Biography
Kix achieved their solitary chart success via the power ballad "Don't Close Your Eyes," featured on the 1988 album Blow My Fuse. Designating that track a power ballad risks equating the group with countless other hard rock and heavy metal acts that surfaced in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Distinctions nevertheless separated Kix from such peers. Stronger hooks, heavier riffs, and genuine songwriting ability elevated the band above the pack. Greater cleverness than most heavy metal contemporaries never translated into treating their adolescent anthems as ironic exercises; rather, deep affection for the music they created turned each album into an unbroken celebration. As a result, critics championed the group while commercial stardom remained elusive even inside metal circles. Amid Metallica's dominance throughout the 1980s, many metal listeners regarded Kix's good-time style as insufficiently weighty. Yet the band's recordings have endured more convincingly than the multiplatinum output of pop metal acts that moved millions of units while Kix continued performing in clubs.
Originally formed as Shooze before adopting the names the Generators and finally Kix, the Baltimore hard rock outfit built a formidable reputation as one of the East Coast's most dynamic live cover bands within several years of their 1978 inception. Frontman Steve Whiteman and bassist Donnie Purnell, the creative force, anchored the lineup alongside drummer Jimmy Chalfant plus guitarists Ronnie Younkins, nicknamed "10/10," and Brian Jay Forsythe. Six-night-weekly club residencies sustained over three consecutive years cultivated an enormous local following and secured a 1981 deal with Atlantic Records. That same year the self-titled debut appeared. Kix contained stage staples such as "Atomic Bombs," the anthemic "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah," and "The Kid." To promote the record the five-piece visited every East Coast city. Their 1983 follow-up Cool Kids revealed a marginally more radio-friendly facet. Led by the single "Body Talk," persistent reports claimed the label had pressured the band into composing the track to chase airplay and had likewise compelled an ill-conceived video depicting the members exercising vigorously. Tracks including "Restless Blood" and "Mighty Mouth" fared somewhat better. Eager to record again, Kix enlisted Ratt and future Warrant producer Beau Hill for Midnite Dynamite, which the group later described as its "self-proclaimed favorite record ever." The set yielded the strong single "Cold Shower" together with notable cuts such as "Sex" and "Bang Bang (Balls of Fire)."
Before commencing work on their third album an unexpected development surfaced. While preparing a short West Coast run, the members repeatedly encountered reports concerning an attractive young frontman named Brett Michaels. Local gossip asserted that Michaels had appropriated singer Steve Whiteman's stage mannerisms. Confirmation arrived when it emerged that Poison had frequently attended Kix shows before relocating to Los Angeles. After Poison attained local prominence, Michaels's borrowings from the charismatic Kix vocalist became unmistakable. When Kix later opened for Poison at L.A.'s Country Club, watching the younger, more photogenic, and less accomplished band from the wings verified their concerns.
Resilient rather than defeated, Kix reconvened in the studio with veteran hard rock producer Tom Werman to create the sole breakthrough of their career. Released in 1988, the fourth album Blow My Fuse delivered the massive hit "Don't Close Your Eyes," whose structure recalled Aerosmith's "Dream On." As the song climbed the charts the band finally received the recognition long sought. The album itself proved consistently strong. The initial single and video "Cold Blood," along with "Blow My Fuse," "Red Lite, Green Lite, TNT," and "No Ring Around Rosie," displayed the group operating at peak form. Kix advanced to arena stages and, over the ensuing eighteen months, supported AC/DC, Aerosmith, David Lee Roth, and Ratt among others. Success proved fleeting, however, as financial difficulties mounted. Deeply indebted to Atlantic, the band confronted an unwelcome revelation that no royalties had materialized from Blow My Fuse. Compounding the setback, the label transferred Kix to its new subsidiary EastWest Records America. The shift proved damaging, forcing the group to navigate an unfamiliar roster while preparing its fifth album. By the time Hot Wire reached stores in 1991, grunge had transformed the musical landscape, rendering a band such as Kix anachronistic and denying it essential radio support.
Retrospectively, Hot Wire stands among the band's strongest-sounding efforts. The lead single "Girl Money," aided by modest MTV exposure, encapsulated the qualities that defined Kix as a premier bar band: double-entendre lyrics reminiscent of Bon Scott-era AC/DC, accomplished musicianship, and irreverent humor. Had the track appeared in 1989 it might have achieved substantial success. Sales approached 200,000 copies before the album faded, prompting Kix to resume extensive touring. The group visited Asia and captured a 1992 live recording in Japan that Atlantic issued the following year as Kix Live, thereby concluding the band's contractual obligations. Founding guitarist Brian Forsythe departed before the album's release yet rejoined in 1994 to record Show Business, the ill-fated 1995 debut on CMC that underperformed and prompted the band's initial dissolution.
Following a three-year hiatus Steve Whiteman resurfaced in Baltimore fronting Funny Money. The act launched its own Kivel Records imprint and issued a self-titled debut in 1998 followed by Back Again in 1999. Forsythe performed with Deep Six Holiday and Rhino Bucket while Younkins pursued assorted projects. Kix reunited in the early 2000s without bassist and principal songwriter Donnie Purnell. Sporadic summer touring ensued throughout the decade. In 2012 the band signed with Frontiers, releasing the concert album Live in Baltimore and, in 2014, the studio effort Rock Your Face Off. The latter achieved notable chart performance, nearly matching the positioning, though not the sales figures, of Blow My Fuse.
Originally formed as Shooze before adopting the names the Generators and finally Kix, the Baltimore hard rock outfit built a formidable reputation as one of the East Coast's most dynamic live cover bands within several years of their 1978 inception. Frontman Steve Whiteman and bassist Donnie Purnell, the creative force, anchored the lineup alongside drummer Jimmy Chalfant plus guitarists Ronnie Younkins, nicknamed "10/10," and Brian Jay Forsythe. Six-night-weekly club residencies sustained over three consecutive years cultivated an enormous local following and secured a 1981 deal with Atlantic Records. That same year the self-titled debut appeared. Kix contained stage staples such as "Atomic Bombs," the anthemic "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah," and "The Kid." To promote the record the five-piece visited every East Coast city. Their 1983 follow-up Cool Kids revealed a marginally more radio-friendly facet. Led by the single "Body Talk," persistent reports claimed the label had pressured the band into composing the track to chase airplay and had likewise compelled an ill-conceived video depicting the members exercising vigorously. Tracks including "Restless Blood" and "Mighty Mouth" fared somewhat better. Eager to record again, Kix enlisted Ratt and future Warrant producer Beau Hill for Midnite Dynamite, which the group later described as its "self-proclaimed favorite record ever." The set yielded the strong single "Cold Shower" together with notable cuts such as "Sex" and "Bang Bang (Balls of Fire)."
Before commencing work on their third album an unexpected development surfaced. While preparing a short West Coast run, the members repeatedly encountered reports concerning an attractive young frontman named Brett Michaels. Local gossip asserted that Michaels had appropriated singer Steve Whiteman's stage mannerisms. Confirmation arrived when it emerged that Poison had frequently attended Kix shows before relocating to Los Angeles. After Poison attained local prominence, Michaels's borrowings from the charismatic Kix vocalist became unmistakable. When Kix later opened for Poison at L.A.'s Country Club, watching the younger, more photogenic, and less accomplished band from the wings verified their concerns.
Resilient rather than defeated, Kix reconvened in the studio with veteran hard rock producer Tom Werman to create the sole breakthrough of their career. Released in 1988, the fourth album Blow My Fuse delivered the massive hit "Don't Close Your Eyes," whose structure recalled Aerosmith's "Dream On." As the song climbed the charts the band finally received the recognition long sought. The album itself proved consistently strong. The initial single and video "Cold Blood," along with "Blow My Fuse," "Red Lite, Green Lite, TNT," and "No Ring Around Rosie," displayed the group operating at peak form. Kix advanced to arena stages and, over the ensuing eighteen months, supported AC/DC, Aerosmith, David Lee Roth, and Ratt among others. Success proved fleeting, however, as financial difficulties mounted. Deeply indebted to Atlantic, the band confronted an unwelcome revelation that no royalties had materialized from Blow My Fuse. Compounding the setback, the label transferred Kix to its new subsidiary EastWest Records America. The shift proved damaging, forcing the group to navigate an unfamiliar roster while preparing its fifth album. By the time Hot Wire reached stores in 1991, grunge had transformed the musical landscape, rendering a band such as Kix anachronistic and denying it essential radio support.
Retrospectively, Hot Wire stands among the band's strongest-sounding efforts. The lead single "Girl Money," aided by modest MTV exposure, encapsulated the qualities that defined Kix as a premier bar band: double-entendre lyrics reminiscent of Bon Scott-era AC/DC, accomplished musicianship, and irreverent humor. Had the track appeared in 1989 it might have achieved substantial success. Sales approached 200,000 copies before the album faded, prompting Kix to resume extensive touring. The group visited Asia and captured a 1992 live recording in Japan that Atlantic issued the following year as Kix Live, thereby concluding the band's contractual obligations. Founding guitarist Brian Forsythe departed before the album's release yet rejoined in 1994 to record Show Business, the ill-fated 1995 debut on CMC that underperformed and prompted the band's initial dissolution.
Following a three-year hiatus Steve Whiteman resurfaced in Baltimore fronting Funny Money. The act launched its own Kivel Records imprint and issued a self-titled debut in 1998 followed by Back Again in 1999. Forsythe performed with Deep Six Holiday and Rhino Bucket while Younkins pursued assorted projects. Kix reunited in the early 2000s without bassist and principal songwriter Donnie Purnell. Sporadic summer touring ensued throughout the decade. In 2012 the band signed with Frontiers, releasing the concert album Live in Baltimore and, in 2014, the studio effort Rock Your Face Off. The latter achieved notable chart performance, nearly matching the positioning, though not the sales figures, of Blow My Fuse.
Albums
Singles
Live
