Winger (band)

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Winger
Winger in concert March 2007
Winger in concert March 2007
Background information
Origin New York City, United States
Genre(s) Hard rock
Glam metal
Heavy metal
Melodic rock
Years active 1987-1994
2001-2003
2006-present
Label(s) Atlantic
Frontiers
Website http://www.wingertheband.com/
Members
Kip Winger
Reb Beach
Rod Morgenstein
John Roth
Cenk Eroglu
Former members
Paul Taylor

Winger is an American rock band formed in New York City that gained popularity during the late 1980s and early 1990s. The band's two platinum albums, Winger and In the Heart of the Young, along with charting singles "Seventeen", "Headed for a Heartbreak", and "Miles Away", put the band on the top of the charts by 1990. As the music scene changed in the early 1990s with the popularity of grunge, the band faded when their third release Pull sold poorly.

After disbanding in 1994, singer Kip Winger went on to a solo career, guitarist Reb Beach went on to touring projects with artists like Dokken and Alice Cooper, and the band's other members pursued careers as session musicians. The band re-united with all of its previous members in 2001 for several successful tours, but split again in 2003. In 2006, the band's 1993 line-up re-united to record the band's first studio album in over 13 years, IV. The band has toured in support of the album into 2008.

Contents

[edit] History

Winger was formed in 1987 by Kip Winger after he did some backing vocals on Twisted Sister's 5th album Love Is for Suckers. Kip was a former member of Alice Cooper's band as was to be the lead guitarist Reb Beach, who'd also worked on the Love Is for Suckers album too. Paul Taylor was also a natural recruit for Winger, having also played with Alice Cooper's band. To round out the line up they recruited former Dixie Dregs drummer Rod Morgenstein. The band's first choice of name was Sahara, but that name was taken by another band, so they all decided on Winger instead. Although they changed the name to Winger, the word Sahara can still be seen on the lower right corner of the debut album's cover.[1]

The debut album, Winger, was released on August 10, 1988 on Atlantic Records. The record was a success, achieving Platinum status in the United States, and Gold status in Japan and Canada. Radio and MTV hits from the album included "Madalaine", "Seventeen", "Headed for a Heartbreak", and "Hungry". In 1990, the band was nominated for an American Music Award for "Best New Heavy Metal Band". Shortly after, Winger released its second album In the Heart of the Young, which went double Platinum in the U.S. and Gold in Japan. Hit radio tracks and MTV videos included "Can't Get Enuff", "Miles Away" and "Easy Come Easy Go".

Winger followed the release of its second album with a 13 month world tour, playing over 230 dates with Kiss, Scorpions, ZZ Top, Extreme and Slaughter. Paul Taylor left the band after the tour. Their third studio album, Pull, was recorded in 1992/1993 as a three-piece band. It was originally going to be called "Blind Revolution Mad", after the opening song. At some point though, the title was changed to Pull. Reportedly Kip Winger, anticipating that critics would dismiss the album out of hand, re-named it "Pull" as a tongue-in-cheek reference to the CD being used by critics as a skeet shooting target. The album was produced by Mike Shipley, but was not as successful as the previous album. On the following tour John Roth was called in to replace Paul Taylor on rhythm guitar.

After the Pull tour, the band split due to poor record sales. Kip Winger embarked on a solo career and the other members worked on other projects. Guitarist Reb Beach went on to play with Dokken and Alice Cooper.

In 2001 the band returned to the studio to record the song "On the Inside" for The Very Best of Winger. In 2002 they reunited to tour the US and Canada on a bill with Poison, but they once again disbanded afterwards.

Kip performed as the lead singer for the Alan Parsons Live Project, for their July 16, 2005 show at the Common Ground Music Festival in Lansing, Michigan USA.[2][3] In May 2006, a press release announced that Winger has reformed to record another album and tour Europe. The album IV was released in Europe in October and the nine-country "Winger IV Tour" ran in the last two weeks of the same month.

On February 25th 2008,the band performed in Providence Rhode Island as part of a benefit for survivors of the Station Nightclub fire.The concert, along with other artists was debuted on VH1 Classic on March 23rd 2008.

The band has booked tour dates into 2008.

[edit] Criticism

Winger was the subject of constant ridicule in MTV's animated series Beavis and Butt-head during the mid 1990s. The neighbor boy Stewart, who was always trying to be accepted by Beavis and Butt-head, was usually depicted wearing a Winger T-shirt, as opposed to the heavier Metallica and AC/DC shirts worn by the title characters. Beavis and Butt-head thought of them as 'wussies'. According to the documentary "Taint of Greatness: Part 2" on the Mike Judge Collection Volume 2 DVD, this was due to Winger telling MTV he would not let the show make fun of him. This has been cited as a reason for the band losing popularity. About the same time Lars Ulrich of the band Metallica could be seen throwing a dart on a poster of Kip Winger in the video for Nothing Else Matters. When asked about this Kip Winger once stated: "Our band was known to musicians, and a lot of musicians showed up to see me play - watching trying to figure out how I'm playing - we were like the 'hair band' [version of] Dream Theater -- That is why it's the great irony that we ended up on that geeky guy's shirt on Beavis & Butthead, because Metallica couldn't play what we play, they couldn't do it, they literally - technically couldn't do it. And I'll fucking challenge those chumps to a fight any day of the week, but we could play their music with our hands tied behind our back. And so, I was a little t'd off about that, but in the end, none of that shit matters..."[4]

While Kip Winger claims the criticism does not matter, Rob Zombie has a different story. Zombie told Mike Judge, creator of Beavis and Butt-head, that while Zombie was in Tokyo, he found Kip Winger in a bar crying and claiming that Mike Judge ruined his career.

[edit] Band members

[edit] Line-ups

(1987-1991)
  • Kip Winger - bass, lead vocals, keyboards
  • Reb Beach - lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals
  • Paul Taylor - rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
  • Rod Morgenstein - drums, percussion, backing vocals
(1991-1993)
  • Kip Winger - bass, lead vocals, keyboards, acoustic guitar
  • Reb Beach - lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals
  • Rod Morgenstein - drums, percussion, backing vocals
(1993-1994)
  • Kip Winger - bass, lead vocals, keyboards
  • Reb Beach - lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals
  • John Roth - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
  • Rod Morgenstein - drums, percussion
(1994-2001)

(Winger disbanded)
(2001-2003)
  • Kip Winger - bass, lead vocals
  • Reb Beach - lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals
  • John Roth - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
  • Paul Taylor - rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
  • Rod Morgenstein - drums, percussion
(2003-2006)

(Winger disbanded)
(2006-present)
  • Kip Winger - bass, lead vocals, keyboards, acoustic guitar
  • Reb Beach - lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals
  • John Roth - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
  • Cenk Eroglu - rhythm guitar, keyboards, effects
  • Rod Morgenstein - drums, percussion

[edit] Discography

[edit] Studio Albums

[edit] Compilations

[edit] Videos/DVD's

[edit] Chart positions

The chart positions are referring to Billboard's "The Billboard 200" chart for albums.

Albums

Title Record Label Date of Release Chart Position
Winger Atlantic 9/1988 #21
In the Heart of the Young Atlantic 7/1990 #15
Pull Atlantic 5/1993 #83

Singles

Year Title Chart positions Album
US Hot 100 US Mainstream Rock
1988 "Madalaine" - #27 Winger (Sahara)
1989 "Seventeen" #26 #19 Winger (Sahara)
1989 "Headed for a Heartbreak" #19 #8 Winger (Sahara)
1989 "Hungry" #85 #35 Winger (Sahara)
1990 "Can't Get Enuff" #42 #6 In the Heart of the Young
1990 "Miles Away" #12 #14 In the Heart of the Young
1991 "Easy Come Easy Go" #41 #17 In the Heart of the Young
1993 "Down Incognito" - #15 Pull

[edit] Music Videos

[edit] Rare and unreleased tracks

  • "Blue Murder" – Leftover from the first Winger album
  • "Out for the Count" – Only released on The Karate Kid Part III Soundtrack in 1989
  • "Battle Stations" – Only released on the Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey Soundtrack in 1991.
  • "All I Ever Wanted" – Leftover from In the Heart of the Young. Released as a B-side to the single "Miles Away".
  • "Never" – Leftover from In the Heart of the Young. Released as a B-side
  • "Now and Forever" – Leftover from Pull
  • "Written in the Wind" – Demo for Pull
  • "Without Warning" – Demo for Pull
  • "Hell to Pay" – Japanese bonus track for Pull.
  • "Hour of Need" – Demo for Pull. It later turned into "In My Veins" from that same album.
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[edit] References

  1. ^ Melodic Hard Rock & AoR
  2. ^ Alan Parsons Official Website
  3. ^ Common Ground Music Festival | Lansing, MI
  4. ^ Kip Winger Interview at Heavy Metal and Power Metal Portal www.1heavymetal.com

[edit] External links

[edit] See also

v • d • e
Winger
Kip Winger · Reb Beach · Rod Morgenstein · John Roth
Paul Taylor · Cenk Eroglu
Studio albums
Compilations
Videography