Giuffria
Encyclopedia
Giuffria was an American
rock
band that was formed in 1982 by Gregg Giuffria after his departure from the band Angel
, a glam rock
/heavy metal
band from Washington, D.C.
.
's side project in 1982 after his departure from the glam
band, Angel. The band's classic line-up consisted of Gregg Giuffria on keyboards, along with David Glen Eisley
(lead vocalist), Craig Goldy
(guitar), Chuck Wright
(bass), and Alan Krigger (drums). Eisley had recently come off of a stint as the lead vocalist for the Los Angeles
-based band Sorcery. Goldy had briefly been a member of the hard rock
/glam metal
band Rough Cutt
, while Wright had guested on several tracks from Quiet Riot
's smash album, Metal Health
, although not an official member of Q.R. at the time. Krigger had been a longtime session drummer
. Tom Quinton played drums for several months in 1983-84 but was dumped in favor of Alan Krigger, who looked more like a hard rock drummer than did Quinton. {Bassist} returned, to his former band , . to record one of the {bands} best L.P'S on {H.M.A}
They were signed to MCA Records
in 1984. Giuffria's self-titled debut album, Giuffria
, soon followed peaking at #26 on the album charts while spawning two hit singles, "Call To The Heart" (Hot 100 #15) and "Lonely In Love" (Hot 100 #57). The band was the opening act for Deep Purple
on the latter's 1984 reformation US tour; throughout this tour, the members of Giuffria were subjected to poor treatment by Deep Purple lead guitarist Ritchie Blackmore
, who cut the band's set from 45 minutes to 25 minutes, no guitar solo and no encores.
The band went on to tour as the opening act on Foreigner
's Agent Provocateur Tour, and enjoyed considerable success. The band played a few shows in Japan in June 1985, and a live VHS tape was released under the Giuffria Japan Tour '85 title. Giuffria then appeared on the Gotcha!
soundtrack, with the songs "Never Too Late" And "Say It Ain't True." A third track "What's Your Name?" featured the vocals of David Glen Eisley but was listed under the name Camelflage.
Giuffria's next album, Silk and Steel
, was released in 1986, following some lineup changes (Goldy joined Dio
and was replaced by guitarist Lanny Cordola
, and Wright returned to Quiet Riot
(this time joining the band as an official member) and was replaced by bassist David Sikes). However, the first single "I Must be Dreaming" failed to hit the Top 40, landing at a peak position of #52, and the album only managed to peak at #60 on the Billboard 200
. A second single, "Love You Forever" was released, but label promotion was poor and aside from an American Bandstand performance of the single, it quickly disappeared, failing to make the Hot 100. Giuffria were dropped by MCA Records and soon disbanded but not prior to recording demos for the third album. Nine tracks from the Giuffria III sessions were included on David Glen Eisley
's Lost Tapes release.
On an episode of That Metal Show
in 2010, guitarist Craig Goldy claims there is talk of a reunion of the band.
went on to form House of Lords
and signed a record deal with Simmons Records, a new record company launched by his longtime friend Gene Simmons
. Gene Simmons
trademarked the name House of Lords as the band name and fired vocalist David Glen Eisley
in favour of James Christian
. Eisley subsequently formed the band Dirty White Boy
with guitarist Earl Slick
and has remained active in music, in addition to several acting roles. Gregg Giuffria has since left the music business and now owns a business in Las Vegas
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band that was formed in 1982 by Gregg Giuffria after his departure from the band Angel
Angel (band)
Angel is a glam rock and heavy metal band from Washington, D.C., formed in the mid-70s by Punky Meadows and Mickie Jones. They were signed to Casablanca Records, and had the image of dressing in white.-History:...
, a glam rock
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
/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 Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
.
History of the band
Giuffria was formed as Gregg GiuffriaGregg Giuffria
Gregg Giuffria is an American rock keyboardist. He was the keyboardist for heavy metal bands, Angel, and House of Lords, and arena rock band, Giuffria....
's side project in 1982 after his departure from the glam
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
band, Angel. The band's classic line-up consisted of Gregg Giuffria on keyboards, along with David Glen Eisley
David Glen Eisley
David Glen Eisley is an American actor and musician.Eisley was born in Los Angeles, California. He is the son of Anthony Eisley. While in high school, he played drums for the band Mammoth, an Iron Butterfly cover band. He has been in the AOR bands Giuffria and Dirty White Boy...
(lead vocalist), Craig Goldy
Craig Goldy
Craig Goldy is an American guitarist, mostly notably of the band Dio.Before Dio, he played in the bands Vengeance, Rough Cutt, and Giuffria. He replaced Jake E. Lee in Rough Cutt and was himself replaced by Amir Derakh in this group. Prior to joining Rough Cutt, he had played in the band Vengeance...
(guitar), Chuck Wright
Chuck Wright
Chuck Wright is an American bassist, best known as the bassist of heavy metal band Quiet Riot. He originally joined Quiet Riot in 1982, performing bass on several tracks for their hit album, Metal Health, as well as contributing backing vocals. He left and rejoined Quiet Riot multiple times,...
(bass), and Alan Krigger (drums). Eisley had recently come off of a stint as the lead vocalist for the 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...
-based band Sorcery. Goldy had briefly been a member of the 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...
/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 Rough Cutt
Rough Cutt
Rough Cutt was an American heavy metal band from San Diego, California in the 1980s. They were based in Los Angeles after signing a recording contract with Warner Brothers...
, while Wright had guested on several tracks from 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...
's smash album, Metal Health
Metal Health
Metal Health is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Quiet Riot. It was released on March 11, 1983, bolstered by the #5 hit "Cum on Feel the Noize" and the #31 hit "Metal Health". It knocked The Police's Synchronicity out of #1 in the US. The album went on to sell over six million...
, although not an official member of Q.R. at the time. Krigger had been a longtime session drummer
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
. Tom Quinton played drums for several months in 1983-84 but was dumped in favor of Alan Krigger, who looked more like a hard rock drummer than did Quinton. {Bassist} returned, to his former band , . to record one of the {bands} best L.P'S on {H.M.A}
They were signed to MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
in 1984. Giuffria's self-titled debut album, Giuffria
Giuffria (album)
Giuffria is the self-titled debut album from American rock band Giuffria , released on MCA Records in 1984, and co-produced by Andy Johns. The album's highest peak on the Billboard Hot 100 was #26 on March 2, 1985...
, soon followed peaking at #26 on the album charts while spawning two hit singles, "Call To The Heart" (Hot 100 #15) and "Lonely In Love" (Hot 100 #57). The band was the opening act for Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
on the latter's 1984 reformation US tour; throughout this tour, the members of Giuffria were subjected to poor treatment by Deep Purple lead guitarist Ritchie Blackmore
Ritchie Blackmore
Richard Hugh "Ritchie" Blackmore is an English guitarist and songwriter, who was known as one of the first guitarists to fuse Classical music elements with rock. He fronted his own band Rainbow after leaving Deep Purple where he was unhappy because his favourite musical style wasn't adequately...
, who cut the band's set from 45 minutes to 25 minutes, no guitar solo and no encores.
The band went on to tour as the opening act on Foreigner
Foreigner (band)
Foreigner is a British-American rock band, originally formed in 1976 by veteran English musicians Mick Jones and ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald along with American vocalist Lou Gramm...
's Agent Provocateur Tour, and enjoyed considerable success. The band played a few shows in Japan in June 1985, and a live VHS tape was released under the Giuffria Japan Tour '85 title. Giuffria then appeared on the Gotcha!
Gotcha! (1985 film)
Gotcha! is a 1985 action film, starring Anthony Edwards and Linda Fiorentino. The movie is directed by Jeff Kanew, who also directed Anthony Edwards in Revenge of the Nerds in 1984....
soundtrack, with the songs "Never Too Late" And "Say It Ain't True." A third track "What's Your Name?" featured the vocals of David Glen Eisley but was listed under the name Camelflage.
Giuffria's next album, Silk and Steel
Silk and Steel (Giuffria album)
Silk and Steel was the second album released by 1980s arena rock band Giuffria in 1986. It was produced by Pat Glasser, who was at the time also the producer of Giuffria's MCA labelmates Night Ranger. The band covered "I Must Be Dreaming", a Willy DeVille song that went to No. 52 on the Billboard...
, was released in 1986, following some lineup changes (Goldy joined Dio
Dio (band)
Dio was an American heavy metal band from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Formed in 1982 and led by vocalist Ronnie James Dio, after he left Black Sabbath with intentions to form a new band with fellow former Black Sabbath member, drummer Vinny Appice. Naming the band Dio made sense from a commercial...
and was replaced by guitarist Lanny Cordola
Lanny Cordola
Lanny Cordola is an American guitarist, songwriter and producer. He has been a member of bands such as Giuffria, House Of Lords, and Magdallan ....
, and Wright returned to 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...
(this time joining the band as an official member) and was replaced by bassist David Sikes). However, the first single "I Must be Dreaming" failed to hit the Top 40, landing at a peak position of #52, and the album only managed to peak at #60 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. A second single, "Love You Forever" was released, but label promotion was poor and aside from an American Bandstand performance of the single, it quickly disappeared, failing to make the Hot 100. Giuffria were dropped by MCA Records and soon disbanded but not prior to recording demos for the third album. Nine tracks from the Giuffria III sessions were included on David Glen Eisley
David Glen Eisley
David Glen Eisley is an American actor and musician.Eisley was born in Los Angeles, California. He is the son of Anthony Eisley. While in high school, he played drums for the band Mammoth, an Iron Butterfly cover band. He has been in the AOR bands Giuffria and Dirty White Boy...
's Lost Tapes release.
On an episode of That Metal Show
That Metal Show
That Metal Show is a talk show hosted by Eddie Trunk with co-hosts Jim Florentine and Don Jamieson. It premiered on VH1 Classic on November 15, 2008. New episodes air on VH1 Classic on Saturday nights and are rebroadcast throughout the week....
in 2010, guitarist Craig Goldy claims there is talk of a reunion of the band.
Side projects
Gregg GiuffriaGregg Giuffria
Gregg Giuffria is an American rock keyboardist. He was the keyboardist for heavy metal bands, Angel, and House of Lords, and arena rock band, Giuffria....
went on to form House of Lords
House of Lords (band)
House of Lords is a hard rock/AOR band from Los Angeles, California.-History:House of Lords was formed in 1987 by former Angel member and keyboardist Gregg Giuffria from his solo project Giuffria...
and signed a record deal with Simmons Records, a new record company launched by his longtime friend Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, actor, and rock bassist. Known as "The Demon", he is the bassist/vocalist of Kiss, a hard rock band he co-founded in the early 1970s.-Early life:...
. Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, actor, and rock bassist. Known as "The Demon", he is the bassist/vocalist of Kiss, a hard rock band he co-founded in the early 1970s.-Early life:...
trademarked the name House of Lords as the band name and fired vocalist David Glen Eisley
David Glen Eisley
David Glen Eisley is an American actor and musician.Eisley was born in Los Angeles, California. He is the son of Anthony Eisley. While in high school, he played drums for the band Mammoth, an Iron Butterfly cover band. He has been in the AOR bands Giuffria and Dirty White Boy...
in favour of James Christian
James Christian
James Christian is a Connecticut-based musician and songwriter who is perhaps best known for being the frontman of the band House of Lords.-Career:...
. Eisley subsequently formed the band Dirty White Boy
Dirty White Boy (band)
Dirty White Boy was a short-lived, bluesy sleaze rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, USA in 1988. The band released an album called Bad Reputation in 1990 and toured the U.S.A...
with guitarist Earl Slick
Earl Slick
Earl Slick is a guitarist best known for his collaborations with David Bowie, Jim Diamond and Robert Smith, although he has also worked with other artists , John Waite, and even released some solo recordings.In the early 1970s, Earl Slick gained his...
and has remained active in music, in addition to several acting roles. Gregg Giuffria has since left the music business and now owns a business in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
.
Former members
- Gregg GiuffriaGregg GiuffriaGregg Giuffria is an American rock keyboardist. He was the keyboardist for heavy metal bands, Angel, and House of Lords, and arena rock band, Giuffria....
- keyboards, backing vocals (1982–1988) - David Glen EisleyDavid Glen EisleyDavid Glen Eisley is an American actor and musician.Eisley was born in Los Angeles, California. He is the son of Anthony Eisley. While in high school, he played drums for the band Mammoth, an Iron Butterfly cover band. He has been in the AOR bands Giuffria and Dirty White Boy...
- lead vocals (1982–1988) - Alan Krigger - drums, percussion (1982–1988)
- Craig GoldyCraig GoldyCraig Goldy is an American guitarist, mostly notably of the band Dio.Before Dio, he played in the bands Vengeance, Rough Cutt, and Giuffria. He replaced Jake E. Lee in Rough Cutt and was himself replaced by Amir Derakh in this group. Prior to joining Rough Cutt, he had played in the band Vengeance...
- guitars (1982–1985) - Chuck WrightChuck WrightChuck Wright is an American bassist, best known as the bassist of heavy metal band Quiet Riot. He originally joined Quiet Riot in 1982, performing bass on several tracks for their hit album, Metal Health, as well as contributing backing vocals. He left and rejoined Quiet Riot multiple times,...
- bass (1982–1985) - Lanny CordolaLanny CordolaLanny Cordola is an American guitarist, songwriter and producer. He has been a member of bands such as Giuffria, House Of Lords, and Magdallan ....
- guitars (1985–1987) - David Sikes - bass (1986–1987)
- Tom Quinton-drums, percussion (1983–1984)
- Rick Bozzo - bass (1985–1986)
Studio albums
- GiuffriaGiuffria (album)Giuffria is the self-titled debut album from American rock band Giuffria , released on MCA Records in 1984, and co-produced by Andy Johns. The album's highest peak on the Billboard Hot 100 was #26 on March 2, 1985...
(1984) - Silk and SteelSilk and Steel (Giuffria album)Silk and Steel was the second album released by 1980s arena rock band Giuffria in 1986. It was produced by Pat Glasser, who was at the time also the producer of Giuffria's MCA labelmates Night Ranger. The band covered "I Must Be Dreaming", a Willy DeVille song that went to No. 52 on the Billboard...
(1986) - Giuffria III (unreleased) (1988)
Singles
| Year | Song | Catalog | Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | "Call to Your Heart" / "Out of the Blue (Too Far Gone)" | MCA 52497 | 15 | Giuffria Giuffria (album) Giuffria is the self-titled debut album from American rock band Giuffria , released on MCA Records in 1984, and co-produced by Andy Johns. The album's highest peak on the Billboard Hot 100 was #26 on March 2, 1985... |
| "Call to Your Heart" (extended version) / "Out of the Blue (Too Far Gone)" | MCA T935 | - | ||
| "Do Me Right" | MCA 4360 | - | ||
| 1985 | "Lonely in Love" / "Do Me Right" | MCA 52558 | 57 | |
| 1986 | "I Must Be Dreaming" / "Tell It Like It Is" | MCA 52794 | 52 | Silk and Steel Silk and Steel (Giuffria album) Silk and Steel was the second album released by 1980s arena rock band Giuffria in 1986. It was produced by Pat Glasser, who was at the time also the producer of Giuffria's MCA labelmates Night Ranger. The band covered "I Must Be Dreaming", a Willy DeVille song that went to No. 52 on the Billboard... |
| "Love You Forever" / "Heartache" | MCA 52882 | - | ||
In pop culture
- The song "Sweet Victory" was used in the SpongeBob SquarePantsSpongeBob SquarePantsSpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city of "Bikini Bottom"...
episode "Band Geeks," in which SpongeBobSpongeBob SquarePants (character)SpongeBob SquarePants is a main fictional character in the animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. He is voiced by Tom Kenny and first appeared on television in the series' pilot episode "Help Wanted" on May 1, 1999. SpongeBob was created and designed by cartoonist Stephen Hillenburg...
performs the song for a football stadium full of fans. Although not a Giuffria song, the vocals were provided by Giuffria lead singer David Glen EisleyDavid Glen EisleyDavid Glen Eisley is an American actor and musician.Eisley was born in Los Angeles, California. He is the son of Anthony Eisley. While in high school, he played drums for the band Mammoth, an Iron Butterfly cover band. He has been in the AOR bands Giuffria and Dirty White Boy...
who also co-wrote the track with guitarist Bob KulickBob KulickBob Kulick is an American guitarist and Grammy Award-winning record producer, best known for his studio work with Kiss. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and is the older brother of former Kiss lead guitarist Bruce Kulick, whom he suggested Kiss hire....
, brother of KissKISS (band)Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
guitarist, Bruce KulickBruce KulickBruce Howard Kulick is an American guitarist, musician and a member of the band Grand Funk Railroad. Previously, Kulick had been a longtime member of the band Kiss....
. - The song Call to the Heart appeared in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City StoriesGrand Theft Auto: Vice City StoriesGrand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories is a 2006 sandbox-style action video game developed by Rockstar Leeds in association with Rockstar North. It was published by Rockstar Games for the PlayStation Portable in late 2006 and later for the PlayStation 2 in March 2007. The game is the eighth...
on the in game radio station Emotion 98.3. - The logo for the fictional band the Gavinners in the Ace Attorney series resembles the "G" shaped logo for Giuffria.