History of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal: Accept

Cinderella was formed in Philadelphia in 1982 by singer
songwriter/guitarist/keyboardist Tom Keifer and bassist Eric Brittingham. The initial lineup also included guitarist Michael Smerick and drummer Tony Destra, who eventually left to form Britny Fox in 1985, a Philadelphia-based band that later relocated to Los Angeles.

The band got its big break when Jon Bon Jovi saw them perform at the Empire Rock Club in Philadelphia and recommended that his A&R rep see them as well.[1] In 1985, with a recording contract with Mercury/Polygram Records in the works, guitarist Jeff LaBar and drummer Jim Drnec joined the band.

During the recording of the band's 1986 debut album, Night Songs, studio session drummer Jody Cortez[2] was brought in when producer Andy Johns found drummer Drnec difficult to work with. While finishing the recording, Drnec was replaced by former London drummer Fred Coury, who joined in time to make the album's cover and play on upcoming tours. Night Songs was released on August 2, 1986, and eventually achieved triple platinum status, selling 50,000 copies per week at one point.

Cinderella's second album, Long Cold Winter, was released in 1988. A 254-show tour to support it lasted over 14 months and included dates on the Moscow Music Peace Festival along side other metal acts, such as Ozzy Osbourne, Scorpions, Mötley Crüe, Bon Jovi, and Skid Row. The tour's stage show included Keifer being lowered to the stage while playing a white piano during their radio hit "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)".

Their third album, Heartbreak Station, was released in 1990 and featured songs more influenced by Keifer's love of the blues. Following the accompanying tour, Fred Coury left the band and joined former Ratt vocalist Stephen Pearcy in the band Arcade.

In 1991, Keifer completely lost his voice due to a paresis of his vocal cord. He also underwent several surgeries to repair a vocal cyst and hemorrhage.[3] This added to delays in recording of their fourth album. In 1994, they finally released Still Climbing with Kenny Aronoff on drums, but with little support from their label and none from MTV, the album quickly disappeared from the charts. The band broke up in 1995.