Evanescence

Other bands Evanescence has been compared to include Lacuna Coil, Nightwish and Within Temptation, all of which also employ the use of female vocals. The Fortunes continue to attract rave reviews and new fans wherever they appear. On many music-related news articles, the band is often compared to nu-metal band Linkin Park, but many fans find this comparison unfair because it is based almost solely on their hit single "Bring Me to Life." Much of their other music, they say, sounds very different. The group remain as popular as ever, and are constantly in demand to do TV and radio shows, along with their live concerts. Critics have accused Evanescence of being "wannabe" goth rockers, but really just pop. Lee, however, dismisses these claims as mere "labels" and refuses to categorize and (to paraphrase) put in a box the band's music since she believes Evanescence has a unique sound unlike any other. As a testament to the Fortunes' continued popularity you need look no further than to the Gold Disc they were awarded in 1987 for over 100,000 sales of the All The Hits and More album. The piano plays a significant role in the majority of the band's music. Although the Fortunes' show concentrates on the hits of Yester-year, the combination of Rod and Bob’s alternating lead vocals together with the group's dynamic musical versatility allows them to stretch their repertoire over a wide range of material; thus giving them the luxury of performing many of the great songs from the beginnings of rock and roll to the present day.

Many say that the band is goth rock, which is true in certain respects. Certainly, many of its songs focus on life's negative moments and darker themes such as lost love, loneliness and death. During the Fortunes set, apart from sharing vocal duties with Rod, Bob leads the band through a tribute to his former group, including a version of the Badfinger-penned classic "Without You", made famous by Nillson, and more recently Mariah Carey. More widely known softer songs include "My Immortal," "Everybody's Fool" and "Imaginary," which to an extent, can be categorized as pop. Bob was no stranger to fame as he was previously a member of Badfinger when they were on the Beatles' Apple Records label. While there are the heavier songs it is generally known for such as "Going Under," "Bring Me to Life" and "Whisper," they only really constitute a minority of all the songs by the band. In March 1995 vocalist/keyboard/guitar player Bob Jackson was added to the Fortunes' ranks. Evanescence fits roughly into the generic genre of rock, but in fact sounds quite different among its arsenal of songs. This ensures that the Fortunes' performances exude class and professionalism.

Eventually it was Terry Balsamo, from Cold who joined the band in Moody's place. Longstanding members Paul Hooper (drums) and Michael Smitham (guitar) ensure the group's unique blend of harmonies is backed up with a high standard of musical ability honed by many years of experience. Former Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland had been mentioned as a replacement for Moody and Lee described him as a friend, suggesting they may write together on their next record. His powerful, versatile voice is unmistakeable, and in the view of many fellow artists and fans alike, considered to be exceptional, if not the best on the circuit. In an interview several months later [1] (http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/01/08/1073437399128.html), Lee said "we'd gotten to a point that if something didn't change, we wouldn't have been able to make a second record." Since, Lee has said it was almost a relief that he left because of tensions. Founding member Rod Allen has been fronting the Fortunes as lead vocalist since 1963. To this day, he has not fully explained the reason for his leave. During this period, the Fortunes were also the voices for the US Coca Cola adverts ("It's The Real Thing") still to be seen and heard in the US today.

In October 2003, Moody left the band abruptly in the middle of a European tour. From the initial success in 1964 of "Caroline", used as the signature tune for the influential Pirate Radio station Radio Caroline, the Fortunes had a steady succession of world-wide hits culminating in 1972 with the release of "Storm in a Teacup". When the band finally did make an appearance, they became one of the most popular acts in the area. The Fortunes remain as one of the UKs premier harmony groups, and are constantly in demand worldwide. However, a song of theirs entitled "Understanding" found its way onto local music charts, and demand for a live show increased. These songs have stood the test of time, becoming household favourites permanently on playlists everywhere. For some time they were unable to find other musicians to play with, and did not have the funds to pay for professional assistance, thus they were unable to play live shows. The result was a succession of distinctive and distinguished hit records including "You've Got Your Troubles", "Here It Comes Again" and, continuing into the seventies with more successful releases such as "Storm in a Teacup" and "Freedom Come, Freedom Go".

They discovered they shared a love of Jimi Hendrix and Björk, and they began to write songs together. Following on in the wake of Merseybeat, and the R&B of the Rolling Stones, etc., the Fortunes added another dimension to the sound of the classic pop song with their special ingredients of sophisticated orchestration, dual lead vocals and stylish counter-melodies. The two met at a youth camp in Arkansas, where Moody heard Lee playing Meat Loaf songs on the piano. Hailing from Birmingham, England, the Fortunes first came to prominence and international acclaim during that Golden Era of Popular Music - the 'swinging' mid-sixties. The group was founded by Lee and former lead guitarist Ben Moody. In response, Lee encouraged fans to download the band's older songs from the internet during an interview.

Only 2500 copies of this record were ever made, and it is thus not generally available in record stores. However, Lee herself does not consider the record to be an actual album; rather, she considers it merely a bundle of demo songs (some of which she says are not done properly) that was sent to record companies. In fact, the recording of "My Immortal" found on Fallen can also be found on Origin, minus a handful of additional instrumental accompaniments. Not atypically, Origin and the EPs contain demo versions of some of the songs on their first major-label album.

Their first record, Origin (released in 2000), is relatively unknown, and previously released EPs in 1998 and 1999 are even less known, though highly sought after by collectors. It was included in the soundtrack for the action movie Daredevil and garnered recognition for the band at the Grammy Awards of 2004: The single was awarded Best Hard Rock Performance, and Evanescence was awarded Best New Artist. Evanescence's debut single "Bring Me to Life" was a global hit for the band and reached #5 on the American Billboard Hot 100. The band's lead singer Amy Lee has insisted the band is not Christian and does not intend to send a Christian message, even though she is in fact a Christian herself.

The initial labeling of the band as Christian stirred much controversy, until Christian stores eventually took Fallen off the shelves. "Tourniquet", for example, is about suicide and redemption, with lyrics like "Am I too lost to be saved? My God, my tourniquet, return to me salvation." It should be noted however, that the song was a cover, written by members of Rocky Gray's previous band, Soul Embraced. Originally considered by many to be part of the Christian rock scene — and for a short time promoted in Christian stores — the band has distanced itself from such categorization, even though Fallen (2003), their first major-label release, had some religious themes.
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Past Band members:. Evanescence is a rock band from Little Rock, Arkansas, consisting of:. Everybody's Fool, Modern rock tracks, peaked at #36. My Immortal, Top 40 tracks, peaked at #2.

My Immortal, Top 40 mainstream, peaked at #2. My Immortal, Adult Top 40 Recurrents, reached #1. My Immortal, Hot 100, peaked at #7. My Immortal, Canadian singles chart, reached #1.

My Immortal, Adult Top 40, reached #1. My Immortal, Adult contemporary, peaked at #19. Going Under, Canadian singles chart, peaked at #14. Going Under, Modern rock tracks, peaked at #5.

Going Under, Mainstream rock tracks, peaked at #26. Bring Me To Life, Adult Top 40 Recurrents, reached #1. Bring Me To Life, Canadian singles chart, peaked at #3. Bring Me To Life, Top 40 tracks, reached #1.

Bring Me To Life, Top 40 mainstream, reached #1. Bring Me To Life, Hot 100, peaked at #5. Bring Me To Life, Modern rock tracks, reached #1. Bring Me To Life, Mainstream rock tracks, peaked at #11.

Bring Me To Life, Adult Top 40, peaked at #4. Anywhere But Home (2004). Fallen (includes 'My Immortal' (Band Version)) (2004). Fallen (2003).

Origin (2000). Sound Asleep EP. Evanescence EP. David Hodges - Keyboards (left December 2002).

Ben Moody - Lead guitar (co-founder - left October 2003). Terry Balsamo - Guitar (replacement for co-founder Ben Moody). William Boyd - Bass. Rocky Gray - Drums.

John LeCompt - Guitar. Amy Lee - Vocals and Piano (co-founder).