Happy Birthday PHIL ANSELMO (video)

#philanselmo #rockfileradio

Philip Hansen "Phil" Anselmo (born June 30, 1968) is an American musician who is best known as the former lead singer of the heavy metal band Pantera. He is currently the frontman for the Louisiana-based heavy metal supergroup Down. Philip Anselmo is also the owner of Housecore Records and has been a part of many other projects.

Pantera was an unsigned glam metal band, with three self-released albums to their name. In 1986, it was decided by the band to replace singer Terrence Lee, who was primarily a glam metal singer, because they were heading in a different direction musically. Seeking a new frontman to continue on this heavier path, the band was led to 19-year-old Anselmo. In 1987, after several meetings, Anselmo was added to the Pantera lineup. The band was so impressed with Anselmo that they re-recorded some of Terrence Lee's vocals for their latest release. Anselmo relocated to Texas to record Power Metal, which was released in 1988 on the band's own record label, Metal Magic Records. Following the release of Power Metal, the band dropped its glam image and adopted a more casual look. They were signed to a record label by a scout who was stranded due to a hurricane. The band saw the scout at the venue and was disheartened when he left mid-set, but it turned out that the scout had left to phone the record label and to tell them to sign Pantera as soon as possible. Pantera recorded the album Cowboys from Hell in 1990, and a long tour began. The band documented portions of this tour on their first home video, Cowboys from Hell: The Videos, released in 1991.

In 1992, Pantera recorded Vulgar Display of Power. That same year, Pantera released a promo titled Hostile Mixes that contained four songs, three of which were remixes. The first two remixes were done by Justin K. Broadrick of Godflesh and the last by J. G. Thirlwell of Foetus. In 1994, Pantera released Far Beyond Driven, which debuted at #1 in the U.S. In late June, Anselmo was charged with assault following an altercation with a security guard when fans were prevented from getting on stage. Anselmo was released on $5,000 bail the next day. The trial was delayed three times. In May 1995, he apologized in court, pleaded guilty to attempted assault, and was sentenced to 100 hours of community service.

In 1996, Pantera released their fifth studio album with Anselmo, titled The Great Southern Trendkill. Anselmo recorded the vocal tracks for this album in New Orleans while the other members recorded in Texas, primarily due to growing tensions between Anselmo and the rest of the band. In 1997, Pantera released their first and only official live album titled Official Live: 101 Proof. This album contained two new tracks--"I Can't Hide" and "Where You Come From." In 2000, Pantera released their final studio album, titled Reinventing the Steel. After touring to promote the album, Pantera went on hiatus in 2001. In 2003, Pantera released a best-of album, The Best of Pantera: Far Beyond the Great Southern Cowboys' Vulgar Hits! (titled Reinventing Hell: The Best of Pantera in Europe). The album featured songs from five studio albums with Anselmo, and also included three cover tracks, "Planet Caravan" and "Hole in the Sky," written by Black Sabbath; and "Cat Scratch Fever," written by Ted Nugent. A bonus DVD was also made, containing all the band's music videos. Later that year, Pantera disbanded over communication problems and accusations that Anselmo had abandoned the band.

Following the breakup, Anselmo devoted much of his time to a longtime side project, Superjoint Ritual. Having heard this, the Abbott brothers of Pantera (guitarist Dimebag Darrell and drummer Vinnie Paul) formed Damageplan with former Halford guitarist Pat Lachman on vocals and Bob Zilla on bass. Some fans blame Anselmo for Pantera's breakup, because of statements in the heavy metal press. Anselmo has accused journalists of twisting the facts, publishing what they think sells best. Pantera bassist Rex Brown, widely known as being the one neutral voice in the matter, has blamed both sides for the band's breakup.

After Vinnie Paul slammed Superjoint Ritual, saying Anselmo could not even keep his eyes open, Anselmo replied, "I just hear a big and sad yellowbelly crybaby fuckin' knowing that his meal ticket is in a different fuckin' band ... You would have to know those guys to really understand where I was coming from. They're scared of their own fuckin' shadows. And, all that said, I wish them the best of fuckin' luck. I still love 'em." Anselmo had engaged in a war of words with Dimebag since the fall of Pantera, culminating in the statement "Dimebag deserves to be beaten severely" in the December 2004 edition of the UK's Metal Hammer magazine. Initially, he denied making the statement, but later changed his story in a VH1 Behind the Music special on Pantera, claiming that the comment had been lighthearted and made off the record. However, Vinnie Paul told the press that he had heard the audio files of the interview and that Anselmo had not been misquoted.

In December 2004, Dimebag Darrell was shot and killed while performing with Damageplan at the Alrosa Villa nightclub in Columbus, Ohio. At the request of Dimebag's family, Anselmo did not attend his funeral.

In a lengthy and emotional video posted on Down's official website, Anselmo describes his regret over his previous behavior, and has written and recorded music dealing with the loss of Dimebag on the new Down record, Down III: Over the Under. The band has dedicated their song "Lifer" to Dimebag. Anselmo has since stated that he wishes to restart his friendship with Vinnie Paul but a reconciliation effort is unlikely due to lingering tensions between the two.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday DON DOKKEN (video)

#dondokken #rockfileradio

Donald Maynard "Don" Dokken (born June 29, 1953) is an American heavy metal vocalist, best known for being the lead singer, occasional guitarist, and founder of the band Dokken. He is known for his vibrato-laden, melodic vocal style which has made him an influential figure in American hard rock and heavy metal. After enjoying mainstream success with Dokken, he parted ways with the band in 1988 and pursued a solo career. His 1990 solo album, Up from the Ashes, featured Europe guitarist John Norum and spawned two singles. He and drummer Mick Brown are the only remaining original members of Dokken.

Don reformed Dokken in the early 1990s and has been continuing on with the band ever since. He released his second solo album, titled Solitary in 2008; it was a stylistic departure from his Dokken material.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday IAN PAICE (video)

#ianpaice #rockfileradio

Ian Anderson Paice (born 29 June 1948) is an English musician, best known as the drummer of the English Rock band Deep Purple. As of Jon Lord's departure in 2002, he is the only continuous member of the band, and as such is the only member to appear on every album the band has released.

After Deep Purple split, Ian Paice went on to form a new supergroup, Paice Ashton Lord in 1976. The band, comprising also singer/pianist Tony Ashton, organist Jon Lord, guitarist/vocalist Bernie Marsden and bassist Paul Martinez recorded one album, Malice in Wonderland and they played only five live shows. It was put on hold in 1977, halfway through recording the group's second album. 

In August 1979, Ian Paice was asked by David Coverdale to join Whitesnake on the Japanese Tour for the Lovehunter album. He stayed with the band for almost three years. He appeared on the Whitesnake albums Ready an' Willing (1980), Live...in the Heart of the City (1980), Come an' Get It (1981) and Saints & Sinners (1982).

This incarnation of Whitesnake also featured Jon Lord which meant three members of the Mark III line-up of Deep Purple were in Whitesnake during this period. Following musical differences with David Coverdale, Ian Paice left Whitesnake in January 1982.

In November 1982 Ian Paice joined Gary Moore for an album date ("Corridors of Power"). It turned out so nicely that Moore's manager came up with the idea of Moore and Paice putting a band together under Moore's name, so that his management would take the business side of the project with Paice having a sizeable interest in the band.

The collaboration turned out to be a successful one and produced a couple of albums and extensive tours. Ian Paice left Moore's band in April 1984 to rejoin Deep Purple, and he remains in Deep Purple to the present day.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday TIM MCCORD (video)

#timmccord #rockfileradio

Timothy McCord (born June 28, 1979 in Sacramento, California) is the current bassist of the American rock band Evanescence. He replaced bassist Will Boyd who left the band in mid-2006. Previously, McCord was best known for playing guitar for the band The Revolution Smile from 2000 to 2004. McCord is also a member of the Japanese music label, Brave Wave Productions.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday COLIN GREENWOOD (video)

#colingreenwood #radiohead #rockfileradio

Colin Charles Greenwood (born 26 June 1969), is an English musician, composer, and the bassist for the rock band Radiohead. Apart from bass, Colin plays keyboards and synthesizers and works on sampling on the electronic side of Radiohead. He is the older brother of fellow band member Jonny Greenwood.

He has credited his older sister, Susan, with greatly influencing his taste in music as an adolescent. Said Greenwood, "She’s responsible for our precocious love of miserable music. The Fall, Magazine, Joy Division. We were ostracised at school because everyone else was into Iron Maiden.”

When Greenwood was 12 years old, he met future band mate Thom Yorke at Abingdon School, an independent school for boys. Future band mates Ed O'Brien, who Greenwood met during a production of Gilbert and Sullivan's "Trial by Jury", and Phil Selway also attended the school. When Greenwood was 15 years old he bought his first guitar, studying classical guitar with influential teacher Terence Gilmore-James. It was Gilmore-James who introduced him and the other future members of Radiohead to jazz, film scores, post World War II era avant-garde music, and twentieth century classical music. Said Greenwood, "When we started, it was very important that we got support from him, because we weren't getting any from the headmaster. You know, the man once sent us a bill, charging us for the use of school property, because we practiced in one of the music rooms on a Sunday."

As an undergraduate studying English at Peterhouse at Cambridge University between 1987 and 1990, Greenwood read modern American literature, including Raymond Carver, John Cheever and other writers “dealing with the tensions of post-war American society." At Peterhouse, Greenwood served as the college's entertainment officer, and helped arrange several gigs on Fridays, when the Oxford and Cambridge colleges have their themed parties, usually in the college bars.

According to Greenwood, it was out of necessity that he first picked up a bass, teaching himself by playing along to New Order, Joy Division and Otis Redding. “We were people who picked up their respective instruments because we wanted to play music together, rather than just because we wanted to play that particular instrument. So it was more of a collective angle, and if you could contribute by having someone else play your instrument, then that was really cool. I don’t think of myself as a bass player anyway. I’m just in a band with other people." Among his greatest musical influences are Booker T and the MGs. “I’m really more of a soulboy. Bill Withers and Curtis Mayfield, those are the people who informed me in playing the bass. That combination of rhythm and melody.”

Greenwood first teamed up with classmate Thom Yorke in 1986 to start a band, then known as On a Friday; Ed O'Brien was then recruited, and finally, older student Phil Selway was approached to join the band. Later, Greenwood's younger brother Jonny, then 14 years old, also joined the band. Of being in a band with his brother, Colin has said, "...beyond the normal brotherly thing, I respect him as a person and a musician," and has quipped, “It’s wonderful, it’s good, it makes my promise to keep an eye on him for my mother a lot easier, having him right next to me all the time. But he’s very easy to look after anyway, 'cause he’s very well behaved.”

Later, whilst working at the music chain store, Our Price, he had a hand in helping the band get off the ground. When Keith Wozencroft, as a sales rep for EMI, entered the store one day, Greenwood said, "You should sign my band," and handed him their demo tape. That got it all started for the band, with EMI. At this time the band renamed themselves Radiohead.

Greenwood plays a number of instruments for Radiohead including electric- and acoustic bass, double bass, keyboards, samplers, and synthesizers, and a variety of percussive instruments. He favours Fender basses. Said Greenwood, "My involvement is to play bass guitar, but our ideas and suggestions in certain areas, as to where the music should go or develop, are listened to. We are very much a band."

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday MICK JONES (video)

#mickjones #clash #rockfileradio

Michael Geoffrey "Mick" Jones (born 26 June 1955) is a British musician, guitarist, vocalist and songwriter best known for his works with the Clash until his dismissal in 1983, then Big Audio Dynamite with Don Letts before line-up changes led to the formation of Big Audio Dynamite II and finally Big Audio. Jones plays with Carbon/Silicon along with Tony James and recently toured the world as part of the Gorillaz live band (which includes former Clash member Paul Simonon). In late 2011, Jones collaborated with Pete Wylie and members of the Farm to form The Justice Tonight Band. He is also known for producing The Libertines' first two albums Up the Bracket and The Libertines.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday IAN MCDONALD (video)

#ianmcdonald #kingcrimson #foreigner #rockfileradio

Ian McDonald (born 25 June 1946) is an English multi-instrumental musician, best known as a founding member of progressive rock group King Crimson, formed in 1969, and of the hard rock band Foreigner in 1976. He is well known as a rock session musician, predominantly as a saxophonist. He also plays keyboards, flute, vibraphone and guitar.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday RICHARD Z. KRUSPE (video)

#richardzkruspe #emigrate #rammstein #rockfileradio

Richard Zven Kruspe (born Zven Kruspe in Wittenberge, 24 June 1967) is a German musician and guitarist of the German Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein, as well as the frontman of the band Emigrate.

At the age of sixteen, Kruspe and some friends visited Czechoslovakia, where he bought a guitar. He had originally planned to sell it, because they were very expensive and thought he could make a nice profit. However, once he returned to East Germany, a girl at a campground he was staying at asked him to play. He told her that he couldn't play, but she kept insisting, and Kruspe got mad and started strumming the strings. "The harder I played," Richard said, "the more excited she got. Something clicked in my head and I realized girls like guys who play guitars." This got him interested in playing the guitar, and as a result, he began playing every day and night for the next two years.

In 1989, bored with the apathetic music scene in his hometown, he moved to East Berlin and lived on Lychener Straße and "made music all day". For two years, Richard lived in an apartment with a drum kit and a guitar, and he made music by himself because he did not know anybody there. "It was a lonely time" according to Kruspe, but he used it to explore music.

On 10 October 1989, before the fall of the Berlin Wall, he was riding through the subway. When he came above ground, he found himself in the middle of a political demonstration. He was hit on the head and arrested just for being there, and thrown in jail for six days. Once out of jail, he decided to leave East Germany. Because of the Eastern Bloc, he entered West Germany through Hungary. When the Berlin Wall came down, he moved back east of Berlin, Germany.

Rammstein was formed back in 1994 when Richard, who lived with Oliver and Schneider at the time, was looking for a new band in which to create a new style of music. He speaks fluent English and sings in English for Emigrate. His favorite bands are Kiss, Black Sabbath, Big Black, AC/DC, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Suicidal Tendencies, Pantera, and Depeche Mode.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday PATRICK MORAZ (video)

#patrickmoraz #yes #themoodyblues #rockfileradio

Patrick Philippe Moraz (born 24 June 1948, Villars-Ste-Croix, Morges, Switzerland) is a progressive rock keyboard player. He is best known as the keyboardist for the progressive rock band Yes, from 1974 to 1976, and The Moody Blues from 1978 to 1990. He was classically trained at the Conservatory of Lausanne, but played jazz primarily before entering progressive rock.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday MICK FLEETWOOD (video)

#mickfleetwood #fleetwoodmac #rockfileradio

Michael John Kells "Mick" Fleetwood (born 24 June 1947) is a British musician and actor, best known for his role as the drummer and co-founder of the rock band Fleetwood Mac. Fleetwood, whose surname was merged with that of John McVie to form the name of the band, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

Born in Cornwall, Fleetwood lived in Egypt and Norway for many of his childhood years as his father travelled with the Royal Air Force. Choosing to follow his musical interests, Fleetwood travelled to London at the age of fifteen, eventually combining with Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer and Bob Brunning who formed at Green's behest to become the first incarnation of Fleetwood Mac, of which Fleetwood would remain the only member to stay with the band through its ever-changing line-up.

After several album releases and line-up changes, the group moved to the United States in 1974 in an attempt to boost the band's success, where Fleetwood invited Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks to join. Buckingham and Nicks contributed to much of Fleetwood Mac's later commercial success, including the celebrated album Rumours, while Fleetwood's own determination to keep the band together was essential to the group's longevity. He has also enjoyed a solo career, published written works, and flirted briefly with acting and vinification.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday JEFF BECK (video)

#jeffbeck #rockfileradio

Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock guitarist. He is one of the three noted guitarists to have played with The Yardbirds (the other two being Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page). Beck also formed The Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice.

Much of Beck's recorded output has been instrumental, with a focus on innovative sound, and his releases have spanned genres ranging from blues rock, heavy metal, jazz fusion and an additional blend of guitar-rock and electronica. Although he recorded two hit albums (in 1975 and 1976) as a solo act, Beck has not established or maintained the sustained commercial success of many of his contemporaries and bandmates. Beck appears on albums by Mick Jagger, Tina Turner, Morrissey, Jon Bon Jovi, Malcolm McLaren, Kate Bush, Roger Waters, Donovan, Stevie Wonder, Les Paul, Zucchero, Cyndi Lauper, Brian May, Stanley Clarke and ZZ Top.

He was ranked 5th in Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and the magazine, upon whose cover Beck has appeared three times, has described him as "one of the most influential lead guitarists in rock". MSNBC has called him a "guitarist's guitarist". Beck has earned wide critical praise and received the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance six times and Best Pop Instrumental Performance once. He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: as a member of the Yardbirds (1992) and as a solo artist (2009).

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday FREDERIC LECLERCQ (video)

#fredericleclercq #dragonforce #rockfileradio

Frédéric Leclercq (born June 23, 1978 in France) is the bassist and backing vocalist for power metal band DragonForce and the guitarist/vocalist in his own band, Maladaptive. He is a session musician for various other bands, including George Lynch's Souls of We. He is also an ex-member of the French power metal band Heavenly and played several shows with Carnival in Coal in 2006.

According to his profile on Dragonforce.com, Leclercq can speak "French, English, German, and some dirty words in almost every language," and his signature stage move is "Black metal whiskey sculling." He was asked by Herman Li to help DragonForce on a few shows in North America and Japan as they needed a bassist. At first, he was only supposed to play on a sessional basis, but he played with so much skill and professionalism that he was offered the position permanently. He has since gone on to become a creative force in DragonForce, writing and co-writing music and lyrics for the band since 2012's The Power Within.

Leclercq played sessional rhythm guitar for Swedish power metal band Sabaton on their European tour in 2011, as regular guitarist Rikard Sundén had just become a father.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday JOEY ALLEN (video)

#joeyallen #warrant #rockfileradio

Joseph Alan Cagle, known professionally as Joey Allen, is best known as the lead guitarist of the American glam metal band Warrant.

Allen was born as Joseph Alan Cagle on June 23, 1964 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, but grew up in Irvine, California. His father is a retired electronics executive, while his mother worked for the Irvine Unified School District. He has two older sisters.

Allen played in approximately 20 bands before joining Warrant. He endorses G&L guitars, and according to an interview with them, his influences include guitarists Gary Moore, Eddie Van Halen, and Randy Rhoads. In this same interview, his bandmate and co-guitarist from Warrant Erik Turner states that "Joey is more of a technical player than me. I never really took a lot of lessons or studied. I just learned by jamming with different people, picking up stuff off records, or watching people play live. Joey is a true lead guitarist, and I'm a rhythm guitarist at heart who plays a little bit of lead."

Allen met guitarist Erik Turner in 1979 and they formed the band Knightmare II. Allen left the band to attend trade school and was awarded an associate degree in electronic engineering in 1985. In the meantime, Turner had formed Warrant. Allen joined the band in March 1987.

Allen has a daughter, Kylie Jo, who was born to his first wife in 1991. He is married to his second wife Shari.

In 1994, Allen left the band and became a Microsoft Certified Professional and went to work for a software company. During this time, he also played in a band called Joey Allen Project. In an interview in 1999, Joey revealed that it was his decision to leave Warrant. He left as Warrant's style of music was losing popularity because of the Grunge movement and he did not want to go back to playing clubs. He rejoined Warrant in 2004 after ten years away from the band.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday GLENN DANZIG (video)

#glenndanzig #danzig #rockfileradio

Glenn Danzig (born Glenn Allen Anzalone; June 23, 1955) is an American singer, songwriter and musician from Lodi, New Jersey. He is a founder of bands the Misfits, Samhain, and Danzig. He owns the Evilive record label as well as Verotik, an adult-oriented comic book publishing company.

Having begun in the mid-1970s, Danzig's musical career has encompassed a number of genres through the years, including punk rock, heavy metal, industrial, blues and classical music. He has written songs for other musicians, most notably Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison.

As a singer, he is noted for his baritone voice and tenor vocal range; his style has been compared to those of Elvis Presley, Jim Morrison, and Howlin' Wolf. Danzig has also cited Bill Medley as a vocal influence. As an author, he is known for his fascination with horror, gore, occult, erotic, and religious themes.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday TODD RUNDGREN (video)

#toddrundgren #rockfileradio

Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer, and the most under rated musician in history. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a pop wunderkind for both his own material and for his production of other artists, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, his career has produced a diverse and eclectic range of recordings often both as a solo artist and as a member of the band Utopia. Rundgren has often been at the forefront as a promoter of cutting edge recording technologies.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Rundgren prolifically engineered and/or produced many notable albums for other acts, including Straight Up by Badfinger, Stage Fright by the Band, We're an American Band by Grand Funk Railroad, Bat Out of Hell by Meat Loaf, New York Dolls by the New York Dolls, War Babies by Hall & Oates, and Skylarking by XTC. In the 1980s and 1990s his interest in video and computers led to his "Time Heals" being the eighth video played on MTV, and "Change Myself" was animated by Rundgren on commercially available Amiga computers.

His best-known songs include "Hello It's Me" and "I Saw the Light", which have heavy rotation on classic rock radio stations, and "Bang the Drum All Day", which is featured in many sports arenas, commercials, and movie trailers. Although lesser known, "Couldn't I Just Tell You" has had a major influence on artists in the power pop musical genre.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday JOEY KRAMER (video)

#joeykramer #aerosmith #rockfileradio

Joseph Michael "Joey" Kramer (born June 21, 1950) is the drummer for the American hard rock band Aerosmith.

Kramer was born in The Bronx, New York City. His memoir, Hit Hard: A Story of Hitting Rock Bottom at the Top, was released on June 30, 2009.

Kramer married his girlfriend Linda in 2009. They currently reside in Georgetown, near Austin, Texas.

A powerful drummer, Kramer has been known to amuse concertgoers during his drum solos by striking the drums with his arms, legs, toes, elbows and even his forehead.

Kramer is credited with originating the name Aerosmith. In his memoir, Kramer revealed that he idly conceived the name Aerosmith while listening to Harry Nilsson's album Aerial Ballet in 1968, two years before the band was formed. Kramer insists that there is no connection between the name "Aerosmith" and Sinclair Lewis' novel Arrowsmith. Shortly before joining Aerosmith, Kramer worked with Chubby & The Turnpikes (later to be known as Tavares) alongside Bernie Worrell. 

He made a guest appearance in the 22nd season of The Simpsons, in the episode "The Ned-Liest Catch", as a former partner of Bart's teacher Mrs. Krabappel, as told in the 3rd season episode Flaming Moe's, which featured the whole of Aerosmith, the first ever band to guest star on the show. In 2015, Kramer tweeted about how he had been made into a Simpsons action figure.

In June 2011, Kramer did a fan Q&A and revealed his open-mindedness to outside writers, stating he does not care about it as long as it's all 5 members of Aerosmith playing the material written.

In 2013 Kramer announced his new partnership with Comfort Foods, Inc. who now will roast, package and distribute his whole bean, organic coffee line: Rockin’ & Roastin’ Coffee.

In 2015 Joey announced a business partnership with Les Otten, former vice chairman of the Boston Red Sox, to open Rockin’ & Roastin’ Café & Restaurant – At the Mountain in Newry, ME at the foot of the Sunday River Ski Resort.

source: wikipedia

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