Vinnie Vincent

American guitarist (born 1952)

Vinnie Vincent

Vincent in 1988

Background information
Birth name| Vincent John Cusano
Also known as| "The Ankh Warrior"
Born|  (1952-08-06) August 6, 1952 (age 73)
Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S.
Genres|

* Hard rock
* heavy metal
* glam metal[1]

Occupations|

* Musician
* songwriter

Instrument| Guitar
Years active|

* 1970–1998
* 2018–present

Member of|

* Vinnie Vincent Invasion

Formerly of|

* Kiss
* Dan Hartman
* Treasure
* Laura Nyro
* Warrior
* Heat

Musical artist

Vincent John Cusano (born August 6, 1952), better known by his stage name Vinnie Vincent, is an American guitarist. He is a former member of the rock band Kiss from 1982 until mid-1984 during the band's transition out of their 1973–1983 makeup period. Vincent was the last member to wear a unique makeup/costume configuration, as the character of The Wizard (a design created by Paul Stanley), until he and the band were first shown without the makeup during an interview on MTV in September 1983.[2] He founded his own band, Vinnie Vincent Invasion, which had minor hits in the hair metal genre.[3][4]

## Early life

[edit]

Vincent John Cusano was born on August 6, 1952 in Bridgeport, Connecticut,[5] the son of Theresa "Terri" (Ferraro) (1930–2021[6]) and Alfonso Cusano, musicians. Both of his parents were of Italian descent.[7] He picked up the guitar at an early age and was inspired by bluegrass and rock and roll.[5] Cusano's first introduction to working with internationally renowned artists was working with Felix Cavaliere (mostly widely known from The Rascals and their hit "Good Lovin' ⁠") as part of the band "Treasure". This resulted in an album of the same name being released on Epic Records in 1977. It was recorded in New York City at Sound Ideas recording studios [8] In 1980, Vincent moved to Los Angeles, California where he became a staff songwriter for the television series Happy Days and Joanie Loves Chachi. Many of the series songs were written on Vincent's acoustic guitar while sitting at the Cunninghams' kitchen table on the Happy Days set, during off-time from the show's rehearsal schedule. Vincent has said the times of working at the Paramount lot were genuinely "happy days".[9] According to the site "Kiss Related Recordings", Vincent has played with Dan Hartman as well as the bands Hunter, Warrior, Hitchhikers and Heat going as far back as 1970.[citation needed]

## Career

[edit]

### Kiss

[edit]

The Wizard

After being introduced to the band by songwriter Adam Mitchell,[10] Vincent was brought in as the replacement for guitarist Ace Frehley. Vincent's personality meshed well with Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, thus enabling him to play lead guitar on six of the nine tracks on the Creatures of the Night album as well as co-writing three. After a commercially disappointing Creatures of the Night/Tenth Anniversary tour, that finished on a high at what ended up being the "last" makeup show (and Kiss' largest crowd attendance) at Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Vincent returned to the studio with Kiss to record the Lick It Up album. His work was productive, yielding eight co-writes out of the ten songs on the album (a record for any member until Bruce Kulick's nine out of 12 on Carnival of Souls and Stanley's 10 out of 13 on Monster).

Though contributing to Creatures of the Night as a session player before being named as Frehley's replacement in December 1982, Vincent, for all the public knew, was the official guitarist in Kiss and played all the lead guitar tracks on Lick it Up. In what was a frequent occurrence for former guitarist Frehley, a "ghost player" was asked to play on the album, with Rick Derringer recording the solo on the opening track.[11]

"Exciter" by Kiss with Vinnie Vincent solo

Though Vincent performed well live with Kiss, he refused to sign an employment contract which strained the relationship with Simmons/Stanley. This arose because of disputes over his role in the band and pay (some reports indicated that Vincent had asked for, and was denied, a percentage of the band's gross profits). Consequently, Vincent never formally became a member of the band. This ultimately led to him leaving after the North American leg of the "Lick It Up" tour.[12] He was replaced by Mark St. John.[12] Despite parting on bad terms, Vincent reconnected with Kiss years later as a songwriter on the 1992 album Revenge, contributing to the songs "Unholy", "Heart Of Chrome" and "I Just Wanna". Vincent again fell out of favor with Simmons and Stanley, as they claimed that Vincent again began "making all kinds of crazy demands and pulling the same kind of crazy stuff all over again".[12]

In 2022, Kiss released a super deluxe multi disc version of the Creatures of the Night album, which featured demos and outtakes with Vincent as guitarist and songwriter, as well as two full CDs of live recordings from the Creatures of the Night/10th Anniversary Tour, the first officially released live recordings with Vinnie Vincent.[13]

### Vinnie Vincent Invasion

[edit]

Following his departure from Kiss in mid-1984, Vincent used the money he made from his tenure in the band to take a long vacation, traveling the world for a full year and visiting places like Tahiti, Philippines, Mozambique, India, and Europe, including a visit to the small town of Mora in Dalarna, Sweden.[14] That same year Vincent was hospitalized for mental health related issues, and also wrote songs and recorded demos of six new songs intended for Kiss with drummer Hirsh Gardner[15][16] Then he formed the band Vinnie Vincent Invasion with, among others, former Journey singer Robert Fleischman in the mid-1980s and released two studio albums: Vinnie Vincent Invasion in 1986 and All Systems Go in 1988. The band broke up in 1989. After that, the band's singer Mark Slaughter and bassist Dana Strum formed Slaughter.[17]

### Later career

[edit]

In 1996, Vincent released a solo EP from the studio sessions he did in 1990 (some say 1989–91), called Euphoria, once again with Robert Fleischman on vocals. Vincent, as well as playing all the guitars, played bass and did the drum programming under the guise of "V. Meister”. Andre LaBelle provided drum tracks to the CD[18] but they were replaced by Vincent's drum programming. LaBelle can be heard on various tracks on the bootleg Guitarmaggedon/Guitars from Hell CD that featured five more songs than the Euphoria EP.[19]

A tribute album entitled Kiss My Ankh: A Tribute to Vinnie Vincent was released by SplitScreen Entertainment on August 27, 2008. The album consists of new recordings of songs from Vincent's careers with Kiss and the Vinnie Vincent Invasion. Featured artists include Steve Brown of Trixter, Troy Patrick Farrell of White Lion, T.J. Racer of Nitro, Mike Weeks of Robert Fleischman's band, Sheldon Tarsha of Adler's Appetite, Chris Caffery of Savatage and Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Ryan Roxie from the Alice Cooper band and rock and roll comic C.C. Banana, who performs a parody of the Kiss song "Unholy" (rewritten as a roast of Danger Danger vocalist Ted Poley).[20]

### Appearances in 2018–2023

[edit]

After 22 years of being off the radar, Vinnie Vincent agreed to appear at the 2018 Atlanta Kiss Expo in January.[21] Vincent fulfilled his commitment and appeared at the sold-out expo, playing a four-song set including the live premiere of Kiss's "A Million to One" from Lick It Up and a VVI song "Back on the Streets" where he was joined by original VVI vocalist Robert Fleischman.[22] He said he considers Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley family, wishing them nothing but the best. After some e-mail exchanges with Gene Simmons, Vincent agreed to appear with Simmons on stage in April 2018 which was the first time they have met in person in over two decades.[23] He also gave an exclusive interview to Eddie Trunk for Sirius XM, which was his first in over two decades, and held multiple question-and-answer sessions with fans.[24]

On February 16, 2018, it was announced via Facebook that Vinnie would appear at the Days of the Dead convention in Charlotte, North Carolina in May 2018.[25]

Vinnie Vincent's first concert in 30 years was scheduled for December 7, 2018, at Graceland, in Memphis, Tennessee. However these shows were postponed until February 8–9, 2019 in Nashville,[26] before being canceled.

Vincent then announced another show in Nashville called "Speedball Jamm", which was scheduled for June 7, 2019.[27] This show was ultimately canceled.[28]

Two months later, Vincent hosted Vinnie Vincent's Birthday Bash on August 10 in Nashville, TN, followed by Vinnie Vincent's Merry Metal Christmas on December 14–15, 2019.[29]

On May 22, 2022, Vinnie played for the first time live together with his lead guitar colleagues from Kiss, Ace Frehley and Bruce Kulick, performing a 4-song all Kiss set at Creatures Fest (hosted by Neil Davis, Brian Bell, Dale Walter) in Nashville.

In May 2023, Vincent held an album listening party, at Starstruck Studios. The upcoming album was well received; several bands opened for Vincent, and he played with backing band Leo Roriz of Sleeper Signal and Ben Hanz of Trixter.

## Personal life

[edit]

Vincent was married to AnnMarie Peters, and they had twin daughters born in 1982.[30][31] Peters was reported missing at age 43 on January 2, 1998, after failing to pick up her daughters from a sleepover with friends. Her remains were found two years later after Gregory McArthur pled guilty to the crime. Peters had been working part-time as an escort, and McArthur had a history of crimes related to prostitution.[32][33]

In 1996, Vincent married his second wife Diane Kero, a former girlfriend of Ace Frehley; Vincent and Kero had first met at a Kiss convention in Chicago the previous year. The two resided in Smyrna, Tennessee until her death from alcohol-related complications on January 13, 2014. She was 47 years old.[34]

## Discography

[edit]

### With Kiss

[edit]

* Creatures of the Night (1982)
* Lick It Up (1983)
* Revenge (1992) songwriting credits only

### Compilation

[edit]

* Smashes, Thrashes & Hits (1988)
* Alive III (1993) songwriting credits only
* Kiss Unplugged (1995) songwriting credits only
* The Box Set (2001)
* The Very Best of Kiss (2002)
* Kiss Symphony: Alive IV (2003) songwriting credits only
* The Best of Kiss, Volume 2: The Millennium Collection (2004)
* The Best of Kiss, Volume 3: The Millennium Collection (2006) songwriting credits only
* Kiss Alive! 1975–2000 (2006) songwriting credits only
* The Best of KISS: Green Series (2008)
* Playlist Plus (2008)
* Playlist Your Way (2008)
* Jigoku-Retsuden (2008) songwriting credits only
* 15 Classics (2008) digital download only
* 15 Discoveries (2008) digital download only
* 45 The Complete Collection (2008) digital download only
* Alive! The Millennium Concert (2008) songwriting credits & digital download only

### With Vinnie Vincent Invasion

[edit]

* Vinnie Vincent Invasion (1986)
* All Systems Go (1988)
* Euphoria (EP) (1996)
* Judgement Day (2023)

### With Black Satin

[edit]

* Black Satin featuring Fred Parris (1976)

### With The Hitchhikers

[edit]

* The Hitchhikers (1976)

### With Wendy O. Williams

[edit]

* WOW (1984 Passport)

"Ain't None Of Your Business" Songwriter (Simmons, Carr & Vincent) & Guitar

### With Peter Criss

[edit]

* Let Me Rock You (1982)

### With John Waite

[edit]

* No Brakes (1984 EMI)

Songwriter "Tears" (1981)

### With Dan Hartman

[edit]

* Instant Replay (1978)

Rhythm & Acoustic Guitars, Tambourine, Backing Vocal

### With Laura Nyro

[edit]

* Nested (1978)

### With Treasure

[edit]

* Treasure (1977 Epic)

Guitar & Lead Vocals on "Innocent Eyes" & "Turn Yourself Around" (with Felix Cavaliere: of The Rascals)

### With Felix Cavaliere

[edit]

* Castles in the Air (1979)

### With HEAT

[edit]

* Still Waiting (1981)

### Tribute albums and singles

[edit]

* Kiss My Ankh: A Tribute to Vinnie Vincent (2008)
* Virtual Invasion – Gypsy in Her Eyes (2017)
* Virtual Invasion – Young Blood, Young Fire (2018)
* Virtual Invasion – Forbidden (2018)
* Virtual Invasion – Tears (2020)

### With the Bangles

[edit]

* Everything (1988) Songwriting credit & Guitars for "Make a Play for Her Now" [35]

### With Was (Not Was)

[edit]

* Born to Laugh at Tornadoes (1983)

### With Warrior

[edit]

* Warrior (2017 HNE Recordings). Collection of Demos.
* Warrior II (2019 HNE Recordings). Another Collection of Demos.
* The Complete Sessions (2024 HNE Recordings). Boxset of the previous two albums.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ McPadden, Mike (August 6, 2015). "The 10 Most Underrated Hair Metal Guitarists Of The '80s". VH1 News. Archived from the original on May 26, 2021. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
2. ^ "Ranking Rock's 10 Greatest Replacement Guitarists". VH1.com. Archived from the original on June 17, 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
3. ^ "Central High School Biography of Vinnie Vincent". Archived from the original on February 6, 2012. Retrieved November 3, 2011.
4. ^ "Vinnie Vincent: Biography". MSN. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved November 3, 2011.
5. ^ a b Prato, Greg. "Vinnie Vincent". AllMusic. Archived from the original on November 11, 2010. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
6. ^ "Obituary of Theresa A. Cusano | Abriola Parkview Funeral Home". abriola.com. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
7. ^ "VINNIE-VINCENT.COM – A Vinnie Biography, Part 1: The Wilderness". vinnie-vincent.com. Archived from the original on May 20, 2015. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
8. ^ "Treasure – Treasure (Vinyl, LP, Album) | Discogs". Discogs. 1977. Archived from the original on April 22, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
9. ^ "Vinnie Vincent Biography". KissFAQ. September 2010. Archived from the original on September 24, 2008. Retrieved July 9, 2008.
10. ^ "KISS Asylum: KISS Thought Vault: Issue #9". kissasylum.com. Archived from the original on July 23, 2015. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
11. ^ Andrew Daly (August 15, 2024). ""There's no denying that the thought of Robben Ford playing on a Kiss album is weird": A brief history of Kiss's session guitarists – featuring Bob Kulick, Dick Wagner, Rick Derringer and more..." guitarworld. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
12. ^ a b c Black Diamond: The Unauthorized Biography of KISS | Dale Sherman | 1997
13. ^ "Love It Loud: KISS Expand 'Creatures of the Night' for Deluxe Box Set". The Second Disc. August 31, 2022. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
14. ^ "Image: 8317200911401762e1.jpg, (570 × 784 px)". forumbilder.se. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
15. ^ Bergdahl, Alex; Linnaeus, Carl (2023). Time Traveller (in Swedish). Sweden: Gain.
16. ^ Asplund, Tony (April 17, 2024). "KISS Time Traveler: Recension + lång intervju med Alex Bergdahl och Carl Linnaeus". ROCKBLADET.SE. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
17. ^ Jeff Giles (April 16, 2015). "Mark Slaughter Looks Back on the Band Mutiny That Ended the Vinnie Vincent Invasion". Ultimateclassicrock.com. Archived from the original on November 12, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
18. ^ "★ ANDRE LABELLE - History Bio". www.andrelabelle.com. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
19. ^ Vinnie Vincent - Guitars From Hell, retrieved October 8, 2022
20. ^ "Kiss My Ankh: A Tribute To Vinnie Vincent". SplitScreen Entertainment. Archived from the original on August 31, 2008. Retrieved August 31, 2008.
21. ^ "Former KISS Guitarist Vinnie Vincent Is 'Happy And Excited' About His Appearance At Atlanta KISS Expo". Blabbermouth. September 2, 2017. Archived from the original on October 17, 2017. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
22. ^ Olivier (January 21, 2018). "Vinnie Vincent performs live with Robert Fleischman & announces return of Vinnie Vincent Invasion". Sleaze Roxx. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
23. ^ Magnotta, Andrew. "Gene Simmons Reunites With Vinnie Vincent at Vault Event in Nashville". iheart.com. IHeart Media, Inc. Archived from the original on November 9, 2019. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
24. ^ "Vinnie Vincent Returns: 10 Things We Learned". Ultimate Classic Rock. January 20, 2018. Archived from the original on January 20, 2018. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
25. ^ "Days Of The Dead". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on July 28, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
26. ^ "Vinnie Vincent Live". Vinnie Vincent Live. Archived from the original on February 22, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
27. ^ Irwin, Corey (April 13, 2019). "Former Kiss Guitarist Vinnie Vincent Announces Nashville Concert". Ultimate Classic Rock. Archived from the original on May 27, 2019. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
28. ^ Wilkening, Matthew (May 20, 2019). "Vinnie Vincent Reportedly Cancels June Comeback Show". Ultimate Classic Rock. Archived from the original on May 27, 2019. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
29. ^ "Vinnie Vincent's Merry Metal Christmas Premium Ticket – Vinnie Vincent". Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
30. ^ Blau, Max (April 8, 2014). "Inside a Hair-Metal Meltdown: Search for Ex-Kiss Guitarist Vinnie Vincent". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 15, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
31. ^ Blabbermouth (November 16, 2002). "KISS Murder Trial Update: Cusano's Daughters Kept Secret". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
32. ^ "KISS Asylum: Vinnie Vincent's Ex-Wife Missing". kissasylum.com. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
33. ^ KENNY, DAVE (September 3, 2000). "Homicide suspect leads cops to body". The Middletown Press. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
34. ^ Writer, TINA A. BROWN; Courant Staff (February 15, 2003). "MCARTHUR SENTENCED TO 60 YEARS". courant.com. Archived from the original on November 30, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2019.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
35. ^ "Everything – Bangles | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Archived from the original on September 9, 2015. Retrieved September 4, 2015.

## External links

[edit]

* Vinnie Vincent at AllMusic
* Vinnie Vincent discography at Discogs

Preceded by

Ace Frehley

|  Lead guitarist of Kiss
1982–1984  | Succeeded by

Mark St. John

|
|

* v
* t
* e

Kiss

* Paul Stanley
* Gene Simmons
* Peter Criss
* Ace Frehley
* Eric Carr
* Vinnie Vincent
* Mark St. John
* Bruce Kulick
* Eric Singer
* Tommy Thayer

Studio albums|

* Kiss
* Hotter than Hell
* Dressed to Kill
* Destroyer
* Rock and Roll Over
* Love Gun
* Dynasty
* Unmasked
* Music from "The Elder"
* Creatures of the Night
* Lick It Up
* Animalize
* Asylum
* Crazy Nights
* Hot in the Shade
* Revenge
* Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions
* Psycho Circus
* Sonic Boom
* Monster

1978 solo albums|

* Ace Frehley
* Gene Simmons
* Paul Stanley
* Peter Criss

Live albums|

* Alive!
* Alive II
* Alive III
* Kiss Unplugged
* You Wanted the Best, You Got the Best!!
* Kiss Symphony: Alive IV
* Alive! The Millennium Concert
* Kiss Alive 35
* Kiss Sonic Boom Over Europe
* Kiss Rocks Vegas

Compilations|

* Double Platinum
* Killers
* Chikara
* Smashes, Thrashes & Hits
* Greatest Kiss
* The Very Best of Kiss
* The Millennium Collection: The Best of Kiss
* The Best of Kiss, Volume 2: The Millennium Collection
* Gold
* The Best of Kiss, Volume 3: The Millennium Collection
* Jigoku-Retsuden
* Kiss 40

Box sets|

* The Originals
* The Box Set
* Kiss Chronicles: 3 Classic Albums
* Kiss Alive! 1975–2000
* Ikons

Video albums|

* Animalize Live Uncensored
* Exposed
* Crazy Nights
* X-treme Close-Up
* Kiss Konfidential
* Kiss My Ass: The Video
* Kiss Unplugged
* Psycho Circus 3-D Video
* The Second Coming
* Kiss Symphony: The DVD
* Rock the Nation Live!
* Kissology Volume One: 1974–1977
* Kissology Volume Two: 1978–1991
* Kissology Volume Three: 1992–2000
* Kiss Rocks Vegas

Tribute albums|

* Hard to Believe: A Kiss Covers Compilation
* Kiss My Ass: Classic Kiss Regrooved
* A Tribute to the Creatures of the Night
* Kiss My Grass: A Hillbilly Tribute to Kiss
* Spin the Bottle: An All-Star Tribute to Kiss
* Gods of Thunder: A Norwegian Tribute to Kiss
* Lick It Up – A Millennium Tribute to Kiss
* Kiss My Ankh

Concert tours|

* Club Tour
* Kiss Tour
* Hotter than Hell Tour
* Dressed to Kill Tour
* Alive! Tour
* Destroyer Tour
* Rock & Roll Over Tour
* Love Gun Tour
* Alive II Tour
* Dynasty Tour
* Unmasked Tour
* Creatures of the Night Tour
* Lick It Up World Tour
* Animalize World Tour
* Asylum Tour
* Crazy Nights World Tour
* Hot in the Shade Tour
* Revenge Tour
* Kiss My Ass Tour
* Alive/Worldwide Tour
* Psycho Circus World Tour
* The Farewell Tour
* Alive 35 World Tour
* Sonic Boom Over Europe Tour
* The Hottest Show on Earth Tour
* The Tour
* Monster World Tour
* Kiss 40th Anniversary World Tour
* Freedom to Rock Tour
* Kissworld Tour
* End of the Road World Tour

Films|

* Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park
* Detroit Rock City
* Scooby-Doo! and Kiss: Rock and Roll Mystery

Merchandising|

* Action figures
* Comics
* Kiss: Psycho Circus
* Pinball
* Pinball video game
* Kiss: Psycho Circus: The Nightmare Child
* Kiss Kasket
* Kiss by Monster Mini-Golf
* Los Angeles Kiss
* Bibliography

Related|

| Articles|

* Discography
* Band members
* Songs
* Awards
* Kiss Army
* Operation Payback
* "Road to Europe"
* Rock School
* Gene Simmons Family Jewels
* The Elder

|

Bands|

* Black 'n Blue
* Chelsea
* Eric Singer Project
* Frehley's Comet
* Mini Kiss
* Union
* Vinnie Vincent Invasion
* White Tiger
* Wicked Lester

Albums|

* Anomaly
* Asshole
* Cat #1
* Gene Simmons Vault
* Let Me Rock You
* Live to Win
* One for All
* Out of Control
* The Original Wicked Lester Sessions
* Origins Vol. 1
* Origins Vol. 2
* Rockology
* Space Invader
* Spaceman
* Trouble Walkin'
* Unfinished Business

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Vinnie Vincent Invasion

* Vinnie Vincent

* Dana Strum
* Bobby Rock
* Robert Fleischman
* Mark Slaughter

Studio albums|

* Vinnie Vincent Invasion (1986)
* All Systems Go (1988)

EPs|

* Euphoria (1996)

Related|

* Kiss My Ankh: A Tribute To Vinnie Vincent
* Journey
* Kiss
* Slaughter

Portal:

* Connecticut

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* FAST
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States
* Czech Republic
* Spain
* Netherlands
* Finland

Artists|

* MusicBrainz

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