| Tommy Thayer | |
|---|---|
 Tommy Thayer as "Spaceman" (II) in concert at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California, on July 26, 2006
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| Background information | |
| Born | November 7, 1960 Portland, Oregon, US |
| Genres | Hard rock, heavy metal |
| Occupations | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar, backing vocals |
| Years active | 1981 - present |
| Associated acts | Black 'n Blue, Cold Gin, Kiss |
| Website | www.tommythayer.com |
Tommy Thayer (born November 7, 1960 in Portland, Oregon) is an American musician and the current lead guitarist of the rock group Kiss.
Contents |
History
Thayer was a fan of such bands as Alice Cooper, Kiss, Rory Gallagher, and Deep Purple, which inspired him to pick up a guitar at age 13. Thayer attended Sunset High School, home of the Apollos, in Beaverton, Oregon. In high school, Thayer met drummer Jaime St. James. After playing guitar in several rock groups, Thayer formed a band with St. James; the band was originally named Movie Star, which morphed into the band Black N' Blue in late 1981. By that time, St. James had given up his drumsticks for a microphone, and he became the lead singer of Black N' Blue. "Woop" Warner on guitar, Patrick Young on bass, Pete Holmes on drums, and Thayer on lead guitar rounded out Black N' Blue's lineup.
After Geffen dropped the band, Thayer quit Black N' Blue.[1] Thayer and St. James were later reunited in a Kiss tribute band called Cold Gin, with Thayer playing Ace Frehley, and St. James playing Peter Criss. The band didn't go unnoticed by Kiss themselves, and they were invited to play at Kiss rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley's birthday party. Consequently, Gene Simmons, co-founder and the bassist of Kiss, offered Thayer a job as his assistant; Thayer immediately seized the opportunity. Thayer was an all-around gofer for Simmons, sometimes making coffee, sometimes traveling the country securing hotel venues for Kiss' KISS CONVENTION tours, and even painting Paul Stanley's house and cleaning Gene Simmons' gutters.[2][3]
When Ace Frehley left Kiss in 2002, Thayer was the band's choice to replace Frehley. Thayer had assisted Frehley in relearning some Kiss guitar licks for the Reunion Tour. Kiss wanted to retain the classic look of the original lineup and chose Thayer to don Frehley's "Spaceman" makeup. In March 2002, Thayer played his first show as a member of Kiss at a private function in Jamaica. The next month, he appeared at the 50th anniversary show of Dick Clark's American Bandstand, again playing the Spaceman. Since then, Thayer has played for Kiss in the Kiss Symphony show at Melbourne, Australia, on a mini tour of Japan, on tour with Aerosmith, on the Rock The Nation World Tour, and in several other single shows. He is also playing lead guitar for Kiss on their Alive/35 North American tour, which began on September 25, 2009 at Cobo Center in Detroit, MI.[4]
Thayer has also been involved in the production of various video and CD products related to Kiss including the Kiss Symphony: Alive IV DVD, the Second Coming DVD,KissOlogy, and the main title sequence for the film "Detroit Rock City".
Thayer was elected to the board of trustees of Forest Grove, Oregon's Pacific University in 2005.[5] In July 2007, Thayer hosted the inaugural Pacific University Legends Golf Classic, an annual golf tournament held in Portland, Oregon which raises money for Pacific University Athletics.[6]
Black 'n Blue played one reunion show on December 8th, 2007. The concert was a benefit for a crew member of the band, Kenny Nordone, to help pay for his cancer bills.[citation needed]
On March 16, 2008, Thayer sang the Ace Frehley classic "Shock Me" for the first time on the opening night of the Kiss Alive/35 World Tour in Melbourne.
In 2008, Thayer released a signature amp by Hughes & Kettner based on their classic amp the DuoTone Head.[7]
Discography
Black 'n Blue
- 1984: Black 'n Blue
- 1985: Without Love
- 1986: Nasty Nasty
- 1988: In Heat
- 1998: One Night Only: Live
- 2001: The Demos Remastered: Anthology 1
- 2001: Ultimate Collection
- 2002: Live In Detroit – 1984
- 2005: Collected (box set)
- 2007: Rarities
Kiss
- 1998: Psycho Circus[8]
- 2003: Kiss Symphony: Alive IV
- 2008: Jigoku-Retsuden[9]
- 2009: Sonic Boom
References
- ^ "Jamie St. James Hardrock80 Interview". http://www.hardrock80.com/PAGEinterview/Jamie_St_JAMES_English.htm.
- ^ Kiss and Make-Up, Gene Simmons (ISBN 0-609-81002-2)
- ^ "Tommy Thayer Burrn! Interview". http://www.freewebs.com/roses_after_kiss/tommysinterview.htm.
- ^ http://kissonline.com/stream/article/display/id/18960
- ^ "Tommy Thayer Goes to College". http://tommythayer.com/news-updates/2005/09/tommy-thayer-goes-to-college-board-approved.
- ^ Pacific Legends Golf
- ^ "Hughes & Kettner proudly announces the launch of the 'Tommy Thayer Signature Edition' DuoTone Head". 19 March 2008. http://tommythayer.com/news-updates/2008/03/tommy-debuts-his-new-signature-edition-amplifier. Retrieved 18 August 2009.
- ^ "Tommy Thayer: I Am Wearing Ace's Makeup With A High Level Of Integrity". Blabbermouth. 10 June 2004. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/BLABBERMOUTH.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=23505. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
- ^ "'PodKISSt' Kiss-Themed Podcast Featuring Jigoku-Retsuden Roundtable Discussion Available". Blabbermouth. 29 September 2008. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/BLABBERMOUTH.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=105793. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
External links
| Preceded by Ace Frehley |
Lead guitarist of Kiss 2002–current |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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