Phil Varone
| Phil Varone | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Philip Varone III |
| Born |
October 15, 1967 Long Island, New York |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, Songwriter, Actor, Producer |
| Instruments | Drums |
| Labels | Atlantic Records |
| Associated acts |
Saigon Kick Prunella Scales Skid Row Vince Neil |
| Website | philvarone.com |
| Notable instruments | |
| Drums | |
Phil Varone (born October 15, 1967) is an American drummer, music producer and songwriter. He is a founding and former member of the band Saigon Kick from 1988–1996 and from 2012–2015.
While out of Saigon Kick for several years, some of which Saigon Kick wasn't active, he played for Prunella Scales, Skid Row, and Vince Neil.
Varone was born on Long Island, New York, to parents Phil and Angela Varone, both of Italian descent. His family relocated to Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 1980. Phil received his first drum kit as a Christmas gift as a young child. He began playing percussion in grade school at the age of 7 and continued into the first years of junior high. Self-taught, Phil credits his skills to listening to his favorite bands and drummers.
Varone began playing in various local bands while still in high school in Fort Lauderdale. In 1988, he joined together with some of his friends and formed Saigon Kick. The band signed a recording contract with Atlantic Records after two years. They earned a Gold Record for the album, The Lizard as well as a Billboard top 10 single for the song, "Love is On the Way". In 1996, Saigon Kick disbanded and Varone stayed busy producing and doing studio work for a variety of artists.
In 2000, Varone joined multi-platinum recording artists Skid Row. Together they toured the world with Kiss, Poison, Def Leppard and Tesla; along the way, they recorded a new record, Thickskin. Additionally, the band produced Under the Skin: The Making of Thickskin, which was internationally distributed on DVD.
In 2003, Varone played drums for Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe on his solo tour.
When Varone left the music business in 2004 he decided to pursue a career in acting and stand up comedy. Varone appeared as a celebrity customer in an episode of Miami Ink, in which he got a tattoo of his son's name. He also appeared in episodes of the Showtime series Californication, and the CBS series Numbers. Varone appeared the E! program Inside Celebrity Rehabs, the NBC game show Identity, in which he was correctly matched to his identity as a rock and roll drummer, and on an episode of Celebrity Ghost Stories on the BIO Channel. He also appeared in an Asian Nokia TV commercial.
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