Gerald Caiafa Jr. (born April 21, 1959), better known by his stage name Jerry Only, is an American musician, best known as the bassist for the

Misfits Misfits or The Misfits may refer to: Film and television * ''The Misfits'' (1961 film), a film starring Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, and Montgomery Clift * ''The Misfits'' (2011 film), a Mexican film * ''The Misfits'' (2021 film), an American ...

and later the vocalist as well. He is the only member to appear in every Misfits lineup.

Biography

Misfits

Only in 2008 Gerald Caiafa Jr. was born in

Lodi, New Jersey Lodi (; ) is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 24,136,Glenn Danzig on vocals and Manny on drums in 1977, just a few months after receiving his first bass as a late Christmas present. He would work at his father's machine shop during the week to help finance the band and play shows on the weekend. This would go on for several years and the band split due to differences between Danzig and the rest of the band. During this downtime, Only and his brother Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein (the guitarist for the Misfits) formed

Kryst The Conqueror Kryst the Conqueror (pronounced "Christ") was an American Christian metal project formed in August 1987 by two former members of the horror punk band, The Misfits. The project was led by bassist Jerry Only, who adopted a new stage name, "Mo the ...

. In 1995, Only settled a legal battle out of court with co-founder Glenn Danzig, allowing him rights to the Misfits' name on a performing level, while they split the money on merchandising. He reformed the band with Doyle (who played guitar from 1980 to 1983), vocalist

Michale Graves Michael Emanuel (born March 21, 1975), better known by his stage name Michale Graves, is an American singer. He is best known as the lead vocalist for the 1990s re-incarnation of the horror punk band Misfits from 1995 to 2000, leaving briefly ...

, and drummer

Dr. Chud David Calabrese (born April 4, 1964), known professionally as Dr. Chud, is an American horror punk drummer best known for his work with the Misfits. Life and career Born in Lodi, New Jersey, Dr. Chud attended Lodi High School. His career beg ...

. Chud and Graves left the group in 2000 to form

Graves A grave is a location where a dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as grave ...

. In reaction to the loss of members, Doyle left the Misfits. Graves, Doyle and Chud were replaced on the M25 tour by

Dez Cadena Dez Cadena (born June 2, 1961) is an American punk rock singer and guitarist. He was the third vocalist and later rhythm guitarist for hardcore punk band Black Flag from 1980 to 1983. Cadena played guitar with Misfits from 2001 to 2015, initi ...

, formerly of Black Flag and DC3, on guitar and

Marky Ramone Marc Steven Bell (born July 15, 1952) is an American drummer. He began playing in hard rock bands in the New York City area, notably Dust and Estus. He was asked to drum for punk rock band Richard Hell and the Voidoids. He replaced drummer Tom ...

, formerly of

The Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

, on drums. Only took up the singing duties from this point till the present date. In early 2005, Marky left the group and Only brought in ex-Misfit and Black Flag drummer

ROBO Robo may refer to: *robot, an electro-mechanical device that can perform autonomous or preprogrammed tasks *Automation (robo-), roboticization *Robo (musician) (born 1955), Roberto Valverde, drummer in punk bands Black Flag and The Misfits *Robo ( ...

to rejoin the group. A new album was recorded in 2010 in Colorado entitled '' The Devil's Rain'' which was released in October 2011. A single, "Land of the Dead", was released at the mischief night show 2009 at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ. In 2013, Only and the Misfits released a new album entitled ''DEAD ALIVE!'' recorded live at several shows. In 2017, the reunited lineup performed two additional concerts at the

MGM Grand Garden Arena The MGM Grand Garden Arena (originally known as the MGM Grand Garden Special Events Center) is a 17,000-seat multi-purpose arena located within the MGM Grand Las Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip. Sporting events From its opening on December 18, 1993 ...

in Las Vegas on December 28 and The Forum in

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...

on December 30. They also performed at the

Prudential Center Prudential Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the central business district of Newark, New Jersey. Opened in 2007, it is the home of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the men's basketball program of Seton Hal ...

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nation ...

when they aligned with wrestler

Vampiro Ian Richard Hodgkinson (born May 31, 1967), better known by his ring name Vampiro, is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler who most recently served as director of talent for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). He also worked for Lucha Unde ...

. Only participated in probably the most memorable match of the Misfits' time when he fought Dr. Death in a

steel cage match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

. Only was dominated in the match but Death was distracted when the rest of the Misfits interfered and attacked his manager

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

(a parody of

Jim Ross James William Ross (born January 3, 1952) is an American professional wrestling commentator currently signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a commentator, analyst, and senior advisor. Ross is best known for a long and distinguished career as ...

), pouring barbecue sauce in his eyes. Only won the match after being accidentally Irish whipped through the cage door by Dr. Death.

Only/Danzig lawsuit

On May 6, 2014, it was announced that Glenn Danzig had filed a lawsuit against Jerry Only, claiming Only registered trademarks for everything Misfits-related in 2000 behind Danzig's back, misappropriating exclusive ownership over the trademarks for himself, including the band's iconic "Crimson Ghost" logo. Danzig claims that this violated a 1994 contract the two had. Danzig says that after registering the trademarks, Only secretly entered into deals with various merchandisers and cut him out of any potential profits in the process. He said that Only has purposefully led merchandisers, including

Hot Topic Hot Topic, Inc. (stylized as HOT TOPIC) is an American retail chain specializing in counterculture-related clothing and accessories, as well as licensed music. The stores are aimed towards an audience interested in rock music and video gaming, ...

, to believe that they are legally bound not to accept licenses to exploit the Marks from Danzig or his designees, and Only continues to do so. He said that through this, Only has caused merchandisers not to do business with him and it has deceived consumers as to the source of the merchandise which bore the trademarks. Danzig said a vast majority of the Misfits fans associate the trademarks with the 1977–1983 classic Misfits era when Danzig was a member of the band and not with the current era Misfits. Danzig feels that through false advertising and misrepresentations to merchandisers and consumers it has caused him to suffer damages in excess of $75,000. In August 2014, the judge dismissed the case in favor of Only. In 2017, Darkride Films Interview original drummer Manny Martinez said that from what he remembers, there was no Diane Dipiazza or Jimi Battle in the band. Before The Misfits, Mr. Jim, Diane, and Jimi played in a band with Glenn doing covers, but the original Misfits were Glenn Danzig, Manny Martinez, Jerry Only, and Franche Coma.

Discography

The Misfits

*'' Static Age'' (1978) *'' 12 Hits from Hell'' (1980) *''

Walk Among Us ''Walk Among Us'' is the debut album by the American punk rock band Misfits, released in March 1982 by Ruby Records and its parent label Slash Records. It was the first full-length album to be released by the band, although it was the third to ...

'' (1982) *'' Earth A.D./Wolfs Blood'' (1983) *''

Evilive ''Evilive'' is a live album by the American punk rock band Misfits. It was initially released as a 7-song EP in December 1982 and later added 5 more songs and released as an album in October 1987. It was released on frontman Glenn Danzig's ...

'' (1983) *''

Legacy of Brutality ''Legacy of Brutality'' is a compilation album of early songs by the American punk rock band Misfits, released in September 1985. It contains overdubbed mixes of previously unreleased songs, mainly from the January–February 1978 '' Static Age ...

'' (1985) *''

'' (1986) *''

Collection II ''Collection II'', also known as ''Misfits II'', a compilation album of songs by the American punk rock band Misfits. Released on November 14, 1995, it serves as a companion album to the band's previous compilation, ''Collection I''. Both compi ...

'' (1995) *'' American Psycho'' (1997) *''

Evilive II ''Evilive II'' (also known as ''Evillive'') is a 1998 live album by the American punk rock band Misfits. Featuring the "resurrected" Misfits lineup of vocalist Michale Graves, bassist Jerry Only, guitarist Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein, and d ...

'' (1998) *''

Famous Monsters ''Famous Monsters'' is the fifth studio album by the American punk rock band Misfits, released on October 5, 1999. It is the second in the post- Danzig era of the band, and the last album to feature Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein, Michale Grave ...

'' (1999) *''

Cuts from the Crypt ''Cuts From the Crypt'' is a collection of demos, formerly unreleased tracks and cover songs by the American horror punk band Misfits. All the album's tracks were recorded by the band in the years following their reformation without original sin ...

'' (2001) *''

Project 1950 ''Project 1950'' is the sixth studio album by the American horror punk band the Misfits, released in 2003. It consists of cover versions of rock and roll songs from the 1950s and 1960s and marks bassist Jerry Only's debut as the Misfits' lead si ...

'' (2003) *'' The Devil's Rain'' (2011) *''

Dead Alive! ''Dead Alive!'' is a live album by the Misfits. It was released on February 5, 2013 by Misfits Records. Album artwork was provided by Jason Edmiston. Track listing # "The Devil's Rain" # "Vivid Red" # " Land of the Dead" # "Curse of the Mummy's ...

'' (2013) *''Vampire Girl'' (2015) *'' Friday the 13th'' (2016)

Kryst the Conqueror

*'' Deliver Us from Evil'' (1989)

Osaka Popstar

*''

Osaka Popstar and the American Legends of Punk ''Osaka Popstar and the American Legends of Punk'' is the first, and so far only, album released by Osaka Popstar. The title references the fact that the band includes members of legendary punk bands such as The Misfits, Ramones, Black Flag an ...

'' (2006)

Solo

*''Anti-Hero'' (2022)

Filmography

*''Vampira: The Movie'' (2006) *'' KISS Loves You'' (2004) *''Fans and Freaks: The Culture of Comics and Conventions'' (2002) *''Campfire Stories'' (2001) *''The Big Brother Video: Crap'' (2001) * '' Bruiser'' (2000) *''

Big Money Hustlas ''Big Money Hustlas'' is a 2000 American comedy film directed by John Cafiero as his feature film debut. The film, a homage to exploitation films of the 1970s, focuses on a streetwise San Francisco detective who tries to take down a New York City c ...

'' (1999) *''

Animal Room ''Animal Room'' is a 1995 American thriller drama film directed, produced, and written by Craig Singer and starring Neil Patrick Harris as a bullied drug-using teenager and Matthew Lillard as the bully who loves to torment Harris's character. The ...

'' (1995) TV *''

Biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...

(2010) *''

The X Show ''The X Show'' is a magazine, variety, and interview/talk program that aired on FX Network in the US from May 1999 to April 2001. Running time was originally one hour, but this was later reduced to a half-hour. The show was 'guy-themed' much lik ...

'' (2000) *'' Mayhem'' (1999) *''

WCW Monday Nitro ''WCW Monday Nitro'', also known as ''WCW Nitro'' or simply ''Nitro'', is an American professional wrestling television program that was produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and broadcast weekly every Monday night on TNT in the Unite ...

'' (1999)

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Only, Jerry American heavy metal singers American punk rock bass guitarists American punk rock singers American male singers American heavy metal bass guitarists American male bass guitarists Horror punk musicians Misfits (band) members 1959 births Living people Singers from New Jersey People from Lodi, New Jersey American people of Italian descent Guitarists from New Jersey American male guitarists 20th-century American guitarists