Union (band)
Encyclopedia
Union is an American
rock group formed in 1997 featuring lead vocalist and guitarist John Corabi
(ex-The Scream
and Mötley Crüe
), guitarist Bruce Kulick
(ex-Kiss
), bassist James Hunting, and drummer Brent Fitz
(Slash
, ex-Theory Of A Deadman
).
guitarist Bruce Kulick
, ex-Mötley Crüe
vocalist and guitarist John Corabi
, bassist James Hunting, and drummer Brent Fitz
united to form a band. Kulick left Kiss after they decided to go back to their original lineup, and Corabi left Mötley Crüe under similar circumstances.
s and a live album
. Union
, recorded in 1997 and released in 1998, which featured two singles: "Old Man Wise" and "October Morning Wind". There are three versions of this CD. The first printing omitted "Old Man Wise" from the back cover art. The second version, a Japanese import, included the bonus track "For You" with Kulick on lead vocals. The third was reissued with the bonus cover track of The Beatles
' "Oh! Darling
" sung by Corabi. The CD was co-produced by Corabi, Kulick and Curt Cuomo.
In 1998 a grass root effort, "The Union Work Force", spread out across the U.S. as the band toured small clubs from coast to coast. Kulick and Corabi took this a step further by performing at many of the Kiss Expo's doing acoustic versions of their songs. On a few occasions, Fitz and Hunting were able to join them.
In 1999, UNION Live in the Galaxy, mixed by Bruce Bouillet and Kulick, was released. Recorded at The Galaxy Club, the CD features songs from the band's first CD, two Kiss
songs ("Jungle" and "I Walk Alone" from Carnival of Souls
), "Power to the Music" from Corabi's Mötley Crüe days, and "Man in the Moon" from The Scream. "Surrender
", a Cheap Trick
cover, and the added acoustic tracks "October Morning Wind" and The Beatles
' "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
" proved the band's versatility.
The new millennium dawned on Union's second studio CD, The Blue Room
, co-produced by Kulick and Corabi. The CD spawned two singles, "Do Your Own Thing" and "Who Do You Think You Are". The Blue Room Tour took the band through the U.S., Europe, Australia and Central America.
, Kulick joined Grand Funk Railroad
as their guitarist, and Corabi joined Ratt
as their second guitarist.
In 2001, both Fitz and Hunting joined original Mötley Crüe
vocalist Vince Neil
as band members.
In 2005, the group played together for the first time in about three years with two live shows in Japan. Fitz was unable to attend (due to touring commitments with the band Theory Of A Deadman
), so Kulick's former bandmate and friend Eric Singer
filled in. Also in 2005, Kulick oversaw the release of a Union DVD, Do Your Own Thing Live, containing two full-length live shows plus bonus material. In November and December 2005, Union toured in Europe to promote the DVD; Kulick and Corabi were joined by Chuck Garric and Fred Coury
instead of Hunting and Fitz.
Corabi, Kulick, and Singer also played together in the band ESP (Eric Singer Project).
in 2008, as well as a touring drummer for Indigenous
, Alice Cooper
, and Ronnie Montrose
.
Fitz also performed in Las Vegas with "Tinnitus", a band made up of several touring musicians from Blue Man Group
, with Fitz playing keyboards and guitar.
In 2009, Kulick, Corabi and Fitz all performed in Las Vegas
with the show Monster Circus. Fitz was keyboardist/guitarist, Kulick on guitar, and Corabi on vocals and guitar.
In 2010, Fitz joined Slash
in his band as drummer.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock group formed in 1997 featuring lead vocalist and guitarist John Corabi
John Corabi
John Corabi is a heavy metal singer and guitarist who has worked with such bands as Angora, The Scream, Mötley Crüe, Union and ESP , Ratt , Twenty 4 Seven , Zen Lunatic, Brides of Destruction, and Angel City Outlaws John Corabi (born on April 26, 1959 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a heavy...
(ex-The Scream
The Scream (band)
The Scream was a Los Angeles-based hard rock band formed in 1989 as Saints Or Sinners. The band originally featured former Angora singer John Corabi and former Racer X members guitarist Bruce Bouillet, bassist Juan Alderete, and drummer Scott Travis. However, Scott Travis quickly left to join Judas...
and 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...
), guitarist Bruce Kulick
Bruce Kulick
Bruce 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....
(ex-Kiss
KISS (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,...
), bassist James Hunting, and drummer Brent Fitz
Brent Fitz
Brent Fitz is a Canadian-born musician and recording artist known best known as a drummer, but also a multi-instrumentalist having worked with Slash, Theory of a Deadman, Alice Cooper, Vince Neil, Union, The Guess Who, Lamya, Streetheart, Harlequin, Econoline Crush, Eagle & Hawk and Indigenous.-...
(Slash
Slash (musician)
Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
, ex-Theory Of A Deadman
Theory of a Deadman
Theory of a Deadman is a Canadian rock band from Delta, British Columbia, formed in 2001. The band is currently signed to Roadrunner Records as well as Island Records. The band also includes traits of other music styles, such as country and acoustic, as well as their post-grunge and alternative...
).
Formation
Union was formed in 1997 when ex-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 Kulick
Bruce Kulick
Bruce 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....
, ex-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...
vocalist and guitarist John Corabi
John Corabi
John Corabi is a heavy metal singer and guitarist who has worked with such bands as Angora, The Scream, Mötley Crüe, Union and ESP , Ratt , Twenty 4 Seven , Zen Lunatic, Brides of Destruction, and Angel City Outlaws John Corabi (born on April 26, 1959 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a heavy...
, bassist James Hunting, and drummer Brent Fitz
Brent Fitz
Brent Fitz is a Canadian-born musician and recording artist known best known as a drummer, but also a multi-instrumentalist having worked with Slash, Theory of a Deadman, Alice Cooper, Vince Neil, Union, The Guess Who, Lamya, Streetheart, Harlequin, Econoline Crush, Eagle & Hawk and Indigenous.-...
united to form a band. Kulick left Kiss after they decided to go back to their original lineup, and Corabi left Mötley Crüe under similar circumstances.
Studio work
Union released two studio albumAlbum
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s and a live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
. Union
Union (Union album)
-Tracks: Only available on the Japan Bonus Track Version of the Album-Reception:The album did relatively well for a lower profile release. It Peaked at 36th position on the Heatseekers Billboard Chart in 1998. Alex Henderson of AMG Called it "Superb" and one 1998's Strongest Rock Releases...
, recorded in 1997 and released in 1998, which featured two singles: "Old Man Wise" and "October Morning Wind". There are three versions of this CD. The first printing omitted "Old Man Wise" from the back cover art. The second version, a Japanese import, included the bonus track "For You" with Kulick on lead vocals. The third was reissued with the bonus cover track of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' "Oh! Darling
Oh! Darling
"Oh! Darling" is a song by The Beatles composed by Paul McCartney and appearing as the fourth song on the album, Abbey Road, in 1969. Its working title was "Oh! Darling "...
" sung by Corabi. The CD was co-produced by Corabi, Kulick and Curt Cuomo.
In 1998 a grass root effort, "The Union Work Force", spread out across the U.S. as the band toured small clubs from coast to coast. Kulick and Corabi took this a step further by performing at many of the Kiss Expo's doing acoustic versions of their songs. On a few occasions, Fitz and Hunting were able to join them.
In 1999, UNION Live in the Galaxy, mixed by Bruce Bouillet and Kulick, was released. Recorded at The Galaxy Club, the CD features songs from the band's first CD, two Kiss
KISS (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,...
songs ("Jungle" and "I Walk Alone" from Carnival of Souls
Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions
-Personnel:*Paul Stanley - rhythm guitar, vocals*Gene Simmons - bass guitar, vocals*Bruce Kulick - lead guitar, vocals*Eric Singer - drums, percussion, backing vocals-Charts:Album - Billboard...
), "Power to the Music" from Corabi's Mötley Crüe days, and "Man in the Moon" from The Scream. "Surrender
Surrender (Cheap Trick song)
"Surrender" is a single by Cheap Trick released in June 1978 from the album Heaven Tonight. It was the first Cheap Trick single to enter the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 62...
", a Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973. The band consists of members Robin Zander , Rick Nielsen , Tom Petersson , and Bun E...
cover, and the added acoustic tracks "October Morning Wind" and The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
"You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" is a song by The Beatles. It was written and sung by John Lennon and released on the album Help! in August 1965.-Composition and recording:...
" proved the band's versatility.
The new millennium dawned on Union's second studio CD, The Blue Room
The Blue Room (Album)
The Blue Room is the second studio album of the rock band Union, which was released in 2000.- Tracks :- Reception :Greg Prato of AMG reviews the album for the site...
, co-produced by Kulick and Corabi. The CD spawned two singles, "Do Your Own Thing" and "Who Do You Think You Are". The Blue Room Tour took the band through the U.S., Europe, Australia and Central America.
Hiatus
By the end of 2000, one by one the band members began to get involved in other individual musical projects: Fitz toured and recorded with Guns 'N Roses guitarist Gilby ClarkeGilby Clarke
Gilbert "Gilby" Clarke is an American guitarist and record producer best known for a 3-year tenure as the rhythm guitarist of Guns N' Roses, replacing Izzy Stradlin in 1991 during the Use Your Illusion Tour...
, Kulick joined Grand Funk Railroad
Grand Funk Railroad
Grand Funk Railroad is an American rock band that was highly popular during the 1970s. Grand Funk Railroad toured constantly to packed arenas worldwide. A popular take on the band during its heyday was that, although the critics hated them, audiences loved them...
as their guitarist, and Corabi joined 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...
as their second guitarist.
In 2001, both Fitz and Hunting joined original 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...
vocalist Vince Neil
Vince Neil
Vincent Neil Wharton is an American vocalist and musician, best known as the lead vocalist of heavy metal band Mötley Crüe.-Early life:Neil was born in Hollywood, California to Odie and Shirley Wharton...
as band members.
In 2005, the group played together for the first time in about three years with two live shows in Japan. Fitz was unable to attend (due to touring commitments with the band Theory Of A Deadman
Theory of a Deadman
Theory of a Deadman is a Canadian rock band from Delta, British Columbia, formed in 2001. The band is currently signed to Roadrunner Records as well as Island Records. The band also includes traits of other music styles, such as country and acoustic, as well as their post-grunge and alternative...
), so Kulick's former bandmate and friend Eric Singer
Eric Singer
Eric Doyle Mensinger , better known as Eric Singer, is a hard rock and heavy metal drummer for the rock band Kiss and formerly for singer Alice Cooper...
filled in. Also in 2005, Kulick oversaw the release of a Union DVD, Do Your Own Thing Live, containing two full-length live shows plus bonus material. In November and December 2005, Union toured in Europe to promote the DVD; Kulick and Corabi were joined by Chuck Garric 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....
instead of Hunting and Fitz.
Corabi, Kulick, and Singer also played together in the band ESP (Eric Singer Project).
Recent work
Fitz became a member of the Canadian band Econoline CrushEconoline Crush
Econoline Crush is a band from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada formed in 1992. Originally formed in Seattle, they eventually moved back to Vancouver...
in 2008, as well as a touring drummer for Indigenous
Indigenous (band)
Indigenous is an American blues-rock group that came to prominence in the late 1990s. The band originally consisted of two brothers, Mato Nanji , Pte , along with their sister, Wanbdi , and their cousin, Horse .Their music is heavily influenced by guitarist...
, Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
, and Ronnie Montrose
Ronnie Montrose
Ronnie Montrose, is an Amercian rock guitarist who has headed his own bands as well as performing with a variety of musicians, including Sammy Hagar, Herbie Hancock, Van Morrison, The Beau Brummels, Boz Scaggs, Beaver & Krause, Gary Wright, Tony Williams, The Neville Brothers, Dan Hartman, Edgar...
.
Fitz also performed in Las Vegas with "Tinnitus", a band made up of several touring musicians from Blue Man Group
Blue Man Group
Blue Man Group is an organization founded by Chris Wink, Matt Goldman and Phil Stanton. The organization produces theatrical shows and concerts featuring popular music, comedy and multimedia; recorded music and scores for film and television; television appearances for shows such as The Tonight...
, with Fitz playing keyboards and guitar.
In 2009, Kulick, Corabi and Fitz all performed 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 ...
with the show Monster Circus. Fitz was keyboardist/guitarist, Kulick on guitar, and Corabi on vocals and guitar.
In 2010, Fitz joined Slash
Slash (musician)
Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
in his band as drummer.
Discography
- UnionUnion (Union album)-Tracks: Only available on the Japan Bonus Track Version of the Album-Reception:The album did relatively well for a lower profile release. It Peaked at 36th position on the Heatseekers Billboard Chart in 1998. Alex Henderson of AMG Called it "Superb" and one 1998's Strongest Rock Releases...
(1998) - Union (1998) Japanese Release *Bonus song For You
- Union Live in the Galaxy (1999)
- Union (Reissue-Spitfire 1999) *Bonus song Oh Darlin
- The Blue RoomThe Blue Room (Album)The Blue Room is the second studio album of the rock band Union, which was released in 2000.- Tracks :- Reception :Greg Prato of AMG reviews the album for the site...
(2000)