MEMORIES:
Kapatsos remembers...Cinderella came along at the right time..great songs and they were good live More »
Posted on 03/20/08
PHOTOS:
“Don't know what you got till it's gone
Don't know what it is I did so wrong
Now I know what I got
It's just this song
And it ain't easy to get back
Takes so long…”
Say the name Cinderella to someone, and if their mind doesn’t go to the classic fairy tale, or a Disney cartoon, you might get a raised eyebrow, and possibly a “Cinder-F-ing-Ella?” Best known for the glam metal 80s, the band was formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1984 by vocalist Tom Keifer and bassist Eric Brittingham. They were discovered at the Empire Rock Club in 1985 by none other than Jon Bon Jovi, and went on to help make Aqua Net and a little eyeliner something a guy might consider before hitting the clubs.
By 1986, they had their first album out on record store shelves. With the help of songs like “Nobody’s Fool” and “Shake Me,” as well as opening for Bon Jovi on their Slippery When Wet tour (giving them access to a huge audience), the album eventually earned triple-Platinum status, selling a purported 50,000 copies a week at one point. In 1988, Cinderella released their second effort, Long Cold Winter. Over a period of 14 months, the band performed relentlessly on their round the world 254-show tour. At the Moscow Music Peace Festival they performed some of their new hits, like “Gypsy Road” and the unforgettable 80s glam classic “Don’t Know What You Got (Til’ It’s Gone)” alongside other glam metal superstars, such as Ozzy Osbourne, The Scorpions, Skid Row, Mötley Crüe, and Bon Jovi.
Their third release, Heartbreak Station, featured a different sound for the band. While still rockin’, the album was heavily influenced by Keifer’s love of the blues. Around this time, Keifer also began having troubles with his voice, and underwent several operations to help his situation, putting the band on hiatus. In 1997, Cinderella briefly reunited and released two albums, Once Upon a…, and Live at the Key Club.
Flash forward a few years and a Greatest Hits release later, and Cinderella’s on a successful 2006 tour with fellow glimmers Poison, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of both band’s first albums. It was one of the most successful tours of the summer. Maybe this time the boys and girls left most of their Aqua Net at home, but they sure did know what ‘they got’ before it was gone.
