Eric Singer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Eric Singer | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Eric Doyle Mensinger |
| Born | May 12, 1958 |
| Origin | Cleveland, Ohio, United States |
| Genre(s) | Hard rock, heavy metal |
| Occupation(s) | Drummer |
| Instrument(s) | Drums, Vocals |
| Years active | 1984 - present |
| Associated acts | Kiss, Alice Cooper, E.S.P., Lita Ford, Gary Moore, Black Sabbath, Badlands, Brian May, |
| Website | http://www.eric-singer.com |
Eric Doyle Mensinger (born May 12, 1958 in Cleveland, Ohio), better known as Eric Singer, is an American drummer for the rock band Kiss and singer Alice Cooper. Over the past two decades Eric has appeared on over 50 albums.
[edit] Career summary
Singer's first professional drumming job was as Lita Ford's touring drummer in 1984. In 1985 he joined Black Sabbath, replacing original drummer Bill Ward, who had left the band after the Live Aid reunion. Singer would participate in the recording of the albums Seventh Star and The Eternal Idol. He then was invited by his Black Sabbath colleague Ray Gillen to join the latter's new formed band Badlands. Singer accepted and played on the band's self-titled debut album.
In 1991, Eric Singer auditioned for Kiss, after the tragic death of their previous drummer Eric Carr. Singer, who had toured with Paul Stanley on his club tour along with Bob Kulick two years earlier, was hired and debuted with the band on the album Revenge. He would record and tour with Kiss until 1996, when the band reunited with original drummer Peter Criss. After five relatively quiet years, during which Singer a.o. toured with Queen guitarist Brian May, he was asked to rejoin Kiss in 2001 after Criss' departure shortly before the Australian and Japanese leg of Kiss' Farewell tour. Singer was briefly replaced again by Criss in 2003 for a number of shows, but returned to the band by the end of the year, after Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley opted not to renew Criss' contract. Since then he has been playing with Kiss as their permanent drummer.
Besides his work with Kiss, Singer has also been a permanent member of Alice Cooper's band since the release of the album Brutal Planet in 2000. He had already performed with Cooper years earlier, during the tour for the album Hey Stoopid. He has also occasionally performed and recorded with his own Eric Singer Project, featuring a.o. his former Kiss bandmate Bruce Kulick and singer John Corabi. Three releases result from this collaboration: the studio album Lost And Spaced (1998), consisting completely of covers from classic rock songs; the live album Live In Japan (2006) and the DVD Live At The Marquee (2006). Singer has also played in the band Avantasia replacing drummer Alex Holzwarth after a guest performance in the song "Into the Unknown" from album "The Metal Opera Part II". Two EPs and one full album were released with Singer's performance on the drums: "Lost in Space Part I", "Lost in Space Part II", and "The Scarecrow".
Recently, Singer has been on tour with Alice Cooper for the Psycho-Drama World Tour. From March 2008 he will be touring again with Kiss: first in Australia, then in May and June in Europe.
[edit] Equipment
Eric chooses a variety of different drum setups for each situation and band he works with. However he is a loyal endorser of Pearl drums, Attack drumheads, Zildjian Cymbals and Ddrum electronic drum triggers. Singer also has his own Pearl signature snare, the "Pearl Signature Series Eric Singer" snare drum. He also uses Zildjian "Eric Singer Artist Series" drumsticks. These are 2B-style (16" long & .620 diameter) hickory wood drumsticks with a heavier taper and larger wood tip for more projection.
His cymbal setup can include up to 8 of the same 19” Z Custom Rock crash cymbal.
[edit] External links
- The Official Eric Singer Website
- Eric Singer's Equipment
- Photos of Union in Japan in 2005
- Interview with Eric Singer at KISS Army Australia-21 June 2007
| Preceded by Eric Carr |
Drummer for Kiss 1991–1996 |
Succeeded by Peter Criss |
| Preceded by Peter Criss |
Drummer for Kiss 2001–2002 |
Succeeded by Peter Criss |
| Preceded by Peter Criss |
Drummer for Kiss 2004–Current |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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