The Storm (band)
Encyclopedia
The Storm is an American
rock
group, formed in the Bay Area of San Francisco during the early 1990s. The band is best known for their first single, the power ballad "I've Got a Lot to Learn About Love", which peaked at #6 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks
chart and at #26 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The band featured three of Journey
's former members (two of whom were founding members) - Gregg Rolie
as keyboardist
, Ross Valory
on bass
, and Steve Smith
on drums
. Kevin Chalfant
, who had a #12 rock chart hit in 1982 as lead vocalist with AOR
band 707
, was lead vocalist
(Rolie also shared lead vocalist duties), and Josh Ramos (who cited Journey founder and guitarist Neal Schon
as a major influence) was lead guitar
ist.
and sent the track "Show Me the Way" to producer Beau Hill
, who with Jimmy Iovine
had just begun Interscope Records
as a hard rock/AOR label for Atlantic Records
president Doug Morris
. Interscope became seriously interested in the project and signed the band, now known as The Storm, in 1990.
The Storm's debut album, self-titled and released in 1991 by Interscope, was produced by Beau Hill. It rose to #133 on the Billboard
album chart, scoring two Mainstream Rock
radio hits with the #6 “I’ve Got a Lot to Learn About Love” (which also reached #26 on the Hot 100) and the #22 “Show Me the Way.”
Steve Smith left the band in late 1991 and was replaced by Ron Wikso, who left Cher
's band to become a full member of The Storm in early 1992.
In March 1992, the band embarked upon a US tour supporting Bryan Adams
in arenas all over the country. They followed that up with a tour supporting Peter Frampton
and did additional dates with Eddie Money
, Tom Cochrane
and others, in addition to several headlining dates.
in 1993 but never released by Interscope. The previous year, the label—founded by Iovine (a producer who began his career as a sound engineer for John Lennon
and Bruce Springsteen
) and Hill (noted for his success producing hard rock bands Ratt
and Winger) as a rock label—had struck a deal to distribute releases by Death Row Records
. Hits by Dr. Dre
and Snoop Dogg
convinced the label to shift its focus from Mainstream Rock to Gangsta Rap
. Eye of the Storm was eventually issued through the major UK independent label Music For Nations
in Europe, Avex Trax
(Bareknuckle) in Japan and Miramar Records in the U.S.
Despite the release of Eye of the Storm, the individual band members had moved on to other things. Gregg Rolie (keyboards) played with Abraxas Pool (featuring most of the original Santana members - himself, Chepito Areas, Michael Carabello and Michael Shrieve
- as well as Neal Schon and Alphonso Johnson
), Ross Valory (bass) went on to a reformed Journey
, Ron Wikso (drums) went on to play with David Lee Roth
, Foreigner
and Richie Sambora
, Kevin Chalfant (vocals) and Josh Ramos (guitar) formed another band called Two Fires who released two albums so far, and pursued solo careers, Chalfant making lead vocal stints in The Alan Parsons Project
(2003) and Shooting Star
(2006–present).
In 1999, Gregg Rolie and Ron Wikso co-produced a solo CD for Gregg called Roots - released in 2001 on 33rd Street Records in the US and Sanctuary Records
in Europe - and have since been touring together as part of the Gregg Rolie Band, which also features Michael Carabello, Adrian Areas, Kurt Griffey, Alphonso Johnson
and Wally Minko.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
group, formed in the Bay Area of San Francisco during the early 1990s. The band is best known for their first single, the power ballad "I've Got a Lot to Learn About Love", which peaked at #6 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks
Mainstream Rock Tracks
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue...
chart and at #26 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The band featured three of Journey
Journey (band)
Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco by former members of Santana. The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between the 1978 and 1987, after which it temporarily disbanded...
's former members (two of whom were founding members) - Gregg Rolie
Gregg Rolie
Gregg Alan Rolie is an American keyboardist, organist, and singer, who is one of the founding members of the bands Santana, The Storm, Abraxas Pool and Journey, for whom he was the original lead singer. He currently performs with his Gregg Rolie Band...
as keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
, Ross Valory
Ross Valory
Ross Lamont Valory is Journey's noted bass player. He and Neal Schon are the only original members of the band still performing with the group. Aside from his termination from the group during the Raised on Radio album sessions in 1986, Ross has played on all of Journey's albums...
on bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, and Steve Smith
Steve Smith (musician)
Steve Elliott Smith is an American drummer who has worked with hundreds of artists in his career, but is mostly known for being the drummer of the rock band Journey during their peak years of success. Modern Drummer magazine readers voted him the #1 All-Around Drummer five years in a row...
on drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
. Kevin Chalfant
Kevin Chalfant
Kevin Chalfant is an American singer-songwriter and a native of Streator, Illinois. He obtained a BMI award for co-writing and singing on one of the most frequently aired rock radio hits of 1992 and 1993, "I’ve Got A Lot To Learn About Love"', by The Storm...
, who had a #12 rock chart hit in 1982 as lead vocalist with AOR
Album-oriented rock
Album-oriented rock is an American FM radio format focusing on album tracks by rock artists.-Music played:Most radio formats are based on a select, tight rotation of hit singles...
band 707
707 (band)
707 was a rock band of the early 1980s, best known for the rock radio hits "I Could Be Good For You" and "Mega Force".-I Could Be Good for You:...
, was lead vocalist
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
(Rolie also shared lead vocalist duties), and Josh Ramos (who cited Journey founder and guitarist Neal Schon
Neal Schon
Neal George Joseph Schon is an American rock guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist best known for his work with the band Journey. He is the only member to have recorded on all of Journey's albums...
as a major influence) was lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
ist.
Inception
Rolie was the most instrumental in putting The Storm together. He had collaborated on material with Kevin ChalfantKevin Chalfant
Kevin Chalfant is an American singer-songwriter and a native of Streator, Illinois. He obtained a BMI award for co-writing and singing on one of the most frequently aired rock radio hits of 1992 and 1993, "I’ve Got A Lot To Learn About Love"', by The Storm...
and sent the track "Show Me the Way" to producer Beau Hill
Beau Hill
Beau Hill is an American record producer who is best known for his work with Alice Cooper, Kix, Winger, Streets, Warrant, Fiona, Europe and Ratt....
, who with Jimmy Iovine
Jimmy Iovine
James "Jimmy" Iovine is an American music producer, entrepreneur and chairman of Interscope-Geffen-A&M.-Biography:...
had just begun Interscope Records
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...
as a hard rock/AOR label for Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
president Doug Morris
Doug Morris
Doug Morris is an American music executive. He is the current Chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment. He previously served as Chairman and CEO of the Universal Music Group from 1995 to 2011.-Life and career:...
. Interscope became seriously interested in the project and signed the band, now known as The Storm, in 1990.
The Storm's debut album, self-titled and released in 1991 by Interscope, was produced by Beau Hill. It rose to #133 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
album chart, scoring two Mainstream Rock
Mainstream rock
Mainstream rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada.-Format background:...
radio hits with the #6 “I’ve Got a Lot to Learn About Love” (which also reached #26 on the Hot 100) and the #22 “Show Me the Way.”
Steve Smith left the band in late 1991 and was replaced by Ron Wikso, who left Cher
Cher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
's band to become a full member of The Storm in early 1992.
In March 1992, the band embarked upon a US tour supporting Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams, is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and photographer. Adams has won dozens of awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations. He has also received 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written...
in arenas all over the country. They followed that up with a tour supporting Peter Frampton
Peter Frampton
Peter Kenneth Frampton is an English musician, singer, producer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. He was previously associated with the bands Humble Pie and The Herd. Frampton's international breakthrough album was his live release, Frampton Comes Alive!. The album sold over 6 million copies...
and did additional dates with Eddie Money
Eddie Money
Eddie Money is an American rock guitarist, saxophonist and singer-songwriter who found success in the 1970s and 1980s with a string of Top 40 hits and platinum albums...
, Tom Cochrane
Tom Cochrane
Tom Cochrane, OC Canadian musician and humanitarian, best known for his hit songs "Life Is a Highway", "Lunatic Fringe", "Human Race" and "I Wish You Well". Cochrane fronted the Canadian rock band Red Rider and has won seven Juno Awards...
and others, in addition to several headlining dates.
Dissolution and subsequent work
Their follow-up album, Eye of the Storm, was recorded for Interscope RecordsInterscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...
in 1993 but never released by Interscope. The previous year, the label—founded by Iovine (a producer who began his career as a sound engineer for John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
and Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
) and Hill (noted for his success producing hard rock bands Ratt
Ratt
Ratt is an American heavy metal band that had significant commercial success in the 1980s. The band is best known for songs such as "Round and Round," "Wanted Man," "Lay It Down," "You're in Love", "Slip of the Lip", "Back For More", "Dance", "Body Talk", "I Want a Woman", and "Way Cool Jr." Ratt...
and Winger) as a rock label—had struck a deal to distribute releases by Death Row Records
Death Row Records
Death Row Records is a record label founded in 1991 by Marion "Suge" Knight Jr., Andre Young , Tracy Lynn Curry and Michael Harris . It is known to have been home to many popular West Coast hip hop artists such as Dr...
. Hits by Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
and Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
convinced the label to shift its focus from Mainstream Rock to Gangsta Rap
Gangsta rap
Gangsta Rap is a subgenre of hip hop music that evolved from hardcore hip hop and purports to reflect urban crime and the violent lifestyles of inner-city youths. Lyrics in gangsta rap have varied from accurate reflections to fictionalized accounts. Gangsta is a non-rhotic pronunciation of the word...
. Eye of the Storm was eventually issued through the major UK independent label Music For Nations
Music For Nations
Music For Nations was a British independent record label focusing mainly on rock and metal. They were a subsidiary of the larger label distributor Zomba Records who in turn is owned by BMG....
in Europe, Avex Trax
Avex Trax
, listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange as 7860 and abbreviated as AGHD, is the holding company for a group of entertainment-related subsidiaries based in Japan...
(Bareknuckle) in Japan and Miramar Records in the U.S.
Despite the release of Eye of the Storm, the individual band members had moved on to other things. Gregg Rolie (keyboards) played with Abraxas Pool (featuring most of the original Santana members - himself, Chepito Areas, Michael Carabello and Michael Shrieve
Michael Shrieve
Michael Shrieve is an American drummer, percussionist, and later, an electronic music composer. He is best known as the drummer in Carlos Santana's eponymous band, playing on their first eight albums from 1969 through 1974...
- as well as Neal Schon and Alphonso Johnson
Alphonso Johnson
Alphonso Johnson is an American jazz bassist who has been influential since the early 1970s.-Biography:Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Johnson started off as an upright bass player, but switched to the electric bass in his late teens. Beginning his career in the early 1970s, Johnson showed...
), Ross Valory (bass) went on to a reformed Journey
Journey (band)
Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco by former members of Santana. The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between the 1978 and 1987, after which it temporarily disbanded...
, Ron Wikso (drums) went on to play with David Lee Roth
David Lee Roth
David Lee Roth is an American rock vocalist, songwriter, actor, author, and former radio personality. Roth was ranked nineteenth by Hit Parader on their list of the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Singers of All Time....
, Foreigner
Foreigner (band)
Foreigner is a British-American rock band, originally formed in 1976 by veteran English musicians Mick Jones and ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald along with American vocalist Lou Gramm...
and Richie Sambora
Richie Sambora
Richard Stephen "Richie" Sambora is an American rock guitarist, producer, musician, singer, and songwriter who is the longtime lead guitarist of the rock band, Bon Jovi. He and frontman Jon Bon Jovi form the primary songwriting unit of the band...
, Kevin Chalfant (vocals) and Josh Ramos (guitar) formed another band called Two Fires who released two albums so far, and pursued solo careers, Chalfant making lead vocal stints in The Alan Parsons Project
The Alan Parsons Project
The Alan Parsons Project was a British progressive rock band, active between 1975 and 1990, consisting of singer Eric Woolfson and keyboardist Alan Parsons surrounded by a varying number of session musicians....
(2003) and Shooting Star
Shooting Star (band)
Shooting Star is a rock band from Kansas City, Missouri.The band formed in the late 1970s. After quickly gaining enormous popularity in the Kansas City area, Shooting Star became the first American group to sign with Virgin Records. They recorded their 1979 debut album in England with legendary...
(2006–present).
In 1999, Gregg Rolie and Ron Wikso co-produced a solo CD for Gregg called Roots - released in 2001 on 33rd Street Records in the US and Sanctuary Records
Sanctuary Records
Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest independent music management company in the world...
in Europe - and have since been touring together as part of the Gregg Rolie Band, which also features Michael Carabello, Adrian Areas, Kurt Griffey, Alphonso Johnson
Alphonso Johnson
Alphonso Johnson is an American jazz bassist who has been influential since the early 1970s.-Biography:Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Johnson started off as an upright bass player, but switched to the electric bass in his late teens. Beginning his career in the early 1970s, Johnson showed...
and Wally Minko.