Vinnie Vincent

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Image:VinnieVincent.jpg Vincent John Cusano (born August 6, 1952, in Bridgeport, Connecticut), is a guitarist better known as Vinnie Vincent, and is most famous for his brief membership in the band KISS.

Contents

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Before KISS

Prior to joining KISS Vincent was in several bands, the most popular being Treasure (1978-1979).

  • 1976 - Kid Cashmir & Winnie LeCoux
  • 1976 - HITCHHIKERS
  • 1977 - TREASURE
  • 1978 - LAURA NYRO
  • 1978 - DAN HARTMAN
  • 1979 - FELIX CAVALIERE
  • 1981 - HEAT
  • 1981 - CARMINE APPICE

He toured with Dan Hartman, whose 1978 release Instant Replay produced an international single by the same name.

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KISS Involvement

Vincent was brought in as a songwriter and uncredited studio replacement for Ace Frehley during recording for Creatures Of The Night. He contributed to several songs on the album, including "I Love It Loud", and "I Still Love You". Vincent was chosen to replace Frehley permanently, and KISS bassist Gene Simmons suggested he change his performing name to Vinnie Vincent. Guitarist Paul Stanley created the Egyptian Ankh hieroglyphic for Vincent's makeup and persona. According to author C.K. Lendt in "The Making Of A Super Group", Vincent never signed his contract with The KISS Company.

On the Creatures Of The Night tour, which featured Eric Carr's drum riser in the shape of a tank turret, he was generally well-received by fans, though the slight similarity of his costume to Ace Frehley's "Spaceman" persona and the fact that Frehley was still pictured on the album cover could have misled some fans into thinking Vincent was, in fact, Frehley. Ace's departure from the band was not widely known in the United States due to the fact that KISS were at possibly the lowest point of their popularity in 1982. Also, Frehley, not Vincent, was in the video for the album's possibly best-known song, "I Love It Loud", though significantly the video shows Paul Stanley playing the guitar solo.

Vincent was referred to as "Vinnie 'Wiz' Vincent" by MTV VJ's at this time.

Vincent's personality did not mesh well with Stanley or Simmons, and he was first fired from KISS at the end of the Creatures tour. He was rehired before recording started for Lick It Up, when Simmons and Stanley could not find a new guitarist on such short notice, although British heavy metal magazine Kerrang! reported that late RATT guitarist Robbin Crosby had been considered for the slot. Gene Simmons has also stated in his biography, KISS And Make Up, that around this time Eddie Van Halen expressed interest in leaving Van Halen (due to personality clashes with then-vocalist David Lee Roth) and joining KISS. However, Simmons persuaded Van Halen to return to his band. At this time Vincent, again according to Simmons' book, started actively pushing to join KISS, despite misgivings Simmons and Paul Stanley had about his personality. He was taken into the band, and Stanley designed his "Ankh" makeup. Vincent originally wanted to use his given name, but this was vetoed by Simmons on the grounds that it sounded "too ethnic". Vincent then suggested the name "Mick Fury" but this was also disallowed.

Lick It Up marked the end of KISS' "makeup era", with Vincent joining the band in removing the makeup and elaborate costumes. Personality issues arose once again, and Vincent was fired following the Lick It Up tour. He was replaced by Mark St. John.

Rumors (many of which are unprintable) have circulated for years amongst KISS fan circles regarding the true reason for Vincent's dismissal, with at least one band member refusing to comment, except to say that legally, it wasn't up for discussion. Simmons stated in an interview several years later that Vincent's firing was for "unethical behavior", but he did not elaborate.

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Later career

After KISS, he formed Vinnie Vincent Invasion, which released two LPs: Vinnie Vincent Invasion (1986) and All Systems Go (1988).

He later rejoined KISS for songwriting on the 1992 album Revenge, for the songs Unholy, Heart Of Chrome, and I Just Wanna. Vincent had another falling-out with the band, and subsequently was dismissed from the KISS project for a third time.

Thereafter, he has released an EP (Euphoria, 1998), and an album entitled Speedball Jamm.

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Legal Troubles

Vinnie Vincent sued KISS twice after being fired for the second time in 1984. The first lawsuit (for $6 million) was filed around 1986, over royalties that Vincent believed he was owed for performance and songwriting. That suit was found in favor of KISS, as Vincent was determined to be a salaried employee of the band.

In 1987, Vincent was quoted in "Rock Scene" magazine as saying that KISS would not allow him to use their name either to promote his solo career or to even mention the band in interviews. Throughout this interview, Vincent persistently and bitterly referred to KISS as either "The White Face Band" or simply "The Blank Band".

In late-1988, Vincent's $8 million contract with Chrysalis Records (for 4 albums) was taken away from him because he overextended his credit line with the label. The contract was transferred to Invasion members Dana Strum and Mark Slaughter, who then formed the band Slaughter.

Vincent's second suit against KISS in 1992 (again for $6 million) was for songwriting royalties and other claims. That suit was dismissed because the amount Vincent requested was excessive, and once again, he was found to have been a salaried employee of the band. The band has had no contact with Vincent since the lawsuit.

Vinnie Vincent is now bankrupt and looking for new musicians and a new label.

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Trivia

  • Vincent was a staff songwriter for the television series Happy Days.
  • Lick It Up is the only instance of Vincent appearing on a KISS album by image, and is the only album where he receives unambiguous and exclusive lead-guitar credit. Vincent's work on Creatures Of The Night was not fully recognized for a time, as noted below. It is interesting to note that on the Japanese version of that album's cover, KISS appears in makeup and costume; Paul, Gene, and Eric appear (strangely) in their Elder/Killers outfits from 1981-'82, while Vinnie is in his Creatures Of The Night outfit. (This album was, of course, the band's first release without makeup).
  • Aside from songwriting credits under his given name, Vincent's involvement with recording for Creatures Of The Night was not widely publicized for several years, with Ace Frehley appearing on the cover of the original album. When the album was re-mixed and re-released in 1985 with a different cover and a slightly different song order (to reflect the band's roster change and abandonment of their makeup and costuming), Vincent was again absent from the album cover, as then-current lead guitarist Bruce Kulick appeared on the updated cover. The liner notes accompanying the re-mixed LP, however, credit both Ace Frehley and Vinnie Vincent with lead-guitar performances.
  • In January, 1987, Vincent and Dana Strum came to the city of Goshen, Indiana to lend their support to the editor of a local rock magazine who was supposedly being harassed by the minister and members of a local Assemblies of God congregation. Vincent and Strum held a press conference at Goshen's City Hall and met privately with the minister, Rev. Paul McGechie, who was quoted in the local press as calling Vincent and Strum "punk rockers".
  • The song "Burnin' Bridges", from Slaughter's first album, Stick It To Ya, is one side of the story of Vincent's legal issues.
  • In the early 1990s, Vincent's ex-wife disappeared. She was later discovered murdered.
  • Starting in 1982, Vinnie was briefly the spokesman for Charvel/Jackson Guitars, following the death of Randy Rhoads; a few pictures show Vinnie playing a version of Rhoads' pink Jackson guitar. He later switched to a more personalized pink "double shark fin" guitar design which he helped design along with Grover Jackson seen here: http://www.geocities.com/fullshred_2000/guitarwerks.html
  • Vinnie then became a spokesman for Carvin Guitars and amplification in 1989: 89_vinnievincent-large.jpg
  • Even though Vinnie was fired from Kiss in 1983, he co-wrote three songs for their 1992 album Revenge. "Unholy," "Heart Of Chrome," and "I Just Wanna."

He also co-wrote,with Adam Mitchell,the song Tears under his real name.It was later recorded by former Baby's lead singer John Waite for his No Brakes album,which was released on EMI America records.

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Quotes

"I named Vincent Cusano, Vinnie Vincent. That's the only gift he's allowed. It's interesting that Vinnie hasn't changed his name back to Vinnie Cusano. Vinnie for the record was fired for unethical behavior, not because of lack of talent. The guy is very talented. He was unethical. He was fired." - Gene Simmons

"My chemistry with the band helped put them back on top and gave them a musical credibility that they'd never had before, yet I couldn't get the recognition I needed. I felt like I was imprisoned in a small cubicle, like it was someone else's house..." (Vinnie about leaving KISS in Kerrang! Magazine. Black Diamond (writer: Dale Sherman), 1997)

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External links

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