Guitarist Richie Kotzen, bassist Billy Sheehan, and drummer Mike Portnoy formed the hard-rock supergroup The Winery Dogs in 2012. All three members had previously established themselves with other groups. Kotzen was a solo artist who formerly played guitar for both Poison and Mr. Big. Billy Sheehan had previously performed with Van Halen's initial frontman, David Lee Roth, before co-founding Mr. Big and appearing on the band's Number 1 hit, "To Be With You." Meanwhile, Portnoy was a co-founder of the prog-metal band Dream Theater, in whose lineup he remained for 25 years. Together, the three musicians made their debut as The Winery Dogs with a self-titled album in 2013. A modern interpretation of classic blues-rock, The Winery Dogs was a commercial success, reaching Number 27 on the Billboard 200, Number 5 on Billboard's Top Rock Albums, and Number 3 on Billboard's Alternative Albums. It also reached Number 18 in Japan, where the band toured heavily in support of the album's release. One of those shows was captured for the live album Unleashed in Japan 2013, and The Winery Dogs returned in 2015 with Hot Streak. The album was another international success, reaching Number 20 on the Billboard Japan Top Albums chart, Number 30 on the Billboard 200, and Number 6 on Top Rock Albums. After releasing a stopgap EP, Dog Years, in 2017, the band released its third studio album — the aptly titled III — in February 2023. The album reached Number 43 in Japan.