Angel is an American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band from

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, formed in the mid-1970s by

Punky Meadows Punky Meadows (born Edwin Lionel Meadows Jr. on February 6, 1950) is an American guitarist best known for his glam rock image and as a member of the band Angel between 1975 and 1980. Background and early career Meadows grew up in the Barnaby ...

and Mickie Jones. They were primarily known for their flamboyant glam stage presence and white satin outfits.

History

Angel was discovered by

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

bass player Gene Simmons performing at a nightclub and was eventually signed to the same label as Kiss, Casablanca. Angel's image of dressing in all white was a deliberate contrast to Kiss, who wore black. Angel sported an

androgynous Androgyny is the possession of both masculine and feminine characteristics. Androgyny may be expressed with regard to biological sex, gender identity, or gender expression. When ''androgyny'' refers to mixed biological sex characteristics in ...

image and elaborate stage sets. They were slammed by rock critics, and

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by nonconformity, free-form improvisation, sound experiments, musical virtuosity and satire of A ...

ridiculed the all-male band's feminine appearance in the song "Punky's Whips". Angel never achieved mass commercial success but acquired a following as a

cult band A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

. Their first album was the self-titled ''

Angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inc ...

'' (1975) and consisted of guitarist

, bassist Mickie Jones, vocalist Frank DiMino, keyboardist

Gregg Giuffria Gregg Giuffria (born July 28, 1951) is an American rock musician and businessman. He was the keyboardist for AOR bands Angel, House of Lords, and Giuffria. Career Giuffria is originally from Gulfport, Mississippi, graduating from high s ...

, and drummer

Barry Brandt Angel is an American rock band from Washington, D.C., formed in the mid-1970s by Punky Meadows and Mickie Jones. They were primarily known for their flamboyant glam stage presence and white satin outfits. History Angel was discovered by Kis ...

. This lineup would hold for the following two albums, ''

Helluva Band ''Helluva Band'' is the second album by the rock band Angel. Track listing #"Feelin' Right" – 4:42 (Frank DiMino, Punky Meadows, Gregg Giuffria) #"The Fortune" – 8:40 (DiMino, Meadows, Giuffria) #"Anyway You Want It" – 2:52 (DiMino, Mead ...

'' (1976) and ''

On Earth as It Is in Heaven ''On Earth as It Is in Heaven'' is the third album by the rock band Angel. It is the last album with Mickie Jones who had been the band's bass guitar player since its formation. It was produced by Eddie Kramer and recorded in an actual castle ...

'' (1977), after which Jones was replaced by Felix Robinson. They made an appearance in the film ''

Foxes Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelv ...

'' (1980) and Frank DiMino sang "Seduce Me Tonight" and "Blood From A Stone" on the ''

Flashdance ''Flashdance'' is a 1983 American romantic drama dance film directed by Adrian Lyne and starring Jennifer Beals as a passionate young dancer who aspires to become a professional ballerina (Alex), alongside Michael Nouri playing her boyfriend ...

'' (1983) soundtrack and ''

Metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big c ...

'' (1984) soundtrack, credited as Cycle V on both. DiMino and Meadows departed the band in 1981, and the remaining members brought in vocalist

Fergie Frederiksen Dennis Hardy "Fergie" Frederiksen (May 15, 1951 – January 18, 2014) was an American rock singer best known as the former lead singer of Trillion, Angel, LeRoux and Toto, as well as providing backing vocals for Survivor. He contributed to hit ...

(later of

Toto Toto may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters Pets * Toto (Oz), Toto (''Oz''), a dog in the novel and film ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' * Toto, in Japanese ''The Cat Returns#Plot, The Cat Returns'' Characters of agency * a ...

) and guitarist

Ricky Phillips Ricky Lynn Phillips (born October 7, 1951) is an American bass guitarist and a member of the rock band Styx since 2003, splitting duties with longtime bassist Chuck Panozzo. He has also played in Nasty Habit, as a member of The Babys and Bad Eng ...

(later of

The Babys The Babys are a British rock group best known for their songs " Isn't It Time" and "Every Time I Think of You". Both songs were composed by Jack Conrad and Ray Kennedy, and each reached No. 13 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 8 on t ...

, then

Bad English Bad English was an American/British glam metal supergroup formed in 1987. It reunited Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain with singer John Waite and bassist Ricky Phillips, his former bandmates in the Babys, along with Journey guitarist Neal S ...

, then

Styx In Greek mythology, Styx (; grc, Στύξ ) is a river that forms the boundary between Earth (Gaia) and the Underworld. The rivers Acheron, Cocytus, Lethe, Phlegethon, and Styx all converge at the centre of the underworld on a great marsh, ...

), but this lineup did not release new material and it dissolved shortly thereafter. The former members of Angel went on to other things following the release of their live album. Lead vocalist Frank DiMino joined

UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are ide ...

guitarist Paul Raymond in the Paul Raymond Project in which he sang lead vocals. Bassist Felix Robinson played on the debut album of the band

White Lion The white lion is a rare color mutation of the lion, specifically the Southern African lion. White lions in the area of Timbavati are thought to have been indigenous to the Timbavati region of South Africa for centuries, although the earliest r ...

, ''

Fight to Survive ''Fight to Survive'' is the debut album by the American-Danish glam metal band White Lion, released by Victor Records in Japan in 1985. The album charted at number 151 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Background The band was signed to Elektra Records ...

'' (1985/1986). Angel's keyboardist

had modest success as the leader of the band

Giuffria Giuffria was an American rock band from Washington, D.C., formed in 1981 by Gregg Giuffria after his departure from the band Angel. History Giuffria was formed as Gregg Giuffria's side project in 1981 after his departure from Angel. At the on ...

during the 1980s as well as with the band

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster ...

, who - sans Giuffria - reunited in 2002 and released a new album, ''

The Power and the Myth ''The Power and the Myth'' is the fourth studio album and the first since the reunion, by House of Lords, released on August 3, 2004. The album marks the return of original members Chuck Wright, Lanny Cordola and Ken Mary, but is the first not to ...

'' on

Frontiers Records Frontiers Music – formerly Frontiers Records – is an Italian record label, predominantly producing hard rock. It was founded in 1996 by Serafino Perugino and is based in Naples. History In 1996, Serafino Perugino started working in the ...

. In 2006, Giuffria appeared as a guest keyboardist on House of Lords' LP ''

World Upside Down ''World Upside Down'' is the fifth studio album (second since the reunion), by House of Lords, released on May 23, 2006. The album features founding member James Christian once again with an all-new line-up, as he is the only one of the origi ...

'', and they released ''

Come to My Kingdom ''Come to My Kingdom'' is the sixth studio album by House of Lords, released on March 17, 2008 in Europe and October 7, 2008 in the US. The album features the same lineup as the previous album '' World Upside Down'' and was produced by singer ...

'' in 2008 without Giuffria. In the late 1990s, Angel reformed with a new line-up: Frank DiMino, vocals;

, drums; Randy Gregg, bass;

Steve Blaze Lillian Axe is an American hard rock band from New Orleans, Louisiana, best known for its major label albums, ''Lillian Axe'', ''Love + War'', ''Poetic Justice'' and ''Psychoschizophrenia''. Originally formed in 1983, the group is still activ ...

, guitars; and keyboardist Gordon G.G. Gebert. Gebert left the band in 2002 and was replaced with Michael T. Ross on keyboards. The band's 1999 release ''In the Beginning'' also features guest appearances by original guitarist

, as well as Robinson. In 2000 came the release of ''Angel: The Collection'', making it the most extensive Angel greatest hits compilation, including 16 songs. In 2006, two compilations of career-spanning singles were released. “Better Days” from the ''White Hot'' (1977) album was notably replaced with “The Winter Song”. It had only been previously released on a rare 7" single. Bassist and founding member Mickie Jones (born Donald Eugene Jones on December 17, 1952), later changed to Michael David Jones in 1967, died in

San Dimas, California San Dimas ( Spanish for " Saint Dismas") is a city in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 census, its population was 34,924. It historically took its name from San Dimas Canyon in the San Gabri ...

on September 5, 2009, at the age of 56, after a long battle with liver cancer. Jones performed on four Angel albums (''

'', ''

'' and ''An Anthology''). He toured extensively with the band in the United States for several years. Before Angel, he played in the rock group

BUX BUX is a blue chip stock market index consisting up to 25 (currently 16) major Hungarian companies trading on the Budapest Stock Exchange. Prices are taken from the electronic Xetra trading system. According to the operator Budapest Stock Exc ...

, which included guitarist

(Angel) and singer Ralph Morman (

Joe Perry Project The Joe Perry Project is an American rock band formed by Aerosmith lead guitarist Joe Perry. Perry formed the band shortly before his departure from Aerosmith in 1979. The Joe Perry Project signed a record deal almost immediately after Perry's e ...

, and

Savoy Brown Savoy Brown (originally Savoy Brown Blues Band) were an English blues rock band formed in Battersea, south west London, in 1965. Part of the late 1960s blues rock movement, Savoy Brown primarily achieved success in the United States, where they ...

released one album on

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

, ''

We Came to Play ''We Come to Play'' was the first and only album released by BUX in 1976. The album was originally recorded in 1973 but Capitol decided not to release it. In 1976, however, when lead guitarist Punky Meadows and bassist Mickie Jones had success ...

'' in 1976 (recorded in 1973). Both Jones and Meadows were asked to join the

New York Dolls New York Dolls were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved much commercial suc ...

but declined. After leaving Angel, he formed the Los Angeles band

EMPIRE An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

and was the lead singer. Empire included drummer Steve Riley (

L.A. Guns L.A. Guns is an American glam metal band from Los Angeles, formed in 1983. The lineup currently consists of Tracii Guns (lead guitar), Phil Lewis (lead vocals), Ace Von Johnson (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Johnny Martin (bass, backing v ...

). Over the years, he became interested in film production and would later work in the film industry. Singer Frank DiMino now resides in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

and plays in classic rock tribute bands. Recently, he appeared on the

Sin City Sinners Sin City Sinners is a group of musicians who perform self-penned originals and rock and roll covers at key venues throughout Las Vegas, Nevada. The band is composed of a tight-knit group of core members: Brent Muscat (ex-Faster Pussycat), guita ...

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

album, singing lead vocals on the holiday classic "

Winter Wonderland "Winter Wonderland" is a song written in 1934 by Felix Bernard and lyricist Richard Bernhard Smith. Due to its seasonal theme, it is often regarded as a Christmas song in the Northern Hemisphere. Since its original recording by Richard Himb ...

". In 2015 he released his solo album "Old Habits Die Hard", with Punky guesting on the song 'Never Again'.

issued his first-ever solo album in 2016, ''Fallen Angel''. Felix Robinson plays bass on the album. The deluxe edition had two bonus songs, one of which, 'Lost and Lonely', had Frank DiMino on vocals. Later Angel members Danny Farrow and Charlie Calv participate on this album as well. In 2018, Meadows and DiMino toured together under the moniker 'Punky Meadows and Frank DiMino of Angel' performing a set of classic Angel songs and solo cuts. They are backed by a band featuring Danny Farrow on rhythm guitar, Charlie Calv on keyboards, Steve Ojane on bass and Billy Orrico on drums. In 2019,with the same lineup the band reformed back to the name "Angel" returning to wearing all white and released a new album "Risen" which had rave reviews and charted on multiple Billboard charting positions.

Logo

Angel's logo is

ambigram An ambigram is a calligraphic design that has several interpretations as written. The term was coined by Douglas Hofstadter in 1983. Most often, ambigrams appear as visually symmetrical words. When flipped, they remain unchanged, or they muta ...

matic; it reads the same when turned upside-down as when viewed normally.

Members

;Original members * Barry Brandt - drums, percussion (1975-1981, 1987, 1999–2008) * Frank DiMino - lead vocals (1975-1981, 1987, 1999–2008, 2018-present) *

- keyboards (1975-1981) *

- guitars (1975-1981, 2018–present) * Mickie Jones - bass (1975-1977; died 2009) ;Other members * Felix Robinson - bass (1977-1981) ;effort to continue in 1981 *

Dennis Frederiksen Dennis Hardy "Fergie" Frederiksen (May 15, 1951 – January 18, 2014) was an American rock singer best known as the former lead singer of Trillion, Angel, LeRoux and Toto, as well as providing backing vocals for Survivor. He contributed to hit s ...

- lead vocals (1981) (died 2014) * Ricky Phillips - guitars (1981) *

Rudy Sarzo Rodolfo Maximiliano Sarzo Lavieille Grande Ruiz Payret y Chaumont (born November 18, 1950) is a Cuban American hard rock/ heavy metal bassist. He remains best known for his work with Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne, and Whitesnake, and has also play ...

- bass (1981) ;recordings for 'In The Beginning' * Richard Marcello - guitars (1999) * Leo Borrero - bass (1999) ;Touring entity 1999 to 2008 * Gordon G.G. Gebert - keyboards (1999-2002) * Randy Gregg - bass (1999-2008) * Steve Blaze - guitars (2000-2008) * Michael T. Ross - keyboards (2002-2008) * Joey Anderson - drums, percussion (2008) * Keith Robert - guitars (2008) ;Current members * Danny Farrow - rhythm guitars (2018–present) * Charlie Calv - keyboards (2018–present) * Steve Ojane - bass (2018–present) * Billy Orrico - drums (2018–present)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Compilation albums

* ''

Foxes (soundtrack) ''Foxes'' is the film soundtrack, soundtrack to the 1980 film of the Foxes (film), same name, starring Jodie Foster, Scott Baio, Sally Kellerman, Randy Quaid as well as The Runaways' lead singer Cherie Currie. The double-album was released on the d ...

'' (two songs: "20th Century Foxes" and "Virginia") (1980) * ''Can You Feel It'' (1989) * ''An Anthology'' (1992) * ''A Rock and Roll Christmas II'' (1998) * ''Angel: The Collection'' (2000) * ''Angel: The Singles Collection Volume 1 (album)'' (2006) * ''Angel: The Singles Collection Volume 2 (album)'' (2006)

Box set

* ''Angel: The Casablanca years'' (2018)

Bootlegs

* ''Blowing Great Guns'' (1978) * ''White Heroes'' (1978) * ''Whips'' (1981) * ''Troubleshooter'' (1981) * ''Should've Known Better'' (1981)

Singles

US singles, except where noted. Notes:

References

External links

Angel biography by Rovi Staff, discography and album reviews, credits & releases
at

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

Angel discography, album releases & credits
at

Discogs.com Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

{{Authority control American glam rock musical groups Heavy metal musical groups from Washington, D.C. Musical groups established in 1975 Musical groups disestablished in 1981 Musical groups reestablished in 1987 Musical groups disestablished in 1987 Musical groups reestablished in 1998 American progressive rock groups 20th-century American guitarists