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Allen McKenzie | |
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | "A-Mac" |
| Born | January 1, 1960 |
| Origin | Jackson, Ohio, U.S. |
| Genres | Hard rock, glam metal, progressive rock, melodic rock |
| Occupation | Bassist |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Member of | FireHouse |
| Website | firehousemusic |
Allen McKenzie (born January 1, 1960) is an American musician, best known as the bass guitarist for the hard rock/glam metal band FireHouse. [1]
McKenzie grew up in a rural area of Jackson, Ohio, before moving to Akron with his family in 1977. In June 1978, McKenzie graduated from Garfield High School. In September, he enlisted in the United States Army and served for three years in Landau, West Germany, then three years stateside.
On October 8, 2005, he married his wife Tina. They have three children.
McKenzie started playing a C.R. Alsip bass customized to McKenzie's liking in July 2014. McKenzie met master luthier Jake Willoughby of C.R. Alsip Guitars through bandmate Bill Leverty in 2012. After McKenzie heard Leverty's guitar he asked Willoughby if he would be interested in building a bass guitar. Willoughby agreed, building the iconic "Guinness Harp" 5 string bass that made its first appearance onstage with McKenzie in 2014.
On leaving the army, McKenzie became involved in the music scene in Akron and played with cover bands. McKenzie then, by chance, met Dave Jackson in the rubber refinery where they both worked. Together, they founded a local hard rock band called Foxx in late 1985. Foxx released two albums – Foxx (1989) and Stick It Out (1991) [2] – and toured. Foxx disbanded in 1992, but reunited in December 2012 and still perform on occasion.
In 1993, McKenzie joined Quest, a progressive rock band based in Cleveland, Ohio. Membership of Quest allowed him to explore his interest as a singer, keyboard player and songwriter. At the end of 1994, Quest released a CD, Opposite sides of the picket fence. In summer, 1994, Quest gave an opening performance for a Yes concert at the Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Quest's prog rock CD failed and in 1995, the group disbanded.
McKenzie joined Peacetree, a hard rock band, as a bass guitarist. The band was fronted by Elijah Black. Peacetree released three CDs, Insense (1996), Wonderful Day (1998) and Nice to meet you (2000). Nice to meet you earned Peacetree a nomination for "Best hard rock band" at the 2000 Cleveland Free Times Music Awards. Peacetree gave opening performances for bands who were touring nationally such as Mötley Crüe, Styx, Cinderella and Neil Young. Peacetree also appeared on The Jenny Jones Show .
Peacetree disbanded in 2002. McKenzie played with the JAK band, a local classic rock band. He also rehearsed with a new band led by Elijah Black. Then, Jani Lane, the original vocalist for the band Warrant, approached McKenzie to join him on a solo tour to promote Lane's CD, Back Down to One. McKenzie worked with Lane from October 2002 to March 2003.
On October 23, 2003, McKenzie joined FireHouse at the recommendation of Billy Morris, the guitarist for Lane, and Tony Avitar, FireHouse's current sound engineer. FireHouse toured the USA, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Japan, India, Brazil, Spain, Italy, Greece and the UK. Allen, along with the rest of the band, contributed to the CDs Monster Ballads Christmas (Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree, released in 2007), Hell Bent Forever-A Tribute To Judas Priest ("You've Got Another Thing Coming", released in 2008), the DVD, Metal Mania Stripped Across America ("Don't Treat Me Bad", released in 2005), and the band's latest full-length CD, Full Circle, a re-recorded "best of" album, released in 2011.
Glass Harp are a rock band formed in Youngstown, Ohio in 1968 consisting of Phil Keaggy, drummer John Sferra and bassist Daniel Pecchio.
Warrant is an American glam metal band formed in 1984 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, that experienced success from 1989 to 1996 with five albums reaching international sales of over 10 million. The band first came into the national spotlight with their double platinum debut album Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich (1989) and one of its singles, "Heaven", which reached No. 1 in Rolling Stone and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The band's success continued in the early 1990s with the double platinum album Cherry Pie (1990), which provided the hit song of the same name.
FireHouse is an American hard rock band that formed in 1984 in Richmond, Virginia. They then moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, where they signed with Epic Records in 1989. The band reached stardom during the early 1990s with charting singles like "Don't Treat Me Bad," "All She Wrote," and "Reach for the Sky," as well as their signature power ballads "Love of a Lifetime," "When I Look into Your Eyes," and "I Live My Life for You." At the 1992 American Music Awards, FireHouse won the award for "Favorite New Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Artist."
Kix was an American glam metal and hard rock band formed in 1976, that achieved popularity during the 1980s. The band's classic lineup consisted of guitarists Ronnie "10/10" Younkins and Brian "Damage" Forsythe, bassist Donnie Purnell and frontman Steve Whiteman and drummer Jimmy "Chocolate" Chalfant. Kix covered Aerosmith, April Wine, Led Zeppelin, and others before signing with Atlantic Records in 1981. After peaking in the late 1980s, band members continued to record and tour until their disbandment in 2023.
Fastway were an English hard rock band formed in 1982 by former Motörhead guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke and former UFO bassist Pete Way. The band went through various membership changes and Way left the band after receiving an opportunity to perform with Ozzy Osbourne.
Enuff Z'Nuff is an American glam metal band from Blue Island, Illinois, founded by singer Donnie Vie and bassist Chip Z'Nuff. The band charted two times on the US Hot 100; "Fly High Michelle" (#47) and "New Thing" (#67).
William G. Leverty II is an American guitarist. He is a founding member of the hard rock band FireHouse and has been responsible for writing many of the band's hit songs. Throughout the 2000s, Leverty has also pursued a solo career, releasing five albums: Wanderlust, Southern Exposure, Deep South, Drive, and Divided We Fall. Following the death of founding member and vocalist CJ Snare, Leverty alongside drummer Michael Foster are the only original members still active in the band.
Michael Foster is an American musician best known as the drummer and founding member of rock band FireHouse. Foster and guitarist/founding member Bill Leverty are the only original members still active in the band, following the death of vocalist CJ Snare.
Perry Richardson is an American bass guitarist who played in the hard rock band FireHouse until 2000 and is currently the bassist of Stryper.
Patrick Sweany is an American blues rock musician from Massillon, Ohio, United States.
FireHouse is the debut album by American glam metal band FireHouse. Released in 1990, it launched the group into stardom. The record was certified double platinum in the United States and gold in Canada, Japan and Singapore.
Hold Your Fire is the second studio album by the hard rock band FireHouse. It was released in June 1992. The album spent thirty weeks in the Billboard 200 Top Albums chart peaking at No. 23.
Good Acoustics is the fourth studio album by the hard rock band FireHouse. It was released in 1996 on Epic Records. The album featured acoustic versions of several of the band's biggest hits. However, it also featured four new songs.
Prime Time is the seventh studio album of the rock band FireHouse. It was released in 2003 by Pony Canyon in Japan, and in 2004 in the United States.
"Reach for the Sky" is the fifth single released by the American rock band FireHouse. As the first single from their second album, Hold Your Fire, the track reached No. 83 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 27 on the Album Rock Tracks chart. The song was written by guitarist Bill Leverty and vocalist C.J. Snare.
"I Live My Life for You" is the seventh single released by the American rock band FireHouse. It is the tenth and last track from its third album, 3. A power ballad, the song reached number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 20 on the Adult Contemporary charts. It is generally considered to be the last song released by a 1980s style glam metal band still classified as such to make a significant impact on the charts, something notable because it was released in 1995 which was a full three years after the genre was pushed out of the mainstream by the grunge movement. The song was written by guitarist Bill Leverty and vocalist C.J. Snare.
"Firehouse" is a song by American hard rock band Kiss, released in 1974 on their eponymous debut album. The track was written by the bands' rhythm guitarist and vocalist Paul Stanley. During live performances, bassist Gene Simmons has breathed fire, with red lights flashing and sirens sounding. "Firehouse" has remained a concert staple and is regarded as one of the band's classic songs. With its fan-favorite status, the song is one of the most played songs in the Kiss catalog, having been played well over 1,000 times during their career.
MacKenzie Theory was an Australian jazz rock group formed in September 1971 in Melbourne. Rob MacKenzie and Cleis Pearce were the mainstays. They recorded two albums, Out of the Blue (1973) and Bon Voyage (1974) for Mushroom Records before disbanding in May 1974. Out of the Blue peaked at No. 19 on Go-Set's Australian Albums chart. In the 1990s, MacKenzie was a member of United States rock'n'roll revival act, Sha Na Na.
Full Circle is a compilation studio album by American hard rock band, FireHouse. The album features re-recorded material from the band's previous releases. It features all original members excluding bassist Perry Richardson, and replacing him with ex-Jani Lane bassist Allen McKenzie, thus making the album the first to feature McKenzie on bass. It consists of 5 tracks from their debut, FireHouse, 3 tracks from their sophomore effort, Hold Your Fire 1 track from their 3rd release aptly titled, 3, 1 track from their acoustic release, Good Acoustics, and 1 track from The Best of FireHouse compilation. The album spawned a tour covering the United States, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Peru, Korea, Portugal, and India.
C.R. Alsip Guitars is a small American guitar manufacturing company founded in Arkansas City, KS in February 2012. The company operated in Kansas from 2012 to 2014. The company is now based in the Atlanta, GA area. C.R. Alsip LLC was named after Connie Rae Alsip-Willoughby. C.R. Alsip LLC is owned & operated by Connie's son Jake Willoughby who originally planned to name the company "Mason Alsip".
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