Lions & Ghosts were spun off from the band Voices, formed in 1987 by several La Jolla High School grads; singer Peter Kenvin, guitarist Tommy Andrews, drummer Randy Willert, and bassist Todd Hoffman. They later added keyboardist David Inglish.
Voices were signed to a management contract with Andy Slater, whose clients included Don Henley, Warren Zevon and the Beastie Boys, and he in turn got the band signed with MCA Records in May 1988. After earning a cash advance of $750,000 and a seven-album guarantee, the band released one self-titled album on MCA in August 1989, though it failed to chart and they were subsequently dropped.
Spinoff band Lions & Ghost released two albums on EMI Records; Velvet Kiss, Lick of the Lime (1987) and Wild Garden (1989). They also landed a song in the film Modern Girls, “Passion.”