Disclaimer: All information from this page either comes from management or the individual band members' pages. Although they visit this page and have input on what appears, they do not maintain this page or receive email from here. ANGEL would like to thank everyone for all their support over the years.
ANGEL was formed in 1975 by Punky Meadows (Guitar), Mickie Jones (Bass), Gregg Giuffria (Keyboards), Barry Brandt (Drums), and Frank DiMino (Vocals). Originally called Sweet Mama From Heaven they soon changed their name to Angel, inspired by the Jimi Hendrix song. Based in Washington, D.C. they became the house band at a club called Bogie’s and would rehearse upstairs. The group built a strong following and word got out to managers and record companies that Angel was a band to watch. Gordon Fletcher, a writer and reviewer for Rolling Stone and Creem Magazine would frequent the club and took notice of the band. One night Fletcher invited Gene Simmons from Kiss to see the band perform. Simmons was very impressed and wanted them to sign to Kiss’ management, but by that time they had already signed with David Joseph from The Toby Organization. David Joseph felt strongly that Angel would get a record deal and financed the recording of their first album. After relocating to Los Angeles, their self-titled debut album ‘Angel’ was produced by Derek Lawrence and Big Jim Sullivan and featured “The Towerâ€. Neil Bogart from Casablanca Records was impressed with what he heard and signed the band to his label. After touring in support of their debut album Angel headed back into the studio. In 1976 the group released their sophomore album ‘Helluva Band which included ‘Feelin’ Right’ and ‘The Fortune. Lawrence and Sullivan would once again produce. It was during this time that Angel was voted Best New Group of the year in Circus Magazine reader’s poll ahead of Heart and Boston.
Legendary Producer Eddie Kramer (Kiss, Jimi Hendrix) stepped in to produce the band’s third album ‘On Earth As It Is In Heaven’ which included ‘Can You Feel It’, ‘On The Rocks’ and ‘White Lightnin’. This was the first album to feature the new band logo conceived by a fan named Bob Petrick. It allowed the band name to be read upside down as well as in the normal manner. Angel continued to tour non-stop and developed a stage show that would rival their label mates Kiss. The band members’ stage costumes and the majority of their equipment was all white. After a successful tour of Japan bassist Mickie Jones left the group and was replaced by Felix Robinson. Their fourth album ‘White Hot’, was produced by Eddie Leonetti and offered the classics ‘Don’t Leave Me Lonely’ and ‘The Winter Song’, in which the band performed on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand and also featured the California Boys Choir. The album also included a remake of The Rascals’ ‘Ain’t Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore’, which became Angel’s highest charting single at number 44.
Angel’s fifth album ‘Sinful’ (originally titled ‘Bad Publicity’) delivered the single ‘Don’t Take Your Love’. In 1980 the band performed in concert in the Jody Foster film ‘Foxes’. The soundtrack included two songs by the band: ‘20th Century Foxes’ and ‘Virginia’. Their song ‘Wild and Hot’ would later appear in the film ‘Detroit Rock City’. Their next release was a double live album titled ‘Live Without A Net’, which captured the atmosphere and performance of Angel live. ‘An Anthology’ was released next as a retrospect of songs compiled from each album. After years of touring the world and changes with their management and label, the members decided to go their separate ways.
Where are they now?
Mickie Jones now works in the Hollywood film industry. Greg Giuffria went on to form Giuffria and House Of Lords. After the breakup of House Of Lords, Greg relocated to Las Vegas and has been actively involved in the hotel-casino business and other ventures. Felix Robinson toured with 707 and played in an early incarnation of White Lion appearing on their debut album ‘Fight To Survive’. He is now vice president and general manager for a successful audio video system integration company. Felix also plays keyboards in the all-star blues band Drunk Unkles. Punky Meadows works outside of music and has owned several businesses over the years. He currently lives in the South East with his wife. Barry Brandt appeared on a solo album for Michael Bruce (ex-Alice Cooper). Singer Frank DiMino did session work for Giorgio Morodor and appeared as Cycle V on the ‘Flashdance Soundtrack’. He also sang on a solo record for Paul Raymond (UFO), recorded with Sparks and Loudness and appears on two tribute albums for Cheap Trick and Journey. Frank has since become a well-respected voice teacher and is involved in several music projects.
In 1998, Frank DiMino and Barry Brandt reunited as Angel and independently released their eighth album ‘In The Beginning’. The album included contributions from various musicians as well guest appearances by Punky Meadows and Felix Robinson. Since then Angel has continued to tour and has been invited to perform at several major festivals including Sweden Rock and Bang Your Head. The current lineup includes: Frank DiMino, Barry Brandt, guitarist Steve Blaze (Lillian Axe/Near Life Experience), keyboardist Michael T. Ross (Hardline/Accomplice) and bassist Randy Gregg (Thin Lizzy/Lauren Harris).
