| The Del Fuegos | |
| Background: | group_or_band |
| Origin: | Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
| Genre: | Roots rock, garage rock, alternative rock,[1] punk rock, garage punk, blues rock, hard rock, power pop, new wave |
| Years Active: | 1980–1990; 2011–2012; 2023 |
| Label: | Slash/Warner Bros. Records (1984-1987) RCA/BMG Records (1989) February (2011-2012) |
| Associated Acts: | Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen |
| Past Members: | Dan Zanes Warren Zanes Tom Lloyd Steve Morrell Brent "Woody" Giessmann Adam Roth Joe Donnelly Sonny Columbus Brother Cleve |
The Del Fuegos were an American 1980s garage-style rock band. Formed in 1980, the Boston, Massachusetts, United States-based band gained success in 1986 with their songs "Don't Run Wild" and "I Still Want You" and appearing in a widely seen television commercial for Miller Beer. The band's fans included Tom Petty,[2] who appeared on one of the band's songs and featured them as an opening act on one of his tours. The band is named after the island of Tierra Del Fuego.[3]
The relationship between brothers Warren Zanes and Dan Zanes, then and now, has been described as "fractious".[4] Shortly after the band was dropped by Slash Records due to the commercial disappointment of their third album for the label, Warren left the band, as did Woody.[5] After Dan and Tom recruited two replacement members, they released a fourth album with RCA Records. The band broke up within a year of the album's release. Dan later said of the group's demise, "The '80s were over, we were over."[2]
On June 23 and 24, 2011, the band played together for the first time in 21 years at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston, Massachusetts.[6] These shows raised money for Right Turn, a rehab program run by Woody. Later, they embarked upon a reunion tour beginning in February 2012 and ending in Dan and Warren's home town of Concord, New Hampshire, at the Capital Center for the Arts on March 4, 2012.
The reunited band also recorded eight new songs in three days, releasing them on February 21, 2012, as an EP titled Silver Star.[7] [8]
The Del Fuegos did reunite for a one night event in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts in July 2023.[9]
Dan Zanes released a solo album in 1995. Later, after distributing a cassette of original children's songs throughout his neighborhood, he began recording children's music with his band Dan Zanes and Friends.[2] The band's music became very popular due to heavy airplay of the group's music videos on the Disney Channel's preschool morning block Playhouse Disney (now Disney Junior) and Noggin (now Nick Jr. Channel). In 2007, his album Catch That Train! received a Grammy Award for Best Musical Album for Children.
Warren Zanes left the Del Fuegos after the band's third album. He went on to earn two master's degrees and a Ph.D. in Visual and Cultural Arts. He is also the Vice President of Education at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He returned to music in 2002 with a solo album titled Memory Girls.
Lloyd left the Del Fuegos after the band's fourth album. He went back to college and earned a bachelor's degree from UC Berkeley before earning a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from the California Institute of Technology in 1999.
After The Del Fuegos, Roth (born Adam Wingfield Roth on May 16, 1958, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)[10] worked on musical endeavors with comedian Denis Leary and recorded with Jim Carroll, David Johansen and The Lemonheads frontman Evan Dando. He was also involved in the bands The Enablers and The Liza Colby Sound.[11] Roth died of cancer on December 16, 2015, at the age of 57.[12]
Morell left the Del Fuegos before the band recorded their first album.[2]
Giessmann founded Right Turn, a program offering assistance to artists in recovery from drug addiction and other mental health issues, in 2003.
Donnelly has worked in a number of music projects since the end of the Del Fuegos, including Wiki 3 and Chris Pahud.
Columbus worked with the Fuegos for Christmas music.
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 | US Modern Rock | US Mainstream Rock | ||||
| 1985 | "Don't Run Wild" | – | – | 46 | Boston, Mass | |
| 1986 | "I Still Want You" | 87 | – | 33 | ||
| 1987 | "Name Names" | – | – | 43 | Stand Up | |
| 1989 | "Move With Me Sister" | – | 22 | 32 | Smoking in the Fields | |