Cinderella was one of the most popular hair metal bands from the Eighties. I'm glad I could see them play live at Halfway Jam, a now-defunct music festival that was only about an hour from my home. After their set, frontman Tom Kiefer looked thoroughly exhausted but happy by the reactions from the crowd. Unfortunately, that would be the only time I'd ever see them live in concert.
Bass guitarist Eric Brittingham and Kiefer formed the group in 1983 in Clifton Heights, PA. Drummer Tony Destra and guitarist Michael Shermick rounded out the original roster. Two years later, they had a recording contract with Mercury/Polygram Records and two new band members, drummer Jim Drnec and guitarist Jeff LaBar. Shermick and Destra had already departed to become founding members of the band Britny Fox.
Cinderella's first studio album, Night Songs, debuted in June 1986 and quickly went triple platinum. They soon toured with fellow hair metallers Poison and opened for Bon Jovi and David Lee Roth. They took on more of a bluesier sound with their sophomore effort, Long Cold Winter, in 1988. They went on to tour in support of that record, sharing stages with acts including Skid Row, the Scorpions, Motley Crue, and Ozzy Osbourne.
The band continued their blues rock recording with their third album Heartbreak Station which debuted in 1990. Fans would have to wait 4 more years until their fourth album Still Climbing would be released, The delay was partially due to Kiefer's hemorrhage and vocal cyst surgeries. The album was Cinderella's first recording with drummer Kenny Aronoff. Still Climbing didn't chart nearly as well as their previous three albums, and the group was later cut loose by Mercury Records.
Cinderella took a break until 1996. A greatest hits compilation, Once Upon A..., was issued by Mercury Records in 1997, followed by the group's first live record, Live At the Key Club which debuted on Cleopatra Records in 1999. They toured sporadically after their hiatus for the next five years and were even signed by Sony Records at one point. Cinderella never got to record for that label and was embroiled in a legal battle with them for 3 years.
The band continued to tour with contemporaries such as Quiet Riot and Firehouse until Kiefer needed another surgery in 2008, this time to repair a hemorrhaged vocal cord. By then, Brittingham and Labar were already busy with side projects, so Cinderella didn't resume touring again until 2010.
Cinderella had a heavy national and international touring schedule in the years that followed. They embarked on festival and headlining tours, along with the Monsters of Rock cruise. In 2017, Kiefer announced that problems within the band would likely prevent Cinderella from ever reforming, recording or touring together again. In July 2021, LaBar passed away at the age of 58.
It's too bad that we won't get to see the members of Cinderella rock crowds again. However, Kiefer's solo band is still going strong. I may have to make an effort to see them play sometime. I've heard that their sets are chock full of original compositions and many of the Cinderella classics that I've grown to love.
Well, that's all for now. Next time, I'll write about Red Sun Rising, a great band that has since splintered off into a few new acts. Until then, have a great weekend, everyone!