Jerry Only And The Misfits
Jerry Caiafa was born on April 21 1959 in a small New Jersey town called Lodi. Jerry received a bass in his senior year at Lodi High. While he was still attending Lodi High, he met Glenn Anzalone and together they started one of the most influential bands of all time, The Misfits. They named their band after Marilyn Monroe’s last movie. Together, with new drummer Manny, they recorded their first single; Cough Cool/She. The single was very unique with the absence of guitar. They released it on their own label, Blank Records. Later, they added Frank Licata and replaced Manny with Jim Catania. Each of the members had stage names to better suit the band; Jerry Caiafa became Jerry Only, Glenn Anzalone became Glenn Danzig, Frank Licata became Franche Coma and Jim Catania became Mr. Jim. They soon recorded the E.P Bullet which was their first recording session with a singer, drummer, bassist and guitarist. Later, The Misfits recorded their first full length album, Static Age.
After a switch in the band members, The Misfits recorded Horror Business E.P. and Night of the Living Dead in 1979 with new guitarist Bobby Steele formerly of the Whorelords. They also replaced Mr. Jim with Joey Image. Joey Image quickly quit while touring in the UK because he was sick of Glenn’s outrageous behavior. As soon as they got back to the US, The Misfits had another line up change when they recruited Arthur Googey and lost Bobby Steele due to personality conflicts. The Misfits soon recruited Jerry’s younger brother Paul Caiafa for the guitarist role. Paul soon became known as Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein. The Misfits now consisted of Jerry Only(bass), Glenn Danzig(vocals and lead guitar), Arthur Googey(drums) and Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein(rhythm guitar). This line up successfully produced the album Walk Among Us which was the Misfits Most Successful Album so far.
After their next single, Halloween, Arthur Googey left the band due to financial conflicts. The band soon released a live album named Evilive which featured Black Flag’s lead singer Henry Rollins. Their newest drummer was Eerie Von Stellman but he was almost immediate replaced by ROBO of Black Flag. This new line up recorded their newest album Earth A.D. . After a new tour, Glenn Danzig left the Misfits but not before recording one of the most influential punk songs of all time, Die, Die My Darling.
Glenn Danzig started a new band named Danzig, this was much slower and more musical than what he was doing in The Misfits. Danzig became an extremely well known band but not nearly as popular as The Misfits had been. Glenn had recruited
Jerry and Doyle were invited to play with Dr. Chud and Kryst The Conqueror. They spent a while with Kryst but finally decided to start the Misfits back up.
Jerry Only and Glenn Danzig had a court battle that lasted years over the bands name. Jerry Only finally won the name and resurrected the band. He and his brother Doyle recruited drummer Dr. Chud and new lead singer Michael Graves. The new band released American Psycho in 1997 which was a humongous success. This album was The Misfits best selling Album yet. In 1999, they released Famous Monsters.
Misfits fans, also known as Fiends, are probably the greatest fans that any band today has. They have lasted for just as long as the Misfits have and there are more than ever.
In 2001, The Misfits had their most destructive tour to date to commemorate their 25th anniversary. All the shows on the tour were sold out within days. The tour was completely stacked with positively the best roster they have ever had. The band consisted of Jerry Only, Doyle, Dr. Chud, Michael Graves and special guests Marky Ramone and Black Flag’s Dez Cadena. The anniversary was a historic landmark in the punk community. The tour was one of the most successful tours in the history of punk music. More people were listening to The Misfits than ever. The band are the kings of the punk music world and aren’t going to be giving up their crowns for a very long time.
"The Misfits have been preserved on determination and the sheer will to survive. That determination has been bound by the unequaled loyalty of our fan base of fiends. Our goal is simple, to be the best. In resurrecting this band I risked all that I'd done in the past and I dared to challenge a legacy born in my youth. Today I am stronger, smarter and faster than I have ever been. We plan to continue as always, eclipse the past, block the sun and drag humanity by the throat into a world of darkness filled with ghouls, goblins and creatures of the night, where we are king." Jerry Only
“ One thing is certain, The Misfits are here to stay and once again, every day is Halloween ” Jerry Only
Bio written by: misfits_fiend |
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