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Savatage
Savatage () is an American heavy metal band founded by brothers Jon and Criss Oliva in 1979 in Tarpon Springs, Florida. The band was first called Avatar, but, shortly before the release of their debut album '' Sirens'' (1983), they changed their name to Savatage, as Avatar was already taken by at least one other band. Savatage is considered to be an integral part of the American heavy metal movement of the early-to-mid-1980s and has been cited as a key influence on numerous subgenres of metal. The band has released eleven studio albums, two live albums, five compilations and three EPs. For their fourth album '' Hall of the Mountain King'' (1987), Savatage teamed up with producer/songwriter Paul O'Neil. This new partnership earned the band significant critical acclaim, and O'Neil would work with Savatage on all their future albums until his death in 2017. The band's success continued with the albums '' Gutter Ballet'' (1989) and '' Streets: A Rock Opera'' (1991), both of whic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Savatage Band Members
Savatage is an American heavy metal band, founded by brothers Jon (vocals) and Criss (guitar) Oliva in 1979, under the name Avatar. The band's first stable line-up in the early eighties also included drummer Steve "Doc" Wacholz, and bassist Keith Collins. Currently the band consists of Jon Oliva, alongside bassist Johnny Lee Middleton (since 1986), guitarist Chris Caffery (who first joined in 1987 as a touring member), singer Zachary Stevens (who first joined in 1992), drummer Jeff Plate (since 1994) and guitarist Al Pitrelli (who first joined in 1995) History In 1986 Collins was replaced by Johnny Lee Middleton, and the line-up was expanded in 1987, to include second guitarist Chris Caffery. The nineties began with the band again down to four after Caffery's departure. He was replaced by John Zahner on tour. In 1992 Jon Oliva stepped down as frontman though he remained involved in songwriting. He was replaced by vocalist Zachary Stevens, though Oliva continued to collaborate i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jon Oliva
John Nicholas "Jon" Oliva (born July 22, 1959) is an American singer and musician. He is best known as the co-founder, keyboardist and lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Savatage, which he co-founded with his younger brother Criss Oliva. Since 1996 he has also been a songwriter, musician and vocalist in Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Producer Paul O'Neill referred to Oliva in numerous interviews as the single greatest vocalist/musician he has ever worked with. Biography Early life Oliva was born in The Bronx, New York City. His family moved around a lot when Jon and Criss were young, living in California for four years until moving to Florida in 1976. Much like his brother Criss, Jon found music his calling during the family's time in California. Starting off with his father's piano, Jon dabbled in guitars, pianos and drums before buying "a really ugly bass". Jon and Criss continued their musical exploits and played a block party, playing Kiss, Deep Purple and ZZ Top cover ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chris Caffery
Christopher Caffery (born September 9, 1967) is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal guitarist, best known for his work as a member of Savatage and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Caffery has been releasing solo records singing and playing guitar for almost 20 years, releasing nine albums and many singles since 2004. Biography Raised in Mahwah, New Jersey, Caffery began playing guitar at age 11, but some of his earliest memories include performing the Beatles song ''Help! (song), Help!'' for a show and tell (education), show and tell in kindergarten. Caffery's favorite bands growing up included the Beatles, Kiss (band), Kiss, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Rush (band), Rush among others. He has cited guitarists such as Ted Nugent, Rik Emmett, Ace Frehley, Randy Rhoads, Michael Schenker as influences throughout the years as well. After only 13 months, Caffery grew bored with guitar lessons and decided to teach himself. He was part of a band called ''"Blitzkrieg"'' in middle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Johnny Lee Middleton
Johnny Lee Middleton (born May 7, 1963) is an American musician, best known as the bass guitarist for the heavy metal bands Savatage and Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Musical beginnings Middleton was born in St. Petersburg, Florida. His first experience as a performing musician was as first-chair trumpet in the sixth-grade orchestra. The band director provided early encouragement. "I'd get free lessons from him, so I learned how to play the saxophone, the clarinet, ndthe oboe. He kind of gave me an ear for music." As a bass player, however, Middleton is largely self-taught. At age 14, he joined the high-school jazz band. With the bass rig behind him, he quickly discovered "the way the bass moves the earth" – and just as quickly realized "you could get more girls by playing bass instead of trumpet." He invested $35 in his first bass, locked himself in his bedroom with REO Speedwagon, Cheap Trick, and Black Sabbath records, and learned to play along. Among his influences, Middlet ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Criss Oliva
Christopher Michael Oliva (April 3, 1963 – October 17, 1993) was an American musician who was the lead guitarist and co-founder of the heavy metal band Savatage. During his lifetime, he released seven studio albums and one EP with the band. Biography Early life Oliva's family moved around the country during his childhood, stopping off in California before making Florida their home. It was in California that Oliva found music and considered it his calling, and he continued his musical interests when he moved to Florida. His main influences as a guitarist were Ritchie Blackmore, Tony Iommi, Uli Jon Roth and Michael Schenker. He spent countless hours figuring out his favorite songs on records, and when he found it difficult to figure out a part on the record he just made up his own licks. This would later help him in his songwriting. Savatage Oliva and his brother Jon formed their first band together, Avatar, in 1978. Their former bands were Tower and Alien, respectivel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Savatage Discography
:''This discography relates to releases by Savatage only. See Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Jon Oliva's Pain, Circle II Circle, Chris Caffery and Doctor Butcher for other related works.'' The discography of Savatage, an American heavy metal band, consists of eleven studio albums, two live albums, five compilation albums, two video albums, three EPs, nine music videos, and nineteen singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' .... Albums Studio albums EPs Live albums Compilations Videos Video albums Music videos Singles References {{DEFAULTSORT:Savatage Discography Discographies of American artists Heavy metal group discographies Rock music group discographies ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zachary Stevens
Zachary Trussell (born March 5, 1966), known professionally as Zachary "Zak" Stevens, is an American singer, best known as the second lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Savatage. He currently performs with the heavy metal bands Circle II Circle and Archon Angel. Stevens has a degree in psychology, but is not a practicing psychologist. Career Stevens first achieved fame singing for a band called Wicked Witch. However, after Savatage co-founder Jon Oliva stepped down from the fore of the band at the conclusion of their tour in support of '' Streets: A Rock Opera'' in 1992 to concentrate on other projects, namely his other band Doctor Butcher and a Broadway-bound musical entitled ''Romanov'', Savatage required a replacement. Oliva hand-picked his replacement, who was discovered and introduced to the band by Criss Oliva's best friend and guitar technician Savatage's lead guitarist, and their long-time producer Paul O'Neill heard demos of Stevens and wanted him to sing for the ba ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gutter Ballet
''Gutter Ballet'' is the fifth full-length album produced by the American heavy metal band Savatage. This was the second album created under the direction of producer Paul O'Neill and was initially released in December 1, 1989. Overview This album was a true turning point for the band, as the sound transitioned from a heavy metal to experiment with a more progressive sound, which is reflected in songs such as "When the Crowds Are Gone" and "Gutter Ballet". During the final recording sessions, while Criss Oliva was tracking guitar solos, Paul O'Neil gave Jon Oliva tickets to see Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical ''The Phantom of the Opera'' on Broadway. Jon was so inspired that immediately following the performance, he went back to the studio and wrote the music for the title track. ''Gutter Ballet'' is not a concept album, but the final three songs ("Mentally Yours", "Summer's Rain", "Thorazine Shuffle") are a conceptual suite dealing with a single character as revealed by the b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) is an American rock band founded in 1996 by producer, composer, and lyricist Paul O'Neill (producer), Paul O'Neill, who brought together Jon Oliva and Al Pitrelli (both members of Savatage) and keyboardist and co-producer Robert Kinkel to form the core of the creative team. The band gained in popularity when they began touring in 1999 after completing their second album, ''The Christmas Attic'', the year previous. In 2007, ''The Washington Post'' referred to them as "an arena-rock juggernaut" and described their music as "Pink Floyd meets Yes (band), Yes and the Who at Radio City Music Hall". TSO has sold more than ten million concert tickets and over ten million albums. The band has released a series of rock operas: ''Christmas Eve and Other Stories'', ''The Christmas Attic'', ''Beethoven's Last Night'', ''The Lost Christmas Eve'', their two-disc ''Night Castle'' and ''Letters from the Labyrinth''. Trans-Siberian Orchestra is also known for their ext ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hall Of The Mountain King (album)
''Hall of the Mountain King'' is the fourth studio album by the American heavy metal band Savatage, released in 1987 under the direction of producer Paul O'Neill. It is their first album produced by O'Neill, who was assigned to the band after the tour in support of '' Fight for the Rock''. O'Neill's influence pushed Savatage to adopt a conceptual style beginning with this album. "Prelude to Madness" is an arrangement of Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King" from the ''Peer Gynt'' suite. Oddly, Grieg is not credited for this song, but for the following title track - which is an original song. The intro of "Prelude to Madness" features keyboards and guitar playing "Mars, the Bringer of War" from Gustav Holst's suite, '' The Planets''. The song would be re-recorded by Trans-Siberian Orchestra in 2009 under the title of "The Mountain", appearing on that group's fifth studio album, '' Night Castle''. "This Is Where You Should Be", recorded during the studio sessions for this ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sirens (Savatage Album)
''Sirens'' is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Savatage, released on April 11, 1983. The music on this album is heavier than in later Savatage albums, where the band developed their own style of progressive metal. It has also been cited as a key inspiration for the then-burgeoning thrash metal scene. According to frontman Jon Oliva, ''Sirens'' and the EP ''The Dungeons Are Calling'' were recorded and mixed all in one day. With most of the songs prepared no more than a week before the recording session, the band could only afford one day in the studio. The two albums together were to make Savatage's debut but since vinyl records limited the total running time, they were divided. In 2011, they were remastered and released together on the label Earmusic. The cover of the English versions published by both Music for Nations and Combat Records in 1985 used the cover of the children's book '' The Borribles Go for Broke''. It was also used by Metal Blade Records fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jeff Plate
Jeff Plate (born March 26, 1962) is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal drummer who has been a member of Savatage since 1994. He is also a member of Trans-Siberian Orchestra and a former member of Metal Church from 2006 to their break up in 2009 and again from their reunion in 2012 to 2017. Life and career Plate was born in Montour Falls, New York, and grew up on a farm in Horseheads (village), New York, Horseheads, New York. As a youth, he dreamed of becoming a pitcher for the New York Yankees, but his plans were halted when his hip popped out of joint at the age of 12. On crutches for 4 months, he was advised to give up playing sports for two years so the hip could heal properly. After watching Kiss (band), Kiss perform on The Midnight Special (TV series), ''The Midnight Special'', he began taking drum lessons. Jeff moved to Tampa, Florida, in 1981, but soon returned New York, before moving once again to the Boston area. There, while working in a cover band with some hom ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
