Enuff Z'Nuff

Last updated
Enuff Z'Nuff
Enuff Z'Nuff.png
Founding members Chip Z'Nuff and Donnie Vie
Background information
Origin Blue Island, Illinois, U.S.
Genres
Years active1984–present
Labels
Members
  • Chip Z'Nuff
    Tory Stoffregen
    Jason K. Herman
    Joe Corson
Past members
  • B.W. Boeski
    Gino Martino
    Pete Comita
    Alex Kane
    Derek Frigo
    Vikki Foxx
    Ricky Parent
    Donnie Vie
    Johnny Monaco
    Randi Scott
    Erik Donner
    Tony Fennell
    Daniel B. Hill
Website enuffznuff.com

Enuff Z'Nuff (a sensational spelling of "enough's enough") is an American rock 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). [1]

Contents

The Chicago-area band has continually recorded and toured throughout their career of more than 30 years, releasing 16 studio albums and 24 CDs to date. Their songs have been recorded by several other musicians, including Paul Gilbert, the Wildhearts, and Nelson. The group has appeared on MTV, The Howard Stern Show and The Late Show with David Letterman. Their music has been released on the major labels Atco Records and Arista Records, as well as several independent label releases.

History

Formation (1984–1989)

Enuff Z'Nuff formed in 1984 as "Enough Z'Nuff." The band soon grew a live following and recorded their first demo songs, some of which would be officially released later in their career. The band's first single, "Fingers On It", received some minor recognition when it was featured in the 1986 movie Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer . [2] Band members during this period also included drummer B.W. Boeski and guitarists Gino Martino and Alex Kane, the latter of whom moved on to lead guitars for Life, Sex & Death and eventually formed the band AntiProduct.

Major label recordings (1989–1993)

By 1989, Enough Z'Nuff had revised their band name to "Enuff Z'Nuff" and released their first major label offering, a self-titled debut album on Atco Records. For this recording, founding members Donnie Vie and Chip Z'Nuff were joined by ex-Le Mans guitarist Derek Frigo and drummer Vikki Foxx. The band had two charting hits with the psychedelic-flavored pop rock songs "New Thing" and "Fly High Michelle", both of which received steady airplay on MTV. A few years later, the band's heavy glam rock appearance in the music videos would be parodied on Beavis & Butthead .

Frontman Donnie Vie has expressed disappointment that the label marketed the group as a glam metal act during this period instead of as a power pop group, which he considered to be a better descriptor of their sound, and suggested that the group would have retained their popularity had they been promoted as such. [3]

For their follow-up album, 1991's Strength , the band consciously toned down their glam image. Strength was released in 1991 on Atco to strong reviews, including Rolling Stone magazine calling the group "The Hot Band of the Year." [4] There were promotional videos for the singles "Mother's Eyes" and "Baby Loves You", as well as an appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman . However, this follow-up album did not sell nearly as well as their first.

The band filed for bankruptcy and left Atco Records, but soon after was picked up by Clive Davis' Arista Records label for their 1993 album Animals with Human Intelligence . Before this album's release, drummer Vikki Foxx quit the band to join Vince Neil's solo band. Foxx would be airbrushed out of the album cover, despite performing on each track of the recording. Foxx was replaced by New Jersey resident and former War and Peace member Ricky Parent, who also appeared for most of the album's promotional material. The band performed on Letterman again and shot a video for the single "Right by Your Side". However this release, much like Strength, received some critical acclaim but ultimately disappointed commercially. [5]

Independent albums and Donnie's departure (1993–2006)

A short time after Enuff Z'Nuff parted ways from Arista Records, guitarist Derek Frigo left the band, though he still recorded on occasion with them. Despite this setback, the band continued touring and recording, releasing albums on several indie labels and finding a solid fanbase overseas. [6] Some notable events include many appearances on The Howard Stern Show , local appearances on the Mancow's Morning Madhouse radio program, a 1998 performance on The Jenny Jones Show , a pair of features on VH1 about hair bands in 1999, and attaining an opening slot for Poison's 2001 "Glam Slam Metal Jam" tour. [7]

Lead singer and songwriter Donnie Vie stopped touring with the group in 2002 out of frustration and to embark upon a solo career. Enuff Z'Nuff continued to tour in his absence as a "3-piece," with their lead guitarist Johnny Monaco also serving as the band's lead singer. [8] Despite not touring, Vie would still write and record with the band in future studio releases.

On May 28, 2004, former lead guitarist Derek Frigo died from an apparent drug overdose at the age of 37, soon after the band planned a Japanese tour with the original line-up. [9] Another tragedy struck when the band's drummer Ricky Parent lost his long-time battle with cancer in October 2007. [10] Parent had been with the band for approximately 12 years.

Reformation and Vie's second departure (2006–2013)

In 2006, original members Chip Z'Nuff and Donnie Vie reconvened to shoot a pilot for the VH1 reality television show, Bands on the Run . [11] The show's pilot episode never aired. However, during that time the reunited band held their initial recording sessions for their 12th record. Several songs from these sessions eventually helped create their studio album, Dissonance , which also features former Ozzy Osbourne / Badlands guitarist Jake E. Lee on guitar. With Vie rejoining the live shows in 2008, Dissonance was released in 2009 in Japan, with a U.K. release following in 2010. [12] In support of the album, Enuff Z'Nuff toured both Japan and Europe, including the Download Festival in the U.K. [13] As of May 2013, Donnie Vie once again left the band. Johnny Monaco returned to Enuff Z'Nuff as the band's singer. [14]

Recent activity, Chip on lead vocals (since 2014)

There was more band member shuffling in May 2014 when guitarist Tory Stoffregen and drummer Randi Scott each left the band. [15] Drummer Erik Donner joined on drums in June, while Enuff Z'Nuff continued touring as a 3-piece. In April 2016, Metal Sludge confirmed via an interview with Johnny Monaco that he is no longer in the band. [16] The band continued with Chip Z'nuff as the lead singer, Tory Stoffregen back on lead guitar, Tony Fenelle (Ultravox) on guitar and Daniel B. Hill on drums.

Enuff Z'nuff released an album of older, previously unreleased original material on Frontiers Records in late 2016, titled Clowns Lounge . [17] It mainly features demo material from studio sessions originally recorded in 1988 and 1989. Enuff Z'nuff released an album of new material with Chip Z'nuff on lead vocals, Diamond Boy , in 2018 on the Frontiers label. It was their first recording without contributions from former Enuff Z'nuff singer/songwriter Donnie Vie. Vie is still active musically and created a PledgeMusic campaign for his latest solo album, which released July 15, 2019. [18] On March 11, 2019, guitarist Tony Fennell announced his departure from the band in a statement that was posted on the band's Facebook page. [19] He was replaced by Alex Kane, a previous Enuff Z'nuff band member who had played with the band before their first major label breakthrough.

Enuff Z'Nuff continues to release new recordings. Their 15th studio album, named Brainwashed Generation, came out in 2020 through Frontiers Records. In August 2021, a 3-CD set of formerly unreleased demo recordings titled Never Enuff was released through Cleopatra Records. A Beatles cover album, Hardrock Nite, released in 2021 through Frontiers Records. The newest Enuff Z'nuff album, Finer than Sin came out in late 2022. Chip also released his second solo album Perfectly Imperfect that year.

Musical style

Enuff Z'Nuff's music is a combination of glam metal, [20] [21] [22] hard rock, [23] power pop, [24] and psychedelic rock. [25]

Discography

Band members

Current members

Former members

Touring members

Timeline

Enuff Z'Nuff

See also

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<i>Strength</i> (Enuff Znuff album) 1991 studio album by Enuff Znuff

Strength is the second studio album by the American rock band Enuff Z'nuff, released in 1991. The band had positive momentum at the time of the album's release, including an appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman, as well as Rolling Stone calling them "The Hot Band of 1991." Although Strength quickly entered the British charts at No. 56, the album peaked at only No. 143 in the United States.

<i>Enuff Znuff</i> (album) 1989 studio album by Enuff ZNuff

Enuff Z'Nuff is the debut studio album by American glam metal band Enuff Z'Nuff, released on August 18, 1989, through Atco Records. This debut album continues to be the best selling album in the band's catalog. The album's first single, "New Thing", received steady radio and MTV airplay, peaking at No. 67 on the Billboard Hot 100. Their follow-up single, a ballad called "Fly High Michelle," would prove to be the band's biggest hit, peaking at No. 47 on the same chart. Promotional CDs were created for another song, a ballad called "For Now," but this single was apparently cancelled while the band focused on their follow-up record, 1991's Strength. By 1991 the album had sold 300,000 copies.

<i>Animals with Human Intelligence</i> 1993 studio album by Enuff ZNuff

Animals with Human Intelligence is the third studio album by the American rock band Enuff Z'nuff and is also their only album on Arista Records. Original drummer Vikki Foxx left the group right after the recording sessions ended, to join rocker Vince Neil's band. In addition to the promotional video for the song "Right by Your Side," the band made a live appearance on the Late Night with David Letterman TV show, performing the song "Superstitious". The song "Innocence" was released as a follow-up single, however, none of the album's singles charted on the US Hot 100.

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Kik Tracee was a 1990s hard rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1988, during the last years of the glam metal movement, before the influx of grunge and alternative rock.

<i>1985</i> (album) 1994 studio album by Enuff ZNuff

1985 is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Enuff Z'Nuff, which features material recorded in the band's earliest days. The songs were taken from a demo at the time called Hollywood Squares, originally recorded in 1985. Musically, the songs were noticeably more pop rock in direction as opposed to the hard rock recordings they had been known for.

<i>Paraphernalia</i> (album) 1999 studio album by Enuff Znuff

This record is one of a string of mid-career recordings by Chicago natives Enuff Z'Nuff. Paraphernalia is arguably heavier in nature than many of their previous recordings. This album is also notable for its guest appearances from other famous Chicago area musicians, including Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick, James Young of Styx, and Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins, all featured on lead guitar for several of the album's tracks.

<i>Seven</i> (Enuff Znuff album) 1997 studio album by Enuff Znuff

Seven is the 7th studio album by American rock band Enuff Z'Nuff, which was originally released in Japan as Brothers under the band name Chip & Donnie in 1994. Seven was initially intended to form one half of a double-album for the Japanese market, paired with the record that would eventually become the album Tweaked. The sessions were split into two separate discs, with the pop sounding Brothers album getting re-branded as an Enuff Z'nuff album in 1997 for its US release. As well as the re-titling and new artwork, Seven contains two bonus tracks not available on the original Brothers CD.

<i>Tweaked</i> 1995 studio album by Enuff Znuff

Tweaked is the 5th studio album and first independently released collection of new material by American rock band Enuff Z'nuff.

<i>10</i> (Enuff Znuff album) 2000 studio album by Enuff ZNuff

'10' is the 9th studio album, and 10th overall release by the Rock band Enuff Z'Nuff. By fans, it is sometimes seen as the poppier counterpart to their harder sounding Paraphernalia record, as both albums were recorded and released during a similar time frame. The album cover art for '10' is a direct reference to the band's debut album, released a decade earlier. While the original U.S. edition of the album included a video for the single "There Goes My Heart" in QuickTime format, '10' was released first in Japan through the Pony Canyon label. The band also toured Japan in 2000 in support of the CD, which peaked at #60 on the Japanese music charts. The song "There Goes My Heart" was later featured in a trailer for the 2008 film The Promotion.

<i>Dissonance</i> (album) 2009 studio album by Enuff ZNuff

Dissonance is the 12th studio album from the band Enuff Z'Nuff. The album reunites singers/songwriters Donnie Vie and Chip Z'Nuff after Vie's hiatus from the band of several years. Original sessions for the album started in 2006, prompted by the band's possible inclusion in a pilot episode for the VH-1 show "Bands on the Run." Songs from these initial sessions, bootlegged as Lost In Vegas by fans, would be later reworked for the official release of Dissonance. Several songs on the CD feature past Ozzy Osbourne/Badlands guitarist Jake E. Lee.

<i>Welcome to Blue Island</i> 2003 studio album by Enuff Znuff

Welcome to Blue Island was the final recording of new studio material by Enuff Z'nuff before lead singer Donnie Vie left the group in 2002. As a result, Vie did not tour to support the album. However, the band continued playing shows at this time with lead guitarist Monaco taking over vocal duties. As was common for the band, Welcome To Blue Island was released first in Japan, where it charted at No. 90.

<i>?</i> (Enuff Znuff album) 2004 studio album by Enuff Znuff

Enuff Z'nuff's 11th studio album, simply titled ?, is an odds and ends collection of previously unreleased studio material recorded throughout the band's career. Although a few new tracks were recorded specifically for the album, the remainder of the songs were originally recorded during the sessions of their albums Animals With Human Intelligence and Paraphernalia. The ? album was released first in Japan, where it peaked at No. 177. A U.S. release followed soon after in October on Perris Records, as well as a European release on Frontiers Records in early 2005.

<i>Peach Fuzz</i> (album) 1996 studio album by Enuff Znuff

Peach Fuzz is the sixth studio album from the American rock band Enuff Z'Nuff. Like the band's 1994 release 1985, this album is viewed more as an archival release than a new album since it features mostly previously recorded material. For example, the tracks "Let It Go" and "Kitty" were initially b-sides to the UK edition of the Strength single "Mother's Eyes," while the song "Happy Holiday" was first intended for the 1992 film Home Alone 2. Many of the remaining tracks on Peach Fuzz were recorded during the making of the 1993 album Animals with Human Intelligence, but were likely excluded from that release due to their poppier sounding nature.

American rock band Enuff Z'Nuff currently has 17 studio albums, 5 live albums, and 5 compilations for a total of 27 official albums. Their highest charting singles were "Fly High Michelle" and "New Thing" from their 1989 self-titled release. Enuff Z'Nuff's latest studio release of new material, named Brainwashed Generation, was released in July 2020. A 3-disc compilation of unreleased material, Never Enuff, was released by Cleopatra Records in August 2021. A Beatles' Tribute Album named "Hardrock Nite" came out in 2021. Their newest release, Finer than Sin, will come out November 11, 2022 through Frontiers Records. It will be the 4th consecutive album with Chip Z'nuff taking over lead vocals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donnie Vie</span> American singer

Donald Edwin Vandevelde, better known by his stage name Donnie Vie, is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the main songwriter and lead vocalist of the rock band Enuff Z'Nuff.

<i>Clowns Lounge</i> 2016 studio album by Enuff ZNuff

Clowns Lounge is the thirteenth studio album by Enuff Z'Nuff. It is mainly an archival release that features previously unreleased demo songs of their recording sessions from 1988-1989 in Wisconsin, back when the band was creating their first self-titled release on ATCO Records. The title of the album is a reference to a strip club they frequented in-between sessions. The songs mostly feature singer Donnie Vie and bassist Chip Z'Nuff, along with guitarist Derek Frigo and drummer Vikki Foxx. One newly recorded song, "Dog On a Bone," has bassist Z'Nuff on lead vocals but with no involvement from Vie. Another song, "The Devil Of Shakespeare," was originally recorded around 2004, co-written by author Billy McCarthy for his debut book of the same name. That track features McCarthy on drums, the late Jani Lane of Warrant on vocals, along with James Young of Styx on lead guitar.

<i>Diamond Boy</i> 2018 studio album by Enuff ZNuff

Diamond Boy is the fourteenth studio album by the American rock band Enuff Z'Nuff. The album was released August 10, 2018 on Frontiers Records. It is the first Enuff Z'Nuff release to not feature their former lead singer Donnie Vie. Bassist Chip Z'Nuff performs the lead vocal duties on each track of the album.

"Fly High Michelle" is a power ballad by American rock band Enuff Z'Nuff that was released as a single in 1990.

References

  1. ↑ Billboard Chart History For Enuff Z'Nuff Billboard . Accessed January 22, 2012.
  2. ↑ Soundtrack for Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer IMDb.com. Accessed June 27, 2011.
  3. ↑ Parks, John. "Legendary Rock Interview with Donnie Vie of Enuff Z' Nuff and Donnie Vie Band | Legendary Rock Interviews". Legendary Rock Interviews. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
  4. ↑ Hot Issue Hits and Misses: Coldplay and Enuff Z'Nuff Archived 2013-04-30 at the Wayback Machine Rolling Stone . Accessed June 27, 2011.
  5. ↑ Linden, Amy. Review: Animals With Human Intelligence Archived 2012-10-15 at the Wayback Machine . Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2009-12-21.
  6. ↑ Oricon Japanese Charts. Oricon. Accessed January 15, 2012.
  7. ↑ Glam Slam Metal Jam Coming In May antiMUSIC. Accessed January 15, 2012.
  8. ↑ Interview With Monaco Ready To Rock. Accessed January 15, 2012.
  9. ↑ Derek Frigo Biography Archived October 18, 2006, at the Wayback Machine Sleaze Roxx. Accessed June 27, 2011.
  10. ↑ Enuff Z'Nuff Drummer Ricky Parent Dies Hard Rock Hideout. Accessed January 15, 2012.
  11. ↑ Enuff Z'Nuff To Perform On Bands On The Run Archived 2008-06-13 at the Wayback Machine Blabbermouth.net Accessed June 26, 2011.
  12. ↑ Jake E. Lee to appear on new Enuff Z'Nuff Album antiMUSIC. Accessed June 27, 2011.
  13. ↑ Download Festival Photos Archived 2011-06-16 at the Wayback Machine Download Festival Website. Accessed January 22, 2012.
  14. ↑ Donnie Vie Sends Best of Luck Message to Enuff Z'Nuff Metal Sludge. Accessed June 7, 2013.
  15. ↑ Enuff Z'nuff Loses Two Members In a Month Metal Sludge. Accessed May 27, 2014.
  16. ↑ Fly High Monaco Metal Sludge. Accessed April 19, 2016.
  17. ↑ Enuff Znuff New Album To Include Jani Lane Blabbermouth Accessed April 19, 2016
  18. ↑ Donnie Vie New Album Pledge Music. Accessed March 8, 2018
  19. ↑ Olivier (11 March 2019). "Guitarist Tony Fennell leaving Enuff Z'Nuff – Sleaze Roxx" . Retrieved 2019-04-21.
  20. ↑ McPadden 9/23/2015, Mike. "The Hair Metal 100: Ranking the '80s Greatest Glam Bands, Part 3". VH1 News. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved 2021-02-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  21. ↑ Popoff, Martin (2014). The Big Book of Hair Metal: The Illustrated Oral History of Heavy Metal's Debauched Decade. Voyageur Press. p. 174. ISBN   978-0-76034-546-7.
  22. ↑ Crawford, Allyson B. "Enuff Z'nuff Don't Cheat When Playing Live". Noisecreep . Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  23. ↑ "ENUFF Z'NUFF To Release 13th Studio Album 'Clowns Lounge' In December". Metal Forces . September 27, 2016. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  24. ↑ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Enuff Z'nuff – Artist Biography". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  25. ↑ "Video > Enuff Z'Nuff (A * Vision)" (PDF). Radio & Records . No. 866. November 16, 1990. p. 17. ISSN   0277-4860 . Retrieved October 10, 2016.
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