Cinderella (band)
Encyclopedia
Cinderella is an American
heavy metal
band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. They emerged in the mid-1980s with a series of multi-platinum albums and hit singles whose music video
s received heavy MTV
rotation. They were famous for being a glam metal
band, but then shifted over towards a more hard rock
/blues-rock
sound. By the mid-1990s, the band's popularity declined severely due to personal setbacks, break-ups, and changes in music industry. Nonetheless, after a period of hiatus the band reunited and is still active at present. The band has sold 20 million albums worldwide.
, keyboardist
, and guitarist
Tom Keifer
and bassist
Eric Brittingham
. The initial lineup also included guitarist
Michael Smerick
and drummer
Tony Destra
. In 1985, Smerick and Destra left to form Britny Fox
, another Philadelphia-based glam metal
band that later relocated to Los Angeles
. Cinderella got their big break when Jon Bon Jovi
saw them perform at the Empire Rock Club
in Philadelphia and recommended that his A&R
rep Derek Shulman
who knew of the band, to see them as well. In 1985, with a recording contract
with Mercury/Polygram Records in the works, guitarist
Jeff LaBar
and drummer
Jim Drnec
joined the band.
During the recording of the band's debut album, Night Songs
, studio session drummer Jody Cortez
was brought in to help. While finishing the recording, Drnec was replaced by former London
drummer Fred Coury
, who joined in time to make the album's cover and play on upcoming tours. Night Songs was released on August 2, 1986 and eventually achieved triple platinum
status, selling 50,000 copies per week at one point. The album reached #3 on the Billboard charts in February 1987. By the end of 1987, the band released a video compilation called "Night Songs" to accompany the album, featuring the promotional videos from the album plus 3 live songs recorded on their 1986 tour.
Cinderella's first tour was in 1986 with fellow glam metal rockers Poison
, opening for Japan
ese heavy metal band Loudness
. Further tours into 1987 were spent playing to large arena
audiences: five months opening for former Van Halen
frontman David Lee Roth
, and seven months with Bon Jovi
, taking the opening slot for their Slippery When Wet
tour. Later that year, the band went overseas, appearing in Japan, Scandinavia
, and at the Monsters of Rock
festivals in United Kingdom
and Germany
.
Cinderella's second album, Long Cold Winter
, was released in 1988. It signified a shift towards a blues-rock
sound, though it could still be described as glam metal. A 254-show tour to support the album lasted over 14 months and included dates on the Moscow Music Peace Festival
alongside other metal acts, such as Ozzy Osbourne
, Scorpions
, Mötley Crüe
, Bon Jovi
, and Skid Row. The tour's stage show included Tom Keifer being lowered to the stage while playing a white piano during their radio hit "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)
".
On April 17, 1990, the band released another accompanying Video called "Tales from the Gypsy Road" featuring the 4 promo videos plus 2 live medleys, the second of which contained a cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd
's famous "Sweet Home Alabama".
, was released in 1990. It featured more songs than Long Cold Winter that were influenced by Keifer's love of the blues
. Following the accompanying tour, Fred Coury left the band and joined former Ratt
vocalist Stephen Pearcy
in the band Arcade
.
In 1991, Keifer lost his voice
due to a paresis
of his vocal cords
. He underwent several surgeries to repair a vocal cyst and hemorrhage. This added to delays in the recording of the band's fourth album, Still Climbing. It was finally released in 1994 with Kenny Aronoff
on drums, but the album quickly disappeared from the charts. Mercury Records
consequently dropped the band which went on hiatus in 1995.
Cinderella resumed activity in 1996, the same year Mercury Records
released a greatest hits compilation titled Once Upon A...
. The group toured the United States in 1998, with one stop captured on the live album Live at the Key Club, which was released in 1999 through Cleopatra Records
. Fans say Cinderella was one of the best of the "80s hard rock" bands with exceptional song-writing and solid live performances.
In 1997 Mercury Records
released a video compilation containing all of the bands promo videos from the first 3 albums.
to Sony Records. However, the band was dropped by the label before a new album could be released, plunging the band into three years of litigation. Cinderella toured again in 2000 and 2002.
Cinderella headlined the VH1 Classic
Rock Never Stops
2005 summer tour. Also in 2005, Cinderella toured with FireHouse, RATT
, and Quiet Riot
. Mercury Records
released the compilation Rocked, Wired & Bluesed: The Greatest Hits
on CD and DVD.
In 2006 Cinderella toured with Poison. Both bands celebrated the 20th anniversary of their debut albums, Night Songs
and Look What the Cat Dragged In. Cinderella planned to tour in 2008 with Warrant, Lynch Mob
, and Lynam
, but on June 13 that year, Tim Heyne, the band's manager, said in a press release: “It is with unbelievably deep regret that I must announce that Cinderella's Tom Keifer's left vocal cord has hemorrhaged, thereby making it impossible for him to sing in the immediate future.” Lebar was interviewed by Ultimate-Guitar and stated that Cinderella would love to make a new record but there were obstacles holding the group back. They still were not signed to a record label after Sony dropped the band in 2000. Lebar also stated that he is busy with his new band, Freakshow, which features Frankie Banali of Quiet Riot
, and Eric is busy with Naked Beggars.
A message posted to the Cinderella message board in spring of 2009 stated that Keifer's voice has returned to normal. Promoters from the 2009 Rock Gone Wild Festival confirmed that the band was scheduled to perform at two festivals in late summer or early fall of 2009.
2010. On February 26, 2010, it was announced that Cinderella will be the headliner of the MSC Poesia sailing from Fort Lauderdale on November 11, 2010. Cinderella are confirmed for the Main Stage at the Download Festival
, at Donington Park
, England
in June 2010. July 2010 sees Cinderella taking the stage to open for Bret Michaels
, during the Common Ground Music Festival in Lansing, MI, with an original line-up of stars including Tom Keifer
, Eric Brittingham
, Jeff LaBar
and Fred Coury
. They will the follow that with 14 dates in the US supporting Scorpions on their Get Your Sting and Blackout farewell tour.
Cinderella played at the Download festival in the UK in June 2010, the Rock Jam near Grand Junction, Colorado, Friday, August 27, and also the Oregon State Fair on September 4, 2010. In November 2010 Cinderella joined a variety of other hard rock acts on the cruise entitled "ShipRocked
".
In 2011 Cinderella undertook a 25th anniversary world tour. 20 shows were confirmed from April through July. During the tour, they successfully headlined the first edition of the "Shout It Out Loud" Festival in Germany.
Live members
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. They emerged in the mid-1980s with a series of multi-platinum albums and hit singles whose music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s received heavy MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
rotation. They were famous for being a glam metal
Glam metal
Glam metal is a subgenre of hard rock and heavy metal that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States, particularly on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip music scene...
band, but then shifted over towards a more hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
/blues-rock
Blues-rock
Blues rock is a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles. The core of the blues rock sound is created by the electric guitar, piano, bass guitar and drum kit, with the electric guitar usually amplified through a...
sound. By the mid-1990s, the band's popularity declined severely due to personal setbacks, break-ups, and changes in music industry. Nonetheless, after a period of hiatus the band reunited and is still active at present. The band has sold 20 million albums worldwide.
1980s
Cinderella was formed in Philadelphia in 1983 by singer-songwriterSinger-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
, and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Tom Keifer
Tom Keifer
Carl Thomas Keifer is an American vocalist for the band Cinderella.-Early life:Keifer grew up in a musical family and began playing guitar at a young age. Keifer soon fell in love with the blues and was heavily influenced by this kind of music.Keifer joined his first rock band while in junior high...
and bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Eric Brittingham
Eric Brittingham
Eric Brittingham is a bass guitarist most famous for playing in the band Cinderella. He also was in a side-band with Cinderella bandmate Jeff LaBar simultaneously, called Naked Beggars, of which his wife, Inga Brittingham, is the lead vocalist.Brittingham suffered a 'mild heart attack' in...
. The initial lineup also included guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Michael Smerick
Michael Smerick
Michael Smerick , known professionally as Michael Kelly Smith, is an American guitarist who formerly played for the Glam metal band Cinderella. Following his departure from Cinderella, he joined up with Dean Davidson to form Britny Fox and became their Lead guitarist...
and drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Tony Destra
Tony Destra
Tony Destra , was an American drummer who played for the glam metal bands Cinderella and Britny Fox. Before Cinderella or Britny Fox, Tony was the skinsman for another popular Philly area band called Enforcer. The singer for Enforcer was Bill Mattson who would gain later recognition as the frontman...
. In 1985, Smerick and Destra left to form Britny Fox
Britny Fox
Britny Fox was an American Glam metal band from the Philadelphia area, initially active from 1985 to 1992 then subsequently reforming in 2000. They are best known for their music video for "Girlschool" and their hit "Long Way to Love" .-History:...
, another Philadelphia-based glam metal
Glam metal
Glam metal is a subgenre of hard rock and heavy metal that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States, particularly on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip music scene...
band that later relocated to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Cinderella got their big break when Jon Bon Jovi
Jon Bon Jovi
Jon Bon Jovi is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor, best known as the founder, occasional rhythm guitarist, and lead singer of rock band Bon Jovi, which was named after him...
saw them perform at the Empire Rock Club
Empire Rock Club
Empire Rock Club was a live music venue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and an important influence on the 1980s east coast glam metal music scene.-History:...
in Philadelphia and recommended that his A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
rep Derek Shulman
Derek Shulman
Derek Shulman is a British musician and singer, multi-instrumentalist, and record executive...
who knew of the band, to see them as well. In 1985, with a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with Mercury/Polygram Records in the works, guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Jeff LaBar
Jeff LaBar
Jeffrey Philip LaBar is an American guitarist most famous for playing in the band Cinderella, in which he replaced original guitarist Michael Smerick, also known as Michael Kelly Smith. LaBar also has a side band with Cinderella bandmate Eric Brittingham called Naked Beggars...
and drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Jim Drnec
Jim Drnec
Jim Drnec is a drummer who played for the band Cinderella. He replaced original Cinderella drummer Tony Destra, who went on to the band Britny Fox. Drnec was himself replaced by drummer Fred Coury, although session player Jody Cortez played on Cinderella's first official album, Night Songs...
joined the band.
During the recording of the band's debut album, Night Songs
Night Songs
Night Songs is Cinderella's debut album, released in 1986 through Mercury Records in America and Vertigo Records in Europe. It sold several million copies due to a combination of their breakthrough single "Nobody's Fool", MTV airplay, and an opening slot on labelmates Bon Jovi's tour, in support of...
, studio session drummer Jody Cortez
Jody Cortez
Jody Cortez is a drummer who began his professional career at the age of 21 when he began to tour with Boz Scaggs in 1981. He once played drums for Cinderella...
was brought in to help. While finishing the recording, Drnec was replaced by former London
London (heavy metal band)
London is an American heavy metal band, based in Hollywood, California. The band is perhaps most notable for featuring members that would go on to play in more famous bands such as Mötley Crüe, Guns N' Roses, W.A.S.P...
drummer Fred Coury
Fred Coury
Fred Coury is best known as the drummer for the glam metal band Cinderella. Coury lists Neil Peart, Peter Criss, Bobby Blotzer, Eric Carr, Tommy Lee and Tommy Aldridge as his drumming inspirations....
, who joined in time to make the album's cover and play on upcoming tours. Night Songs was released on August 2, 1986 and eventually achieved triple platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
status, selling 50,000 copies per week at one point. The album reached #3 on the Billboard charts in February 1987. By the end of 1987, the band released a video compilation called "Night Songs" to accompany the album, featuring the promotional videos from the album plus 3 live songs recorded on their 1986 tour.
Cinderella's first tour was in 1986 with fellow glam metal rockers Poison
Poison (band)
Poison is an American glam metal band that achieved great success in the mid-1980s to mid-1990s. To date, Poison has sold over 30 million records worldwide and have sold 15 million records in the United States alone. The band has also charted ten singles to the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100,...
, opening for Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese heavy metal band Loudness
Loudness (band)
is a Japan-based heavy metal band formed in 1981 by guitarist Akira Takasaki and drummer Munetaka Higuchi. They were the first Japanese heavy metal act signed to a major label in the United States, releasing twenty-three studio albums...
. Further tours into 1987 were spent playing to large arena
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
audiences: five months opening for former Van Halen
Van Halen
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
frontman David Lee Roth
David Lee Roth
David Lee Roth is an American rock vocalist, songwriter, actor, author, and former radio personality. Roth was ranked nineteenth by Hit Parader on their list of the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Singers of All Time....
, and seven months with Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
, taking the opening slot for their Slippery When Wet
Slippery When Wet
Slippery When Wet is the third studio album by Bon Jovi, released in August 1986 by Vertigo Records. Slippery When Wet was an instant commercial success. The album features songs that are today considered as Bon Jovi's most well-known tracks such as "You Give Love a Bad Name", "Livin' on a Prayer"...
tour. Later that year, the band went overseas, appearing in Japan, Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
, and at the Monsters of Rock
Monsters of Rock
Monsters of Rock was an annual music festival held in England, then moved in other locations like The Netherlands, France, Italy, Germany, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Chile.The Last show was in 2008....
festivals in United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Cinderella's second album, Long Cold Winter
Long Cold Winter
Long Cold Winter is Cinderella's second studio album, released in 1988 through Mercury Records. It reached #10 in the US and became double-platinum for shipping 2 million copies in the US by the end of the year, just as their debut album Night Songs had done earlier. It was later certified triple...
, was released in 1988. It signified a shift towards a blues-rock
Blues-rock
Blues rock is a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles. The core of the blues rock sound is created by the electric guitar, piano, bass guitar and drum kit, with the electric guitar usually amplified through a...
sound, though it could still be described as glam metal. A 254-show tour to support the album lasted over 14 months and included dates on the Moscow Music Peace Festival
Moscow Music Peace Festival
The Moscow Music Peace Festival was a one-time gathering of high-profile hard rock acts for a performance in Moscow, Soviet Union on 12 and 13 August 1989 to promote world peace and establish international cooperation in fighting the drug war in Russia. It was part of an era of momentous change in...
alongside other metal acts, such as Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
, Scorpions
Scorpions (band)
Scorpions are a heavy metal/hard rock band from Hannover, Germany, formed in 1965 by guitarist Rudolf Schenker, who is the band's only constant member. They are known for their 1980s rock anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and many singles, such as "No One Like You", "Send Me an Angel", "Still...
, Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
, Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
, and Skid Row. The tour's stage show included Tom Keifer being lowered to the stage while playing a white piano during their radio hit "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)
Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)
"Don't Know What You Got " is a power ballad written and performed by the Glam metal band Cinderella, from their second album Long Cold Winter. It was their most successful single, peaking at number 12 on the charts in November 1988. It was released in August 1988.It is featured in the South Park...
".
On April 17, 1990, the band released another accompanying Video called "Tales from the Gypsy Road" featuring the 4 promo videos plus 2 live medleys, the second of which contained a cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird...
's famous "Sweet Home Alabama".
1990s
Cinderella's third album, Heartbreak StationHeartbreak Station
Heartbreak Station is Cinderella's third studio album, released in 1990 through Mercury Records. It hit #19 in the US and went platinum for shipping a million albums there the same year...
, was released in 1990. It featured more songs than Long Cold Winter that were influenced by Keifer's love of the blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
. Following the accompanying tour, Fred Coury left the band and joined former Ratt
Ratt
Ratt is an American heavy metal band that had significant commercial success in the 1980s. The band is best known for songs such as "Round and Round," "Wanted Man," "Lay It Down," "You're in Love", "Slip of the Lip", "Back For More", "Dance", "Body Talk", "I Want a Woman", and "Way Cool Jr." Ratt...
vocalist Stephen Pearcy
Stephen Pearcy
Stephen Erica Pearcy is the lead singer of the 80's metal band Ratt. He has also been in the bands Arcade, Vicious Delite, Vertex, Nitronic, and Band From Hell...
in the band Arcade
Arcade (band)
Arcade is a rock band formed in 1991 by ex-Ratt vocalist Stephen Pearcy, ex-Sea Hags guitarist Frankie Wilsex , ex-Talas/Michael Monroe guitarist Johnny Angel, and Cinderella drummer Fred Coury. Its originally proposed name was to be Taboo....
.
In 1991, Keifer lost his voice
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
due to a paresis
Paresis
Paresis is a condition typified by partial loss of voluntary movement or by impaired movement. When used without qualifiers, it usually refers to the limbs, but it also can be used to describe the muscles of the eyes , the stomach , and also the vocal cords...
of his vocal cords
Vocal folds
The vocal folds, also known commonly as vocal cords, are composed of twin infoldings of mucous membrane stretched horizontally across the larynx...
. He underwent several surgeries to repair a vocal cyst and hemorrhage. This added to delays in the recording of the band's fourth album, Still Climbing. It was finally released in 1994 with Kenny Aronoff
Kenny Aronoff
Kenny Aronoff is an American drummer. He has played drums for many musicians, including John Mellencamp, Bob Seger, Belinda Carlisle, Elton John, John Fogerty, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Meat Loaf, The BoDeans, Gregg Alexander, The Smashing Pumpkins, Tony Iommi, Jon Bon Jovi, Vasco Rossi, Cinderella and...
on drums, but the album quickly disappeared from the charts. Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
consequently dropped the band which went on hiatus in 1995.
Cinderella resumed activity in 1996, the same year Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
released a greatest hits compilation titled Once Upon A...
Once Upon A...
Once Upon A... is a compilation/greatest hits album released by Cinderella in 1997, with their biggest hits plus a previously unreleased track, and a Janis Joplin cover from the 1991 album, Stairway to Heaven/Highway to Hell.-Track listing:...
. The group toured the United States in 1998, with one stop captured on the live album Live at the Key Club, which was released in 1999 through Cleopatra Records
Cleopatra Records
Cleopatra Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label.- History :Founded in 1992 by Brian Perera, it specializes in gothic rock, hard rock, heavy metal and reissues of out-of-print music...
. Fans say Cinderella was one of the best of the "80s hard rock" bands with exceptional song-writing and solid live performances.
In 1997 Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
released a video compilation containing all of the bands promo videos from the first 3 albums.
2000s
Around 1999, the band was signed by John KalodnerJohn Kalodner
John David Kalodner is a retired American A&R executive. His achievements included signing Foreigner, AC/DC, Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins to Atlantic Records in the seventies....
to Sony Records. However, the band was dropped by the label before a new album could be released, plunging the band into three years of litigation. Cinderella toured again in 2000 and 2002.
Cinderella headlined the VH1 Classic
VH1 Classic
VH1 Classic is a television network, launched on May 8, 2000. It is operated as part of MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom and primarily features music videos and concert footage from the 1970s through the mid-1990s, though it formerly included a wider range of genres and time periods...
Rock Never Stops
Rock Never Stops Tour
Rock Never Stops is a U.S. rock tour that features various rock groups of the 1980s and 1990s. The tour started in 1998 with L.A. Guns, FireHouse, Slaughter, Warrant and Quiet Riot. However, the line-up has changed through the years adding various bands of the genre.-Tour lineup:The tour's lineup...
2005 summer tour. Also in 2005, Cinderella toured with FireHouse, RATT
Ratt
Ratt is an American heavy metal band that had significant commercial success in the 1980s. The band is best known for songs such as "Round and Round," "Wanted Man," "Lay It Down," "You're in Love", "Slip of the Lip", "Back For More", "Dance", "Body Talk", "I Want a Woman", and "Way Cool Jr." Ratt...
, and Quiet Riot
Quiet Riot
Quiet Riot is an American Heavy Metal band. They are best known for their hit singles "Metal Health" and "Cum On Feel the Noize". They were founded in 1973 by guitarist Randy Rhoads and bassist Kelly Garni, under the original name Mach 1, before changing the name to Little Women and finally Quiet...
. Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
released the compilation Rocked, Wired & Bluesed: The Greatest Hits
Rocked, Wired & Bluesed: The Greatest Hits
Rocked, Wired & Bluesed: The Greatest Hits is a compilation/greatest hits album released by Cinderella in 2005, featuring tracks from their entire catalog.-Track listing:# "Night Songs" - 4:12# "Shake Me" - 3:44# "Nobody's Fool" 4:47...
on CD and DVD.
In 2006 Cinderella toured with Poison. Both bands celebrated the 20th anniversary of their debut albums, Night Songs
Night Songs
Night Songs is Cinderella's debut album, released in 1986 through Mercury Records in America and Vertigo Records in Europe. It sold several million copies due to a combination of their breakthrough single "Nobody's Fool", MTV airplay, and an opening slot on labelmates Bon Jovi's tour, in support of...
and Look What the Cat Dragged In. Cinderella planned to tour in 2008 with Warrant, Lynch Mob
Lynch Mob (band)
Lynch Mob is an American band featuring former Dokken guitarist George Lynch, who has been the band's only permanent member. The rest of the original band which featured Oni Logan, Anthony Esposito and Mick Brown have come and gone, and in some cases, come back.-1989 Formation:Lynch Mob was formed...
, and Lynam
Lynam (band)
-History:Formed in Alabama in 2001 after the breakup of Jacob Bunton's major-label band Mars Electric, Lynam is often aligned with the retro metal movement of the mid-2000s generation. Led by frontman and principal songwriter Jacob Bunton, the band is heavily influenced by Def Leppard and has drawn...
, but on June 13 that year, Tim Heyne, the band's manager, said in a press release: “It is with unbelievably deep regret that I must announce that Cinderella's Tom Keifer's left vocal cord has hemorrhaged, thereby making it impossible for him to sing in the immediate future.” Lebar was interviewed by Ultimate-Guitar and stated that Cinderella would love to make a new record but there were obstacles holding the group back. They still were not signed to a record label after Sony dropped the band in 2000. Lebar also stated that he is busy with his new band, Freakshow, which features Frankie Banali of Quiet Riot
Quiet Riot
Quiet Riot is an American Heavy Metal band. They are best known for their hit singles "Metal Health" and "Cum On Feel the Noize". They were founded in 1973 by guitarist Randy Rhoads and bassist Kelly Garni, under the original name Mach 1, before changing the name to Little Women and finally Quiet...
, and Eric is busy with Naked Beggars.
A message posted to the Cinderella message board in spring of 2009 stated that Keifer's voice has returned to normal. Promoters from the 2009 Rock Gone Wild Festival confirmed that the band was scheduled to perform at two festivals in late summer or early fall of 2009.
2010 to present
Cinderella confirmed on their message board that they would be touring in 2010 with two warm up dates already confirmed. It was announced on February 22 that Cinderella will be a part of Rocklahoma 2010 in Pryor Oklahoma and Sweden Rock FestivalSweden Rock Festival
Sweden Rock Festival is an annual rock/metal festival held in Sweden since 6 June 1992. While having a clear rock/metal focus, the festival is noted for its diversity across these genres, having featured southern rock bands such as Molly Hatchet to death metal legends like Obituary.The first...
2010. On February 26, 2010, it was announced that Cinderella will be the headliner of the MSC Poesia sailing from Fort Lauderdale on November 11, 2010. Cinderella are confirmed for the Main Stage at the Download Festival
Download Festival
The Download Festival is a three day rock music festival held annually at Donington Park, England . It usually takes place in June...
, at Donington Park
Donington Park
Donington Park is a motorsport circuit near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England.Originally part of the Donington Hall estate, it was created as a racing circuit during the pre-war period when the German Silver Arrows were battling for the European Championship...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in June 2010. July 2010 sees Cinderella taking the stage to open for Bret Michaels
Bret Michaels
Bret Michaels is an American musician, actor, director, screenwriter, producer and reality television personality. He first gained fame as the lead vocalist of the glam metal band Poison. Besides his career as lead singer, he has several solo albums to his credit, as well as one chart single...
, during the Common Ground Music Festival in Lansing, MI, with an original line-up of stars including Tom Keifer
Tom Keifer
Carl Thomas Keifer is an American vocalist for the band Cinderella.-Early life:Keifer grew up in a musical family and began playing guitar at a young age. Keifer soon fell in love with the blues and was heavily influenced by this kind of music.Keifer joined his first rock band while in junior high...
, Eric Brittingham
Eric Brittingham
Eric Brittingham is a bass guitarist most famous for playing in the band Cinderella. He also was in a side-band with Cinderella bandmate Jeff LaBar simultaneously, called Naked Beggars, of which his wife, Inga Brittingham, is the lead vocalist.Brittingham suffered a 'mild heart attack' in...
, Jeff LaBar
Jeff LaBar
Jeffrey Philip LaBar is an American guitarist most famous for playing in the band Cinderella, in which he replaced original guitarist Michael Smerick, also known as Michael Kelly Smith. LaBar also has a side band with Cinderella bandmate Eric Brittingham called Naked Beggars...
and Fred Coury
Fred Coury
Fred Coury is best known as the drummer for the glam metal band Cinderella. Coury lists Neil Peart, Peter Criss, Bobby Blotzer, Eric Carr, Tommy Lee and Tommy Aldridge as his drumming inspirations....
. They will the follow that with 14 dates in the US supporting Scorpions on their Get Your Sting and Blackout farewell tour.
Cinderella played at the Download festival in the UK in June 2010, the Rock Jam near Grand Junction, Colorado, Friday, August 27, and also the Oregon State Fair on September 4, 2010. In November 2010 Cinderella joined a variety of other hard rock acts on the cruise entitled "ShipRocked
Shiprocked
ShipRocked is an annual rock music festival at sea, featuring live onboard performances by a number of hard rock and heavy metal performers on multiple stages throughout the ship...
".
In 2011 Cinderella undertook a 25th anniversary world tour. 20 shows were confirmed from April through July. During the tour, they successfully headlined the first edition of the "Shout It Out Loud" Festival in Germany.
Tours
- Night Songs World Tour
- Long Cold Winter World Tour
- The Big Joint Tour (with Bon Jovi, Skid Row, Quireboys)
- Unfinished Business Tour
- 2000 Summer Tour
- 2002 Summer Tour
- Rock Never Stops Tour 2005
- 20 Years of Rock Tour 2006 (with Poison)
- 2010 Summer Tour
- 25th Anniversary World Tour 2011
Current members
- Tom KeiferTom KeiferCarl Thomas Keifer is an American vocalist for the band Cinderella.-Early life:Keifer grew up in a musical family and began playing guitar at a young age. Keifer soon fell in love with the blues and was heavily influenced by this kind of music.Keifer joined his first rock band while in junior high...
– lead vocals, rhythm & lead guitars, acoustic guitar, keyboards, piano, mandolin, Dobro, Saxophone, harmonica (1983–present) - Jeff LaBarJeff LaBarJeffrey Philip LaBar is an American guitarist most famous for playing in the band Cinderella, in which he replaced original guitarist Michael Smerick, also known as Michael Kelly Smith. LaBar also has a side band with Cinderella bandmate Eric Brittingham called Naked Beggars...
– lead & rhythm guitars, acoustic guitar, backing vocals (1985–present) - Eric BrittinghamEric BrittinghamEric Brittingham is a bass guitarist most famous for playing in the band Cinderella. He also was in a side-band with Cinderella bandmate Jeff LaBar simultaneously, called Naked Beggars, of which his wife, Inga Brittingham, is the lead vocalist.Brittingham suffered a 'mild heart attack' in...
– bass, backing vocals (1983–present) - Fred CouryFred CouryFred Coury is best known as the drummer for the glam metal band Cinderella. Coury lists Neil Peart, Peter Criss, Bobby Blotzer, Eric Carr, Tommy Lee and Tommy Aldridge as his drumming inspirations....
– drums, percussion, backing vocals (1986–1991, 1996–present)
Live members
- Gary CorbettGary CorbettGary Corbett is a Grammy Award winning American keyboardist, composer and producer most famous for playing in the band Cinderella....
– keyboards, backing vocals live (1990–1995, 2005-present)
Former members
- Michael SmerickMichael SmerickMichael Smerick , known professionally as Michael Kelly Smith, is an American guitarist who formerly played for the Glam metal band Cinderella. Following his departure from Cinderella, he joined up with Dean Davidson to form Britny Fox and became their Lead guitarist...
– lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals (1983–1985) - Tony DestraTony DestraTony Destra , was an American drummer who played for the glam metal bands Cinderella and Britny Fox. Before Cinderella or Britny Fox, Tony was the skinsman for another popular Philly area band called Enforcer. The singer for Enforcer was Bill Mattson who would gain later recognition as the frontman...
– drums, percussion (1983–1985) - Jim Drnec – drums, percussion (1985–1986)
- Jody CortezJody CortezJody Cortez is a drummer who began his professional career at the age of 21 when he began to tour with Boz Scaggs in 1981. He once played drums for Cinderella...
– drums, percussion studio (1986) - Kevin Conway – drums, percussion (1991)
- Kevin ValentineKevin ValentineKevin Valentine is an American rock drummer who is best known for being a member of Donnie Iris and the Cruisers. Valentine played drums on all of the band's early albums during the 1980s....
– drums, percussion (1991–1993) - Kenny AronoffKenny AronoffKenny Aronoff is an American drummer. He has played drums for many musicians, including John Mellencamp, Bob Seger, Belinda Carlisle, Elton John, John Fogerty, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Meat Loaf, The BoDeans, Gregg Alexander, The Smashing Pumpkins, Tony Iommi, Jon Bon Jovi, Vasco Rossi, Cinderella and...
– drums, percussion studio (1994) - Rick Criniti – keyboards, piano, organ, synthesizer, backing vocals live/studio (1986–1995)
- Ray Brinker – drums, percussion live (1994–1995)
- John Rogers - drums, percussion live (2009–2010)
- Garry Nutt -bass, fill in touring (1989, 2000)
Discography
Studio albums- Night SongsNight SongsNight Songs is Cinderella's debut album, released in 1986 through Mercury Records in America and Vertigo Records in Europe. It sold several million copies due to a combination of their breakthrough single "Nobody's Fool", MTV airplay, and an opening slot on labelmates Bon Jovi's tour, in support of...
(1986) - Long Cold WinterLong Cold WinterLong Cold Winter is Cinderella's second studio album, released in 1988 through Mercury Records. It reached #10 in the US and became double-platinum for shipping 2 million copies in the US by the end of the year, just as their debut album Night Songs had done earlier. It was later certified triple...
(1988) - Heartbreak StationHeartbreak StationHeartbreak Station is Cinderella's third studio album, released in 1990 through Mercury Records. It hit #19 in the US and went platinum for shipping a million albums there the same year...
(1990) - Still Climbing (1994)