Enuff Z'nuff

Enuff Z'Nuff
Enuff Z'Nuff, 1991
Background information
Also known as	Enuff Z'nuff, Enuff Znuff
Origin	Blue Island, Illinois
Genres	Glam metal, hard rock, power pop
Years active	1984–present
Labels	Atco, Arista, Big Deal, Mayhem, Spitfire, Perris, Stoney Records
Associated acts	Adler's Appetite, Johnnie Rotten Jr., Donnie Vie
Website	www.enuffznuff.com
Members
Donnie Vie Chip Z'Nuff Randi Scott Tory Stoffregan
Past members
Derek Frigo Vik Foxx Gino Martino Ricky Parent Johnny Monaco B.W. Boeski Alex Kane Eric Donner

Enuff Z'Nuff, pronounced "enough's enough," is an American glam rock band from Blue Island, Illinois. Founded by singer Donnie Vie and bassist Chip Z'Nuff, this Chicago area band is best known for their charting singles "Fly High Michelle" and "New Thing." Enuff Z'Nuff has continually recorded and toured throughout their career of more than 25 years, releasing 12 studio albums to date. Their songs have been recorded by several other musicians, some of which include Paul Gilbert, The Wildhearts, and Nelson. The band has a cult fan-base around the world which includes radio personality Howard Stern, though they have not had large success commercially.^[1]

History

Formation (1984-1989)

Enuff Z'Nuff formed in 1984 as "Enough Z'Nuff." The band soon grew a live following and recorded their first demo songs, some of which would be officially released later in their career. The band's first single, "Fingers On It," received some minor recognition when it was featured in the 1986 cult movie Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. ^[2] Band members during this period also included drummer B.W. Boeski and guitarists Gino Martino and Alex Kane, the latter of which eventually formed the band AntiProduct.

Major Label Recordings (1989-1993)

By 1989, Enough Z'Nuff had revised their band name to "Enuff Z'Nuff" and released their first major label offering, a self-titled debut album on Atco Records. For this album, founding members Donnie Vie and Chip Z'Nuff were joined by ex-Le Mans guitarist Derek Frigo and drummer Vik Foxx. The band had two minor hits with the psychedelic-flavored pop rock songs "New Thing" and "Fly High Michelle", both of which charted in the U.S. and received steady airplay on MTV. However, the band's heavy glam rock appearance in the promotional videos would be later parodied on MTV's Beavis & Butthead.

For their follow-up album, 1991's Strength, the band consciously toned down their glam image. "Strength" was released in 1991 on Atco to strong reviews, including Rolling Stone magazine calling the group "The Hot Band of the Year." ^[3] There were promotional videos for the singles "Mother's Eyes" and "Baby Loves You," as well as an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman. However, this follow-up album did not sell nearly as well as their first.

The band filed bankruptcy and left Atco Records, but soon after was picked up by Clive Davis' Arista Records label for their 1993 album Animals With Human Intelligence. This release, much like Strength, received some critical acclaim, but ultimately failed commercially. Soon before this album's release, drummer Vikki Foxx quit the band to join Vince Neil's solo band. Foxx would be airbushed out of the album cover, despite performing on each track of the recording. Foxx was replaced by New Jersey resident and former "War & Peace" member Ricky Parent, who also appeared for most of the album's promotional material.

Independent Albums And Break-Up (1993-2006)

A short time after Enuff Z'Nuff was dropped from Arista Records, guitarist Derek Frigo parted ways with the band, though he still recorded on occasion with them. Despite this setback, the band had continued touring and recording, releasing albums on several indie labels and finding a solid fanbase overseas.

Lead singer and songwriter Donnie Vie stopped touring with the group in 2002 to embark upon a solo career. Enuff Z'Nuff continued to tour in his absence as a "3-piece," with their lead guitarist Johnny Monaco also serving as the band's singer. In 2004, former lead guitarist Derek Frigo died from an apparent drug overdose at the age of 37, just before the band planned a Japanese tour with the original line-up.^[4] Another tragedy struck when the band's drummer Ricky Parent lost his long time battle with cancer in October 2007. Parent had been with the band for approximately 13 years.

Reformation And Current Projects (2006 - Present)

In 2006, original members Chip Z'Nuff and Donnie Vie reconvened to shoot a pilot for the VH1 reality television show, Bands on the Run.^[5] The show's pilot episode never aired. However, during that time the reunited band held their initial recording sessions for their 12th record. Several songs from these sessions eventually resulted in their latest studio album, "Dissonance," which also features former Ozzy Osbourne / Badlands guitarist Jake E. Lee on guitar, and co-producer Vinnie Castaldo on drums. "Dissonance" was released in 2009 in Japan, with a U.K. and U.S. release following in 2010.^[6] In support of the album, Enuff Z'Nuff (with singer/songwriter Donnie Vie) toured Japan in 2009 and in the U.S. and Europe in 2010.

Other recent events include bassist Chip Z'Nuff performing worldwide with the band Adler's Appetite, which features former Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler. Z'Nuff has also been producing other artists and has recently released a solo project called "Johnnie Rotten Jr." Singer Donnie Vie is currently working on his second solo album and is touring in "The Donnie Vie Band," playing Enuff Z'Nuff staples and solo material.^[7] A new Donnie Vie record, titled "Wrapped Around My Middle Finger," is expected to be released in the Fall of 2011.

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Album details	Peak chart positions
		US [8]	JP [9]	UK [10]
1989	Enuff Z'Nuff	74	-	-
1991	Strength	143	-	56
1993	Animals With Human Intelligence	-	49	-
1994	1985	-	-	-
1995	Tweaked	-	-	-
1996	Peach Fuzz	-	78	-
1997	Seven	-	-	-
1999	Paraphernalia	-	86	-
2000	10	-	60	-
2003	Welcome To Blue Island	-	90	-
2004	?	-	177	-
2010	Dissonance	-	140	-
"—" denotes albums that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Live albums

• Live (1998)
• One More For The Road (2005)
• Extended Versions (2006)
• Tonight, Sold Out (2008)
• Live And Peace 2009: 20th Anniversary Live At Club Citta (2009)

Compilation albums

• Favorites (2004)
• Favorites: Suck It & See (DVD) (2004)
• Greatest Hits (2006)

Singles

• New Thing (1989) (U.S. Hot 100 #67,^[11] U.S. Mainstream Rock #35 ^[12] )
• Fly High Michelle (1990) (U.S. Hot 100 #47, U.S. Mainstream Rock #27)
• Mother's Eyes (1991) (U.S. Mainstream Rock #17)
• Baby Loves You (1991)
• Right By Your Side (1993)
• Innocence (1993)
• You Got A Hold Of Me (1994)
• Bullet From A Gun (1995)
• Life Is Strange (1996)
• Wheels (1997)
• Freak (1999)
• There Goes My Heart (2000)

Band members

• Donnie Vie - Song writer, lead vocals, piano, keyboards, guitar, and producer (1984–present)
• Chip Z'Nuff - Bass and vocals (1984–present)
• Randi Scott - Drums (2005–present)
• Tory Stoffregan - Lead guitar (2008–present)

Former members

• Derek Frigo (deceased) - Lead guitar (1988–1994)
• Vikki Foxx - Drums (1988–1992)
• Gino Martino - Lead guitar (1985–1988, 1994–1996)
• Ricky Parent (deceased) - Drums (1993–2004)
• Johnny Monaco - Lead guitar (1996–2008)
• B.W. Boeski - Drums (1985–1986)
• Alex Kane - Lead guitar (1987)
• Eric Donner - Drums (2005)

References

1. ^ Enuff Z'Nuff Biography Allmusic. By Eduardo Rivadavia. Accessed June 27, 2011.
2. ^ Sountrack for Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer IMDb.com. Accessed June 27, 2011.
3. ^ Hot Issue Hits and Misses: Coldplay and Enuff Z'Nuff Rolling Stone Magazine. Accessed June 27, 2011.
4. ^ Derek Frigo Biography Sleaze Roxx. Accessed June 27, 2011.
5. ^ Enuff Z'Nuff To Perform On Bands On The Run Blabbermouth.net. Accessed June 26, 2011.
6. ^ Jake E. Lee to appear on new Enuff Z'Nuff Album antiMUSIC. Accessed June 27, 2011.
7. ^ Reverbnation - The Donnie Vie Band. Accessed May 14, 2011.
8. ^ Billboard 200 Album Charts. Billboard Magazine. Accessed May 14, 2011.
9. ^ [[www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGHlBTI0iMo Welcome To Blue Island Oricon. Accessed May 14, 2011.
10. ^ Strong, Martin (1999). The Great Metal Discography. Canongate Pub Ltd. p. 184. ISBN 0862417279. 
11. ^ Billboard Hot 100 Song Charts Billboard Magazine. Accessed May 14, 2011.
12. ^ Billboard Singles Chart allmusic.com. Accessed June 27, 2011.