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Jerry Only
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Only performing in 2013
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Gerard Caiafa Jr.[1] |
| Born | (1959-04-21) April 21, 1959 (age 65) Lodi, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Genres | Horror punk, punk rock, heavy metal |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer |
| Instrument(s) | Bass, vocals |
| Years active | 1977–present |
Gerald Caiafa Jr. (born April 21, 1959), better known by his stage name Jerry Only, is an American musician, best known as the bassist for the Misfits and later the vocalist as well.[2][3] He is the only member to appear in every Misfits lineup except the original. [4][5]
Gerald Caiafa Jr. was born in Lodi, New Jersey. He started The Misfits with Glenn Danzig on vocals and Manny on drums in 1977, just a few months after receiving his first bass as a late Christmas present. He would work at his father's machine shop during the week to help finance the band and play shows on the weekend. This would go on for several years and the band split due to differences between Danzig and the rest of the band. During this downtime, Only and his brother Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein (guitarist in the 1980-1983 lineup of the Misfits) formed Kryst The Conqueror. In 1995, Only settled a legal battle out of court with co-founder Glenn Danzig, allowing him rights to the Misfits' name on a performing level, while they split the money on merchandising. He reformed the band with Doyle, vocalist Michale Graves, and drummer Dr. Chud.
Chud and Graves left the group in 2000 to form Graves. In reaction to the loss of members, Doyle left the Misfits. Graves, Doyle and Chud were replaced on the M25 tour by Dez Cadena, formerly of Black Flag and DC3, on guitar and Marky Ramone, formerly of The Ramones, on drums. Only took up the singing duties from this point till the present date. In early 2005, Marky left the group and Only brought in ex-Misfit and Black Flag drummer ROBO to rejoin the group. A new album was recorded in 2010 in Colorado entitled The Devil's Rain which was released in October 2011. A single, "Land of the Dead", was released at the mischief night show 2009 at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ.
In 2013, Only and the Misfits released a new album entitled DEAD ALIVE! recorded live at several shows.
In 2017, the reunited lineup performed two additional concerts at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on December 28 and The ForuminInglewood, California on December 30.[6] They also performed at the Prudential CenterinNewark, New Jersey on May 19, 2018.[7][8]
In 1999, Only and the rest of the then Misfits lineup had a brief stint in World Championship Wrestling when they aligned with wrestler Vampiro. Only participated in probably the most memorable match of the Misfits' time when he fought Dr. Death in a steel cage match. Only was dominated in the match but Death was distracted when the rest of the Misfits interfered and attacked his manager Oklahoma (a parody of Jim Ross), pouring barbecue sauce in his eyes. Only won the match after being accidentally Irish whipped through the cage door by Dr. Death.
On May 6, 2014, it was announced that Glenn Danzig had filed a lawsuit against Jerry Only, claiming Only registered trademarks for everything Misfits-related in 2000 behind Danzig's back, misappropriating exclusive ownership over the trademarks for himself, including the band's iconic "Crimson Ghost" logo. Danzig claims that this violated a 1994 contract the two had. Danzig says that after registering the trademarks, Only secretly entered into deals with various merchandisers and cut him out of any potential profits in the process. He said that Only has purposefully led merchandisers, including Hot Topic, to believe that they are legally bound not to accept licenses to exploit the Marks from Danzig or his designees, and Only continues to do so. He said that through this, Only has caused merchandisers not to do business with him and it has deceived consumers as to the source of the merchandise which bore the trademarks. Danzig said a vast majority of the Misfits fans associate the trademarks with the 1977–1983 classic Misfits era when Danzig was a member of the band and not with the current era Misfits. Danzig feels that through false advertising and misrepresentations to merchandisers and consumers it has caused him to suffer damages in excess of $75,000.[9] In August 2014, the judge dismissed the case in favor of Only. In 2017, Darkride Films Interview original drummer Manny Martinez said that from what he remembers, there was no Diane Dipiazza or Jimi Battle in the band. Before The Misfits, Mr. Jim, Diane, and Jimi played in a band with Glenn doing covers, but the original Misfits were Glenn Danzig, Manny Martinez, Jerry Only, and Franche Coma.
On 1 February 1979, Only attended a party on Bank Street in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village and was introduced to Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious who was in town to launch himself as a solo artist. Earlier in the day Vicious had been released on bail from Riker’s Island (where he had been undergoing forced detoxication after an assault on Todd Smith and breaking terms of his previous bail for the alleged murder of his girlfriend Nancy Spungen who was found stabbed to death at the Chelsea Hotel in October 1978). Only arrived early and was making bolognaise sauce with Vicious' mother, Anne Beverly, but once Vicious' drug-taking friends arrived and started getting high, he left. Later that day he discovered that Vicious had died of an overdose which was widely reported as a suicide. Only maintains that Vicious overdosed accidentally from his tolerance being lower as of the result of having been through rehabilitation whilst in prison.[10]
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