Vanilla Fudge | |
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| Origin | Long Island, New York, U.S. |
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| Website | vanillafudge |
Vanilla Fudge is an Americanrock band fromNew York City, formed in 1967 and originally active until 1970, during which time they released fivealbums. They became known for theirhard rockarrangements ofcontemporary pop songs, particularly with theircover of "You Keep Me Hangin' On", aMotown song originally recorded bythe Supremes, which became ahitsingle in 1968.[5] After occasional reunions during the 1980s and early 1990s, the band reformed full time in 1999.
The group's foundational lineup remained consistent during 1967–1970, comprisingvocalist/organistMark Stein,bassist/vocalistTim Bogert,guitarist/vocalistVince Martell, anddrummer/vocalistCarmine Appice. Bogert retired fromlive music in 2009, whereafterPete Bremy joined on bass; Bogert died fromcancer in 2021.[5] "The Fudge", as members call the group, is currentlytouring with Stein, Martell, Appice, and Bremy, withconcert dates scheduled through 2026.[5]
Vanilla Fudge has been cited as "one of the few American links betweenpsychedelia and what soon becameheavy metal"[6] and as aproto-prog band.[4][6]
Mark Stein and Tim Bogert had played in a local band called Rick Martin & the Showmen. The pair were so impressed by the swinging, organ-heavy sound ofthe Rascals they decided to form their own band in 1965 with Martell and Rick Martin's drummer, Mark Dolfen, who was quickly replaced by Joey Brennan. Originally calling themselves the Electric Pigeons, they soon shortened the name to the Pigeons.[7] In December 1966, Brennan moved on to the Younger Brothers Band and Bogert became impressed with a young drummer named Carmine Appice he had heard playing at the Headliner Club on 43rd Street in a cover band called Thursday's Children. Appice was asked to join the Pigeons and in his 2016 autobiography,Stick It!, Carmine explained the name change to 'Vanilla Fudge':
In April 1967 the Pigeons got signed toAtlantic Records. But there was one drawback, however: Atlantic didn't want to sign a band calledthe Pigeons.Ahmet Ertegun, the label's founder and president, didn't like that name and told us we had to change it. We didn't mind, in fact, I had always thoughtthe Pigeons was a weird thing to be called but had just gone with it. We tried to think up a new name but were getting nowhere until we played a gig at the Page 2 club on Long Island and ended up talking to a chick named Dee Dee who worked there. She told us how her grandfather used to call her Vanilla Fudge. Then she looked at us and added "Maybe you guys should call yourselves that—you're like white soul music". We liked it. We told our manager, Phil Basile. He liked it. We told Atlantic and they liked it, too. So Vanilla Fudge it was.[8]
A recording of the Pigeons, "While the World Was Eating Vanilla Fudge", was released by Scepter/Wand in 1970.
Vanilla Fudge was managed by Phillip Basile, a reputedLucchese crime family member, who operated several popular clubs in New York. Their first three albums (Vanilla Fudge,The Beat Goes On, andRenaissance) were produced byShadow Morton, whom the band met through the Rascals.[7] WhenLed Zeppelin first toured the United States in early 1969, they opened for Vanilla Fudge on some shows.
The band's biggesthit was itscover of "You Keep Me Hangin' On," a slowed-down, hard rocking version[9] of a song originally recorded bythe Supremes.[7] This version featured Stein's psychedelic-baroque organ intro and Appice's energetic drumming. It was a Top 10 hit in Canada, the United States, and Australia, and a Top 20 hit in the UK in 1967.
The members of Vanilla Fudge were great admirers ofthe Beatles, and covered several of their songs including "Ticket to Ride", "Eleanor Rigby", and "You Can't Do That".[7] Their debut album quotes "Strawberry Fields Forever" at the end, with the lines "Nothing is real; Nothing to get hung about".
According toRitchie Blackmore andJon Lord, Vanilla Fudge's organ-heavy sound was a large influence on the British bandDeep Purple, with Blackmore even stating that his band wanted to be a "Vanilla Fudge clone" in its early years.[10]
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Vanilla Fudge played a farewell concert at the Phil Basile's Action House on March 14, 1970. After that, Bogert and Appice departed to form another group,Cactus,[7] that they had been planning since late 1969. They ended up leaving Cactus and formedBeck, Bogert & Appice with guitaristJeff Beck in 1972.[7] Stein, left on his own, tried to keep Vanilla Fudge afloat with two new players, Sal D'Nofrio (bass) and Jimmy Galluzi (drums), both of whom had been members of aPoughkeepsie, New York, group known as the Dirty Elbows. But when nothing came from this, Stein ended up forming a new group, Boomerang, with Galluzi.
Since the band's breakup in 1970, Vanilla Fudge has reunited several times. They reunited in support of theAtco Records releaseBest of Vanilla Fudge in 1982. This resulted inMystery, another album of new material, released in 1984.[7] Martell was not included in this initial reunion and Ron Mancuso played guitar onMystery instead, along with Jeff Beck, who guested under the moniker "J. Toad". Two reunion tours followed in 1987/1988,[11] withPaul Hanson on guitar. Lanny Cordola was guitarist when the band took the stage on May 14, 1988, for Atlantic Records' 40th anniversary celebration. After that, band members went their own ways once again to pursue separate projects.
In 1991, Appice revived the Vanilla Fudge name for a tour withTed Nugent's former band membersDerek St. Holmes (guitar, vocals), Martin Gerschwitz (keyboards, vocals), and Tom Croucier (bass, vocals), which resulted in the albumThe Best of Vanilla Fudge – Live.
Three of the original members, Appice, Bogert, and Martell, reunited in 1999 with vocalist/organist Bill Pascali replacing Mark Stein to record a "greatest hits" album,The Return / Then And Now (2001), with new recordings of previous songs and three new songs.[12] 2002 had Pete Bremy andT. M. Stevens subbing on bass for an ill Bogert and 2003 saw a release of Vanilla Fudge's live album,The Real Deal – Vanilla Fudge Live, recorded on tour in 1987 with Paul Hanson on guitar. Martell overdubbed his guitar and vocals later. In 2003–2005, the group toured with Teddy Rondinelli standing in on guitar for Martell.
In 2005, all four original Vanilla Fudge members reunited for a tour with members ofthe Doors (touring as Riders on the Storm) andSteppenwolf. Pascali returned in place of Stein for some 2005 and 2006 shows before leaving to join the New Rascals. Vanilla Fudge was inducted into theLong Island Music Hall of Fame on October 15, 2006,[13] withBilly Joel,Joan Jett, and producerShadow Morton. Fellow Long IslanderFelix Cavaliere of the Rascals inducted them.
In the summer of 2007,HBO's final episode ofThe Sopranos featured "You Keep Me Hangin' On" (with Pascali's lead vocals) as a theme for their cliffhanger. The band also went back into the studio to recordOut Through the In Door, aLed Zeppelin cover album released in 2007 only in Europe. Also, the band (Stein & Martell with Steve Argy on bass and Jimmyjack Tamburo on drums) performed "You Keep Me Hangin' On" for the PBS fundraising programMy Music: My Generation – The '60s for the March 2008pledge drive.
In March 2008, the original lineup of Vanilla Fudge embarked on a tour of the United States (mostly in New England). But in the summer of that year, Bogert and Appice left to concentrate onCactus, which they had reformed in 2006. Stein and Martell continued on in 2008 and 2009 as Mark Stein and Vince Martell of Vanilla Fudge with a tour that was called "Let's Pray For Peace," with Jimmyjack Tamburo on drums and Pete Bremy returning on bass.[14]Out Through the In Door was released in the US in 2008.[15][failed verification] Stein and Martell also performed shows during this period with Steve Argy and Jimmyjack Tamburo again as the rhythm section.
In 2009 Tim Bogert announced his retirement from touring and was replaced byPete Bremy.
In early 2011, Vanilla Fudge embarked on what was announced as their farewell tour. The lineup for the tour included Carmine Appice, Mark Stein, Vince Martell, and Pete Bremy (bass). On March 29, 2011, the band appeared onLate Night with Jimmy Fallon and performed "You Keep Me Hangin' On". This lineup has continued to tour since.
In 2015 Vanilla Fudge released its first album in ten years,Spirit of '67.
As of 2021, Vanilla Fudge was still performing concerts regularly. On January 13, 2021, Tim Bogert died at the age of 76 after a long battle with cancer.[16] The band did release (on September 6, 2021) a cover version of "Stop! in the Name of Love" as digital streaming content and with an official music video onYouTube, dedicated to Tim Bogert.[17]
Current members[edit]
Former members[edit]
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| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | AUS [18] | CAN | GER [19] | UK [20] | |||
| Vanilla Fudge | 1967 | 6 | — | 12 | — | 31 | |
| The Beat Goes On | 1968 | 17 | — | — | 31 | — | |
| Renaissance | 20 | 32 | — | — | — | ||
| Near the Beginning | 1969 | 16 | — | 10 | — | — | |
| Rock & Roll | 34 | — | 24 | — | — | ||
| Mystery | 1984 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| The Return | 2002 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Out Through the In Door[22] | 2007 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Title[a] | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | AUS [18] | CAN | UK [20] | |||
| "You Keep Me Hangin' On" b/w "Take Me for a Little While" | 1967 | 6 | — | 72 | 18 | Vanilla Fudge |
| "Eleanor Rigby Part 1"(UK-only release) b/w "Eleanor Rigby Part 2" | — | — | — | 53[b] | ||
| "Where Is My Mind" b/w "The Look of Love" (Non-album track) | 1968 | 73 | — | — | — | The Best of Vanilla Fudge |
| "Season of the Witch, Pt. 1" b/w "Season of the Witch, Pt. 2" | 65 | — | 52 | — | Renaissance | |
| "You Keep Me Hangin' On" b/w "Come by Day, Come by Night" (Non-album track) | 6 | — | 2 | — | Vanilla Fudge | |
| "Shotgun" b/w "Good Good Lovin'" (Non-album track) | 68 | — | 59 | — | Near the Beginning | |
| "Take Me for a Little While" b/w "Thoughts" (fromRenaissance) | 38 | — | 45 | — | Vanilla Fudge | |
| "Some Velvet Morning" b/w "People" (Non-album track) | 1969 | 103 | — | 69 | — | Near the Beginning |
| "Need Love" b/w "I Can't Make It Alone" | 111 | — | — | — | Rock & Roll | |
| "Lord in the Country" b/w "The Windmills of Your Mind" | 1970 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Mystery" b/w "The Stranger"[22] | 1984 | — | — | — | — | Mystery |
The Fudge is currently touring with three of the four original members: Mark Stein, Vince Martell, and Carmine Appice with Pete Bremy taking over for Tim Bogert when he retired in 2009.
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