Stevie Rachelle
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Vocalist in 80's Glam Metal band Tuff and financer and manager of 80's Glam Metal website Metal Sludge.
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[edit] Early life
Rachelle was born Steven Howard Hanseter on March 2, 1966. He was raised in America around the Lake Winnebago area of Oshkosh Wisconsin despite being German. He moved to California as a young adult after spending hours dreaming of the place as a child. Rachelle graduated from Oshkosh West High School in 1984, now the owner of the nickname "Banger", which was shortened from "Headbanger". Rachelle didn't receive the name because of his love for Heavy Metal music however. It was given to him after falling flat on his face trying to jump over a fence to impress a group of girls.
By spring 1985 self taught musician Rachelle found himself in a band as vocalist after been suggested for the job by a skateboarding friend of his. The band would often perform 1970's Heavy Metal cover songs by bands like KISS (band), Black Sabbath and Rainbow (band).
[edit] Tuff
The band after many changes eventually became Tuff, however before deciding on this name Billy's Old Mill, Tommi Gunn and The Jabberwocky were all used. The band were soon snatched up by an unknown record label and recorded their debut album What Goes Around Comes Around. The band never achieved huge success other than the single taken from this album I Hate Kissing You Goodbye which was a constant staple on MTV.
[edit] Later life
After the Hair Metal movement died out Tuff were unheard of and nobody was sure if they had split or not. However in 1996 a Greatest Hits package was released containing a new track called American Hair Band. It used the riff from Metallica's track Sad But True as well as samples from the Poison (band) song Talk Dirty To Me, Skid Row's Youth Gone Wild and the Guns N' Roses classic Sweet Child O' Mine. Rachelle referred to the song as his tribute to a scene he was extremely proud to be a part of and wanted to give something back to.
Rachelle was also in recent years revealed as "the man behind the curtain" of the 80's Metal Music website Metal Sludge. Which also seems to be something Rachelle is doing to keep the world of Glam Metal alive. Unfortunately, in August of 2004, Rachelle split with the head-writer, Shawn Card, and this has been said by many to be the downfall of Metal Sludge.[citation needed] While it used to be a wildly successful website poking fun at the hypocrisy and attitude of the 80's heavy metal scene, it is now basically a merchandise site for Rachelle to sell his own items.
He is now in California with his two young children.
[edit] Guest Appearances
During and after Rachelle's time in Tuff he has played with many other musicians on stage and in the studio, including;
