Biography
-
Years Active
1985 – present (40 years)
-
Founded In
Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States
-
Members
- Joe Iaccino
- Marty Fitzgerald
- Steven Ahlers
- Vinnie Fitzgerald
1) About TOMMI GUNN - Originally from Chicago, Illinois, TOMMI GUNN moved to Hollywood fall of 1987. Selling out their debut headline LA show, which was booked by Eddie Van Halen’s wife, Janie Liszewski, the band took no time in transferring their hometown success to the vibrant Hollywood scene. Also selling out their debut headline show at the legendary Whisky A Go Go, TOMMI GUNN would go on to achieve the accolade of being invited back to top the bill at the venue’s New Year's Eve show, which was historically seen as their biggest night of the year.
Ruling the roost at other Strip mainstays, Doug Weston’s Troubadour, Gazzarri’s, and The Roxy Theatre, the five-piece would also frequent the stage at Chuck Landis’ Country Club in Reseda, the Marquee in Westminster, and The Celebrity Theater in Anaheim, as well as remaining major players on the Chicago circuit when they ventured home. The next logical step, of course, was for TOMMI GUNN to hit the studio to record some new demos in the hope of snagging that ever-elusive record deal.
With strong support from influential music publications LA Weekly, Rock City News, Music Connection, and Screamer Magazine backing up the band’s fearsome live reputation, TOMMI GUNN caught the eye of Bill Aucoin, the man responsible for steering the careers of both KISS and Billy Idol to international success. With Howie Hubberman, who both managed Poison and financed Guns ’N’ Roses in their early years, also part of the team, the band found themselves in Paramount Studios in Hollywood, recording five songs with Toby Wright in September 1988.
The recordings put together with the producer and engineer, who would go on to work with heavyweights such as Alice in Chains, Metallica, Sevendust, and Korn, were so impressive that TOMMI GUNN used them to convince MCA Records to hand them an $8,000 demo deal.
As was the way back then, MCA was, however, hedging their bets, casting their eye over not just TOMMI GUNN but also hot young hopefuls Pretty Boy Floyd. With only one spot on MCA’s roster available, the label’s executives were seduced by the latter’s more provocatively visual style, and their interest in TOMMI GUNN petered out. In truth, the musical times were changing, and suddenly, the mainstream began to overflow with more alternative acts and a certain thing called “Grunge.” As it did for so many outstanding, underappreciated bands, the music media’s infatuation with this old sound dressed in new, dowdy clothing signaled the end of the journey for TOMMI GUNN… but what a journey it had been.
From handing out gig flyers on the sidewalks of West Hollywood to sharing stages with the likes of Warrant, Tuff, and many more… From headlining the most prestigious venues The Sunset Strip has to offer to working with rock legends both in and outside of the studio, TOMMI GUNN did everything they could to give their music the chance it truly deserved. It may have taken more than three decades, but finally, those songs, taken from the original half-inch master tapes, are seeing the light of day. Let the tales of what could and, from this evidence, should have been begun.
2) Tommi Gunn is a sleaze rock band from Altoona, Pennsylvania, USA.
The original line-up (which did the 1986 album Public Enemy #1) was Rich Knott on vocals, Barry Daugherty on lead guitar, Don "Tood" Smith on rhythm guitar, Jay Randyll Ketner on bass, and Tim Greaser on drums. Rich, Tim, and Barry all departed the band soon after the album's release. Bryan Weimert then became the group's lead singer and lead guitarist, and Scott Everhart took over drum duties. This was the Tommi-Gunn line-up through most of the rest of the 80's (Bryan, Tood, Jay, and Scott). The group and Tood parted ways in 1989; Bryan's brother, Chris, then replaced him as lead vocalist. Scott Everhart also parted ways with the group at about this time; Steve Kahley briefly replaced him, before John Peck played drums with Tommi-Gunn in the studio on their 1990 EP "Big Thing", and Mark Panek then became their live drummer until the group went their separate ways in 1991.
Artist descriptions on Last.fm are editable by everyone. Feel free to contribute!
All user-contributed text on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply.
