Photo: Osvaldo Loiacono [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)]
The group was formed in 1983 by the great bass guitarist Eric Brittingham and singer, keyboardist, and guitarist Tom Keifer. Drummer Tony Destra and guitarist Michael Schermick were also in the early lineup but left to form Britny Fox in 1985. The band first garnered the interest of KISS bassist Gene Simmons, who tried to help them secure a record deal.
After witnessing one of their shows at the Empire Rock Club in Philadelphia, Jon Bon Jovi was impressed by Cinderella. He got in touch with A&R representative Derek Shulman. Shulman wasn’t initially convinced, but he eventually signed them to a six-month development deal with Mercury/PolyGram Records. After the deal was signed, drummer Jim Drnec and guitarist Jeff LaBar joined the band.
Drnec did not complete the drum parts for the debut album, and session drummer Jody Cortez played the drums on the finished record. Fred Coury was then hired as the band’s permanent drummer and appeared in their music videos and tours. Night Songs
was released in 1986 and sold more than three million copies in the United States. The band went on the road extensively to support the record, opening for artists such as Poison, Loudness, David Lee Roth, and Bon Jovi.
The band’s sophomore release, Long Cold Winter
, was released in 1988. It took on more of a bluesy rock and roll sound, which fans adapted to quickly. The group went on the road for another few years, performing with Skid Row, Bon Jovi, Ozzy Osbourne, and other contemporary artists.
Their third album, Heartbreak Station, came out in November 1990 and continued with the blues theme from their previous record. Following the tour for the record, drummer Fred Coury left to join Ratt singer Stephen Pearcy’s new group Arcade.
The following years brought serious vocal problems for Keifer, who underwent surgeries to repair damage to his vocal cords. This delayed the completion of the band’s fourth album until 1994. Still Climbing came out in November of that year with Kenny Aronoff on drums. Unfortunately, it was the band’s least successful record to date, which caused Mercury Records to drop Cinderella. The group went on hiatus in 1995.
Cinderella resumed activities in 1996 and was signed to Sony Records in 1999. However, Sony later dropped the group before a studio album could be completed. This led to complicated litigation from 2000 to 2002. Before the legal matters, Mercury Records released a greatest hits record entitled Once Upon A… in 1997, and the band’s first live album, Live At The Key Club, was released in 1999 via Cleopatra Records.
The band resumed touring in 2005, joining Firehouse, Ratt, and Quiet Riot. Mercury released another compilation album, Rocked, Wired, and Bluesed: The Greatest Hits, on DVD and CD. Cinderella was all set to tour with Lynch Mob and Warrant in 2008 until it was announced that Keifer’s left vocal cord had hemorrhaged. He would not be able to sing again until the following year.
The group continued touring after Keifer recovered, and the lineup of Keifer, LaBar, Brittingham, and Coury went on to share bills with artists including Poison. Cinderella went on to perform at festivals, cruises, and worldwide tour dates into the 2010s.
For decades, Cinderella’s music has been part of the soundtrack for many hair metal and hard rock fans. Here are ten of their most beloved songs.
# 10 – Bad Seamstress Blues/Fallin’ Apart at the Seams
The first song from Long Cold Winter begins with Keifer on acoustic slide guitar. If you pay attention, you’ll hear a few bars on harmonica and a playful bass drum stamp before the eclectic tones kick in. One of the first blues-rock songs by Cinderella sets a great tone for the rest of the album.
“Bad Seamstress Blues/Fallin’ Apart at the Seams,” the 5-minute-19-second opener, was cut during the Long Cold Winter sessions at Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, New York, with additional work completed at Kajem Studios in Pennsylvania. Producer and engineer Andy Johns oversaw the sessions alongside Tom Keifer and Eric Brittingham.
Keifer handles lead vocals, electric, acoustic, and steel guitars plus harmonica, while Jeff LaBar adds the song’s lead-guitar work and Brittingham anchors the bass. Cozy Powell played drums on much of the album, with additional keyboards and textures supplied by musicians including Rick Criniti, Kurt Shore, and John Webster, and percussion by Paulinho Da Costa.
The parent album was released in 1988, peaked at number ten on the Billboard 200, and later earned triple-platinum certification. The song became a live staple and opened Cinderella’s set at the Moscow Music Peace Festival in 1989, underscoring its status as a mission statement for the band’s grittier second act.
# 9 – Night Songs
“Night Songs,” the shadow-draped opener to Cinderella’s debut album of the same name, took shape during sessions at Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, New York, with additional work completed at Kajem Studios, the Warehouse and Sigma Sound in Pennsylvania, and the Sound Factory in Hollywood under producer and engineer Andy Johns.
Tom Keifer leads the charge with twelve-string acoustic textures, harmonica, and saturated guitar riffs. Jeff LaBar adds guitar, Eric Brittingham steadies the low end, session drummer Jody Cortez powers the backbeat, and Jeff Paris adds keyboards to the nocturnal atmosphere.
Though never released as a major single, the track became a natural live curtain-raiser during the 1986-87 touring period. The surrounding Night Songs album climbed to number three on the Billboard 200 and eventually reached triple-platinum status, establishing Cinderella as one of the dominant hard rock bands of the late 1980s.
# 8 – Heartbreak Station
The title song from Cinderella’s third album is one of their best-known ballads. The slow piano intro begins just like a train slowly sliding into the station. It’s a great song about a lamented lost love that most listeners can instantly relate to.
The album featured Tom Keifer on multiple guitars and instruments, Jeff LaBar on guitar, Eric Brittingham on bass, and Fred Coury on drums. “Heartbreak Station” runs 4 minutes and 27 seconds and was cut during 1990 sessions that moved between Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, New York; House of Music in West Orange, New Jersey; Kajem Studios in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania; and Studio in the Country in Bogalusa, Louisiana, with Tom Keifer co-producing alongside John Jansen.
Keifer supplies lead vocal, slide and acoustic guitar layers, piano, and mandolin. Jeff LaBar handles supporting electric and slide parts, Brittingham anchors the bass, and Coury drives the drums and percussion. John Paul Jones’s string arrangement deepens the ballad’s lonesome Americana feel.
Issued as a single in 1991, the track climbed to number forty-four on the Billboard Hot 100 and number ten on the Mainstream Rock chart. The parent album reached number nineteen on the Billboard 200 and was later certified platinum.
# 7 – The More Things Change
The song’s theme, “the more things change, the more they stay the same,” is still relevant today. The Heartbreak Station track talks about fighting for what you want. This is a great theme that many artists of their era have taken to heart as they fought to stay relevant through the grunge movement and the hard rock styles that followed.
“The More Things Change” was recorded during the 1990 Heartbreak Station sessions, with production by Tom Keifer and John Jansen. Keifer handles lead vocals, slide guitar, and harmonica, while Jeff LaBar delivers the guitar solos. Eric Brittingham provides the bassline, and Fred Coury drives the percussion.
Released as a single from Heartbreak Station, the track reached number forty-one on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart in 1991. The band’s shift toward a grittier blues-rock sound is front and center, with Keifer’s raspy vocal delivery fitting the rootsier direction that defined the album.
# 6 – The Last Mile
This track became a single from Long Cold Winter. It peaked at number thirty-six on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1989. The tune describes an unraveling journey toward finding contentment and peace. It encompasses Cinderella’s determination in their heyday as they persevered through lineup changes and Keifer’s vocal issues.
# 5 – Shelter Me
Most people may remember this song from the mouth organ intro. Others may remember the tongue-in-cheek lyrics rather fondly. It was the first single from 1990’s Heartbreak Station. The song peaked at number thirty-six on the Billboard Hot 100 and number five on the Album Rock Tracks chart.
It is a fun reminder about how we all need something to depend on to get us through life’s difficult days. The music video, directed by Jeff Stein, became a memorable MTV staple, featuring celebrity cameos by Little Richard, Shelley Duvall, Pamela Anderson, Dweezil Zappa, and Harry Shearer in a series of over-the-top satirical scenes that poked fun at the excesses of the music industry.
# 4 – Coming Home
Best known for its opening guitar chords and Keifer’s soulful lyrics, “Coming Home” became a Top 20 hit for Cinderella in the United States. The song from Long Cold Winter was one of the group’s bluesy power ballads.
It could be construed as a love letter to the group members’ wives, girlfriends, and significant others, reminding them that they would be back in their arms again very soon. The song reached number twenty on the Billboard Hot 100.
# 3 – Gypsy Road
Traveling has been a common theme in many of Cinderella’s songs. “Gypsy Road” is no different. Released as one of the singles from Long Cold Winter, you may recall the music video filmed in Mexico, including locations in the Yucatan region.
It is a great traveling and road trip song for many band fans. The song reached number fifty-one on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of Cinderella’s enduring road anthems.
# 2 – Nobody’s Fool
The third song from Cinderella’s first record, Night Songs, became an instant hit in the United States and Canada. It peaked at number thirteen on the Billboard Hot 100 and number twenty-five on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in 1987.
The music video picks up where the video for “Shake Me” left off. The featured girl follows the band members around before running home before midnight, where her rocker outfit transforms into an ordinary dress, a modern fairytale befitting the band’s namesake character.
# 1 – Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone)
Cinderella’s most famous song was a hit in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The popular ballad from Long Cold Winter peaked at number twelve on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Featuring Keifer on vocals, keyboards, and guitar, the track expresses remorse for lost love, stating that we don’t appreciate a good thing until it’s too late. It remains Cinderella’s highest-charting Billboard Hot 100 single.
Keifer has been busy writing, recording, and performing as a solo artist since 2013. He had stated that Cinderella would not regroup because of personal issues within the band. Following guitarist Jeff LaBar’s death in 2021, a reunion of the classic lineup became impossible, and Keifer continued performing Cinderella material with his solo band.
Cinderella penned many chart hits during their heyday in the late 1980s and early 1990s, songs that fans still love and admire today. Lifelong fans have introduced younger generations to Cinderella’s music, creating even more admirers for one of the best glam and hair metal bands of all time.
Updated September 30, 2026
Top 10 Cinderella Songs article published on ClassicRockHistory.com © 2026
Thanks Aaron for a well written article about a much missed group AND time in music. Well done!