| Enuff Z'Nuff | |
|---|---|
Enuff Z'Nuff, 1991 |
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Enuff Z'nuff, Enuff Znuff |
| Origin | Blue Island, Illinois |
| Genres | Glam metal, hard rock, power pop |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Labels | Atco, Arista, Big Deal, Mayhem, Spitfire, Perris, Stoney Records |
| Associated acts | Adler's Appetite, Johnnie Rotten Jr., Donnie Vie |
| Website | www.enuffznuff.com |
| Members | |
| Donnie Vie Chip Z'Nuff Randi Scott Tory Stoffregan |
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| Past members | |
| Derek Frigo Vik Foxx Gino Martino Ricky Parent Johnny Monaco B.W. Boeski Alex Kane Eric Donner |
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Enuff Z'Nuff, pronounced "enough's enough," is an American glam metal band from Blue Island, Illinois. Founded by singer Donnie Vie and bassist Chip Z'Nuff, this Chicago area band is best known for their charting singles "Fly High Michelle" and "New Thing." Enuff Z'Nuff has continually recorded and toured throughout their career of more than 25 years, releasing 12 studio albums to date. Their songs have been recorded by several other musicians, some of which include Paul Gilbert, The Wildhearts, and Nelson. The band has a cult fan-base around the world which includes radio personality Howard Stern, though they have not had large success commercially.[1]
Contents |
Enuff Z'Nuff formed in 1984 as "Enough Z'Nuff." The band soon grew a live following and recorded their first demo songs, some of which would be officially released later in their career. The band's first single, "Fingers On It," received some minor recognition when it was featured in the 1986 cult movie Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. [2] Band members during this period also included drummer B.W. Boeski and guitarists Gino Martino and Alex Kane, the latter of which eventually formed the band AntiProduct.
By 1989, Enough Z'Nuff had revised their band name to "Enuff Z'Nuff" and released their first major label offering, a self-titled debut album on Atco Records. For this album, founding members Donnie Vie and Chip Z'Nuff were joined by ex-Le Mans guitarist Derek Frigo and drummer Vik Foxx. The band had two minor hits with the psychedelic-flavored pop rock songs "New Thing" and "Fly High Michelle", both of which charted in the U.S. and received steady airplay on MTV. However, the band's heavy glam rock appearance in the promotional videos would be later parodied on MTV's Beavis & Butthead.
For their follow-up album, 1991's Strength, the band consciously toned down their glam image. "Strength" was released in 1991 on Atco to strong reviews, including Rolling Stone magazine calling the group "The Hot Band of the Year." [3] 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 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. Soon before this album's release, drummer Vikki Foxx quit the band to join Vince Neil's solo band. Foxx would be airbushed out of the album cover, despite performing on each track of the recording. Foxx was replaced by New Jersey resident and former "War & Peace" member Ricky Parent, who also appeared for most of the album's promotional material.
A short time after Enuff Z'Nuff was dropped from Arista Records, guitarist Derek Frigo parted ways with the band, though he still recorded on occasion with them. Despite this setback, the band had continued touring and recording, releasing albums on several indie labels and finding a solid fanbase overseas.
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, just before the band planned a Japanese tour with the original line-up.[4] 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, original members Chip Z'Nuff and Donnie Vie reconvened to shoot a pilot for the VH1 reality television show, Bands on the Run.[5] The show's pilot episode never aired. However, during that time the reunited band held their initial recording sessions for their 12th record. Several songs from these sessions eventually resulted in their latest studio album, "Dissonance," which also features former Ozzy Osbourne / Badlands guitarist Jake E. Lee on guitar, and co-producer Vinnie Castaldo on drums. "Dissonance" was released in 2009 in Japan, with a U.K. and U.S. release following in 2010.[6] In support of the album, Enuff Z'Nuff (with singer/songwriter Donnie Vie) toured Japan in 2009 and in the U.S. and Europe in 2010.
Other recent events include bassist Chip Z'Nuff performing worldwide with the band Adler's Appetite, which features former Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler. Z'Nuff has also been producing other artists and has recently released a solo project called "Johnnie Rotten Jr." Singer Donnie Vie is currently working on his second solo album and is touring in "The Donnie Vie Band," playing Enuff Z'Nuff staples and solo material.[7] A new Donnie Vie record, titled "Wrapped Around My Middle Finger," is expected to be released in the Fall of 2011.
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [8] |
JP [9] |
UK [10] |
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| 1989 | Enuff Z'Nuff | 74 | - | - | ||||||||
| 1991 | Strength | 143 | - | 56 | ||||||||
| 1993 | Animals With Human Intelligence | - | 49 | - | ||||||||
| 1994 | 1985 | - | - | - | ||||||||
| 1995 | Tweaked | - | - | - | ||||||||
| 1996 | Peach Fuzz | - | 78 | - | ||||||||
| 1997 | Seven | - | - | - | ||||||||
| 1999 | Paraphernalia | - | 86 | - | ||||||||
| 2000 | 10 | - | 60 | - | ||||||||
| 2003 | Welcome To Blue Island | - | 90 | - | ||||||||
| 2004 | ? | - | 177 | - | ||||||||
| 2010 | Dissonance | - | 140 | - | ||||||||
| "—" denotes albums that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||