Between a Heart and a Rock Place (17 page)

In 1979, Mike Chapman introduced me to Neil Giraldo—who would soon become “Spyder” to me. It was only a matter of months before we were getting ready for our first tour (
left to right:
Spyder, me, Scott Sheets).
Photograph by Joe D'Amato

 

 

This shot of the band and me was taken at our first gig, at a club called My Father's Place on Long Island (
left to right:
Spyder, me, Myron Grombacher, Scott, and Roger “Zel” Capps).
Photograph by Joe D'Amato

 

 

Spyder and I hit it off right away—musically, we just clicked. He knew exactly what kind of guitar sound I was looking for, but it wasn't until after we'd recorded
In the Heat of the Night
that we became romantically involved.
Photograph from the author's collection

 

 

Backstage with Spyder at the Boomer Theater in Norman, Oklahoma.
Photograph by Vernon L. Goudy III

 

 

An outtake photograph from the cover shoot for
In the Heat of the Night
. Despite the strength of the song “Heartbreaker,” the label hesitated to release it as a single, but once they did, there was no looking back.
Photograph by Alex Chatelain

 

 

Spyder tearing it up at the Boomer Theater in December 1979.
Photograph by Vernon L. Goudy III

 

 

On that first tour for
In the Heat of the Night
in 1979, the crowds were insane. After “Heartbreaker” came out, everything just exploded, convincing Chrysalis, our record company, that they had to push us back into the studio to cut another album.
Photograph by Vernon L. Goudy III

 

 

In the fall of 1980, we went on tour to support
Crimes of Passion
. Fueled by the strength of “Hit Me with Your Best Shot,” it was mayhem—crowds unlike anything we'd seen before.
Photograph by Fred Joslyn

 

 

Myron Grombacher, Spyder's childhood friend, joined the band for the first tour in 1979 and he's been a vital part of our lives ever since, remaining one of our best friends. He and his wife, Monica, are godparents to our daughters.
Photograph by Neal Preston

 

 

Live performance was the reason I started singing in the first place. The shared experience with the audience is still irresistible.
Photograph by Neal Preston

 

 

The marquee outside of Madison Square Garden on the
Precious Time
tour.
Photograph by Jeffrey Mayer

 

 

It didn't take anyone long to realize what a game-changing phenomenon MTV was. For the “Promises in the Dark” music video, where this was taken, we rented out a soundstage in North Hollywood and taped a performance with fan club members, contest winners, family, and friends as the audience.
Photograph by Neal Preston