Biography
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Years Active
1984 – 1989 (5 years)
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Members
- Bobby Rock (1984 – 1989)
- Dana Strum (1984 – 1989)
- Mark Slaughter (1986 – 1989)
- Robert Fleischman (1984 – 1986)
- Vinnie Vincent (1984 – 1989)
Vincent John Cusano (born August 6, 1952), better known by his stage name Vinnie Vincent, is an American guitarist. He is a former member of the rock band Kiss from 1982 until mid-1984 during the band's transition out of their 1973–1983 makeup period. Vincent was the last member to wear a unique makeup/costume configuration, as the character of The Ankh Warrior (a design created by Paul Stanley), until he and the band were first shown without the makeup during an interview on MTV in September 1983. He founded his own band, Vinnie Vincent Invasion, which had minor hits.
Vinnie Vincent Invasion was a critically acclaimed band created by guitarist and songwriter Vinnie Vincent upon his split with seminal hard rock group Kiss. The group incorporated an outrageous glam image to go along with their scorching blend of sleazy heavy metal.
Guitarist Vinnie Vincent had replaced Ace Frehley in Kiss, and he helped the band return to the spotlight with their 'Lick It Up' album. But, by 1985, Vincent had left the band and decided to be the star, writing music for a band that showcased him. He recorded some demos with one time Journey front-man Robert Fleischman, a singer he had worked with in Warrior prior to his stint in Kiss. Chrysalis records loved what they heard and signed the Invasion to an eight album, $4 million dollar contract. So along with bassist Dana Strum and drummer Bob Rock they started recording the debut album.
The self-titled album, "Vinnie Vincent Invasion" was an instant success as it climbed into the Billboard Top 100. However, Fleischman refused to adopt the outrageous glam metal image, and he showed no desire to tour. The Invasion was forced to find a new vocalist, and they decided on Mark Slaughter. But there was tension between Vincent and Slaughter from day one, which intensified even more when new record label management wanted Slaughter to become the focal point of the group. The follow-up album (All Systems Go (1988)) had some success, but internal turmoil killed the band in late 1988 at the end of their one-month tour.
Vincent recorded a third Invasion album with Fleischman, but it never saw the light of day, and the guitarist has remained out of the limelight and recorded sporadically ever since. Rock went on to further fame with Nelson, while Slaughter and Strum formed Slaughter and reached platinum success.
In 1996, Vincent released a solo EP from the studio sessions he did in 1990 (some say 1989–91), called 'Euphoria', once again with Robert Fleischman on vocals. Vincent, as well as playing all the guitars, played bass and did the drum programming under the guise of "V. Meister". Andre LaBelle provided drum tracks to the CD but they were replaced by Vincent's drum programming. LaBelle can be heard on various tracks on the bootleg Guitarmaggedon/Guitars from Hell CD that featured five more songs than the Euphoria EP.
A tribute album entitled Kiss My Ankh: A Tribute To Vinnie Vincent was released by SplitScreen Entertainment on August 27, 2008. The album consists of new recordings of songs from Vincent's careers with Kiss and the Vinnie Vincent Invasion. Featured artists include Steve Brown of Trixter, Troy Patrick Farrell of White Lion, T.J. Racer of Nitro, Mike Weeks of Robert Fleischman's band, Sheldon Tarsha of Adler's Appetite, Chris Caffery of Savatage and Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Ryan Roxie from the Alice Cooper band and rock and roll comic C.C. Banana, who performs a parody of the Kiss song "Unholy" (rewritten as a roast of Danger Danger vocalist Ted Poley)
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