Cinderella
If you ever wanted a quick reference to where your favorite hair metal band got their start, check out this Hair Metal History Map put together by Phil D.
Phil writes… “I spent dozens of hours putting it together and now, I’m trying to share it with those who would appreciate it! It is a work in progress and I would love any suggestions or input!”
Band choices were made based on the look, subject matter, attitude, lifestyle, time period, influence, affiliated bands, radio/TV play, and Phil’s memory.
Click on any band photo to see where they are from. You can also click the ‘Timeline’ tab that will show the hair metal movement origins in 1977 and where it grew across the U.S. and Europe through 1994.
Thanks for the great work Phil!
Good Day Metal Dogs! After making our mandatory time lurch this past weekend, I think I am finally back on track. Daylight savings time can be eliminated anytime and I would be okay with that.
Has BRIAN JOHNSON been ‘kicked to the curb’ by AC/DC? That’s the claim by comedian and friend of the AC/DC singer, Jim Breuer, who says that Johnson spoke to AC/DC management and Angus Young to explain the situation with his hearing loss, that he didn’t think it’s as bad as the doctor said it is, but “literally the next day in the press, it was ‘Brian Johnson, tour canceled, he’s losing his hearing.'”
Breuer added that despite Johnson being in the band for 36 years, he still felt like a hired gun. Johnson also believes that Young, who is seven years his junior, wants to keep AC/DC going for another decade. “[Brian] explained how Angus is the youngest guy in the band,” Breuer said. “He’s convinced Angus wants to continue the next ten years whether it’s him or not. [Angus] wants to write another album and do one more tour. Who’s filling those shoes? How do you do that after forty years? It’s just really weird.”
CINDERELLA bassist Eric Brittingham doesn’t think Tom Keifer is coming back to the band, saying in a recent interview, “That is the big question. It’s, like, what are we doing? It’s been four years now that Tom’s been on his own. We’re not making any new music [and] he is, so I guess that’s probably the answer right there.”
Happy Birthday to TWISTED SISTER singer Dee Snider. He turns 61 today. Did you know that during the mid-80’s, before the premiere of Headbangers Ball, the first MTV program to consist entirely of heavy metal videos was ‘Heavy Metal Mania’ and was hosted by Dee Snider? Check out a short video promo of the show from 1985 below and note the cameo of a recently deceased metal legend at the :16 mark.
Occasionally you may hear a voice on METAL SHOP saying things like “That metal music is good for the soul and colon” or “Let’s put the fun back in funeral my friend.” That voice belongs to my longtime friend, Dan Jungle Rooster McCutcheon, who is celebrating another year above ground today. Happy Birthday Dan F!
Happy Birthday to Radovan Jakovljevic listening to METAL SHOP in New York.
That’s the latest in the world of 80’s metal and hard rock for now. Thanks to everyone for participating, liking, or lurking. Have a kick ass Tuesday!
Welcome to a Wednesday 80’s Metal Dogs! Sometimes I do miss my mullet. I started growing it around 1985 and now I can’t grow anything, but bald is beautiful too 🙂
The term “supergroup” gets thrown around on a regular basis these days, however, a new tour featuring some of the greatest guitarists of all time is about to truly give the term a whole new meaning. It’s called “Generation Axe” and features Steve Vai, Zakk Wylde, Yngwie Malmsteen, Nuno Bettencourt and Tosin Abasi. There will be 26 performances in North America, beginning April 5th in Seattle.
Next week, the new documentary, We Are Twisted F***ing Sister!, which focuses on the 10 years the group spent playing as a full-time bar band before finally making it big, will be released on DVD, VOD and digital download (Feb. 23). Dee Snider recently discussed the movie saying, “If you’re from the Northeast, there’s a reference and understanding of the importance of Twisted Sister. That’s why you’ll see bands like Cinderella and Bon Jovi, Kix and Poison, Anthrax and Overkill. When they talk about Twisted, it’s like they’re talking about somebody that’s in their band. People from the West Coast, and overseas and South America, they get confused — ‘this is the band with two songs?’ The bands I mentioned, growing up in the Northeast, they were aware of the Twisted presence and the Twisted influence over these bands. So many of them would get in line with thousands of others to see Twisted Sister in a bar or a club, packed to the rafters to see this band. It’s great for that story to finally be made available.”
AC/DC released their debut album (only in Australia) ‘High Voltage’ today in 1975. The album featured ‘She’s Got Balls’ which was written about singer Bon Scott’s ex-wife Irene. At some point, she had complained he had never written a song about her; lead guitarist Angus Young said: “So he wrote She’s Got Balls and she left him!”
KING DIAMOND also released their debut album “Fatal Portrait” in 1986 and today in 1984, MEGADETH played their first-ever show at Ruthie’s Inn in Berkeley, California. The line-up consisted of Dave Mustaine on guitar, David Ellefson on bass, Kerry King on guitar and Lee Rausch on drums. Check out the original flyer below.
At the peak of the hair band run, David Coverdale married actress Tawny Kitaen (known for her provocative appearances in Whitesnake’s music videos ‘Here I Go Again, ‘Is This Love’ and ‘Still of the Night’) today in 1989. The couple divorced in 1991.
Finally, here’s a fun time suck – 100 Metal Facts You Might Not Know, including Rob Halford worked at a porno movie theatre before he joined JUDAS PRIEST and early era IRON MAIDEN singer Dennis Wilcock quitting the band because the other members wouldn’t follow his lead and don KISS-inspired makeup, and this one… Between his stints in METALLICA and MEGADETH, Dave Mustaine worked as a telemarketer… “Hello me, meet the real me and will Tuesday at 4pm work for me to come by and demonstrate our new vacuum cleaner?” Click Here for more.
If you are on twitter, be sure to follow METAL SHOP there for songs now playing and ALL the latest 80’s Metal/Hair Band News – Click Here.
Now go rock the day and thanks for listening!
Pasadena Star-News: (Keifer) began experiencing vocal troubles while touring in support of the group’s third album, “Heartbreak Station.”
“The onset of the problems was pretty sudden, almost overnight,” Keifer said. “It was towards the end of the tour. We only had a few weeks left when I noticed that my voice just started breaking and cracking, more in the middle register of my voice, and I couldn’t control the notes.”
The doctor went on to tell him that most singers don’t sing again or don’t sound like they did before. He also said that there wasn’t a cure, but with extensive therapy, working with speech pathologists and vocal coaches, Keifer might be able to teach his vocal cords to respond normally again.
It took Keifer more than three years of working with coaches to get enough strength to sing again. When it was time to record a new album (“Still Climbing”) his vocals were pieced together in the studio.
There have been other obstacles over the years, including vocal strain. Keifer also has had six surgeries on his throat to fix “collateral damage,” including several hemorrhages. But Keifer says his vocal paresis also has a good side.
“One of the positive things that came out of this whole mess is that from the voice training I learned a lot of things and developed different areas of my voice,” he said. “The middle part of my voice in particular, it’s probably a little stronger than it used to be, although it’s still volatile from day to day. But on a good day I can do things that maybe I couldn’t do before this.”