FireHouse (also Firehouse) is an American hard rock band that formed in 1984 in Richmond, Virginia. They then moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, where they signed with Epic Records in 1989. The band reached stardom during the early 1990s with charting singles like "Don't Treat Me Bad," "All She Wrote," and "Reach for the Sky," as well as their signature power ballads "Love of a Lifetime," "When I Look into Your Eyes," and "I Live My Life for You." At the 1992 American Music Awards, FireHouse won the award for "Favorite New Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Artist."

As the 1990s progressed, the band remained very popular in Asia, mainly in Japan and Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, India, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore. They also maintained popularity in South America and Europe.

Originally composed of vocalist/keyboardist C. J. Snare, guitarist Bill Leverty, drummer Michael Foster and bassist Perry Richardson, the band has maintained its original members with the exception of Richardson, who departed in 2000. Richardson was replaced two times before current bassist, Allen McKenzie, was given the position in 2004. Snare remained as the lead singer of FireHouse until his death on April 5, 2024. He was replaced by a former American Idol Season 21 contestant Nate Peck, who has been touring with the band since 2023 taking Snare's place as a temporary lead vocalist, citing health issues. Snare would die in April of 2024, and Peck continues to provide lead vocals. Tracks "In Your Perfect World", "You Are My Religion", and "Love Don't Care" became hits in many Asian countries. After the album's release, the band launched their second tour of Asia which ended in late 1996. It was followed by another tour of Indonesia, Thailand, and Japan in February 1997, including several sold-out shows. The band returned to Southeast Asia in July and played an unprecedented 25 city sold-out tour of Indonesia. Initially, Waibel was replaced by Brazilian Dario Seixas, who played bass on the band's 2003 critically acclaimed album Prime Time, but Seixas left the band shortly after, so the band announced that they were in need of a bass player. Allen McKenzie, who was playing bass for Jani Lane's solo project at the time, sent in his audition tape, and the band agreed that he was the right musician for the job.

In December 2004, FireHouse became the first major international rock band to play concert dates in northeast India. The band's first Indian concert date was in Shillong, followed by two more dates in Dimapur, and Aizawl. In a March 2007 interview, when asked about the band's next album, guitarist Bill Leverty said "we plan on going into the studio this coming winter. Hopefully, we'll be able to get all the songs together and record them for a spring/summer release." A month after Snare's death, FireHouse announced that Peck would officially be taking over as the band's new frontman. On June 25, 2025, the band released their first single with Peck on vocals titled "Mighty Fine Lady", which is also the band’s first new material in over twenty years.

Band members

;Current members

  • Bill Leverty – guitar, backing vocals
  • Michael Foster – drums, percussion, backing vocals
  • Allen McKenzie – bass, backing vocals
  • Nate Peck – lead vocals

;Former members

  • Chip Tunstall – lead vocals
  • Samuel Cherry – guitar, backing vocals
  • Cosby Ellis – guitar, backing vocals
  • Richard Smith (a.k.a Rich Bitchin) – bass, backing vocals
  • C. J. Snare – lead vocals, occasional keyboards
  • Perry Richardson – bass, backing vocals
  • Clay Campbell – guitar
  • Bruce Waibel – bass, backing vocals
  • Dario Seixas – bass, backing vocals

;Touring substitutes

  • Andrew Freeman – lead vocals

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

  • FireHouse (1990)
  • Hold Your Fire (1992)
  • 3 (1995)
  • Good Acoustics (1996)
  • Category 5 (1998)
  • O<sub>2</sub> (2000)
  • Prime Time (2003)

See also

  • List of glam metal bands and artists

References

  • Firehouse official website
  • CJ Snare's side project website
  • Bill Leverty's official website
  • An interview with Bill Leverty at www.metalrulesradio.com