Northern Light Orchestra is a Christmas-themed supergroup, founded in 2009, and composed of more than 20 artists who are already successful in heavy metal, hard rock bands. The group's music has been compared to Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
It is not to be confused with Northern Lights Orchestra, organized for the album What If Mozart Wrote "White Christmas".
Vocalists and musicians in the Northern Light Orchestra include members and former members of bands such as The Beach Boys, Sly and the Family Stone, Alice Cooper, Survivor, Steely Dan, Firehouse, Megadeth, Sister Sledge, Quiet Riot, Vanilla Fudge, Winger, Guns N' Roses, Grand Funk Railroad, Kiss, House of Lords and Whitesnake. The artists who have performed with Northern Light Orchestra have collectively sold over 200 million albums worldwide. [1]
In 2009, the orchestra performed in a one-hour live concert featuring many of the performers from the Spirit of Christmas album. The one-hour Christmas special was aired on broadcast and satellite television including JCTV, Cornerstone TV, Daystar Network, TCT and NRB Network, with potential airings on PBS affiliates as well.
The following is a list of artists who contributed to the band:
Winger is an American rock band formed in New York City in 1987. Winger gained popularity during the late 1980s and early 1990s with two platinum albums, Winger and In the Heart of the Young, along with charting singles "Seventeen", "Headed for a Heartbreak" and "Miles Away". In 1990, the band was nominated for an American Music Award for "Best New Heavy Metal Band". As the music scene changed in the early to mid-1990s due to the popularity of grunge, their success faded following their third release, 1993's Pull. Winger disbanded less than a year later in 1994.
Charles Frederick Kip Winger is an American singer and bass guitarist, active as a member of the rock band Winger and as a solo artist. He initially gained notability as a member of Alice Cooper's band, contributing bass to his Constrictor (1986) and Raise Your Fist and Yell (1987) albums.
Richfield Coliseum, also known as the Coliseum at Richfield, was an indoor arena located in Richfield Township, between Cleveland and Akron, Ohio. It opened in 1974 as a replacement for the Cleveland Arena, and had a seating capacity of 20,273 for basketball. It was the main arena for the Northeast Ohio region until 1994, when it was replaced by Gund Arena in downtown Cleveland. The Coliseum stood vacant for five years before it was purchased and demolished in 1999 by the National Park Service. The site of the building was converted to a meadow and is now part of Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Monsters of Rock is a hard rock and heavy metal music festival. It was originally held annually in Castle Donington, England, from 1980 to 1996, taking place every year except 1989 and 1993. It later branched into other locations such as the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Sweden, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the United States, and the Soviet Union.
Al Pitrelli is an American guitarist, best known for his work with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Megadeth, Alice Cooper and Savatage. He has performed with various acts as a band member, session musician and touring member, including Michael Bolton, Celine Dion, Asia, Dee Snider, Kathy Troccoli, Taylor Dayne, Blue Öyster Cult, Exposé and Joe Lynn Turner.
Richard Earl "Reb" Beach Jr. is an American rock guitarist. He is a member of the bands Winger and Whitesnake.
Doug Aldrich is an American hard rock guitarist. He founded the band Burning Rain with Keith St. John in 1998 and has played with Whitesnake, Dio, Lion, Hurricane, House of Lords, Bad Moon Rising and Revolution Saints. He is currently a member of The Dead Daisies. He has also released several solo albums. Doug toured with former Deep Purple bassist and vocalist Glenn Hughes' band in 2015. It was announced in early 2016 that he would be replacing Richard Fortus as guitarist of The Dead Daisies.
The Mississippi Coliseum is a 6,500-seat multi-purpose arena in Jackson, Mississippi, built in 1962 and located on the Mississippi State Fairgrounds complex. The arena has 6,812 seats available for basketball, and can be expanded to 10,000 for concerts. It sits 2900 feet atop the extinct Jackson Volcano.
Rock Never Stops was a U.S. rock tour that featured various rock groups of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. The tour started in 1997.
This is a timeline documenting the events of heavy metal music in the year 1987.
Burning Rain is a band formed by guitarist Doug Aldrich and singer Keith St. John (Montrose) in 1998. Joining the group were drummer Alex Makarovich (ex-Steelheart) and Ian Mayo on bass.
Dragon Attack: Tribute to Queen is a Queen tribute album produced in 1997. Like most tribute albums, it features cover versions of many Queen songs by various artists, but uniquely the songs are not performed by established groups. Instead, the album is performed by a group of musicians who normally perform with other groups or artists, in different combinations for each track.
The Heavy Metal Box is a CD box set with heavy metal / rock songs from various artists and bands. It was released by Rhino Records in 2007.
Legend Valley is an outdoor concert venue located in Thornville, Ohio, approximately two miles from Buckeye Lake.
By Invitation Only is a tribute album by the Michael Schenker Group released in 2011. This album, made up of songs that influenced the career of Michael Schenker, includes guest performances from members of various bands, including Whitesnake, Blue Öyster Cult, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Iron Maiden. It's a re-release of the Heavy Hitters album from 2005, with one extra song.
Metal Evolution is a 2011 documentary series directed by anthropologist and filmmaker Sam Dunn and director, producer and music supervisor Scot McFadyen about heavy metal subgenres, with new episodes airing every Friday at 10 pm EST on MuchMore and Saturday at 10pm EST on VH1 Classic. Its origins come from Dunn's first documentary Metal: A Headbanger's Journey, which included the acclaimed "Heavy Metal Family Tree."