Randy Coven began his musical career at a very early age. At the age of five, he saw the Beatles live at Shea Stadium , and a little later, he and his parents attended the premiere of the Woodstock film . He then began playing music with his brother in the family basement, first on drums, then on bass. In high school , he was in various rock bands and began studying at the Berklee School of Music in 1978. There, he met Steve Vai , with whom he developed a lifelong friendship. Together they formed the band Morning Thunder. Coven then toured Canada with the band Orpheus .
The group included some of Coven's songs in their repertoire. These songs later appeared on the album Orpheus II .
In 1984 he returned to New York, where he formed the Randy Coven Band. The debut album, Funk Me Tender, was released in 1986. Steve Vai can be heard on the title track. In 1990 the second and final album, Sammy Says Ouch!, was released under the stage name Randy Coven Band. He then formed CPR with Al Pitrelli and John O'Reilly . Their album features guests such as Zakk Wylde , Vito Brata and Steve Morse . Coven also wrote a column for Guitar Recordings magazine . In 1994 he formed the band Holy Mother with various musicians , with whom he released six albums between 1995 and 2003.
As a touring bassist, Coven worked twice with Yngwie Malmsteen . His solo album Witch Way followed in 2002. In 2004, he formed the band MCM with Alex Masi and John Macaluso . He also played on two albums by pianist Vitalij Kuprij . Most recently, Coven played live with Shadow Eden . On May 20, 2014, he died in his sleep of unknown causes.
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Al Pitrelli (born September 26, 1962 in New York City) is an American guitarist, best known for his work with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Megadeth, Alice Cooper, Joe Lynn Turner, Asia and Savatage.
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John O.Reilly, the world-class drummer from Long Island, NY, is probably most renowned for his keen sense of timing and his 15-year stint with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. But John has been on a remarkable musical journey since the early 1970's, playing with a multitude of bands and artists over the years including Blue Oyster Cult, Rainbow, O'2L, Richie Havens, Joe Lynn Turner and many others.
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CPR was active in 1992 only and the band published just one release, this 1993 (mainly instrumental) 12 track album release as well as featuring the late/great Randy Coven, Al Pitrelli & John O. Reilly it also features guests musicians such as Randy Jackson,(who sings a brilliant version of AC/DC's ''Back In Black'' song on this album)
Zakk Wylde , Vito Brata and Steve Morse.
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A brilliant must own guitar driven rock album by any serious rock lover!
For fans of Steve Vai, Gary Moore, Neal Schon, Myke Gray, Reb Beach & of course the artists on this rare album.