Autograph originally began in late 1983,[8] as a solo project for singer, songwriter and guitarist Steve Plunkett, who had recently left the band Silver Condor. Plunkett was playing and recording his own material with a group of his musician friends, most of whom had previously played with him in other bands:

On lead guitar was Steve Lynch, who had played with Plunkett in the band Looker. On Bass was Randy Rand who knew Plunkett from their days in Pasadena, California's club band Wolfgang, that has been described as a local legend of which Kevin Dubrow (lead singer of Quiet Riot) once said, "They smoked us all... they got a better response than us and Van Halen".[9] Playing keyboards, Steven Isham (born Steven E. Isham on November 30, 1952, in Pocatello, Idaho),[10] who had also played with mutual acquaintance Holly Penfield, was brought in to give the band a more modern sound. On drums was earlier bandmate, Keni Richards, who Plunkett knew from John Doe, rounding out the band's lineup, with Richards' friendship of Van Halen lead singer, David Lee Roth being instrumental in leading to Autograph's big break the following year.

The group of musicians began playing and recording together, soon taking the form of an actual band. Plunkett chose the name "Autograph" for the band, having been inspired by hearing Def Leppard's similarly titled song, "Photograph", on the radio. They recorded their first rough demos in late 1983, but played them only for a few close friends. One of them was Andy Johns, a famous record producer who Steve Plunkett had met while helping singer Joe Cerisano produce Silver Condor's second album Trouble At Home. Johns invited the band to re-record and upgrade the demos at the Record Plant Studios for free under his guidance. Keni Richards then played the demo for Roth, who subsequently invited the band to open for Van Halen on their 1984 tour. The band rose to prominence opening for Van Halen, ultimately playing 48 shows, an act of distinction for an unsigned band. Due to their rising popularity, Autograph soon signed a contract with RCA Records,[8] following a performance at Madison Square Garden in New York City in late 1984.