Alongside talented Johnny Gioeli’s pre- Brunette / Hardline music featured here, you need to hear the recordings from his previous band KILLERHIT – and we did a compilation of the band’s 1986 / 1988 demos: “KillerHit 1986-1988 [ compilation]“.
Based in Pennsylvania, Johnny’s musical career began in the early ’80s after forming the band Phaze with his older brother, Joey. The band underwent reform and he started drumming with the band KillerHit in 1983 at the age of 17. Sharing vocal duties with Joey, the four-piece act hit the East Coast club circuit with an enormous amount of success, earning enough by 1987 to purchase their own lighting rig, truck and tour bus.
Then KillerHit re-located to Hollywood and hooked up with bandmate and guitarist Christopher Paul’s friend Bret Michaels, Poison’s lead singer. Bret gave them his former publicist Debra Rosner’s number who instantly became the band’s manager. Realizing the need for a front man, Johnny vacated the drum stool for center stage, Las Vegas native Derek Cava taking his place behind the drum kit.
Soon after, the band switched names to the more appropriate one Brunette. The band broke The Doors’ and Van Halen’s single-weekend attendance records on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood CA and became regionally successful throughout the U.S. They were signed by Capitol Records but the deal unfortunately fell through when the record company went under.
Here we have where all stated musically for Johnny Gioeli: KillerHit 1986 style is pretty heavy American metal, while the 1988 songs are of course, much more melodic hard rock. All strong songs.
KillerHit / Brunette had the talent and songs to launch them towards commercial success, but for whatever reason it never happened and the band has been relegated to nothing more than a musical footnote. Difficulties developed in the band before a recording deal could be secured, and Brunette broke up in 1991.
Brothers Johnny and Joey Gioeli would quickly team with Journey‘s Neal Schon to land the elusive record deal as Hardline, while bassist Jay Scott King resurfaced in the underrated Big House which garnered some popularity in Canada.
Highly Recommended
01 – She’ll Be Waiting For Me (1986)
02 – I’ll Fight (1986)
03 – You Should Know By Now (1986)
04 – Taken By The War (1986)
05 – Are You Ready (1986)
06 – He Wants Your Soul (1986)
07 – Crucified (1986)
08 – Life’s Destiny (1986)
09 – Keeper Of My Heart (1988)
10 – Forever Yours (1988)
11 – Lady Love (1988)
12 – Killer in Heels (1988)
Johnny Gioeli – vocals, drums
Joey Gioeli – vocals, guitar
Christopher Paul – lead guitar
Jay Scott King – bass