Union is an American

rock group A musical ensemble, also known as a music group or musical group, is a group of people who perform instrumental and/or vocal music, with the ensemble typically known by a distinct name. Some music ensembles consist solely of instrumentalists, ...

formed in Los Angeles in 1997 featuring lead vocalist and guitarist

John Corabi John Corabi (born April 26, 1959) is an American hard rock singer and guitarist. He was the frontman of The Scream during 1989 and the frontman of Mötley Crüe between 1992 and 1996 during original frontman Vince Neil's hiatus from the band. C ...

(ex-

The Scream ''The Scream'' is a composition created by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch in 1893. The agonized face in the painting has become one of the most iconic images of art, seen as symbolizing the anxiety of the human condition. Munch's work, including ...

and Mötley Crüe), guitarist Bruce Kulick (ex-

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

), bassist James Hunting (David Lee Roth and

Eddie Money Edward Joseph Mahoney (March 21, 1949 – September 13, 2019), known professionally as Eddie Money, was an American singer and songwriter who, in the 1970s and 1980s, had eleven Top 40 songs, including " Baby Hold On", " Two Tickets to Pa ...

), and drummer Brent Fitz ( Slash).

Formation

Union was formed in 1997 when ex-

guitarist Bruce Kulick, ex- Mötley Crüe vocalist and guitarist

, bassist James Hunting, and drummer Brent Fitz united to form a band. Kulick left Kiss after they decided to go back to their original lineup, and Corabi left Mötley Crüe under similar circumstances.

Studio work

Union released two studio albums and a live album. ''

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

'', recorded in 1997 and released in 1998, which featured two singles: "Old Man Wise" and "October Morning Wind". Three versions of this CD were released. The first pressing of the disc omitted "Old Man Wise" from the cover art, but this was corrected in subsequent pressings. The second version, a Japanese import, included the bonus track "For You" with Kulick on lead vocals. The third was reissued with the bonus cover track of

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

' "

Oh! Darling "Oh! Darling" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, appearing as the fourth song on the 1969 album ''Abbey Road''. It was composed by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon–McCartney). Its working title was "Oh! Darling (I'll Never Do Y ...

" sung by Corabi. The CD was co-produced by Corabi, Kulick and Curt Cuomo. In 1998, a grass root effort, "The Union Work Force", spread out across the U.S. as the band toured small clubs from coast to coast. Kulick and Corabi took this a step further by performing at many of the Kiss Expo's doing acoustic versions of their songs. On a few occasions, Fitz and Hunting were able to join them. In 1999, ''Live at the Galaxy'', mixed by Bruce Bouillet and Kulick, was released. Recorded at The Galaxy Club, the CD features songs from the band's first CD, two

songs ("Jungle" and "I Walk Alone" from ''

Carnival of Souls ''Carnival of Souls'' is a 1962 American independent horror film produced and directed by Herk Harvey and written by John Clifford from a story by Clifford and Harvey, and starring Candace Hilligoss. Its plot follows Mary Henry, a young wo ...

''), "Power to the Music" from Corabi's Mötley Crüe days, and "Man in the Moon" from The Scream. "

Surrender Surrender may refer to: * Surrender (law), the early relinquishment of a tenancy * Surrender (military), the relinquishment of territory, combatants, facilities, or armaments to another power Film and television * ''Surrender'' (1927 film), an ...

", a

Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, Nielsen ...

cover, and the added acoustic tracks "October Morning Wind" and

' "

You've Got to Hide Your Love Away "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. It was written and sung by John Lennon (though credited to Lennon–McCartney) and released on the album ''Help!'' in August 1965. Composition and recording Len ...

" proved the band's versatility. The new millennium dawned on Union's second studio CD, '' The Blue Room'', produced by

Bob Marlette Robert Roy Marlette (born December 7, 1955) is an American record producer, recording engineer, mixer, and songwriter. His production, writing and mixing credits include David Lee Roth, Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie, Sebastian Bach, R ...

. The CD spawned two singles, "Do Your Own Thing" and "Who Do You Think You Are". The Blue Room Tour took the band through the U.S., Europe, Australia and Central America.

Hiatus

By the end of 2000, one by one the band members began to get involved in other individual musical projects: Fitz toured and recorded with Guns N' Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke, Kulick joined

Grand Funk Railroad Grand Funk Railroad (often shortened to Grand Funk) is an American rock band formed in 1968 in Flint, Michigan, by Mark Farner (vocals, guitar), Don Brewer (drums, vocals), and Mel Schacher (bass). The band achieved peak popularity and succ ...

as their guitarist, and Corabi joined

Ratt Ratt is an American glam metal band formed in San Diego, California, in the 1970s, that had significant commercial success in the 1980s, with their albums having been certified as gold, platinum, and multi-platinum by the RIAA. The group is bes ...

as their second guitarist. In 2001, both Fitz and Hunting joined original Mötley Crüe vocalist Vince Neil as band members. All the band members featured on the Bruce Kulick solo albums '' Audiodog'' (2001) and ''

Transformer A transformer is a passive component that transfers electrical energy from one electrical circuit to another circuit, or multiple circuits. A varying current in any coil of the transformer produces a varying magnetic flux in the transformer' ...

'' (2003) In 2005, the group played together for the first time in about three years with two live shows in Japan. Fitz was unable to attend (due to touring commitments with the band

Theory Of A Deadman Theory of a Deadman (abbreviated as Theory or TOAD) is a Canadian rock band from North Delta, British Columbia. Formed in 1999, the band is currently signed to Roadrunner Records as well as 604 Records. The band includes traits of music styles ...

), so Kulick's former Kiss bandmate and friend

Eric Singer Eric Singer (born Eric Doyle Mensinger; May 12, 1958) is an American drummer. Associated with the hard rock band Kiss since 1991, he has also performed with artists such as Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Lita Ford, Badlands, Brian May and Gary ...

filled in. Also in 2005, Kulick oversaw the release of a Union DVD, ''Do Your Own Thing Live'', containing two full-length live shows plus bonus material. In November and December 2005, Union toured in Europe to promote the DVD; Kulick and Corabi were joined by Chuck Garric and Fred Coury instead of Hunting and Fitz. Corabi, Kulick and Singer also played together in the band ESP (Eric Singer Project).

Recent work

Fitz became a member of the Canadian band

Econoline Crush Econoline Crush is a Canadian rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia, formed in 1992. They have released five studio albums and are known for their charting singles such as "You Don't Know What It's Like", "Home", "Surefire (Never Enough)", ...

in 2008, as well as a touring drummer for

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

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 ...

, and

Ronnie Montrose Ronald Douglas Montrose (November 29, 1947 – March 3, 2012) was an American guitarist who founded and led the rock bands Montrose and Gamma. He also performed and did session work with a variety of musicians, including Van Morrison, Herbie H ...

. Fitz also performed in Las Vegas with "Tinnitus", a band made up of several touring musicians from

Blue Man Group Blue Man Group is an American performance art company formed in 1987. It was purchased in July 2017 by the Canadian company Cirque du Soleil. Blue Man Group is known for its stage productions, which incorporate many kinds of music and art, bot ...

, with Fitz playing keyboards and guitar. In 2009, Kulick, Corabi and Fitz all performed in Las Vegas with the show Monster Circus. Fitz was keyboardist/bassist, Kulick on guitar, and Corabi on vocals and guitar. In 2010, the band members featured together again on the Bruce Kulick solo album ''

BK3 BK3 were an American rock band led by Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann. Kreutzmann formed the band in 2008 with Max Creek guitarist Scott Murawski and Allman Brothers Band bassist Oteil Burbridge. Formation Bill Kreutzmann and Scott Murawsk ...

'' and Fitz joined Slash in his band as drummer. In 2011, Jamie Hunting joined

Roger Daltrey Roger Harry Daltrey (born 1 March 1944) is an English singer, musician and actor. He is a co-founder and the lead singer of the rock band The Who. Daltrey's hit songs with The Who include " My Generation", " Pinball Wizard", " Won't Get Fooled ...

on the "Tommy Live" tour.

Discography

* ''

'' (1998) * ''Live at the Galaxy'' (1999) * ''Union'' (reissue - Spitfire 1999) *bonus song "

" * '' The Blue Room'' (2000)Union Discography KissFAQ
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References

External links

John Corabi official website

Bruce Kulick official website

Brent Fitz official website

Link to photos of Union in Japan in 2005
{{Authority control American hard rock musical groups Musical groups established in 1997