” as possible. “I have learned how to balance life and am giving my daughter and family more time,” he said. “I may do some collaborations in 2025. I may do something solo, and I may even get back into acting.”

Now evolved from a life of unease and scarcity to a charmed one abounding with chart-topping songs, awards, passion projects, and abundant thrills on two wheels, 2025 already looks promising.

Concert photography by: Paris Visone & Francesca Ludikar