Steelheart

History

Steelheart started off as a rock band called Red Alert whose members included James Ward (bass), Chris Risola (guitars), Jack Wilkenson (drums) and after auditioning, Miljenko Matijevic on vocals. Frank DiCostanzo joined as a second guitarist and John Fowler replaced Jack Wilkenson on drums, after leaving the band Rage of Angels. Recording a four-track demo tape, Matijevic met artist manager Stan Poses. Poses was not interested but the next day, after hearing the demo tape, called confirming that "Red Alert" had just been given a contract with MCA records. Realizing that the Red Alert name was already taken, the band settled on Steelheart allegedly because of their attitude after trying to get a record deal for so long.

Steelheart released their self-titled debut album in 1990. The second single "I'll Never Let You Go (Angel Eyes)" reached No. 14 on the Billboard charts, and was MTV's 2nd most requested video. The album reached No. 40 on the Billboard charts. "Everybody Loves Eileen" and its accompanying video were also successful. The song "Can't Stop Me Lovin' You" showcased Matijevic's vocal range, but this time, lead guitarist Risola's guitar skills were also noticed. A video accompanied it. In the song "Love Ain't Easy", Matijevic hits his highest note of all three albums.

Steelheart's second album, "Tangled In Reins", was released on July 10, 1992. Since the grunge invasion was taking force, the album only reached No. 144 on the Billboard charts. However the ballad "Mama Don't You Cry" charted No. 1 in many East Asian Countries, including Hong Kong, prompting their Asian tour in September, 1992. The MTV unplugged version in Hong Kong was a success, attracting an audience of over 10,000. After weeks of touring in Asia, Steelheart was later asked by the heavy metal band, Slaughter, to go on tour with them. Nearing the end of the tour, Slaughter asked Steelheart to perform one last show which would occur in Denver, Colorado. The show took place on Halloween night. While performing "Dancing in the Fire", a hit from the "Tangled in Reins" album, Matijevic decided to climb a lighting truss, which was improperly secured. Matijevic tried to dodge the rig, but without success. The 1000 pound truss hit Matijevic on the back of the head and he fell face first onto the stage, breaking his nose, cheekbone, and jaw, and twisting his spine. Matijevic managed to walk off the stage and he was immediately taken to a hospital.

Four years later, Matijevic formed a new version of Steelheart with Kenny Kanowski (guitars), Vincent Mele (bass) and Alex Makarovich (drums) to record and release the album "Wait". The single "Wait" went No. 1 in some Asian countries, however that was the main area of the album's success, the grunge invasion causing the American European markets to be nearly closed to straight-ahead hard rock. Original member James Ward joined Steelheart on the tour supporting the album. Also on the "Wait" album, "We All Die Young", the first track, was in the motion picture, Rock Star, starring Mark Wahlberg. Matijevic stated that "Wait" was the choice of the title because it took a long time to gain freedom from the record company and his manager, who was taking more than what was his.

Rockingham 2016

In 2016 it was disclosed that Steelheart would appear at the three-day Rockingham 2016 melodic/hard rock festival, held in Nottingham, United Kingdom. Steelheart appeared on Saturday 22 October, headlining the day's seven-act programme.

Current members

Past members

Albums