XYZ was originally created in Lyon, France, where Pat Fontaine and Terry Ilous were born and grew up. In 1984 they moved to Los Angeles, California, United States. XYZ started off as the unofficial house band of "The Whisky A Go Go" nightclub in Los Angeles. The original members were Terry Ilous (vocals), Bobby Pieper (guitars), Pat Fontaine (bass) and Joey Pafumi (drums). A tour of the US with Ted Nugent followed the success of their 1989 Enigma released debut album, and they were signed by major label Capitol for their second.