By Jim Barber
Already a legend within the annals of rock music, with tons of of album credit, thousands and thousands upon thousands and thousands of information offered and legendary performances alongside the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Rod Stewart, Jeff Beck, and an affect on succeeding generations of percussionists, Carmine Appice reveals no indicators of slowing down, at the same time as he enjoys his eighth decade on the planet.
A co-founder of two of crucial, creatively distinctive and influential rock bands of the late Nineteen Sixties and early Eighties, Vanilla Fudge and Cactus, Appice solid his mark in stone on the music panorama together with his innovation, his energy, his dynamism and his can’t miss efficiency stagecraft. For greater than 50 years, he has been name-checked alongside fellow drummers with the final names of Moon, Bonham, Baker and Starr as essentially the most vital and gifted to ever sit behind a equipment and bash away.
With an unabashed affinity for collaboration, and a want to attempt new kinds, new sounds, new approaches, Appice has been a continuing presence within the pop, rock and metallic neighborhood, by way of his time serving to craft the legendary disco hit, ‘Do Ya Suppose I’m Attractive’ for Rod the Mod, to swapping chops with Tim Bogert and Jeff Beck in Beck, Bogert & Appice, his iconic however very quick run with Ozzy in the course of the Bark on the Moon period, to forming the grossly underrated Eighties hair metallic band King Kobra, to his partnership with Tony Franklin and the late nice former Skinny Lizzy and Whitesnake guitarist/songwriter John Sykes within the sensible and bombastic Blue Homicide within the late Eighties, and on to his self-produced Guitar Zeus undertaking [see article here**], there may be undoubtedly no off change. Whew! That’s a heckuva checklist!
Within the early years of this new millennium, understanding that there was not solely nonetheless an viewers for his early work, however an entire new crop of followers searching for some soulfulness, some prodigiousness, some impressed musical wizardry on their ‘playlists,’ Appice revived each Vanilla Fudge and Cactus, every releasing new music in addition to re-releasing earlier recordings.
Since signing with Cleopatra Information across the time of the pandemic, Cactus has launched two new studio albums, Tightrope in 2021, and Temple Of Blues: Influences and Associates. Now, the band, has launched Temple of Blues II, following on an analogous system, and with equally compelling impact.
The thought to comply with up the primary Temple of Blues document, using the present lineup of Cactus – Appice, vocalist Ed Terry, guitarist Artie Dillon and bassist James Caputo – joined by a pantheon of traditional rock icons, got here from Cleopatra Information proprietor Brian Perera.
“It was his concept to do these information within the first place. Once we had been speaking about different stuff he advised perhaps we do one other Cactus Temple of Blues document and I stated yeah, let’s do it. At first I didn’t know what we might do, so I began wanting by way of the Cactus catalogue and I discovered three songs that I believed worthy of re-recording and being on it, and for the remainder of them, as a result of I actually needed it to be famous as a blues album, I intentionally picked some actual old skool blues [most of them composed by Willie Dixon]. So the album that ‘Evil’ got here off, from the primary Temple of Blues album, was [the 1969 compilation] The Howlin’ Wolf Album, and I beloved that album so I stated, ‘you recognize what’ let me have a look at that album. So I did, and located eight songs from that album, and so they’re all actual blues – Howlin’ Wolf and Willie Dixon – and I stated let’s simply modernize them and do what we did with ‘Evil’ with these different songs. And that’s what we did, as a result of that album has so many cool songs and funky variations of the older recordings and such good drum grooves that aren’t an atypical drum groove. This man Morris Jennings was sensible and I don’t know in the event that they instructed him to play the drums like that, however he simply got here up with the groove on “Evil’ which is nice, and he got here up with all these completely different sorts of grooves on the album. I took the identical primary factor that he was doing and modernized the sound and made the groove sound a bit extra like proper now, after which I matched the gamers to the track who I believed would match the groove,” Appice defined, noting that not solely was he choosing the songs and taking part in drums, however he was additionally the arranger and producer of the Temple of Blues albums.
“I produced this one and the final one and I did it like I did with the Guitar Zeus albums again within the day, I produced that as effectively. I’m not likely generally known as a producer, you recognize, however I can produce clearly. For this undertaking it’s a little bit of a nightmare, nevertheless it’s a pleasant nightmare to have so many individuals and so many shifting components. It’s plenty of spreadsheets, with plenty of entries of the names of the fellows you’re gonna name. You then’ve received the subsequent spreadsheet of the fellows who can’t make it, you then received the fellows and the songs they go along with. With our model of ‘Spoonful,’ [most recognizable of which was recorded by Cream in 1967] I thought of matching Bob Daisley [former Ozzy bassist] and Ted Nugent and thought that might work. First I’d do Ted’s half after which I’d ship it to Bob as a result of I do know Bob can play together with something, and Ted all the time modifications stuff a bit. Like, he did a very good, and completely Ted groove on the track which wasn’t there earlier than. That’s the cool stuff that surprises me and makes the method a lot enjoyable.
The second single from Temple of Blues II is a raunchy cowl of the traditional Willie Dixon penned blues tune ‘The Little Pink Rooster,’ recorded first by Howlin’ Wolf and later to in style acclaim by The Rolling Stones. It, like the opposite tracks on the album, options some noteworthy visitor artists, together with what might presumably be the final ever vocal efficiency of the now-retired former Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider, together with the caustically uncooked guitar work of L.A. Weapons founder, Tracii Weapons.
“Cactus! The title conjures such wonderful recollections for me. An inspiration for the rock I’d play within the years to come back. Are you able to think about what it was wish to ‘get the decision’ that your heroes need you to rock with them? Thoughts blowing! And now to be requested for a second time!? What a deal with to dig right into a blues traditional like ‘The Little Pink Rooster’ with Cactus! Hell yeah!” Snider, who guested on the primary Temple of Blues album two years in the past, stated in a press launch to announce the one and video.
The primary single from the album was an incendiary cowl of one other iconic Dixon composition, ‘Again Door Man,’ which featured Cactus vocalist Ed Terry singing his coronary heart out, accompanied by his bandmates in addition to company Billy Sheehan on bass and the guitar virtuosity of Eric Gales.
The comply with up single to ‘The Little Pink Rooster’ got here in April with the discharge of a powerhouse model of ‘Unhealthy Stuff,’ initially from the 1972 Cactus launch Ot and Sweaty. It contains a veritable all-star band roster, headlined by former Deep Purple and Rainbow frontman Joe Lynn Turner, alongside former Dixie Dregs, Kansas and Deep Purple axe slinger, Steve Morse, in addition to prog-rock keyboard legend Derek Sherinian. Holding down the rhythmic fort is Appice himself and longtime collaborator and pal Tony Franklin on bass (The Agency, Blue Homicide).
“When Carmine requested me to contribute a vocal to the brand new Cactus album the primary query was ‘what track?’ He stated a bluesy rock track known as ‘Unhealthy Stuff’ that might be good for me. And once I heard concerning the wonderful lineup of Steve Morse, Tony Franklin, Derek Sherinian, and, in fact, Carmine, I used to be utterly offered! The result’s a low-down soiled blues observe that strikes and grooves with a horny voodoo swagger. I’m very proud to play an element on this killer album,” Turner stated in a press launch.
Franklin, in fact, whose nickname is ‘The Fretless Monster’ was one of many members of the triumvirate that comprised Blue Homicide, alongside Sykes. It was a legendary conglomeration of expertise that by no means hit its stride. One of many nice ‘what if’ questions amongst followers of traditional rock of a sure age, those that had been impacted by the exhausting rock and metallic of the Eighties and into the early Nineteen Nineties, has been whether or not this former supergroup would ever be reconstituted in its most profitable and musically impactful type. The band’s 1989 self-titled debut album was a bona fide hit, with the singles/movies for the songs ‘Jelly Roll’ and “Valley of the King’ receiving boatloads of airplay.
For numerous causes, a follow-up album was not issued till 1993, and by that point Appice and Franklin had departed the undertaking, and the album was not commercially viable, due largely to the onset of Grunge and different rock, as practiced by the likes of Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Nirvana.
Sykes, who spent 15 years as a part of a reconfigured model of Skinny Lizzy from 1994 to 2009, sadly died a number of days earlier than Christmas in 2024, would by no means decide to a reunion, though discussions had been had on quite a few events. In keeping with Appice, a lot of the hesitation got here from the best way Sykes needed the band to be structured and marketed.
“We rehearsed at John’s home and we had been going to do it, and we had dates booked. John was with Lizzy and the supervisor that they had, he left to do the brand new Blue Homicide factor and he booked some dates after which him and John had a battle or one thing so the dates had been blown out, and that was the top of it for some time and I went off and did different issues. We had been nonetheless jamming over at his place, and one of many final issues I bear in mind in my conversations with John at the moment was he needed it to be John Sykes and Blue Homicide, and I needed us to simply do it as Blue Homicide. I stated, ‘let’s simply name in Blue Homicide and exit and do Blue Homicide.’ I instructed him he might do his John Sykes stuff any time. He needed to exit beneath his title, as a result of he had the reference to Whitesnake and Skinny Lizzy. I instructed him, ‘man I received simply as large bands as you could have in your background, perhaps larger, and Tony has too.’ Let’s simply do Blue Homicide. Then we form of let it lie, and the subsequent time I noticed him was on the NAMM present in 2020 simply earlier than Covid, and he was there and launched me to this little German drummer child who was all gaga at assembly me, and John stated, ‘yeah, we’re going to exit and perform a little tour like I needed after which after that we’ll do Blue Homicide.’ I stated okay, which was superb as a result of I used to be doing stuff with Vanilla Fudge and Cactus. However that was the final time I bodily noticed him, though we’d speak on the telephone now and again. Within the final yr of his life it was exhausting to get by way of to him and I lastly despatched him a textual content and I stated, ‘dude, are you okay? You’re not answering the telephone.’ Then he lastly texted me again and stated he was superb, after which the subsequent factor I do know, he’s gone,” Appice stated, as he talked extra concerning the legacy of Blue Homicide and the way curiosity within the band hasn’t appear to waver during the last 37 years, though the traditional three-piece lineup solely did the one document.
“We performed with Bon Jovi for eight reveals and we had been jamming after which all of the little ladies, they beloved it. We had been a fairly good wanting band and had nice music. Initially John stated he wasn’t meant to sing, however we couldn’t discover a singer [the very first lineup of Blue Murder featured another legend behind the drum kit, Cozy Powell, with the late Ray Gillen on vocals. Gillen was briefly in Black Sabbath and would come to the fore a couple years later fronting another supergroup, Badlands, with former Ozzy axeman Jake E. Lee and future Kiss drummer Eric Singer.] Me and Tony stated, ‘hey, look, you bought the document deal on the power of your individual voice on the demos, simply sing it and we’ll be like Cream, a 3 piece,’ though we additionally had a keyboard participant [Nik Green] out on the street. But it surely all got here collectively, and that album was nice, actually nice. I’d have wager you my home that was going to go platinum or double platinum, and the subsequent information would have been even higher. I feel we had one thing, however then one thing on the enterprise facet, and different stuff occurred, so ultimately me and Tony stop and John ultimately did a second Blue Homicide document.
“He was attempting to do it with different folks, nevertheless it didn’t work, so John known as me and Tony and we went again to it as session guys and did many of the second Blue Homicide document [Nothin’ But Trouble]. He had a few tracks on bass by Marco Mendoza, and there was one other drummer on a few songs too [Tommy O’Steen], however the tracks that me and Tony did had been like magic as quickly as all of us performed collectively. There’s undoubtedly magic there. It was magic from the beginning. I bear in mind after Ray Gillen and Cozy left, I went to England when my brother was taking part in with Dio and I came upon the place John and Tony had been and I went and performed with them, and it simply clicked. Now, I used to be speaking with my label lately and I stated, ‘have you learnt what? I haven’t talked to Tony about this, however we must always do what we do with Cactus with Blue Homicide, proper?’ As a result of, yeah, everyone loves Blue Homicide. I nonetheless signal Blue Homicide information in all places. I feel it might be potential. It might be a tribute to Blue Homicide, we simply want to search out somebody to do the guitars and vocals. So, we’ll see.”
One other one in every of his former collaborators additionally handed away in latest months, the legendary Black Sabbath frontman, and heavy metallic stalwart, Ozzy Osbourne. Whereas Ozzy’s then drummer Tommy Aldridge, who performed on the primary two studio albums alongside the late Randy Rhoads, Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman, recorded components for the songs on Bark on the Moon (launched in 1983, and that includes Rhoads’ substitute, Jake E. Lee), he was changed by Appice for a short while, together with for the capturing of the now iconic video for the title observe (the one the place Ozzy transforms right into a werewolf), however Aldridge then got here again mid-tour throughout some acrimony between Appice and Ozzy’s spouse/supervisor, Sharon.
The rationale why Appice was chosen within the first place was as a result of there had been earlier interactions between he and Ozzy going again to the early Seventies.
“My relationship with Ozzy goes means again, means earlier than I performed with him. Consider it or not, Black Sabbath performed their first tour in America with Cactus and the opening act for a present we did in New Jersey [in November 1970] was known as Metal Mill and that was Bruce Springsteen’s band. We received alongside nice at the moment, and so they known as me, I didn’t name them. They known as me to come back be part of Ozzy’s band and though Tommy did the drums on the document, they requested me to come back in and get a greater drum sound and end the album. I do bear in mind Sharon form of left Ozzy in my care for 3 weeks in New York Metropolis, and it was fairly wild as a result of it wasn’t all the time protected there at the moment, and he was strolling round with large diamond rings on and every little thing. We’d stroll to the studio [The Power Station, where the mixing of Bark at the Moon was happening] which was near the resort, and Tony Bongiovi [cousin of Jon Bon Jovi] was the engineer, and I labored with him with Vanilla Fudge, so I knew him and we type of revamped the drums there and I additionally helped rework all of the vocals with Ozzy and Tony and was purported to have an affiliate producer credit score on the document and get a bonus each time the document went gold, however that by no means occurred,” Appice stated.
“So Tony and I fastened all of the drums after which me and Ozzy flew the Concorde to England to do the video for ‘Bark on the Moon,’ and we received alongside nice the entire time. Once we toured America for the album, I did a drum grasp class in each market we performed. I had my very own t-shirts for that too, however Sharon saved attempting to screw up various things for some purpose, not letting me promote the shirts and never letting me speak to the press. However, you recognize, it’s an extended, lengthy, very long time in the past, so it’s cool. However she fired me and stated, ‘you might want to begin your individual band.’ So I began King Kobra and I received large document offers after which later did Blue Homicide. I haven’t talked to her since that 1984 day.”
It was additionally famous within the dialog that moreover Sykes and Osbourne, former King Kobra frontperson Mark (later Marcee) Free had additionally died lately (October, 2025) as had one other collaborator, Rick Derringer, who died in Could, 2025, with Appice saying he actually talked to the well-respected and beloved guitarist/songwriter [The McCoys, Edgar Winter Band] the night time earlier than his passing, whereas he was recovering from a medical episode introduced on by earlier bypass surgical procedure.
The truth that so lots of his pals, former musical compadres and contemporaries are leaving this mortal coil just isn’t misplaced on the drummer. Appice is satisfied that staying as busy as potential, particularly busy doing one thing you like, is the important thing to an extended life. And he is aware of of what he speaks, as on Dec. 15 he’ll flip 80.
“My spouse [Leslie Gold, aka The Radio Chick] was an enormous radio speak present host in New York Metropolis for a few years and she or he did a daily bit known as ‘Life Story’ and she or he talked to people who find themselves like 104, 100, 101 and what all of them type of stated that the key to life was objective. So I consider objective has lots to do with it. We reside in Florida more often than not and persons are all the time asking if I play golf. I play drums, proper, and I like doing it and I’m going to play till I can’t do it no extra, and I assume that’s the explanation why. And it’s additionally necessary doing new issues, and being artistic,” he stated.
“My father instructed me when he was, like, 77 yr previous, he stated, ‘you recognize, my mind looks like I’m 18, however my physique don’t.’ I do know I’m not as quick as I was. I imply, I used to be actually a freaking animal on the equipment once I was in my 20s, 30s and 40s, proper up till perhaps the final 5 years once I slowed down my velocity on the drums lots, however I realized to do different issues to make up for it.”
For extra info on Appice, Cactus and all his numerous actions, go to https://carmineappice.web, or https://cactusrocks.com.
- Jim Barber is a veteran award-winning journalist and writer primarily based in Napanee, Ontario, Canada, who has been writing about music and musicians for greater than 30 years. In addition to his journalistic endeavours, he works as a communications and advertising specialist and is an avid volunteer in his neighborhood. Contact him at jimbarberwritingservices@gmail.com.
