Dean Fasano
Encyclopedia
Dean Fasano was the lead singer of the bands Message
and Prophet
. He died of coronary artery disease December 8, 2009 at the age of 54.
, and in his youth he got interested in music and singing. His special and emotional voice was long known as one of the most distinctive voices on the New Jersey music scene. Throughout the late 70s he played in various bands with the later Bon Jovi
guitarist, Richie Sambora
. Fasano was usually the lead vocalist in these bands. He got a record deal with Led Zeppelin's Swan Song label, however, before they got to put out an album, Led Zeppelin
's drummer, John Bonham
died, and the label disbanded, as would the band later.
, drummer Andy Rubo of the circuit band Flossie, and Simon from Rivendell. Bruce Foster, who had worked a lot with Richie Sambora, and who had also appeared on the debut KISS album, also came to play keyboard on some songs. They decided to call the band Message
. They had their own company, their own publishing deal. Therefore, they weren't capable of putting out many records. Their first album was self titled, they pressed about 1800 copies and they sold it out of the trunk of their car.
In 1982, the band managed to get some concert dates as an opening act for Joe Cocker
, who was doing a small scale tour. The band got a great reception; however, they had to quit touring, due to the fact that the money ran out. They went back to Sayreville, New Jersey, to continue to play in clubs and rehearse songs. In one of those clubs, the band ran into a band called "Jon Bon Jovi and the Wild Ones". Because of that meeting, Jon Bon Jovi
would call upon Richie Sambora
and Alec John Such
, who played in Message
at that time, in 1983 when he put together a band to support his single "Runaway
". Message
disbanded.
Since European labels had great interest in his band, an official release with Message bootlegs was put out shortly after the disbanding of the band. In the first five days, the album sold 8,600 copies, and it hit the charts in some countries.
Shortly after The Message broke up, asano got together with a band called "Prophet (band)Prophet". The band featured Fasano (as a lead and backing vocalist), Ken Dubman (guitarist), Scott Metaxas (guitarist and bassist), Mike Brown (Bassist)from Phantoms Opera, Joe Zujkowski (keyboard), and Ted Poley
(drummer and lead vocalist). They released a self titled album in 1985 through the label RCA Record. The album did well in Europe, and they released a single called "Everything You Are to Me" where Fasano sings the lead. They also made a music video to this song. Fasano did not sing lead on all of the songs on "Prophet". He sang lead on "Street Secrets", "Power Play", and "Everything You Are to Me", "Away From You" and "Sail Away". He was replaced by Russel Arcara.
. He also did background vocals on Jon Bon Jovi
's second solo album, Destination Anywhere
, which came out in 1997. Two years earlier, the first Message album was re-released throughout Long Island Records. It was released on 31 August 1995, in Germany. This album contained songs like "Any Other Girl" written by Dean Fasano, M. Marconi, M. Terpos & L. Terpos, "Is There Love" written by Richie Sambora and "It Won’t Be Long" written by Dean Fasano.
In 1998, Fasano teamed up with Mike Walsh (guitar, keyboard and bass), Tom DeRossi (guitar), Jeff Thompsen (bass), Steve D'Acurtis (guitar, bass and sitar) and other musicians to release another album with Message. The album came out in 1998 and was released through Escape Music. The album was called Fine Line and consisted of many hard rock ballads.
(guitar), Alec John Such
(bass), Bruce Foster (Acoustic and electric piano and prophet 5), Simon Gannet (organ) and Andy Rubbo (drums).
The other Message album that was released that year was called Outside Looking In. This time, Message consisted of Dean Fasano (lead vocals and keyboards), Tim Hewitt (bass), Aaron Anderson (drums, percussions), Steve Morris (guitar and keyboard), Chris Ousey (harmony and backing vocals) and David Chapman (keyboards). This would be the last Message studio album.
In 2006 Fasano decided to put together a live album. It was released the same year, simply called "Message Live". The musicians that played on this album were Dean Fasano (lead vocals and additional keys), Richie Sambora (guitar and lead vocals), Alec John Such (bass), Dennis Amorusso (keys and saxophone) and Vinnie Sisser (drums).
Dean Fasano passed away from CAD (conronary artery disease)
It was later known that Dean Fasano had died from Coronary artery disease on December 9, 2009 11:24 pm. He became only 54 years old. It was held a memorial service for him the following Saturday.
It was stated that Dean Fasano was living in Woodbridge, N.J. till his passing which is not correct. Dean passed away in Perth Amboy, N.J. alone he was divorced from his wife Geri years earlier and Loved and Cherished his 3 Boys.
Message (band)
Message was a hard rock band that was formed in New Jersey around 1980. The original members of the band were Dean Fasano , Richie Sambora , Simon Gannett , Bruce Foster , Alec John Such , and Andy Rubbo...
and Prophet
Prophet (band)
Prophet was an American Melodic Rock band from New Jersey, United States. The last lineup of the group was Russell Arcara , Dave DiPietro , Ken Dubman , Scott Metaxas , Joe Zujkowski and Jim Callahan...
. He died of coronary artery disease December 8, 2009 at the age of 54.
Early years
Fasano grew up in New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, and in his youth he got interested in music and singing. His special and emotional voice was long known as one of the most distinctive voices on the New Jersey music scene. Throughout the late 70s he played in various bands with the later 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...
guitarist, Richie Sambora
Richie Sambora
Richard Stephen "Richie" Sambora is an American rock guitarist, producer, musician, singer, and songwriter who is the longtime lead guitarist of the rock band, Bon Jovi. He and frontman Jon Bon Jovi form the primary songwriting unit of the band...
. Fasano was usually the lead vocalist in these bands. He got a record deal with Led Zeppelin's Swan Song label, however, before they got to put out an album, Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
's drummer, John Bonham
John Bonham
John Henry Bonham was an English musician and songwriter, best known as the drummer of Led Zeppelin. Bonham was esteemed for his speed, power, fast right foot, distinctive sound, and "feel" for the groove...
died, and the label disbanded, as would the band later.
The 80s
In 1980 Fasano decided to put a band together; he brought in Richie Sambora, former Phantom's Opera bassist Alec John SuchAlec John Such
Alec John Such is an American musician, and the former bassist for the band Bon Jovi. He left the band in 1994, and has not been officially replaced. As well as playing bass guitar, Such sang backing vocals and occasionally took the lead for part of 'Blood on Blood' at live shows...
, drummer Andy Rubo of the circuit band Flossie, and Simon from Rivendell. Bruce Foster, who had worked a lot with Richie Sambora, and who had also appeared on the debut KISS album, also came to play keyboard on some songs. They decided to call the band Message
Message (band)
Message was a hard rock band that was formed in New Jersey around 1980. The original members of the band were Dean Fasano , Richie Sambora , Simon Gannett , Bruce Foster , Alec John Such , and Andy Rubbo...
. They had their own company, their own publishing deal. Therefore, they weren't capable of putting out many records. Their first album was self titled, they pressed about 1800 copies and they sold it out of the trunk of their car.
In 1982, the band managed to get some concert dates as an opening act for Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
, who was doing a small scale tour. The band got a great reception; however, they had to quit touring, due to the fact that the money ran out. They went back to Sayreville, New Jersey, to continue to play in clubs and rehearse songs. In one of those clubs, the band ran into a band called "Jon Bon Jovi and the Wild Ones". Because of that meeting, 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...
would call upon Richie Sambora
Richie Sambora
Richard Stephen "Richie" Sambora is an American rock guitarist, producer, musician, singer, and songwriter who is the longtime lead guitarist of the rock band, Bon Jovi. He and frontman Jon Bon Jovi form the primary songwriting unit of the band...
and Alec John Such
Alec John Such
Alec John Such is an American musician, and the former bassist for the band Bon Jovi. He left the band in 1994, and has not been officially replaced. As well as playing bass guitar, Such sang backing vocals and occasionally took the lead for part of 'Blood on Blood' at live shows...
, who played in Message
Message (band)
Message was a hard rock band that was formed in New Jersey around 1980. The original members of the band were Dean Fasano , Richie Sambora , Simon Gannett , Bruce Foster , Alec John Such , and Andy Rubbo...
at that time, in 1983 when he put together a band to support his single "Runaway
Runaway (Bon Jovi song)
"Runaway" is a Bon Jovi song, written in 1980 and originally recorded in 1981 for the so called "Power Station Demos". The recordings were primarily done by an ensemble simply known as Jon Bongiovi & The Rest. Lead guitar on the original 1980's track was Bon Jovi's neighbour, Dave Sabo , who would...
". Message
Message (band)
Message was a hard rock band that was formed in New Jersey around 1980. The original members of the band were Dean Fasano , Richie Sambora , Simon Gannett , Bruce Foster , Alec John Such , and Andy Rubbo...
disbanded.
Since European labels had great interest in his band, an official release with Message bootlegs was put out shortly after the disbanding of the band. In the first five days, the album sold 8,600 copies, and it hit the charts in some countries.
Shortly after The Message broke up, asano got together with a band called "Prophet (band)Prophet". The band featured Fasano (as a lead and backing vocalist), Ken Dubman (guitarist), Scott Metaxas (guitarist and bassist), Mike Brown (Bassist)from Phantoms Opera, Joe Zujkowski (keyboard), and Ted Poley
Ted Poley
Ted Harris Poley is a rock singer and drummer most famous for being in the band Danger Danger.-Biography:...
(drummer and lead vocalist). They released a self titled album in 1985 through the label RCA Record. The album did well in Europe, and they released a single called "Everything You Are to Me" where Fasano sings the lead. They also made a music video to this song. Fasano did not sing lead on all of the songs on "Prophet". He sang lead on "Street Secrets", "Power Play", and "Everything You Are to Me", "Away From You" and "Sail Away". He was replaced by Russel Arcara.
The 80s and 90s
Throughout the 80s and 90s, Fasano worked with various musicians, both as a musician and as a producer. He recorded songs with bands like Phantom's Opera and Adrian Dodz. He also started a new company, and he began to work with a new Message album. In 1990, Fasano teamed up with Richie Sambora and Fasano did background vocals on Sambora's first solo album, Stranger in This TownStranger In This Town
-Personnel:* Richie Sambora - acoustic guitar, electric guitar, vocals, producer, string arrangements* David Bryan - keyboards, string arrangements* Tico Torres - drums, percussion* Dean Fasano - background vocals* Tony Levin - bass guitar, Chapman Stick...
. He also did background vocals on 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...
's second solo album, Destination Anywhere
Destination Anywhere
-Limited Edition:* Tracks 1-8 recorded live at The Forum, London, England, on June 12, 1997.* Track 9 recorded live at MTV, London, England on August 13, 1997.-Personnel:* Jon Bon Jovi – vocals, acoustic & electric guitar, harmonica, piano...
, which came out in 1997. Two years earlier, the first Message album was re-released throughout Long Island Records. It was released on 31 August 1995, in Germany. This album contained songs like "Any Other Girl" written by Dean Fasano, M. Marconi, M. Terpos & L. Terpos, "Is There Love" written by Richie Sambora and "It Won’t Be Long" written by Dean Fasano.
In 1998, Fasano teamed up with Mike Walsh (guitar, keyboard and bass), Tom DeRossi (guitar), Jeff Thompsen (bass), Steve D'Acurtis (guitar, bass and sitar) and other musicians to release another album with Message. The album came out in 1998 and was released through Escape Music. The album was called Fine Line and consisted of many hard rock ballads.
The 2000s
In 2000 he released two Message albums. He did another re-release on the first Message album. He called it Lessons and this release had four bonus songs. All the songs on this album were recorded around 1982-1983. As the previous Message album, this was released through Escape Music. The musicians that appear on this album is Dean Fasano (lead vocals and guitar), Richie SamboraRichie Sambora
Richard Stephen "Richie" Sambora is an American rock guitarist, producer, musician, singer, and songwriter who is the longtime lead guitarist of the rock band, Bon Jovi. He and frontman Jon Bon Jovi form the primary songwriting unit of the band...
(guitar), Alec John Such
Alec John Such
Alec John Such is an American musician, and the former bassist for the band Bon Jovi. He left the band in 1994, and has not been officially replaced. As well as playing bass guitar, Such sang backing vocals and occasionally took the lead for part of 'Blood on Blood' at live shows...
(bass), Bruce Foster (Acoustic and electric piano and prophet 5), Simon Gannet (organ) and Andy Rubbo (drums).
The other Message album that was released that year was called Outside Looking In. This time, Message consisted of Dean Fasano (lead vocals and keyboards), Tim Hewitt (bass), Aaron Anderson (drums, percussions), Steve Morris (guitar and keyboard), Chris Ousey (harmony and backing vocals) and David Chapman (keyboards). This would be the last Message studio album.
In 2006 Fasano decided to put together a live album. It was released the same year, simply called "Message Live". The musicians that played on this album were Dean Fasano (lead vocals and additional keys), Richie Sambora (guitar and lead vocals), Alec John Such (bass), Dennis Amorusso (keys and saxophone) and Vinnie Sisser (drums).
Family
Fasano married Geri Fasano, and he had three children with her; Jake Fasano, Chaz Fasano and Max Fasano. He lived in Woodbridge, New Jersey while still married to Geri, then later divorced and resided in Perth Amboy, New Jersey were he was alone when he died on December 9th 2009.Dean Fasano passed away from CAD (conronary artery disease)
Death
On December 9, 2009 this message was posted on Dean Fasano’s MySpace profile;.
To everyone that has supported Dean Fasano and befriended him, God Bless You!! Dean passed away this morning. Say a pray for my brotha Dean and for his family
It was later known that Dean Fasano had died from Coronary artery disease on December 9, 2009 11:24 pm. He became only 54 years old. It was held a memorial service for him the following Saturday.
It was stated that Dean Fasano was living in Woodbridge, N.J. till his passing which is not correct. Dean passed away in Perth Amboy, N.J. alone he was divorced from his wife Geri years earlier and Loved and Cherished his 3 Boys.
Studio albums
- Message - around 1980, unknown label
- Prophet - 1985, Total Experience Records
- Message - 1995, Long Island Records
- Fine Line - 1998, Escape Music
- Lessons - 2000, Escape Music
- Outside Looking In - 2000, Escape Music
External links
- http://www.maggiepowell.net/index.php?s=news&p=Flashback&m=17&print=
- http://www.myspace.com/deanfasano
- http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/message
- Plus the inlay of all Message CD's
- http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/mycentraljersey/obituary.aspx?n=dean-c-fasano&pid=137235844
- http://www.sfarzo.us/Documents/News_Reel_Archive/Reel_12.pdf
- http://www.markallenlanoue.com/window-history.htm