Enuff Z'Nuff is an American
power pop band from
Blue Island,
Illinois
(a suburb of Chicago), founded by Donnie Vie (vocals,
guitar, keyboards)
and Chip Z'nuff (bass,
vocals).
History
Formed in 1984, Enuff Z'Nuff soon grew a live following and
recorded their first demo songs, some of which would be officially
released only much later in their career. The band's first single,
"Fingers On It," received some recognition when it was featured in
the 1986 cult movie
Henry: Portrait of a Serial
Killer.
By 1989, Enuff Z'Nuff had released their first major label
offering, a self-titled debut album on
Atco
Records, with founding members Donnie Vie and Chip Z'Nuff being
joined by guitarist Derek Frigo and drummer
Vik
"Vikki" Foxx. They had two minor hits on this debut recording
with the psychedelic-flavored pop rock songs "
New Thing" and "Fly High Michelle", which both
received steady airplay on
MTV. The band's heavy
glam rock appearance in their videos was
later parodied on MTV's
Beavis
& Butthead.
For their follow-up album, 1991's
Strength, the band tried to tone-down
their glam image. It was released in 1991 to strong reviews,
including
Rolling Stone
magazine calling the group "The hot band of the year." 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 bankruptcy and left
Atco
Records, but soon after this event, the band was picked up by
Clive Davis'
Arista Records label for
their 1993 album
Animals With Human Intelligence. This
release, much like
Strength, received some critical
acclaim, but ultimately failed commercially. Before the album's
release, drummer Vikki Foxx quit the band to join
Vince Neil's solo band. He was replaced by New
Jersey resident and former "War & Peace" member Ricky Parent.
After Enuff Z'Nuff was dropped from Arista, guitarist Derek Frigo
parted ways with the band. Despite these setbacks, the band has
continued touring and recording up until the present, releasing
albums on several independent labels, and also finding a solid
fanbase overseas. The band had also made regular appearances in the
mid-1990s and also 2005 on the
Howard Stern Radio Show.
Lead singer and songwriter Donnie Vie stopped touring with the
group in 2002 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 singer. In 2004, former
lead guitarist Derek Frigo died from an apparent drug overdose at
the age of 37. Another tragedy struck when the band's drummer Ricky
Parent lost his long time battle with cancer in October 2007.
Parent had been with the band for approximately 13 years.
In 2006, the existing original members, Chip Z'Nuff and Donnie Vie,
reconvened to shoot a pilot for the
VH1 reality television show,
Bands on the Run. The show's pilot
episode never aired. However, during that time, the re-united band
held their initial recording sessions for their 12th studio album
tentatively titled
Dissonance. The CD will feature
appearances from former Ozzy Osbourne/Badlands guitarist
Jake E. Lee and
original Guns N' Roses drummer
Steven
Adler. The band is hoping to release it in late 2008.
Recently, bassist Chip Z'Nuff has performed worldwide with the band
Adler's Appetite, which features former
Guns N' Roses drummer
Steven Adler, as well as
Missing Persons. Former member Vik Foxx is
now the drummer for
Australian teen pop group
The
Veronicas.
The newly reformed Enuff Z'Nuff has performed
at the Rocklahoma Music Festival in Pryor, Oklahoma
in July 2008, on the same bill as Poison's Bret Michaels and Skid Row's Sebastian Bach. Since then, other tour
dates have been announced.
Discography
Albums
- Enuff Z'nuff (1989) (US
#74)
- Strength (1991) (US
#143)
- Animals With
Human Intelligence (1993)
- 1985 (1994)
- Tweaked (1995)
- Peach Fuzz (1996)
- Seven
(1997)
- Live (1998) - live album
- Paraphernalia
(1999)
- 10 (2000)
- Welcome To Blue Island (2002)
- Favorites (2004) - compilation album
- Question mark (2004)
- One More For The Road (2005) - live album
- Greatest Hits (2006) - compilation album
- Extended Versions (2006) - live album
- Tonight - Sold Out (2007) - live album
- Dissonance (2009 Japanese Import Only) - (Unreleased
except for a limited edition)
Singles
Singles
| Year |
Single |
Chart positions |
| US Hot 100 |
US Main
Rock |
UK |
| 1989 |
"New Thing" |
67 |
35 |
- |
| 1990 |
"Fly High Michelle" |
47 |
27 |
- |
| 1990 |
"She Wants More" |
- |
- |
- |
| 1991 |
"Mother's Eyes" |
- |
17 |
- |
| 1991 |
"Baby Loves You" |
- |
- |
- |
| 1993 |
"Right By Your SIde" |
- |
- |
- |
| 1995 |
"Bullet From A Gun" |
- |
- |
- |
|
References
- Sleaze Roxx: Derek Frigo
- http://www.antimusic.com/news/08/feb/01Jake_E._Lee_and_Vinnie_Castaldo_Appear_on_New_Enuff_Znuff_CD.shtml
External links