About Firehouse
FireHouse is an American hard rock band that formed in 1984 in Richmond, Virginia. They then moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, where they signed with Epic Records in 1989. The band reached stardom during the early 1990s with charting singles like "Don't Treat Me Bad," "All She Wrote," and "Reach for the Sky," as well as their signature power ballads "Love of a Lifetime," "When I Look into Your Eyes," and "I Live My Life for You." At the 1992 American Music Awards, FireHouse won the award for "Favorite New Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Artist."
As the 1990s progressed, the band remained very popular in Asia, mainly in Japan and Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, India, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore. They also maintained popularity in South America and Europe. FireHouse continued to release new material throughout the late 1990s and into the early 2000s, most of which successfully charted in Japan. The band has also continued to tour internationally, having participated twice in the annual Rock Never Stops Tour with other bands from the same genre. FireHouse is estimated to have sold over 7 million albums worldwide since their debut.
Originally composed of vocalist/keyboardist C. J. Snare, guitarist Bill Leverty, drummer Michael Foster and bassist Perry Richardson, the band has maintained its original members with the exception of Richardson, who departed in 2000. Richardson was replaced two times before current bassist, Allen McKenzie, was given the position in 2004. Snare remained as the lead singer of FireHouse until his death on April 5, 2024. He was replaced by a former American Idol Season 21 contestant Nate Peck, who has been touring with the band since 2023 taking Snare's place as a temporary lead vocalist, citing health issues.
The history of FireHouse can be traced back to 1984, when Leverty's band White Heat needed a drummer. After over 20 auditions, current FireHouse drummer Michael Foster answered the ad and when Leverty was impressed by his skill, he quickly hired him. When the band wasn't on tour, Leverty and Foster would visit rock clubs, and it was at one of these clubs where they caught sight of a band called Maxx Warrior. Singing for the band was C. J. Snare, and the band's bassist was Perry Richardson. Leverty and Foster were impressed with Snare's vocal ability, and became determined to unite the bands. As soon as Maxx Warrior broke up, Leverty sent Snare some of his songs and asked him to sing on his tape. Foster and Leverty were again impressed, so they brought Snare in to be the band's lead singer for a show in Virginia several weeks later.
The three-member group took their tape to Perry Richardson, the ex-bassist for Maxx Warrior, who said he liked it but had made a six-month commitment to the band that he was a member of at the time. When the commitment was fulfilled, Richardson and his new bandmates moved to Charlotte, North Carolina and began recording demos in Leverty's bedroom. The band would record all day and play hotel shows at night to earn income. Since Leverty and Foster's band name of White Heat was trademarked, the band chose FireHouse instead. In December 1989, Michael Caplan of Epic Records flew to Charlotte, NC to see a FireHouse show, and told the band immediately following the performance that they were ready for a record deal. The band went into the studio with David Prater as producer. Prater, who later produced bands such as Dream Theater and having drummed with Santana, produced the band's first two albums.
The band's self-titled debut in 1990, FireHouse, was met with much critical acclaim. The band won the American Music Award for Best New Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Band of 1992 , Metal Edge Magazine's Best New Band of 1991, Young Guitar Magazine's Best Newcomer of 1991, and Music Life Magazine's reader's pop poll Best Newcomer of the Year 1992. The band's first album sold over two million copies in the United States, and was certified double platinum by the RIAA. The band's third and most successful single, "Love of a Lifetime", reached No. 3 selling over 500,000 copies. Other singles also charted including the harder-rocking "Don't Treat Me Bad" at No. 14. The first single from the album, "Shake & Tumble" enjoyed success on the radio and brought attention to the band, but it failed to chart on the Pop charts, although it did at Metal radio. The album went on to become certified gold in Canada, Singapore, and Japan.
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