John Corabi

John Corabi
Background information
Birth name	John Corabi
Born	April 26, 1959 (1959-04-26) (age 50)
Origin	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres	Heavy metal, Hard rock, Glam metal
Occupations	Musician, Songwriter, Singer
Instruments	Vocals, Guitar, Bass
Years active	1988–present
Labels	Elektra
Associated acts	Mötley Crüe, The Scream, Ratt, Brides of Destruction, Angora, E.S.P, Union, Angel City Outlaws, Twenty 4 Seven
Website	http://www.john-corabi.net/

John Corabi (born on April 26, 1959 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a heavy metal singer and guitarist who has worked with such bands as Angora, The Scream, Mötley Crüe, Union and ESP (both with former KISS lead guitarist Bruce Kulick), Ratt (as a guitarist), Twenty 4 Seven (with his then Ratt bandmate Bobby Blotzer), Zen Lunatic, Brides of Destruction, and Angel City Outlaws (with his then Ratt bandmates Robbie Crane and Bobby Blotzer, and former Ratt guitarist Keri Kelli, who he replaced in Ratt).

Mötley Crüe

After Mötley Crüe parted ways with lead singer Vince Neil in 1992, Corabi was hired as his replacement. Bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee stated that the band would benefit from the addition of John's voice (deeper and more powerful than Neil's) and having another musician contribute to the songwriting. However, Corabi's voice did not have the same effect as his predecessor which alienated some fans and the record label. Corabi recorded the self-titled Mötley Crüe album in 1994 and the EP Quaternary. Though the music was heavier and more elaborate than the rest of the Mötley Crüe catalog, it did not sell as well as previous releases from the band. During the early stages of the writing of a new album which would become Generation Swine, Mötley Crüe's record label refused to provide funds to record the album unless Vince Neil was let back in the band. Mötley Crüe accepted the request and by 1997 Corabi was replaced by the returning Vince Neil. Many of the songs from the early writing session were used on the album and Corabi is credited on the liner notes of a few songs as a co-writer.

Union

Union was formed from recently fired musician Bruce Kulick of Kiss, John Corabi, Brent Fitz, and Jamie Hunting. John and Bruce wrote what would become the first Union album (self titled) and proceeded with a nationwide acoustic tour, to promote the album, featuring just Corabi and Kulick (both on guitar). Soon the full band went on a world tour headlining small venues in support of the Union album. The second album "Live in the Galaxy" was a live recording with 2 acoustic tracks recorded in a mobile studio. The third and final Union album, The Blue Room, was a more polished sound than the first studio CD. Union never officially called it quits (playing live shows every so often with guest drummers and bass players), but with Kulick playing along with Grand Funk Railroad, Corabi playing with many bands, most notably Ratt, and both members being tied up in solo projects, Union will probably never return to write new studio material.

ESP (Eric Singer Project)

ESP also featured guitarist Bruce Kulick, bassist Karl Cochran, and drummer Eric Singer. Ace Frehley makes a special appearance on the Hendrix cover Foxy Lady.

Twenty 4 Seven

Twenty 4 Seven, a collaboration with Corabi, drummer Bobby Blotzer (Ratt, Contraband), and guitarist Rob Marcello (Ironhorse, Obsession, Danger Danger) recorded 10 hard rock tracks entitled Destination Everywhere (US, 2002).

Brides of Destruction

Corabi was featured as second guitarist on Brides of Destruction's 2004 album Here Comes The Brides. He had multiple reasons for leaving the band. One was the fact that he was told it would be an effort much like the "Mötley Crüe" album. Secondly, he did not get along very well with Tracii Guns. He also said in an interview that "when Nikki told me about the band, I was really into the idea of writing another CD with the heavy sound of the Mötley Crüe album, but as we got more into recording, we had our drummer singing what was supposed to be the best song on the CD, when Nikki and Tracii were saying that our singer was the hot new thing, it just did not make sense to me."

Other Projects

Corabi performed songs on the Karl Cochran solo album Voodooland - Give Me Air released in 2005.

2005 also saw the release of the first Union DVD, Do Your Own Thing Live, containing two full-length concerts.

Union performed in Tokyo, Japan in January, 2005 and toured Europe in November and December 2005.

Corabi toured Europe with ESP in May 2005 and the USA with RATT in summer of 2005.

In February 2006, Corabi returned to Japan with ESP for live appearances and meet-and-greets with fans. ESP also performed in Australia in April 2006 for shows in Sydney and Melbourne.

In late 2006, Corabi played the last show with RATT fronted by Jizzy Pearl in Guadalajara, Mexico before the band reunited with original vocalist Stephen Pearcy.

Corabi contributed vocals on a song for Liberty N' Justice (a Christian group that does all-star rock albums) called "Doubting Thomas." The track was released in 2007 on the "Independence Day" album.

In the Summer of 2007, John toured with reunited RATT while on tour with Poison and Vains of Jenna.

In November 2007 John played 4 shows in Japan and 2 shows in Australia with Ratt while touring with Winger.

In December 2007, John returned to Mexico City with ESP (Eric Singer Project) for one show and meet-and-greets with fans. The set included songs from Motorhead, Led Zeppelin, Kiss and other favorites.

Early in 2008, John Corabi attended the MOTLEY CRUISE, a 4-day cruise in the Caribbean (Miami, Key West and Cozumel, MX) including performers such as Vince Neil, Skid Row, Ratt, Slaughter, Endeverafter and Lynam. On this cruise, Corabi joined Vince Neil on stage to perform "Highway to Hell" by AC/DC. This performance was a unique event as fans witnessed the two Mötley Crüe vocalists share the same microphone. As of August 2008, John Corabi has parted ways with Ratt in order to pursue his solo career.^[1]

Future Plans

Corabi plans to release a solo album in 2009, followed by a solo tour performing songs from bands he has worked with throughout his career. The music is planned to be released on itunes, where corabi plans on releasing songs as he has them finished one, two, or more at a time.

Discography

Angora

• Six song demo tape

The Scream

• Let It Scream (1991)

Mötley Crüe

• Mötley Crüe (1994)
• Quaternary EP (1994)
• Generation Swine (1997) Uncredited guitar & vocals.
• Red, White & Crue (2005)

Eric Singer Project

• Lost and Spaced (1998)
• ESP (1999)
• Live in Japan (2007)

Union

• Union (1998)
• The Blue Room (1999)
• Live in the Galaxy (1999)

Twenty 4 Seven

• Destination Everywhere (2002)

Brides of Destruction

• Here Comes the Brides (2004) Uncredited guitar

Voodooland

• Give Me Air (2004)

Ratt

• Ratt Comes Back (2008)

References

External links

• John Corabi's Official Website