R.I.P. FireHouse vocalist C.J. Snare

C.J. Snare, vocalist of the long running hair-metal band Firehouse, has passed away at the age of 64 after a long battle with cancer.

https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/cj-snare-dead-firehouse-singer-1235650673/

I wasn't a huge FireHouse fan but I enjoyed their first two albums, esp. the debut. I lost track of them after that, though.

When I got married in 1999 I lobbied pretty hard to make their ballad "Love of a Lifetime" our first-dance song (I know, I know... cringe!) but my wife-to-be had her heart set on a god-awful country ballad by some Garth Brooks wanna-be whose name I have long forgotten, so needless to say it didn't happen. Sorry, C.J.

I was surprised to hear FireHouse doin' a pretty legit cover of "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" on the Judas Priest tribute album The Broken Law a few years back.  



Gonna bust that debut album out tonight and give it a spin, it's been a while. R.I.P. sir.

I was in high school when the first album came out. They seemed like a band geared for ladies (lots of ballads). The guitars were pretty good…

Not a big fan, but it’s sad to hear of a premature death. Poor guy had battled cancer a few years earlier.

R.I.P.

This is a huge loss to the Charlotte, NC music scene. They were the first band from our area to make it. But these guys were always playing and packing out the local clubs. Out supporting other bands from the area. Working hard to get to that next level. It's a sad day for sure.

Sad news. Hold Your Fire is one of my favourite albums.

When I Look Into Your Eyes was my wedding song.

nevermore wrote:

This is a huge loss to the Charlotte, NC music scene. They were the first band from our area to make it. But these guys were always playing and packing out the local clubs. Out supporting other bands from the area. Working hard to get to that next level. It's a sad day for sure.

Where is COC from? Raleigh?

Troublezone wrote:

nevermore wrote:

This is a huge loss to the Charlotte, NC music scene. They were the first band from our area to make it. But these guys were always playing and packing out the local clubs. Out supporting other bands from the area. Working hard to get to that next level. It's a sad day for sure.

Where is COC from? Raleigh?

Yes.

Sad news. I really only knew their singles that got some airplay back in the day, but they were pretty decent tunes.

I was hoping they'd release a new studio album.

@nevermore did you get to see the pre-Firehouse lineup of White Heat live?

glassprison wrote:

@nevermore did you get to see the pre-Firehouse lineup of White Heat live?

Unfortunately, I didn't. But I do have a flyer from a show that I picked up in a record store from back in the day.

Great band! My wedding song was courtesy of them. R.I.P. CJ

7thSecond wrote:

Great band! My wedding song was courtesy of them. R.I.P. CJ

When I Look Into Your Eyes was my wedding song.

Gilbert wrote:

7thSecond wrote:

Great band! My wedding song was courtesy of them. R.I.P. CJ

When I Look Into Your Eyes was my wedding song.

Great song! Mine was Love Of A Lifetime.

glassprison wrote:

@nevermore did you get to see the pre-Firehouse lineup of White Heat live?

Sounds like a perfect mix of Van Halen and Stryper.

That "White Heat" track sounds pretty good. "Van Halen meets Stryper" is a perfect description.

C.J. was also a member of Rubicon Cross, who released one album in 2014. Pretty good, a little heavier on the "modern metal" vibe than Firehouse.

Stryper (whose bassist, Perry Richardson, was once a member of Firehouse) paid tribute to C.J. Snare by covering "All She Wrote" at a gig this past week:



Kinda weird to see Michael Sweet without a guitar strapped to him.

Wow. He was still planning to hit the road.
I didn’t read about cancer in the article. Who knows.
64 is a touch young - 65 is retirement age. Etc.
I’m sure his funeral was crowded -

It’s sad about CJ… but I’m glad Oz Fox is still kicking. He was is bad shape from a couple tumors not too long ago.

Glower wrote:

Wow. He was still planning to hit the road.
I didn’t read about cancer in the article. Who knows.
64 is a touch young - 65 is retirement age. Etc.
I’m sure his funeral was crowded -

He had been battling colon cancer. But he actually passed from cardiac arrest.