Alcatrazz is a
heavy metal band formed in 1983 by
Graham Bonnet
Graham Bonnet (born 23 December 1947) is an English rock singer. He has recorded and performed as a solo artist and as a member of several hard rock and heavy metal bands including Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group, Alcatrazz, and Impellitteri. ...
, Jimmy Waldo, and Gary Shea. Following an internal disagreement and split in 2020, there are currently two separate and distinct Alcatrazz line-ups, one featuring Bonnet, and another featuring Waldo and Shea.
Alcatrazz are best known for their songs "Island in the Sun", "Hiroshima Mon Amour", and "God Blessed Video". The band went through a number of line-up changes, with Bonnet being the only member to be in every incarnation of Alcatrazz. They are also notable for featuring a previously-unknown
Yngwie Malmsteen
Yngwie Johan Malmsteen ( ; born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck, 30 June 1963) is a Swedish guitarist. He first became known in the 1980s for his neoclassical playing style in heavy metal, and has released 22 studio albums in a career spanning ov ...
, who was the guitarist of Alcatrazz during 1983–1984, and was subsequently replaced by
Steve Vai
Steven Siro Vai (; born June 6, 1960) is an American guitarist, composer, songwriter, and producer. A three-time Grammy Award winner and fifteen-time nominee, Vai started his music career in 1978 at the age of eighteen as a transcriptionist f ...
, and Danny Johnson in the original incarnation of the band up until 1987. Joe Stump became the Alcatrazz guitarist when the band reformed, and remains the guitarist in the Waldo-Shea line-up of Alcatrazz. In June 2021,
Jeff Loomis
Jeff Loomis (born September 14, 1971) is an American musician, best known for his role as lead guitarist in the progressive metal band Nevermore during its existence from 1991 to 2011, as well as brief tenures in its precursor, Sanctuary. In ...
was announced as the guitarist in the Bonnet line-up of Alcatrazz.
After breaking up in 1987, Bonnet toured from 2006 to 2014 as Alcatrazz featuring Graham Bonnet with various line-ups, before a one-off reunion show in 2017 led to Bonnet and Waldo reforming the band once more in 2020, with Shea rejoining shortly after. From their inception in 1983 until 2020, Alcatrazz released four studio albums: ''
No Parole from Rock 'n' Roll
''No Parole from Rock 'n' Roll'' is the first album by American heavy metal band Alcatrazz led by veteran singer Graham Bonnet, released in 1983. It spent seven weeks on the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart, peaking at No. 128. The album preci ...
'' (1983), ''
Disturbing the Peace
Breach of the peace, or disturbing the peace, is a legal term used in constitutional law in English-speaking countries and in a public order sense in the several jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It is a form of disorderly conduct.
Public ord ...
'' (1985), ''
Dangerous Games'' (1986), and ''
Born Innocent'' (2020). Several months after the release of ''Born Innocent'', Bonnet and the other four members of Alcatrazz – Waldo, Shea, Stump, and drummer Mark Benquechea – announced a split from one another, with both camps intending to continue to record music under the name Alcatrazz. The Waldo-Shea-Stump-Benquechea camp announced that
Doogie White was now their lead singer,
and released the studio album ''V'' in October 2021. Meanwhile, Bonnet announced that he was moving forward once again with his own version of Alcatrazz. In June 2021,
Jeff Loomis
Jeff Loomis (born September 14, 1971) is an American musician, best known for his role as lead guitarist in the progressive metal band Nevermore during its existence from 1991 to 2011, as well as brief tenures in its precursor, Sanctuary. In ...
was announced as the guitarist for the Bonnet line-up of Alcatrazz, with a new studio album in the works.
History
The band's initial line-up consisted of former
Rainbow
A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...
singer frontman
Graham Bonnet
Graham Bonnet (born 23 December 1947) is an English rock singer. He has recorded and performed as a solo artist and as a member of several hard rock and heavy metal bands including Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group, Alcatrazz, and Impellitteri. ...
, young
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
guitarist
Yngwie Malmsteen
Yngwie Johan Malmsteen ( ; born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck, 30 June 1963) is a Swedish guitarist. He first became known in the 1980s for his neoclassical playing style in heavy metal, and has released 22 studio albums in a career spanning ov ...
, who had recently left the American
metal
A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...
band
Steeler, Gary Shea and Jimmy Waldo from
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...
and
Clive Burr of
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...
fame. Burr was reportedly only in the band for a week, and left upon discovering the band was going to be based in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, as opposed to his native
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. Burr was soon replaced by former
Iron Butterfly
Iron Butterfly is an American rock band formed in San Diego, California, in 1966. They are best known for the 1968 hit " In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", providing a dramatic sound that led the way towards the development of hard rock and heavy metal musi ...
drummer
Jan Uvena
Jannaro "Jan" Uvena (born August 29, 1950) is an American musician, best known for playing drums with a number of notable rock bands, including Alice Cooper's backing band, Iron Butterfly, Alcatrazz, and Signal.
Uvena retired from the music bu ...
, who had just left
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...
's backing band. Shea dubbed the group "Alcatrazz". For the first album, the bulk of the material was written by Bonnet and Malmsteen, with Waldo contributing to several tracks.
The band's debut album, ''
No Parole from Rock 'n' Roll
''No Parole from Rock 'n' Roll'' is the first album by American heavy metal band Alcatrazz led by veteran singer Graham Bonnet, released in 1983. It spent seven weeks on the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart, peaking at No. 128. The album preci ...
'' was released in late 1983 on Rocshire Records.
Decent support was given by
MTV to the lead single, "Island in the Sun", which showed a heavy Rainbow influence. Despite the commercial nature of the song, it received little radio play. The album nonetheless spent 18 weeks on the Billboard charts and peaked at No. 128. A second video released in 1984 for "Hiroshima Mon Amour" became popular in Japan.
Rochsire then released ''
Live Sentence
''Live Sentence'' (1984) is the only live album released by the American heavy metal band Alcatrazz featuring the band's original line-up. The live concert recorded for the album was performed on 28 January 1984 at Nakano Sun Plaza in Tokyo. In ...
'' (1984), a concert recording with songs from both concerts of the recent tour of Japan at the
Nakano Sun Plaza
, formerly Nakano Sun Plaza, is a hotel in Nakano, Tokyo. The hotel includes a concert hall, the Nakano Sunplaza Hall (formerly Nakano Sun Plaza Hall). Built in 1973, in Tokyo on January 28, 1984. Being discontent with the sonic qualities of the recording, Malmsteen tried to prevent the release of the album but failed. Some Rainbow covers were included, including "
Since You Been Gone
"Since You Been Gone" is a song written by former Argent guitarist Russ Ballard and first released on his 1976 album ''Winning''. It was covered by Rainbow in 1979 and released as a single from their album '' Down to Earth''.
Rainbow version
...
". The album peaked at No. 133 in the US. A live video concert was also produced. During this period, internal turmoil began surfacing within the band, between Malmsteen and Bonnet. According to Malmsteen, Bonnet had become fed up with the attention drawn to his guitar playing from fans over Bonnet's vocals. According to Malmsteen, their professional relationship ended with the two having an altercation on stage after Bonnet allegedly tampered with Malmsteen's amplifiers during a guitar solo and "Since You've Been Gone" at a show in Oklahoma. This resulted in Malmsteen yelling at and arguing with Bonnet, Bonnet poking Malmsteen in the stomach with his microphone stand, and finally with Malmsteen punching Bonnet, all taking place on stage. Following this, Malmsteen left Alcatrazz and created his own band called
Rising Force
''Rising Force'' is the first studio album by guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen, released in late 1984 through Polydor Records.[Polydor Records
Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...]
and released a successful
self-titled debut album.
Waldo replaced Malmsteen with former
Frank Zappa guitarist
Steve Vai
Steven Siro Vai (; born June 6, 1960) is an American guitarist, composer, songwriter, and producer. A three-time Grammy Award winner and fifteen-time nominee, Vai started his music career in 1978 at the age of eighteen as a transcriptionist f ...
,
despite resistance from Bonnet, and the band signed with
Capitol Records after Rocshire was shut down following the owners being arrested for the embezzlement of millions of dollars. With Steve Vai, the group worked on new material and then headlined another tour of Japan, which introduced Vai to the fans and allowed them to play new material from the upcoming album. A concert video was filmed from these dates.
The band released ''
Disturbing the Peace
Breach of the peace, or disturbing the peace, is a legal term used in constitutional law in English-speaking countries and in a public order sense in the several jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It is a form of disorderly conduct.
Public ord ...
'' in the spring of 1985.
The album was produced by
Eddie Kramer
Edwin H. Kramer (born 19 April 1942) is a British recording producer and engineer. He has collaborated with several artists now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, including Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, David Bowie, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin ...
who had worked with
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
,
Jimi Hendrix, and
Triumph
The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...
, among others. "God Blessed Video" was the first single and video, yet
MTV barely played it. The album peaked at No. 145 and charted for 16 weeks. Alcatrazz, however, could never break out of their small following, and had to cut a tour short due to financial problems.
Steve Vai left to join
David Lee Roth's solo band in 1986.
The split was on good terms, as it was an offer Vai could not refuse. He was replaced by guitarist Danny Johnson, who recorded what became Alcatrazz's final studio album, ''
Dangerous Games'', released in the fall of 1986.
The album had covers of
the Animals
The Animals (also billed as Eric Burdon and the Animals) are an English rock band, formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in the early 1960s. The band moved to London upon finding fame in 1964. The Animals were known for their gritty, bluesy sound and ...
' song "It's My Life" (one of the only rock-oriented tunes) and
Marbles
A marble is a small spherical object often made from glass, clay, steel, plastic, or agate. They vary in size, and most commonly are about in diameter. These toys can be used for a variety of games called ''marbles'', as well being placed in mar ...
' song "Only One Woman". Bonnet had been a member of Marbles in the late 1960s when they had this hit in the UK. The ''Dangerous Games'' album failed to chart and shortly afterward, Johnson also quit to join the band Private Life. Disheartened by an ever-revolving door of guitarists, and dwindling album sales, they split up in 1987.
In 1998, the
Renaissance Records
Renaissance Recordings is a British record label, founded by the club Renaissance in 1994. It went into administration in September 2010 and the back catalogue was sold to Phoenix Music International Ltd.
After a year of inactivity, in July 20 ...
label issued ''The Best of Alcatrazz'', a look back at the band's brief career. ''God Blessed Video'' appeared in the 2002
videogame
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedb ...
soundtrack
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, playing on fictional
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 ...
station ''
V-Rock''.
Bonnet reformed his version of the band as ''Alcatrazz featuring Graham Bonnet'' with guitarist Howie Simon (
Jeff Scott Soto
Jeff Scott Soto (born November 4, 1965) is an American rock singer of Puerto Rican descent. He is best known for being the vocalist on Yngwie Malmsteen's first two albums, and (briefly) the lead vocalist for Journey in 2006–2007. Soto also ...
Band,
Talisman
A talisman is any object ascribed with religious or magical powers intended to protect, heal, or harm individuals for whom they are made. Talismans are often portable objects carried on someone in a variety of ways, but can also be installed perm ...
), drummer
Glen Sobel
Glen Sobel is an American drummer who has performed and recorded in many different genres. Mainly known for being the drummer for Alice Cooper since 2011, Sobel has worked with other musicians/groups, including Mötley Crüe, Hollywood Vampire ...
(
Impellitteri
Impellitteri is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles formed and led by guitarist Chris Impellitteri, vocalist Rob Rock, and bassist James Amelio Pulli. The band has sold millions of albums worldwide.
History
Chris Impellitteri for ...
,
Beautiful Creatures,
Tony MacAlpine
Tony MacAlpine (born August 29, 1960) is an American musician and composer. In a career spanning four decades, he has released twelve studio albums. MacAlpine is best known as an instrumental rock and heavy metal solo guitarist, although he has ...
), and bassist Tim Luce and toured Japan in May and June 2007—sharing the headline with another ex-Rainbow vocalist,
Joe Lynn Turner
Joe Lynn Turner (born Joseph Arthur Mark Linquito, August 2, 1951) is an American singer known for his work in the hard rock bands Rainbow, Yngwie J. Malmsteen and Deep Purple.
During his career, Turner fronted and played guitar with pop rock ...
. Howie Simon revealed in a recent interview that it was his suggestion to bring back the Alcatrazz name. They also headlined the BerkRock festival in
Berkovitsa
Berkovitsa ( bg, Берковица ) is a town and ski resort in northwestern Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Berkovitsa Municipality, Montana Province and is close to the town of Varshets. , it has a population of 13 ...
,
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
in July 2008 and have played various West Coast US dates including support slots for
Y&T. Alcatrazz continued to perform live occasionally until 2014.
In March 2017, three-fifths of the original lineup (Bonnet, Waldo and Shea) reunited for three shows in Japan, which also included Conrado Pesinato and Mark Benquechea on guitar and drums respectively. The performances were recorded for the live album/DVD ''Parole Denied – Tokyo 2017'', which was released on December 7, 2018. In February 2019, Bonnet confirmed that he had once again resurrected Alcatrazz, with a new lineup featuring himself, Waldo and Benquechea, as well as guitarist Joe Stump and bassist Beth-Ami Heavenstone. She briefly became the band's first female member, having been in Bonnet's namesake band. This lineup had planned to record a new album together, which was also said to be including contributions from
Chris Impellitteri,
Bob Kulick,
Dario Mollo
Dario Mollo is an Italian guitarist and record producer, perhaps best known for the three "Cage" albums he recorded with former Black Sabbath singer Tony Martin and his work with former Deep Purple singer/bassist Glenn Hughes (as Voodoo Hill) ...
and former Alcatrazz guitarist
Steve Vai
Steven Siro Vai (; born June 6, 1960) is an American guitarist, composer, songwriter, and producer. A three-time Grammy Award winner and fifteen-time nominee, Vai started his music career in 1978 at the age of eighteen as a transcriptionist f ...
. Heavenstone was replaced on bass in January 2020 by a returning Gary Shea. Alcatrazz's first studio album in 34 years, ''
Born Innocent'', was released on July 31, 2020.
On December 4, 2020, it was announced Alcatrazz had parted ways with vocalist Graham Bonnet and had recruited vocalist
Doogie White following conflicts regarding the band's management.
Within a few hours after this announcement, Bonnet announced that he would "still be recording and performing with Alcatrazz", with a new lineup to be announced in the spring of 2021, and a new album in the works.
Bonnet later clarified that one of the reasons behind the split was the remaining members of the ''Born Innocent'' lineup wanted to "only tour" with his former manager Giles Lavery, and added that it "meant that they had quit." He also stated that he was "not bothered" by the existence of two bands named Alcatrazz, had "no plans to relinquish" the band name, and referred to his replacement Doogie White as a "good friend and a damn fine performer." On June 4, 2021, the first single from the White-fronted Alcatrazz, "Turn of the Wheel" was released. A few days later,
Jeff Loomis
Jeff Loomis (born September 14, 1971) is an American musician, best known for his role as lead guitarist in the progressive metal band Nevermore during its existence from 1991 to 2011, as well as brief tenures in its precursor, Sanctuary. In ...
(
Nevermore
Nevermore was an American heavy metal band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1991. The band has been inactive since 2011, due to personal issues between the band members. In April 2015, lead singer Warrel Dane confirmed that Nevermore had n ...
,
Sanctuary
A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a sa ...
) was announced as the guitarist for the Bonnet-led line-up, now referred to as Graham Bonnet's Alcatrazz.
On July 23, 2021, the White-fronted version of Alcatrazz released another single, "Sword of Deliverance", and announced that their fifth album, titled ''V'', would be released on October 15, 2021.
Music video's were released for the singles "Turn of the Wheel" on June 4, 2021
and "Sword of Deliverance" on July 23, 2021.
Personnel
Current members
* Jimmy Waldo – keyboards, synthesizers, keytar, piano, backing vocals
(1983–1987, 2017, 2019–present)
* Gary Shea – bass, backing vocals
(1983–1987, 2017, 2020–present)
* Joe Stump – guitars
(2019–present)
*
Doogie White – lead vocals
(2020–present)
* Larry Paterson - drums
(2021–present)
Graham Bonnet's Alcatrazz
*
Graham Bonnet
Graham Bonnet (born 23 December 1947) is an English rock singer. He has recorded and performed as a solo artist and as a member of several hard rock and heavy metal bands including Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group, Alcatrazz, and Impellitteri. ...
– lead vocals
(2006–2014, 2021–present; 1983–1987, 2017, 2019–2020 in Alcatrazz)
*
Jeff Loomis
Jeff Loomis (born September 14, 1971) is an American musician, best known for his role as lead guitarist in the progressive metal band Nevermore during its existence from 1991 to 2011, as well as brief tenures in its precursor, Sanctuary. In ...
– guitars
(2021–present)
Former members
*
Yngwie Malmsteen
Yngwie Johan Malmsteen ( ; born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck, 30 June 1963) is a Swedish guitarist. He first became known in the 1980s for his neoclassical playing style in heavy metal, and has released 22 studio albums in a career spanning ov ...
– guitars
(1983–1984)
*
Jan Uvena
Jannaro "Jan" Uvena (born August 29, 1950) is an American musician, best known for playing drums with a number of notable rock bands, including Alice Cooper's backing band, Iron Butterfly, Alcatrazz, and Signal.
Uvena retired from the music bu ...
– drums, percussion, backing vocals
(1983–1987)
*
Steve Vai
Steven Siro Vai (; born June 6, 1960) is an American guitarist, composer, songwriter, and producer. A three-time Grammy Award winner and fifteen-time nominee, Vai started his music career in 1978 at the age of eighteen as a transcriptionist f ...
– guitars, backing vocals
(1984–1986)
* Danny Johnson – guitars, backing vocals
(1986–1987)
* Jay Davis – bass
(1987)
* Conrado Pesinato – guitar
(2017)
* Beth-Ami Heavenstone – bass
(2019–2020)
* Mark Benquechea – drums
(2017, 2019–2021)
Alcatrazz featuring Graham Bonnet
* Howie Simon – guitars, backing vocals
(2006–2014)
* Tim Luce – bass, backing vocals
(2006–2014)
*
Glen Sobel
Glen Sobel is an American drummer who has performed and recorded in many different genres. Mainly known for being the drummer for Alice Cooper since 2011, Sobel has worked with other musicians/groups, including Mötley Crüe, Hollywood Vampire ...
– drums, percussion, backing vocals
(2006–2009)
* Dave Dzialak – drums, percussion
(2009–2010)
* Jeff Bowders – drums, percussion
(2010–2011)
*
Bobby Rock
Nitro was an American heavy metal band from Hollywood, California. Formed in 1988, the group originally featured vocalist Jim Gillette, guitarist Michael Angelo Batio, bassist T. J. Racer and drummer Bobby Rock. Nitro released its debut album ' ...
– drums, percussion, backing vocals
(2011–2014)
Timeline
Line-ups
Discography
Studio albums
Live albums
Compilations
Singles
Videos
* Metallic Live (VHS) (1984)
** ''No Parole from Rock 'n' Roll Tour – Live in Japan 1984.1.28'' (DVD Reissue) (2010)
* Power Live (VHS) (1985)
** ''Disturbing the Peace Tour – Live in Japan 1984.10.10'' (DVD Reissue) (2010)
References
External links
Alcatrazz website*
{{Authority control
Musical groups established in 1983
Musical groups disestablished in 1987
Musical groups reestablished in 2007
Musical groups disestablished in 2014
Musical groups reestablished in 2019
Musical groups from Los Angeles
Hard rock musical groups from California
Heavy metal musical groups from California