Cinderella is a famous American rock band, which today is often called a classic. Interestingly, the name of the group in translation means "Cinderella". The group was active from 1983 to 2017. and created music in the genres of hard rock and blue rock.
The beginning of the musical activity of the Cinderella group
The group is known not only for its hits, but also for the number of members. In total, for the entire time of its existence, the composition included 17 different musicians. Some of them took part in studio sessions, some joined only during tours or big tours. But the "backbone" of the team has always been: Tom Kiefer, Eric Brittingham and Jeff LaBar.
The group was founded in 1983 and created by Tom. Initially, it also included Michael Smith (guitar) and Tony Dester (drums). However, they almost immediately left the group (within the first two years) to form the Britny Fox group. Later this quartet enjoyed great popularity. Jeff LaBar and Jody Cortez came to replace the departed.
For the first few years, Cinderella wrote songs, releasing them in small numbers. The main activity and means of earning were constant performances in small clubs in Pennsylvania. This was enough for life, as well as for meeting “useful” people and winning the first popularity.
Fateful meeting with a star
During this time, the guys have perfected the skills of live performances. Despite a small number of songs recorded in the studio, the musicians received recognition as a live band. One of the concerts became fateful - the guys were noticed by the notorious Jon Bon Jovi and advised the group to go to the label Mercury / Polygram Records, giving his recommendations. So the first full-length album Night Songs was recorded, which was released in 1986.
All songs written by Tom Kiefer. In this album, he showed himself much brighter than the rest of the participants. Creating simple but heartfelt songs, he made the listener easily and quickly memorize the words. His compositions touched the soul. In combination with the excellent backing vocals of the other members and excellent guitar playing, the album became an artistic work, which was appreciated by critics and listeners.
This could not but affect sales. A little more than a month later, the release has already received a "gold" certification. One of the brightest hits - Somebody Save Me remains popular among rock music lovers to this day. A few months later, the album went platinum.
From that moment on, the group got the opportunity for big performances. It all started with the tour of Bon Jovi, who took the group Cinderella with him as a "warm-up". The team gained access to an audience of thousands and began to confidently consolidate its position in the industry. Later, the group performed on the same stage with AC / DC, Judas Priest and other rockers of that time.
Despite the popularity of the album and some of the songs, many critics spoke of the musicians imitating other artists. There was also the hoarse voice of Kiefer, and the monotonous guitar parts in the style of the Aerosmith band. Therefore, the next release was prepared in a more individual and author's style.
The second successful album of the group Cinderella
The album Long Cold Winter was performed in the blues-rock genre, which made the guys stand out from the competition. In addition, Tom Kiefer's vocals themselves were disposed to this genre - deep and a little wheezing. Gypsy Road and Don't Know What You Got were big hits.
The release of the second album made Cinderella a real star of the rock scene. They were invited to various popular shows, legendary bands called them on tour with them. Most importantly, the group itself secured the opportunity to do several world tours.
In 1989, the legendary International Moscow Peace Festival took place in Moscow. Here the Cinderella group performed on the same stage with Bon Jovi, Ozzy Osbourne, Scorpions and others. After 1989, the activity of the group began to gradually decrease.
The third disc turned out to be very specific in sound and message. It was much more difficult to understand than the previous two releases. This is due to a very low level of sales and a decrease in popularity. Nevertheless, the participants did not regret their choice. An orchestra was invited to record the album. His music combined elements of rhythm and blues and acoustic rock.
It was quite difficult for the mass audience to understand. In addition, the turn of the 1980s and 1990s of the XX century was marked by a serious change in fashion, which also affected music. More and more people preferred grunge, and melody faded into the background. Nevertheless, some compositions hit the charts. One of these was Shelter Me, which was actively rotated on radio stations.
Pause in music
The group continued to go on world tours. But in the early 1990s, it suspended its activities for a while. This was due to a number of unpleasant events that took place mainly with Kiefer.
For some time, due to a sore throat, he was unable to participate in the life of the group. During the recording of the fourth disc, he experienced the death of his mother. The composition of the team also began to change (Fred Coury left, replaced by Kevin Valentine). All this did not have the best effect on the life of the team.
In 1994, the guys returned with the disc Still Climbing, which was performed in the style of the second disc. It was a good move. Both old fans and those who missed the classic hard rock started talking about Cinderella again. At that time, they were almost the only group from the 1980s that felt confident. Many members of the rock scene of the 1980s were already in the process of breaking up.
However, 1995 was the year of the collapse. This was partly due to problems with Tom Kiefer's voice that appeared in the early 1990s. Since then, the team has met from time to time in order to arrange another tour. One of the most high-profile tours of the last decade took place in 2011. And covered a number of cities in Europe, America, even Russia.
