Cinderella (band)
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Cinderella were a heavily AC/DC-influenced band with some power pop thrown in for good measure. They were formed in Philadelphia in 1984 by vocalist Tom Keifer and bassist Eric Brittingham, with drummer Tony Destra and guitarist Michael Smerick, who later changed his name to Michael-Kelly Smith. Cinderella was discovered by Jon Bon Jovi in 1985, at the Empire Rock Club in Pennsylvania. In 1985 Smerick and Destra left Cinderella and joined another Philadelphia-based metal band called Britny Fox. They were replaced by guitarist Jeff LaBar and drummer Jody Cortez. It was this lineup that recorded the Night Songs debut album. Shortly after its recording, Cortez left and was replaced by (former London drummer) Fred Coury. Coury joined in time to be included as a band member on the album's liner notes. Night Songs was released in August 1986. At one time it sold more than 50,000 copies a week. The album eventually went triple Platinum.
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During their tour for the album, they opened for Bon Jovi, who at the time were touring for their third album Slippery When Wet. Bon Jovi remained an avid supporter of Cinderella. Later, Cinderella headlined a tour in Japan.
Cinderella's second album was Long Cold Winter in 1988. During its tour Cinderella joined Ozzy Osbourne, The Scorpions, Mötley Crüe, Bon Jovi, and Skid Row in the Moscow Music Peace Festival on August 12 & August 13, 1989. The Long Cold Winter tour ended after 254 shows and fourteen months on the road. The shows featured Keifer being gently lowered to the stage from the air on his grand piano as fake snow fell.
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They'd released their third album, Heartbreak Station in 1990. The album was heavily influenced by Keifer's love of the blues which left some fans unhappy. After its tour, Fred Coury left the band and joined former RATT vocalist Stephen Pearcy in a band called Arcade. There were no hard feelings about his departure.
Unfortunately, after the Heartbreak Station tour Tom lost his voice. He underwent several operations to no avail. To make matters worse, his beloved mother died of cancer. By 1994, Cinderella had released their fourth album, Still Climbing, which received little attention. The band broke up in 1995.
Cinderella reunited in 1997 and toured the United States in the following year. They released two albums, "Once Upon a..." and "Live at the Key Club". They also went to work recording new songs but were dropped from their new label, Sony. The band toured again in 2000 and 2002.
Today Eric Brittingham and Jeff Labar are also working with Brittingham and his wife's band, Naked Beggars. Fred is working with numerous bands in the studio and film, and Keifer is working on a solo album. According to various sites, such as glam-metal.com, Cinderella is currently listed as headliners for the Rock Never Stops 2005 summer tour.