Biography
Rock enthusiasts who discover Stark Naked solely through vinyl pressings often classify the group as a shadowy prog-rock outfit with occasional hard-rock leanings, yet audiences from their native Long Island, New York, recall an expansive, highly theatrical live presentation that would later influence acts such as Kiss and Alice Cooper. The lineup—Lyne Bunn on vocals, Richard Belsky on lead guitar, Jim Monahan on guitar, Tom Rubino on bass, Paul Venier on keyboards, and John Fragos on drums—consisted of musicians still in their teens or early twenties when RCA released the band’s self-titled debut album in 1971. That record rose to the sixth position on the charts, but during the subsequent promotional tour the group’s funds vanished; members blamed their absent manager for absconding with the proceeds, grew disenchanted with the industry, and disbanded shortly afterward. Venier and Fragos soon reunited in Salty Dog, a hard-rock ensemble with prog tendencies that recorded and toured extensively through the 1970s. Venier eventually pursued standup comedy before returning to music in 2003 as the leader of the soft-rock project V, whose first full-length release was titled Better Late Than Never.
Albums
