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Gary Cherone (b. Gary Francis Caine Cherone, July 26 1961, Malden, Massachusetts) is an American rock vocalist and recording artist. He is best known for his contributions to the hard rock bands Extreme and Van Halen. In recent years he has released solo recordings.

Early years

Cherone grew up near Boston, Massachusetts as the third of five brothers and the younger of fraternal twin Greg Cherone. Raised in a middle-class Catholic family, Cherone was quiet, creative, and athletic. As a youth he dreamed of a career as a basketball player until he suffered a serious knee injury.

In his teenage years Cherone turned to singing in local bands and was heavily influenced by the reigning rock frontmen of the day; most notably Roger Daltrey of The Who, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, and Queen's Freddie Mercury. In 1979 Cherone and drummer friend Paul Geary formed a hard-rock cover band called Myth and performed locally. In 1981 they changed the band's name to The Dream and recorded a six-song independent vinyl E.P.

A few years later, Cherone and The Dream appeared on the early MTV program Basement Tapes, a show in which the viewing audience "voted" (via toll-free telephone number) for one of two competing amateur music videos submitted by unsigned artists. The Dream's video for "Mutha, Don't Wanna Go to School Today," won their contest, beating a then-unknown Henry Lee Summer by just 1% of the total vote.

With Extreme

In 1985, Cherone and Geary met guitarist Nuno Bettencourt and bassist Pat Badger in an altercation over a dressing room, but the rivals soon became collaborators and shortly after the combined foursome took the name Extreme, and began writing their own material. By the late 1980s, the group had attracted a large regional following; in 1987, the band signed with A&M Records, which released their self-titled debut album in 1989.

Over 250 thousand sales of the band's debut album were justified a second, and in 1990 the band recorded the critically-acclaimed Extreme II: Pornograffiti, a fiery mix of hard rock, funk, and pop propelled by Bettencourt's extraordinary guitar playing. The album's lyrical content, mostly written by Cherone, was loosely based on the concept of a fictional young boy named "Francis" and his observations of a decadent, corrupt, and mysoginistic society.

Although well received by the rock press, initial sales and chart success for the album were sluggish until A&M released the acoustic ballad "More Than Words" in the early spring of 1991. The song was picked up by mainstream radio and became a huge smash, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 that summer. Extreme II: Pornograffiti was eventually certified quadruple platinum and remains a notable entry in the genre.

Cherone's career came full circle in April 1992 when he performed Hammer to Fall onstage with the three surviving members of Queen in The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium. Later that year, Extreme released III Sides To Every Story, an ambitious concept album for which the band toured heavily in support.

As the decade progressed, the sudden popularity of grunge music brought about a sea change in the pop music industry, causing a massive decline in the popularity of bands who were perceived as having an over-produced look and/or sound. In response, Extreme's 1995 recording, Waiting for the Punchline, was a stripped-down and cynical affair that was only modestly successful. After the supporting tour, Bettencourt became dissatisfied and left the group to launch a solo career. Extreme officially folded almost immediately afterward.

With Van Halen

In the fall of 1996, after a falling out with vocalist Sammy Hagar and an attempted reconciliation with founding vocalist David Lee Roth, arena rock superstars Van Halen found themselves without a singer and called on Cherone (who shared the band's management) for an audition. Guitarist Eddie Van Halen liked Cherone's work ethic and soon named Cherone as the band's third (and as the guitarist would often comment, "final" ) vocalist. Cherone took up residence in Van Halen's guest house and spent the next year writing and recording a studio album.

Released on March 17, 1998, Van Halen III was an eclectic and diverse set that marked a departure from Van Halen's straightforward rock sound.

Neither the album nor the supporting tour performed to expectations (III was the first album in the band's career to not achieve at least double platinum status). In November 1999, after spending the year attempting to record III's follow-up, the band issued a press release announcing Cherone's amicable departure. Since then, Cherone has remained on good terms with his former bandmates, and has gone on record numerous times with his thoughts on why the collaboration didn't particularly work.

Post Van Halen

After his departure from Van Halen, Cherone returned to Boston and put together a new project, Tribe of Judah. The band played several shows in the Boston area and released a CD on Spitfire Records entitled "Exit Elvis."

In 2005, Gary released a four song sampler CD, Need I Say More.

In May 2006, Gary sang in three shows as part of Amazing Journey, a tribute to The Who created by Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy, featuring Paul Gilbert on guitar and Billy Sheehan on bass. Not long after, Gary and his brother Markus Cherone created their own tribute to The Who, Slip Kid. Presently the band continues to perform regularly in the Greater Boston area.

Later that year, Van Halen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Cherone's two-year stint with the group did not establish him as a band member eligible for induction. However, at the televised induction ceremony, the group's bassist Michael Anthony thanked Cherone for his contributions.

Trivia

• Cherone is an outspoken opponent of abortion. In 1999 and 2001, Cherone wrote "open letters" to Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam challenging Vedder's pro-choice views, but did not receive a response to either.
• In 2006, Cherone and the original members of Extreme reunited in Boston for a few live performances (See photo).

References

• Gary Cherone Biography at Starpulse.com
• Gary Cherone at AllMusic
• Chilvers, C.J. (1999) The Van Halen Encyclopedia. Malpractice Publishing, Oak Lawn, IL. ISBN 0-9667539-0-9

Notes

1. Chilvers, C.J. (1999) "The Dream." The Van Halen Encyclopedia. Malpractice Publishing, Oak Lawn, IL. ISBN 0-9667539-0-9
2. George-Warren, Holly et.al. (2001). The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll. "Van Halen." Third Edition. Fireside Publishing, 1163 p. ISBN 0-7432-0120-5
3. Classic Rock Revisited-Gary Cherone Interview - retrieved on July 16, 2006
4. "Gary Cherone's Extreme Viewpoint." Kay Handley. The Phoenix. June 30,2006 - retrieved on July 17, 2006
5. Remarks on the Cherone-Vedder Controversy at Libertarians For Life - Retrieved on July 16, 2006

External links

• hurtsmile : Gary Cherone's latest musical project
• Gary Cherone's MySpace Music website
• Official Gary Cherone website
• Artist Direct page for Gary Cherone
• Official Van Halen website

• 1961 births
• Living people
• American male singers
• American rock singers
• Performers of Christian music
• Extreme (band) members
• Falsettos
• Italian-American musicians
• Massachusetts musicians
• People from Middlesex County, Massachusetts
• Van Halen members