James "Jim" Gillette (born November 10, 1967) is an American
singer
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or witho ...
, notable for being the frontman of
glam metal
Glam metal (also known as hair metal or pop metal) is a subgenre of heavy metal that features pop-influenced hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat rock anthems, and slow power ballads. It borrows heavily from the fashion and image of 1970s glam ...
band
Nitro. Originally a member of the band
Tuff
Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock ...
, Gillette released a solo album in 1987 and then formed Nitro with
guitarist
A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselve ...
Michael Angelo Batio
Michael Angelo Batio (), also known as Michael Angelo, Mike Batio or MAB, is an American heavy metal guitarist and columnist from Chicago, Illinois. He was the lead guitarist for the Los Angeles-based glam metal band Nitro in the late 1980s an ...
.
Biography
Jim Gillette began singing as a teen, having been exposed to heavy metal through a local skating rink. His goal was to have a higher range than
Rob Halford
Robert John Arthur Halford (born 25 August 1951) is an English heavy metal singer. He is the lead vocalist of Judas Priest, which was formed in 1969 and has received accolades such as the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. He has ...
. He went through extensive opera training and developed his own method. He started his career in
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the o ...
with a band called Slut, singing on their demo tape titled "Perversion for a Price". Gillette heard about a band called Tuff that needed a singer, so he immediately auditioned and then joined the band. Tuff released two demos, "Knock Yourself Out", and "J'lamour Demo". It was during this time that Gillette also dabbled at guitar and harmonica, though he never pursued them seriously, rather working on improving his singing.
Gillette left Tuff to go to Hollywood. At a beach party, he met guitar virtuoso Michael Angelo Batio and they soon formed the band Nitro. They recorded ''Proud To Be Loud'' in 1987. Nitro's first live show led to their record deal with
Rhino Records
A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...
.
In 2001, Gillette formed Organ Donor with Chris Campise, James Johnson, and Jesse Mendez. Their first album, The Ultra-Violent, featured Gillette on vocals with guest appearances by
Lita Ford
Lita Rossana Ford (born 19 September 1958) is an English-born American guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. She was the lead guitarist for the all-female rock band the Runaways in the late 1970s, before embarking on a successful glam metal solo ...
, who was his wife at the time, guitarist
Michael Angelo Batio
Michael Angelo Batio (), also known as Michael Angelo, Mike Batio or MAB, is an American heavy metal guitarist and columnist from Chicago, Illinois. He was the lead guitarist for the Los Angeles-based glam metal band Nitro in the late 1980s an ...
, and David Ezrin. Following the release of The Ultra-Violent in 2001, Gillette left the band. Chris Campise took over on vocals and the band recorded Better Off Dead in 2003.
In 2009, Gillette appeared as a back-up vocalist and producer on
Lita Ford
Lita Rossana Ford (born 19 September 1958) is an English-born American guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. She was the lead guitarist for the all-female rock band the Runaways in the late 1970s, before embarking on a successful glam metal solo ...
's new album, ''
Wicked Wonderland''.
Selected discography
with Slut
*1986: ''Demo'' (
EP)
#"Car Sex" – 1:57
#"Back to the City" – 2:17
#"Dolls of Lust" – 2:22
#"Don't Touch My Hat" – 4:13
#"Dr. Monster" – 2:23
#"He's a Whore" – 2:40
#"Lipstick Lover" – 2:29
#"Perversion for a Price" – 2:14
Jimmy Jill - Lead Singer
Rich Kid - Guitarist
Ttam Silver - Bassist
Guy Dolly - Drummer
with Tuff
*1986: ''Knock Yourself Out'' (
EP)
#"Candy Coated" – 2:45
#"Dressed for Dancing" – 2:41
#"Forever Yours" – 2:28
#"Glamour Girls" – 3:38
*1986: ''J'lamour Demo'' (
EP)
#"Bang Bang" – 2:52
#"Candy Coated" – 2:45
#"Dressed for Dancing" – 2:41
#"Forever Yours" – 2:28
#"Glamour Girls" – 3:38
#"Ooh Aah" – 2:51
Solo
*1987: ''Proud to Be Loud''
#"When the Clock Strikes 12" – 4:31
#"Head On" – 4:10
#"Angel in White" – 4:29
#"Flash of Lightning" – 5:00
#"Proud to Be Loud" – 4:40
#"Never Say Never" – 3:13
#"Nitro (Guitar Solo)" – 1:31
#"Red Hot Rocket Ride" – 3:55
#"Make Me Crazy" – 2:41
#"Show Down" – 4:02
#"Mirror Mirror" – 5:33
2003 bonus tracks
#
"Bitch on My Back" – 2:54
#"Organ Donor" – 3:35
#"Out of Time" – 3:30
#"Six Feet Deep" – 2:51
#"Dr. Monster" – 2:22
with Nitro
*1988: '' 1988 Demo Tape''
#"Freight Train" – 4:45
#"Prisoner of Paradise" – 4:21
#"Heaven's Just a Heartbeat Away" – 3:59
#"Nasty Reputation" – 4:36
*1989: '' Long Way from Home Single Promo''
#"Long Way from Home LP" – 5:20
#"Long Way from Home Single" – 3:52
*1989: '' Freight Train Single Promo''
#"Freight Train Single" – 3:55
*1989: '' O.F.R.''
#"Freight Train" – 3:56
#"Double Trouble" – 3:59
#"Machine Gunn Eddie" – 6:44
#"Long Way from Home" – 5:27
#"Bring It Down" – 3:10
#"Nasty Reputation" – 4:44
#"Fighting Mad" – 3:45
#"Shot Heard 'Round the World" – 4:07
#"O.F.R." – 5:06
*1991: '' Nitro II: H.W.D.W.S.''
#"I Want U" – 4:11
#"Cat Scratch Fever
''Cat Scratch Fever'' is the third studio album by American rock musician Ted Nugent. It was released on May 13, 1977, by Epic Records. Vocalist Derek St. Holmes, who had left the band during the recording of the album '' Free-for-All'', had ...
" (Ted Nugent
Theodore Anthony Nugent (; born December 13, 1948) is an American rock musician and activist. He initially gained fame as the lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist of The Amboy Dukes, a band formed in 1963 that played psychedelic rock a ...
) – 3:36
#"Crazy Love" – 3:42
#"Hot, Wet, Drippin' with Sweat" – 3:28
#"Boyz Will B Boyz" – 3:28
#"Turnin' Me On" – 3:47
#"Don't Go" – 4:05
#"Makin' Love" – 4:33
#"Take Me" – 4:00
#"Johnny Died on Christmas" – 3:47
#"Hey Mike" – 0:53
*1999: ''Gunnin' for Glory
''Gunnin' for Glory'' is a compilation album by American glam metal band Nitro, consisting of older demos from the '' O.F.R.'' and '' H.W.D.W.S.'' sessions, as well as three tracks by Batio's former band, the Michael Angelo Band.
Track listing
...
''
*2001: '' Carnivore Soundtrack''
#"Freight Train Demo" – 4:27
*2003: '' Hollywood Hairspray Volume 2''
#"B.O.M.B. Also Called (Do You Wanna)" – 3:20
with Organ Donor
*2001: ''The Ultra Violent''
#"Organ Donor" – 3:36
#"Ultra Violent" – 5:55
#"Bone Saw" – 3:36
#"Six Feet Deep" – 2:57
#"Breathless" – 4:02
#"Hypnotized" – 4:30
#"Guilty" – 4:24
#"Bed Of Nails" – 4:08
#"Last Rites" – 3:04
#"My Fist" – 4:12
Released Music Videos
#"Freight Train (1989)" – 3:55
#"Long Way From Home (1989)" – 5:20
#"Cat Scratch Fever (1992)" – 3:36
Unreleased Music Videos
#"Boyz Will B Boyz (1993)" – 3:30
References
External links
metal-archives.com
tuffcds.com
amazon.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gillette, Jim
Nitro (band) members
American rock singers
1968 births
Living people
People from Beatrice, Nebraska