Panther were a band founded in 1983 by vocalist Chris Rodd, guitarist Manny Swan, bassist Craig Neilsen, and drummer Rik Walters. Their start was in the college town

College town

A college town or university town is a community which is dominated by its university population...

 of Sacramento, Ca

Sacramento, California

Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...

. After many local gigs and after opening for City Kidd (later to become Tesla

Tesla (band)

Tesla is an American hard rock band formed in Sacramento, California in 1984. They have sold 14 million albums in the United States.-Formation and Mechanical Resonance :...

) in late 1983, Panther were discovered by KK Downing of Judas Priest

Judas Priest

Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...

 at the ROCK FACTORY.

They went on to tour with Dokken

Dokken

Dokken is an American heavy metal and hard rock band formed in 1978. They split up in 1989 but reformed four years later. The group accumulated numerous charting singles and has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide...

, Ratt

Ratt

Ratt is an American heavy metal band that had significant commercial success in the 1980s. The band is best known for songs such as "Round and Round," "Wanted Man," "Lay It Down," "You're in Love", "Slip of the Lip", "Back For More", "Dance", "Body Talk", "I Want a Woman", and "Way Cool Jr." Ratt...

, Vixen

Vixen (band)

Vixen is an all-female American hard rock band which achieved some commercial success during the late 1980s and early 1990s as part of the Los Angeles, California glam metal scene.-Early years:...

, BulletBoys

BulletBoys

BulletBoys is an American hard rock group formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1987. The group's original lineup was composed of former Ratt guitarist/King Kobra lead vocalist Marq Torien , former King Kobra guitarist Mick Sweda, Lonnie Vencent and Jimmy D'Anda...

, Skid Row and many others in the mid to late 80's. They went their separate ways in 1989.
Panther released 3 EP's: Panther: Panther, Panther: Scared of the Dark, Panther: Live

Panther performs in and is prominently featured on the soundtrack of the 1987 film Computer Beach Party.