Vinnie Vincent facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vinnie Vincent
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Vincent in 1988
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Vincent John Cusano |
| Also known as | "The Ankh Warrior" |
| Born | August 6, 1952 Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S. |
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| Instruments | Guitar |
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Vincent John Cusano (born August 6, 1952), known as Vinnie Vincent, is an American guitarist. He was a member of the famous rock band Kiss from 1982 to 1984. During this time, Kiss was changing from wearing their famous makeup to performing without it. Vinnie Vincent was the last member to wear a special makeup and costume, known as The Wizard. He later started his own band, Vinnie Vincent Invasion, which had some popular songs in the hair metal style.
Contents
Early Life and Musical Beginnings
Vincent John Cusano was born on August 6, 1952, in Bridgeport, Connecticut. His parents, Theresa and Alfonso Cusano, were also musicians. He started playing the guitar when he was young. He was inspired by bluegrass and rock and roll music.
Vinnie first worked with well-known artists as part of a band called "Treasure." They released an album in 1977. In 1980, Vinnie moved to Los Angeles, California. There, he became a songwriter for TV shows like Happy Days and Joanie Loves Chachi. He wrote many songs for these shows on his acoustic guitar while on the set.
Music Career Highlights
Joining the Band Kiss
Vinnie Vincent joined Kiss as the new lead guitarist. He quickly became good friends with Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, who are key members of Kiss. Vinnie played lead guitar on six songs for their album Creatures of the Night. He also helped write three of those songs.
After a tour for Creatures of the Night, Vinnie went back to the studio with Kiss. They recorded the Lick It Up album. Vinnie helped write eight of the ten songs on this album. This was a record for any band member at that time! Even though he was a new official guitarist, another musician, Rick Derringer, played a guitar solo on one song.
Leaving and Returning to Kiss
Vinnie performed well in live concerts with Kiss. However, he did not sign an official contract with the band. There were disagreements about his role and how much he would be paid. Because of this, Vinnie never officially became a full member of Kiss. He left the band after the North American part of the "Lick It Up" tour. Mark St. John replaced him.
Even though they parted ways, Vinnie worked with Kiss again later. He helped write songs for their 1992 album Revenge. He contributed to songs like "Unholy" and "Heart Of Chrome." However, disagreements happened again, and he stopped working with them.
In 2022, Kiss released a special version of the Creatures of the Night album. It included demo songs and live recordings with Vinnie Vincent playing guitar. These were the first official live recordings of Vinnie with Kiss.
Forming Vinnie Vincent Invasion
After leaving Kiss in 1984, Vinnie Vincent traveled the world. He then formed his own band called Vinnie Vincent Invasion. They released two studio albums: Vinnie Vincent Invasion in 1986 and All Systems Go in 1988. The band broke up in 1989. After the band split, the singer Mark Slaughter and bassist Dana Strum formed a new band called Slaughter.
Later Music Projects
In 1996, Vinnie Vincent released a solo album called Euphoria. He played all the guitars and even programmed the drums for this album.
A special album called Kiss My Ankh: A Tribute to Vinnie Vincent was released in 2008. This album featured new versions of songs from Vinnie's time with Kiss and Vinnie Vincent Invasion. Many different artists performed on this tribute album.
Recent Appearances
After many years away from the public eye, Vinnie Vincent started making appearances again in 2018. He attended the Atlanta Kiss Expo in January 2018. He played four songs, including a Kiss song "A Million to One" for the first time live. He also played a Vinnie Vincent Invasion song with the original singer, Robert Fleischman.
Vinnie Vincent also met with Gene Simmons of Kiss in April 2018. This was their first meeting in over 20 years. He also gave his first interview in over two decades to Eddie Trunk for Sirius XM.
In May 2022, Vinnie played live with two other former Kiss guitarists, Ace Frehley and Bruce Kulick. They performed four Kiss songs together at Creatures Fest in Nashville.
In May 2023, Vinnie Vincent held a special event to listen to his upcoming album. Several bands performed, and Vinnie played with a backing band.
Personal Life
Vinnie Vincent was married to AnnMarie Peters. They had twin daughters born in 1982. AnnMarie Peters was reported missing in 1998, and her remains were found two years later.
In 1996, Vinnie married his second wife, Diane Kero. They lived in Smyrna, Tennessee, until she passed away in 2014.
Discography
With Kiss
- Creatures of the Night (1982)
- Lick It Up (1983)
- Revenge (1992) (songwriting only)
With Vinnie Vincent Invasion
- Vinnie Vincent Invasion (1986)
- All Systems Go (1988)
- Euphoria (EP) (1996)
- Judgement Day (2023)
Other Collaborations
- Black Satin featuring Fred Parris (1976)
- The Hitchhikers (1976)
- WOW (1984) (songwriter and guitar)
- Let Me Rock You (1982) (with Peter Criss)
- No Brakes (1984) (songwriter with John Waite)
- Instant Replay (1978) (with Dan Hartman)
- Nested (1978) (with Laura Nyro)
- Treasure (1977) (with Felix Cavaliere)
- Castles in the Air (1979) (with Felix Cavaliere)
- Still Waiting (1981) (with HEAT)
- Everything (1988) (songwriter and guitar with The Bangles)
- Born to Laugh at Tornadoes (1983) (with Was (Not Was))
- Warrior (2017) (with Warrior)
- Warrior II (2019) (with Warrior)
- The Complete Sessions (2024) (with Warrior)
Tribute Albums
- Kiss My Ankh: A Tribute to Vinnie Vincent (2008)
See also
In Spanish: Vinnie Vincent para niños
