Jon Oliva
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Jon Oliva | ||
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 Jon Oliva
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Jonathan Nicholas Oliva | |
| Also known as | Jon Oliva | |
| Born | July 22, 1960 | |
| Origin | Bronx, NY | |
| Genre(s) | Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, Power Metal | |
| Associated acts |
Savatage, Dr. Butcher, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Jon Oliva's Pain | |
| Website | www.savatage.com www.jonoliva.net www.trans-siberian.com |
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John Nicholas Oliva (born July 22, 1960 in Bronx, NY) is best known simply as Jon Oliva and as founder and lead vocalist for Savatage. He was the third of four children. His younger brother was Criss Oliva, the lead guitarist and co-founder of Savatage.
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[edit] Career
Most famous for his associations with Savatage, Oliva has also composed music for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra (aka TSO), headed up the 1993 project Dr. Butcher and his own Jon Oliva's Pain. He is known informally to his fans as The Mountain King.
In the past Oliva suffered from substance abuse problems that reportedly reached their peak during the tour for the album Hall of the Mountain King. He was frequently seen with Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine, who was also a drug user at the time. The later album Streets: A Rock Opera may be semi-autobiographical in this regard, although Oliva denies it. While in rehab, he penned much of the music for the Gutter Ballet album.
In 1992, he stepped down as the lead singer of Savatage, but continued to tour with the band, playing keyboards on stage. He was replaced by former Wicked Witch singer Zak Stevens. Savatage continued however, with the release of Edge of Thorns in 1993. Tragedy struck for the band later that year, when on October 17, 1993, Criss Oliva was killed in a car accident on his way back from a show in Tampa, Florida. Savatage's 1994 album Handful of Rain is considered Jon Oliva's tribute to his brother. He, along with Alex Skolnick, formerly of Testament and Zak Stevens, recorded the album together, although it was eventually credited to be a Savatage record, many consider it a solo album.
Oliva returned to perform vocal duties for Savatage's 1995 album Dead Winter Dead, supplying vocals to the tracks "I Am" and "Doesn't Matter Anyway". He was featured on the album WWF Full Metal in 1996, singing the song "We're All Together Now" with several WWE professional wrestlers. Whilst featured in other musical projects, he remained involved in every song Savatage recorded despite his absence from the vocal credits. In 2001, after Stevens left the band citing family reasons, Oliva returned to provide vocals for Savatage's new album, Poets and Madmen. It was his first appearance as a lead vocalist on a Savatage record in 10 years.
In 2000 Oliva contributed the song "Perfect Christmas Night" to the Jim Carrey vehicle, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"[1].
[edit] JOP
After touring and writing with TSO, Oliva formed his own band Jon Oliva's Pain (often known as JOP) in 2003. JOP released an album entitled 'Tage Mahal in 2004 on the SPV label, then subsequently signed to AFM Records in March 2006 for the release of their forthcoming second album Maniacal Renderings[2] (due on September 4th, 2006).
[edit] References
- ^ How the Grinch Stole Christmas at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ Jon Oliva's Pain (band biography). AFM Records. Retrieved on 2006-08-07.
[edit] External links
| Savatage |
| Jon Oliva | Damond Jiniya | Chris Caffery | Al Pitrelli | Johnny Lee Middleton | Jeff Plate | Paul O'Neill |
| Criss Oliva | Keith Collins | Steve "Doc" Wacholz | Zak Stevens | Alex Skolnick | Jack Frost |
| Discography |
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| Studio Albums: Sirens | Power of the Night | Fight for the Rock | Hall of the Mountain King | Gutter Ballet | Streets: A Rock Opera | Edge of Thorns | Handful of Rain | Dead Winter Dead | The Wake of Magellan | Poets and Madmen |
| Extended Plays: The Dungeons Are Calling | Chance EP | Doesn't Matter Anyway EP |
| Live Albums: Japan Live '94 | Final Bell / Ghost in the Ruins |
| Compilation Albums: From the Gutter to the Stage | The Best and the Rest | Believe |
| Related articles |
| Doctor Butcher | Trans-Siberian Orchestra | Jon Oliva's Pain | Circle II Circle | Seven Witches | Megadeth | Testament | Annihilator |
