Black Widow Bio
Black Widow was formed in 1997 by Tommy (drums), Neal Vaught (bass), Johnny (guitar) and Cat (vocals). Their intention was to perform at local venues as an 80's traditional metal cover band, doing Judas Priest, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Dio, etc. With the addition of their own powerful originals, their local success led them to several high-profile gigs, opening for such bands as Saxon, Ratt, Slaughter, Jackyl, Udo, Quiet Riot, Great White, and Y&T.
After several bass lineups, including Michael Francis, Tom Davis, and Barry Novisel; Dean finally became the fourth set of legs needed to move the metal spider known as "Black Widow."
In 1999, they were selected from thousands of entries to participate in a national/international CD project from Versailles Records. Their contribution, Dokken's "When Heaven Comes Down," can be heard on "The Second Coming: A Millennium Tribute to Hard Rock/Heavy Metal of the 80's." The CD is still in distribution and sound bites can be heard on VersaillesRecords.com. Martin Popoff wrote: "Swear to Roth, this is the first Dokken cover ever to grace my tunes-addled ears. Black Widow adds a compressed, dense rumble to "When Heaven Comes Down," one of those essential, almost haughty Dokken riffsters from the golden Lynch-shredded era of the band."
Tommy Azzinaro, drummer, has been in bands in the Washington, D.C. - Baltimore area of Maryland, USA since the heyday of the 80's. His vintage Rogers double-kick kit can handle the attack with which he performs. His style is fashioned after John Bonham and Tommy Aldridge, with additional influences from newer players, such as Jimmy DeGrasso of Megadeth and Klaus Sperling of Primal Fear. Tommy believes in only two kinds of music - Heavy and Metal . . .
Dean Meredith, bassist, has performed in the Maryland - Virginia area in Southern Rock and Speed Metal bands (what a combo!?!?). His intensity on bass is the compliment to Tommy's driving rhythms and Johnny's shredding guitar . . .
John Anthony, "Johnny,"guitarist and pianist, is the major writing force for Black Widow. He "cut his teeth" in the fiercely competitive 80's Los Angeles, California, USA music scene. His former band, "Sinister," achieved popular status in the West Coast. A move to Baltimore, Maryland, in the mid-90s, led to the formation of Black Widow. His passion for music is recognized by the power and energy he displays in his performances. His shredding guitars (B.C.Rich and Jackson) give Black Widow their sound and driving strength . . .
"Cat"combines the melody and fire that ignite the blazing vocals of Black Widow. Also playing in the MD-DC-VA area for many years, her first band (the name is so horrible, she can't even mention it!) was in Omaha, Nebraska, USA! A multi-octave range enables her to give justice to the music of her heart. Her lyrical contributions pay homage to Johnny, Tommy and Dean's musical compositions. Cat's seductive performance will entice you to "come out and play" . . .
In March of 2003, Black Widow recorded their debut CD, "Satan's Playground". It reflects their European metal influences as well as their own American-made power tunes . . . They invite you to enter their web . . .
The rest will be history . . .
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