Overkill closed out the 1980s with a bang. Jan. 16, 2021. Interview with Norwegian Model, Interview with Social Media Personality Justine DiVanna, Who is Natt aka Ian Nattkemper? If I wanted to, I couldve easily made this list half Overkill releases. In our hearts she will always be a guiding force.. Their blend of hard rock, prog, psychedelia, soul, funk, and singer/songwriter defied all labels and conventions, and is best demonstrated on their second album, Gretchen Goes to Nebraska. All Rights Reserved. Zazula offered the band their first opportunity to play in the New York area and organized their first tours with Raven, one of the leading metal bands from the UK at that time. Rats Returnis about those who claim to have the interests of the people at heart, but when it comes down to it there is only ego and . Jon's acclaimed autobiography, "Heavy Tales: The Metal. For this album, Anthrax doubled down on the hard hitting mosh riffs thatd make them a household name. We fought for five hours! Jon signed broader hard rock acts, too, like KingsX, Mind Funk and original KISS lead guitarist Ace Frehley. The couple began promoting shows including an early show with the early metal band Anvil in the area. I will forever be grateful to her, Jonny and the entire Megaforce family for taking a chance on a gang of misfits and outsiders like ourselves and for helping connect us to a larger and like-minded audience., On Monday, Hetfield wrote: Marsha Z is the Metal Matriarch of the East Coast. She was great at assisting others through her patience, Jon wrote. Even so some great times and music . While Jon brought the fire and the business savvy, the Zazulas relationship was a deeply complementary one, with Marsha holding down some of the more artistic aspects of running the label while reining in some of her husbands wilder ideas. Charlie Benante, Hank Von Hell Charlie Benantes Silver Linings OUT NOW! Joined by fellow Megaforce alums and former tour mates, Raven, Metallica will perform songs from earlier in their career, circa 1983 through 1984, at the Seminole , Porcupine Tree released their single Rats Return off their upcoming full-length release Closer/Continuation, which is out June 24th, along with an accompanying video. This was the album where it all came together for the New Jersey Wrecking Crew. To us he was simply daddy Our father and mother were a powerhouse partnership in love, life, and business. Unhinged vocals? Most fell into the latter, only to be swallowed by obscurity. Marsha was one of a kind and taught the world to be fiercely independent. Brendon Small - the mastermind behind massive metal band Dethklok and albums The Dethalbum (the highest-charting death metal album ever on the Billboard Top 200 chart), Dethalbum II, Dethalbum III and Metalocalypse: The Doomstar Requiem - has been teasing a new chapter of his popular Galaktikon saga for months. 2 talking about this. Hed just played me Metallicas No Life Til Leather demo. "Marsha Zazula Dies: Cofounder of Influential Megaforce Records Was 68", "Marsha Zazula, Co-Founder of Metallica's Early Label, Megaforce Records, Dies at 68", "JON ZAZULA, Co-Founder of Legendary Metal Label MEGAFORCE RECORDS, Dies At 69", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Megaforce_Records&oldid=1144160499, This page was last edited on 12 March 2023, at 04:15. Talk about a resume! Megaforce and our artists will never forget her. The label varied its roster during the 1990s and continues to this day. I used it a lot with Jon, too.. Undaunted, the Zazulas took matters into their own hands, launching Megaforce Records in 1982. And here it is: The greatest album Megaforce ever released. RIP daddy you will truly be deeply missed, but, never forgottenyour LegaZ will live on forever, not only in us and your grandchildren, but, in every headbanger on this planet for all of eternity!". Over 35 years on and all of these songs are bound to get the pit started. In the . Metallica would not be who we are or where we are today without Jon Zazula and his wife, Marsha. Kill Em All combined the musical backbone of the NWOBHM with the raging vitriol of hardcore punk, paving the way for a new genre: thrash metal. As Lived By Jon Zazula", was released in October 2019. American record producer and co-founder of Metallica 's first label Megaforce Records Jon Zazula died on Tuesday, aged 69. The latter scored major label distribution deals with Island and Atlantic. Read more about the release HERE at Brooklyn Vegan. The couple had founded Megaforce in 1982. Jon's wife Marsha, with whom he founded Megaforce, passed away of cancer in January of last year. Alongside his wife and Megaforce co-founder Marsha Zazula, who . Surprisingly selling 60,000 copies in '84 . The video features Weird Al, Pat & Joe from Fallout Boy, Patton Oswalt, and others. POSEHN featuring comedian Brian Posehn and Scott Ian, has released a new video for the track New Music Sucks. Why AI Has Some Viewers Asking Which Film Actors Are Real. All Rights Reserved. He was a mentor, a manager, a label head and a father figure to us all . In a time when you were either glam or thrash, and nothing in between, Megaforce took a chance Kings X, fully knowing they fit into neither box. Thats why it succeeded and why it was special, and why I loved being part of it.. But it was Marsha who decided to focus on selling rare import copies of albums from burgeoning New Wave of British Heavy Metal acts such as Iron Maiden, Def Leppard and other rising European bands, and stocked the store with like-minded publications such as Kerrang and Sounds. Stay warm and stylish while rocking the classic Megaforce Records logo. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. No man can ask for a partner like Marsha Zazula, someone who would stand by your side, support you, and believe in you to the extent of losing everything in order to make those dreams come true, he said in a statement to Billboard at the time, before praising his late wife as a woman breaking the glass ceiling in an industry ran by men.. Courtesy Megaforce Records. Once he heard Metallica, though, his focus both personally and professionally became the burgeoning metal underground. Dave Brownsound He also opened up a mysterious coincidence that happened the night Burton died. What was Jon Zazula Net Worth? Rob Caggiano BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. Find at your local store while supplies last. Megaforce's string of mid-'80s thrash metal hits surpassed the Zazulas' expectations and in 1995, the label spun off a full-service sister company, MRI, that helped pioneer a business model. Check out this great Megaforce Bundle for the Holiday Season. Their debut album, Heavy Metal Maniac, was released on June 14, 1983 via Shrapnel Records, just five short weeks before Metallica released Kill Em All. Alongside his wife and Megaforce co-founder Marsha Zazula, who died last January, Zazula was instrumental in launching the burgeoning thrash-metal subgenre that exploded into the culture in the mid-to-early 1980s. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google, Visit Billboard Pro for music business news, Harbourview Founder/CEO Sherrese Clarke Soares Accepts Trailblazer Award at Billboard Power 100 Event: A Dream of Mine, Los Rolling Stones (y todo su catlogo musical) estn ahora en TikTok, Walter Ulloa, fundador del conglomerado de radio y TV Entravision, muere a los 74 aos. Jon "Jonny Z " Zazula has died at 69 years old. Having singlehandedly kicked off the thrash revolution five years earlier, it only made sense for Megaforce to usher in the genres second wave in 1987. We all know that musicians have a little bit of mental impairment, she laughed. While the label continues to operate today, the Zazulas . 2023 Billboard Media, LLC. Megaforce artists that have appeared on the Billboard Top 200 chart include Metallica, Blue October, Anthrax, Overkill, Testament, Mushroomhead, Ministry, Bad Brains and Meat Puppets. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends). Rats Returnis about those who claim to have the interests of the people at heart, but when it comes down to it there is only ego and self-interest, saysPORCUPINE TREEfounderSteven Wilson. Unrelenting ferocity? Jon Zazula was an American Record Producer and the Co-Founder of Legendary Metal Label Megaforce Records has died at the age of 69 on Tuesday, a rep for the label confirms to Variety. It was a quantum leap forward in all areas: songwriting, musicianship, arrangement, production. The Madness. (Originally published in Top 10: Metal Albums of 1985). In 1982, when no one wanted to take a chance on four kids from California playing a crazy brand of metal, Jonny and Marsha did, and the rest, as they say, is history. Born in 1952, Jonny began his extraordinary journey as a renegade youth who went from living on the streets of the Bronx in New York City, to later working on Wall Street, and eventually (and unexpectedly) transitioning into the music business and discovering METALLICA, ANTHRAX and others. The "Massive News" theme by: Press75.com|Powered by: WordPress. Megaforce is stoked to team up with Music for Nations for the first new Porcupine Tree album in 13 years, Closure/Continuation. The world of rock and metal would not be what it is today without Jon Zazula. And you're able to jump upon it and ride it," Jonny told Variety. Since then, the company has largely maintained a focus on metal . Well miss you Jonny!, I remember it like it was yesterday- Saturday afternoon, late 82 at Rock & Roll Heaven with Jonny, wrote Anthrax guitarist and co-founder Scott Ian on Instagram. Jon and his wife Marsha Zazula (who passed last January) co-founded Megaforce Records in 1982 by selling records from an outpost at a flea market in East Brunswick, New Jersey.. One of the couple's earliest signings was an underground heavy metal act from California called Metallica. With his late wife Marsha, Zazula helped launch thrash metal into the mainstream. 127 E 23rd St, New York City, New York, 10010, United States, Find your B2B customer within minutes using affordable, accurate contact data from Datanyze, Megaforce Records headquarters are located in 127 E 23rd St, New York City, New York, 10010, United States, Megaforce Recordss main industries are: Consumer Electronics & Computers Retail, Retail, Megaforce Records appears in search results as Megaforce Records, Megaforce Records Inc, Megaforce Worldwide Entertainment Inc, Get Free Access to Megaforce Records Contacts Info. Jon Zazula Net Worth: How Rich was American Record Producer? A limited audiophile deluxe LP will also be available, cut at 45rpm on 312 clear vinyl in 12 slipcase box with two bonus tracks; a limited audiophile deluxe CD in 12 slipcase box will include the standard CD, a second disc with three bonus tracks and album instrumentals, Blu-ray disc with 5.1/Dolby Atmos and HD audio versions of the album, and an exclusive album art book. Through their business at the flea market, the Zazulas had become deeply attuned to the undercurrents bubbling up in metal at the time, and they proved smart and savvy enough to harness it. Elliot's dad is one of the most powerful men in the music industry, Lucian Grainge. Although we are devastated he is gone, they are finally reunited. Available June 4, 2021. Megaforce Records, which "Jonny Z" co-founded in 1982 alongside his wife Marsha who died in January 2021 was the onetime home to a number of influential metal acts, including Anthrax,. Pre-orders are available now. Prior to EQUAL VISION, TAMI was at SUBURBAN NOIZE RECORDS and EPITAPH RECORDS. Charlie Benante. In 2013, Megaforce supplanted Idlewild's previous collaborator, Rounder Records. An abbreviation for Stormtroopers of Death, S.O.D. Former EQUAL VISION RECORDS Dir./Promotions TAMI MORRISSEY joins MEGAFORCE/MRI ENTERTAINMENT in a similar capacity. Born in Brooklyn, Marsha was a guiding and stabilizing presence at a company which also included Crazed Management whose artists were often as unruly as their music. Hopefully theres a great show goin on up there tonight to welcome you! Whether it be the groove-a-licious Everybody Knows a Little Bit of Something, delicately beautiful Summerland, foot stomping Over My Head, or anything in between, there isnt a weak moment on Gretchen. Cuts like A.I.R., Lone Justice, and Gung-Ho let Anthraxs peers know theres more to thrash than breakneck aggression. Her ability to communicate [prevented] many problems at that time. After the runaway success of Spreading the Disease, Anthrax retreated to the studio to record their followup and magnum opus, Among the Living. Just as Kill Em All put Megaforce on the map and vice versa in 1983, Ride the Lightning only expanded both Metallica and Megaforces base in 84. The Music. Megaforce and MRI artists continue to be successful today: Anthrax has landed three albums in the topfive of Billboards Hard Rock Albums chart, with its 2016 release, For All Kings, reaching No. Jons love of music and musicians was unwavering. The Zazulas metal dynasty began in the early 1980s as a small independent record store called Rock and Roll Heaven, located at the Route 18 flea market in East Brunswick, New Jersey. The then-recently married couples goal was modest: Make a profit on $180 worth of inventory, which was all they had. Marsha was the grand dame of metal, who had style, class and an open heart, and who rallied for all of us misfits, starting with Metallica and the rest is history, she said. Want to know what everyone in the music business is talking about. She had balls, beauty, brains and vision. She is survived by Jon; three daughters, Danielle Zazula, Rikki Zazula and Blaire Brewer; a sister, Hedy Tehrani; and five grandchildren. Jonny and Marsha were really a team; she was there for every decision. You know it. Corey Glover This was when labels were still at their height and taking advantage of people," stated Zazula. Gone were the high speed NWOBHM flavored headbangers. The world lost a true legend today Our Dad lived a life as fast, hard, heavy, powerful, and, impactful as the music Posted by Rikki Zazula onTuesday, February 1, 2022. Once I started working with music, I knew all the answers, Jon told Billboard while promoting the book. Madhuri Shetty is a young Indian girl from Mangalore, who continuously searches for new things and the one who likes to explore. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. Realizing the group was, as Jon put it, lightning in a bottle, the couple brought the quartet to their home in New Jersey and created Megaforce Records to launch the group. Marsha Zazula, the co-founder of Megaforce Records, died of cancer on January 10, 2021, at the age of 68. Megaforces string of mid-80s thrash metal hits surpassed the Zazulas expectations and in 1995, the label spun off a full-service sister company, MRI, that helped pioneer a business model giving artists more control in how they were managed and had their music distributed. It has offices in New York City (where the corporate office is located) and Philadelphia. The world of rock and metal would not be what it is today without Jon Zazula. Behold: The album that started it all. Kwame Brathwaite Net Worth: How Rich Was American Photojournalist? It has offices in New York City (where the corporate office is located) and Philadelphia. The label is distributed in the United States by RED Distribution, having previously been distributed by Atlantic Records while Anthrax's recordings from 1985 to 1991 were marketed by Island Records. Jennifer Cella Henry Flury One can only imagine how much more revered Heavy Metal Maniac would be among the masses had it been released on Megaforce. In 1995, the Zazulas spun off a full-service sister company, MRI, which helped pioneer a business model that gave artists more control over how they were managed and how their music was distributed. Get notification with the latest net worth updates for free. The content published on BiographyDaily may not be republished, copied, redistributed either in whole or in part without Acknowledgement or due permission. Jonny and Marsha, nearly always side-by-side, were a friendly and familiar presence at metal concerts and events during the era. It has offices in New York City (where the corporate office is located) and Philadelphia. Check. Once I started working with music, I knew all the answers, says Jon. Megaforce Records Headquarters: New York, United States. Up until this point, American bands essentially had two options: Get lucky and sign to a major label, or release it yourself via a small, fly by night, independent label. In 1984, Metallica left Megaforce for Elektra. In 2001, the Zazulas departed Megaforce, selling their stake to the labels former radio director, Missi Callazzo. He was 69. Kramer worked the same magic on Anthrax as he did those gods of yore, helping accentuate their brutality without losing the melodic charm of their past two releases. The Madness. Members of Metallica, Anthrax and other figures in metal took to social media to pay their respects to Megaforce Records Co-Founder Jon Zazula, who passed away yesterday (February 1) at the age of 69. . Megaforce Records is an American independent record label founded in 1982 by Jon Zazula and his wife Marsha Zazula to release the first works of Metallica, and devoted primarily to hard rock and heavy metal. In 2019, Jon resurfaced publicly with the autobiography Heavy Tales: The Metal. "We were very fortunate, Marsha and I, that we have them to choose as a band that became the biggest band in the world. Chris Smith Net Worth: How Rich Was American Football Player? Metal pioneer Jonny Z recounts 40 years of Megaforce Records with book D.X. Rest In Peace Jon. Jon Zazula chronicled much of the labels history in his book, Heavy Tales: The Metal, The Music, The Madness, talking of how he met a sweet girl named Marsha and how their personalities created to a successful marriage and a long-running business partnership. pic.twitter.com/uKdY8spBpj, Megaforce Records (@megaforce) January 10, 2021. He was born on 16 March 1952 in Bronx, New York, United States, he was 69 years old at the time of his demise. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. Megaforces horizons expanded a bit over the years, with the Zazulas signing more mainstream hard rock acts like Kings X, Mind Funk and original KISS lead guitarist Ace Frehley. 1. Megaforce Records is an American independent record label founded in 1982 by Jon Zazula and his wife Marsha Zazula to publish the first works of Metallica. Rest In Peace Jon., Heavy music lost one of its great champions today when Jonny Z left this world far too soon, wrote Metallica in a statement posted to Twitter. A beat passed, breathing subsided to a point where Jonny could speak and he excitedly raved at me, Im bringing them to NY, were going to make an album, and if nobody will put it out Ill start my own label and I will put it out, and you guys will be next. And he did all of that. What do you get when one of your labels biggest acts forms a side project that doubles down on their love for hardcore punk and outrageously offensive humor? Marsha and I almost got divorced over using keyboards on the bands [1985 song] Armed and Dangerous, recalls Jon. Jons love of music and musicians was unwavering. Missi Callazzo, who started as an intern in 1989 and ended up taking over the label, said Marsha and Jon gave me my start in the business while I was still in college. They would bring in all this vinyl that was just un-gettable in the States, unless you knew somebody overseas, says Ellsworth. They make a great gift for the special metalhead in your life or just to treat yourself right. It was hard choosing which one(s) should make the cut, but I had to include the mighty Taking Over. The former scored a major label deal with Elektra. Before starting a metal label, Jon grew up in the Bronx in the 1960s loving opera and classical music, and later the Grateful Dead and jazz legend Rahsaan Roland Kirk. He then formed the band "Frehley's Comet," which signed a deal with Megaforce Records and . Metallica went . Marsha Zazula, the co-founder of Megaforce Records, died of cancer on January 10, 2021, at the age of 68. With such crazed cuts as Destructor, Pounding Metal, and the unforgettable title track, this was a headbangers dream come true. Today, upon the sudden passing of Jon, we pay tribute to the Zazulas and their contribution to heavy metal with our Top 10 Megaforce Records Releases. A giant was lost today. Megaforce Records Profile and History. What was I thinking? he wonders now. Charlie Benante, *Chloe Dancer / Crown of Horns(MOTHER LOVE BONE), Mark Menghi Jon Zazula, co-founder of the influential metal label Megaforce Records, has died. The rats will always save themselves first.. Billboard is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Metallica decamped for Elektra Records in 1984, but Megaforces successful run with the band allowed the label to grow its roster and sign distribution deals with Atlantic and Island Records, providing a major-label gateway for its artists. It was a win-win. The label is distributed in the United States by RED Distribution, having previously been distributed by Atlantic Records while Anthrax's recordings from 1985 to 1991 were marketed by Island Records. But one day, a customer brought by a demo cassette of Metallicas No Life Til Leather and insisted Jon play it on the spot. BiographyDaily Private Enterprise - RT Nagar, Bangalore-560032. Jon Zazula, Co-Founder of Legendary Metal Label Megaforce Records, Dies at 69 - 1breakingnews.com A giant was lost today. Jonny died of complications of the rare neuropathic disorder chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP),chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and osteopenia, the family said. Megaforce Records contact info: Phone number: (212) 777-6800 Website: www.megaforcerecords.com What does Megaforce Records do? While the label lost Metallica to Elektra Records in 1984, shortly after releasing the groups second album, Ride the Lightning, Megaforce remained a powerful force in heavy metal throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, releasing albums by the above artists and many others via distribution deals with Atlantic, Island, Caroline and other labels. Tim Bachman Net Worth: How Rich Was Canadian Guitarist? Jons love of music and musicians was unwavering. He was east coast and I was west coast in the early days of metal. Known as Jonny Z to his friends, Zazula grew up in the Bronx in the 1960s, when contrary to the music that would come to define his career he counted himself as an aficionado of opera and classical music, the Grateful Dead and jazz legend Rahsaan Roland Kirk. The Black Crowes and Meat Puppets have both received various RIAA certifications in the US. Megaforce technically continues to distribute Idlewild releases through The Orchard, but after the release of I Like Fun, TMBG decided not to use the distributor credit nor include Megaforce's logo in their album liner notes and packaging from My Murdered Remains onwards in case they want to find a new distributor. Theyd then strive to be picked up by Megaforce, which quickly became the premiere label for this young, fledging genre. Thank you for everything., Later on Sunday, Ulrich followed with a statement of his own: Marsha was an incredibly selfless matriarch who had an enormous impact on my life and the lives of countless others. Home Net Worth Jon Zazula Net Worth: How Rich was American Record Producer? Metallica paid tribute to Marsha on Instagram Sunday posting a recent photo of founding members James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich with the Zazulas and early Megaforce publicist Maria Ferrero, captioned, Rest In Peace, Marsha. We will love you to eternity, her family wrote. Though its commercial impact wasnt immediate, it became a landmark record that is now often cited as the first thrash-metal album released in the U.S., influencing generations of bands to follow. Read Next: Ed Sheeran Slams Musicologists Criminal Testimony in Todays Thinking Out Loud Court Hearing. UPDATED: Megaforce Records co-founder Marsha Zazula who launched the iconic label, which released the first albums from Metallica, Anthrax and many others, with her . Charlie Benante, Dave Snake Sabo Through Megaforce, the couple put out early records by pivotal bands including Anthrax, Testament, Overkill and future mainstream superstars Metallica, whose first two albums triple-platinum Kill Em All and six-times platinum Ride the Lightning were released by the label in the first half of the decade. Frank Bello Paul Cattermole Net Worth: How Rich Was English Actor? Its essentially flat out thrash metal with the hooks, catchiness, and charisma of AC/DC. Billboard is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Ra Diaz Randy McStine She was this steady hand, a calming force, during these intense moments and there were intense moments! The label also launched the careers of many executives who are still working in the industry, including Ferrero, Megaforces first employee, now of Adrenaline PR. Megaforce's early releases included Metallica 's Kill 'Em All and Mercyful Fate 's Melissa in 1983, Anthrax 's Fistful Of Metal and Metallica 's Ride The Lightning in 1984, and then records.
