In 1965 former RICK MARTIN & THE SHOWMEN members Mark Stein, TIM BOGERT and Joey Brennan formed the ELECTRIC PIGEONS in New Jersey and were joined by guitarist Vince Martell once having shortened the moniker to THE PIGEONS. Martell had met the trio through the musicians union. The guitarist had just returned from a spell in the Navy and had played in bars and Blues clubs in Key West, Florida in RICKY T. & THE SATANS THREE.

THE PIGEONS, booked into venues by vocalist / organist Mark Stein's father and rehearsing at bassist Tim Bogert's home. They established a local following for a set full of R&B standards and, from time to time, were also engaged as the backing group for female singing groups the SHANGRI-LAS (of 'Leader Of The Pack' fame) and the BLUEBELLES. As time went by the group were a known name on the Eastern seaboard having built a solid reputation in the clubs all the way down the East Coast.

1966 the group cut their first album, 'While The Whole World Was Eating Vanilla Fudge', credited to MARK STEIN & THE PIGEONS, although it would remain unreleased until Wand Records issued it in 1970.

During this period the group played with a number of other hard working young Rock bands, including THE VAGRANTS, the GOOD RATS and SPARROW. THE VAGRANTS would certainly be a group that had an undoubted influence on the way THE PIGEONS' own sound evolved as they began to drift away from the standard arrangements of the cover tunes they were playing. They now offered their own adaptations of the hit songs that people came along to dance to, much to the chagrin of both club owners and to some extent the audience as well.

In December 1966 the band parted company with Joey Brennan who joined THE YOUNGER BROTHERS BAND. Tim Bogert, having been impressed with a drummer he had seen playing a gig at New York's Headliner Club took his band mates to see the guy play and the trio quickly invited one CARMINE APPICE into the fold.

With Appice in the group a record contract with Atco would follow after SHANGRI-LAS writer / producer George 'Shadow' Morton had caught a live version of THE PIGEON's new take on the SUPREMES' 'You Keep Me Hangin' On' after being invited down to a gig by manager Phil Basille. Morton cut the track with the group and emerged with the deal from Atco's Ahmet Ertegun and the song was released as the group's first single in the Spring of 1967 backed with an adaptation of LA BELLE's 'Take Me For A Little While'. Prior to its release the group had dispensed with THE PIGEONS name and had become VANILLA FUDGE.

The group's debut album appeared later in the year and was supported by gigs with MITCH RYDER, BLUE CHEER and British imports THE YARDBIRDS as the record began to shoot up the charts in America. 'Vanilla Fudge' also made something of a minor impact in Europe as well.

February 1968 the second album, 'The Beat Goes On', appeared and Atco then re-issued the 'You Keep Me Hanging On' single (with a new B-side) which reached number 6 in the States as the buzz on VANILLA FUDGE just grew and grew. The band's third album, 'Renaissance', was issued not long afterwards as the quartet continued a hectic touring schedule that saw them play date after date in North America and also venture over to Europe. VANILLA FUDGE had a major breakthrough on the American West Coast opening up for the JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE. The group would also play support on British outfit CREAM's farewell American tour in the Autumn of 1968.

In December 1968 VANILLA FUDGE played a show in Boston opened up by a new British Rock outfit due to have their debut album released in the new year. The band? LED ZEPPELIN! The groups would subsequently tour America together throughout 1969. Indeed, members of VANILLA FUDGE would figure highly in the incident involving members of LED ZEPPELIN, a red headed groupie called Jackie and a Red Snapper fish that, legend has it, took place in room 242 of the Edgewater Hotel in Seattle, Washington during July 1969.

In February of that year VANILLA FUDGE released the 'Near The Beginning' album. A self-produced affair, the album nevertheless featured only four songs, with the entire second side devoted to a live recording of the 'Break Song'.

However, by the following year the VANILLA FUDGE were history. With Appice and Bogert keen to work on a band project with ex YARDBIRDS man JEFF BECK, the group released the swan song 'Rock & Roll' album in September 1969 and played their last show on March 14, 1970 at manager Phil Basille's Action House club.

Following the break up of the band the long-lost MARLSTEIN & THE PIGEONS album surfaced on Wand Records as the assorted former members of VANILLA FUDGE went off in a variety of directions.

With Appice and Bogert forming CACTUS, Mark Stein formed BOOMERANG releasing a self-titled album through RCA Records in 1971. He would later play with ALICE COOPER on the 'Welcome To The Nightmare' tour and record with DEEP PURPLE guitarist TOMMY BOLIN on his 1976's 'Private Eyes' album. Other appearances included DAVE MASON's 1980's 'Old Crest On A New Wave' and 1981's 'Some Assembly Required', the Mason produced MARIPOSA DE ORO (1978's 'Mariposo de Oro') ex-BLACK ROSE guitarist LES DUDEK's 1981's 'Gypsy Ride' and TIM BOGERT's 1983's 'Master's Brew' alongside Appice.

Interestingly, Stein recorded a solo single in 1975 that was only released in Britain with a cover of 'The Long And Winding Road' on the A-side and the Stein penned 'The Best Years Of My Life' on the flip. The 45 was issued through Phil Spector International although a second version was also released with a cover of 'Killing Me Softly With His Song' on the B-side instead. Stein also recorded a full blown album for the CBS label, but this has never been released.

With the Boogie driven CACTUS, Bogert and Appice debuted with the eponymously titled album on Atlantic in 1970. They went on to release five more albums before finally teaming up on that pipedream project with Jeff Beck (as BECK, BOGART & APPICE), to cut two albums for Epic in 1973 but Beck had quit by the time the 'Live In Japan' album emerged in 1974. A second studio album was recorded without Beck, but never released.

After the break up of the band, Tim Bogert recorded with the Los Angeles based black vocalist Marcus Malone in his group MARCUS that resulted in a hugely underrated album for United Artists in 1976. He also appeared on the 'Absolutely' album with BOXER for Epic in 1977, and recorded a self-titled album with Hard Rock outfit PIPEDREAM for ABC Records in 1979. Bogert would later record two solo works; namely 1981's 'Progressions' and 1983's 'Master's Brew'.

Appice, of course, has enjoyed a quite illustrious career since BECK, BOGERT & APPICE broke up. After playing with KGB and on an avalanche of hit albums with ROD STEWART in the late 70's and early 80s, Carmine recorded with RICK DERRINGER in D.N.A., with TED NUGENT (1982's 'Nugent') and toured with OZZY OSBOURNE. He also cut an ill remembered solo album of his own, 'Carmine Appice, for WEA Records in 1982.

After the release of a greatest hits package by Atco in 1982 entitled 'Best Of Vanilla Fudge', the group reformed for the recording of a reunion album titled 'Mystery' that surfaced two years later.

Appice, Stein, Bogart and Martell were joined by guitarists Ron Mancuso (ex CHEATER, BANG BANG and MODERN DESIGN) and the curious J. Toad (a.k.a. JEFF BECK). The same year both Stein and Appice recorded with ROD FALCONER on his MCA album 'Rules Of Attraction' that also included would be VINNIE VINCENT INVASION and SLAUGHTER bassist Dana Strum.

In 1985 Appice debuted with his new Hard Rock group KING KOBRA. He returned to the studio to record with TED NUGENT again with 1986's 'Little Miss Dangerous' and was reunited with JEFF BECK on the guitarist's 'Flash' (1985) and 'Beckology' (1991) albums. The drummer also played a key part in the launch of BLUE MURDER.

VANILLA FUDGE toured throughout 1987 and 1988, prompting Rhino Records to unleash the 'Psychedelic Sundae' compilation album in 1993. The same year, Repertoire Records re-released 'Renaissance' with the addition of extra tracks in the single version of 'You Keep Me Hangin' On', 'Come By Day, Come By Night' and 'People'. Also active on the gig circuit in 1988 would be BLUE THUNDER, a trio of seasoned players headed up by TIM BOGERT and also comprising esteemed Blues guitarist Walter Trout and BLACK SABBATH drummer BILL WARD.

Vince Martell returned to the limelight with the VINCE MARTELL BAND in 1998, recording an album set for release later in the year. Joining Martell were vocalists John Garner of SIR LORD BALTIMOORE, URIAH HEEP's KEN HENSLEY, BOOMERANG, STRIKER and BRUZER veteran Rick Ramirez and CACTUS man Jim McCarty with Ronnie LeJack. Bassists included THE ILLUSION's Chuck Alder and Tim Bogert with keyboard player Dr. Scott Trebetz of STAR PEOPLE and NEW RASCALS drummer Neil Capolongo. Ian McDonald of KING CRIMSON guests on a cover of their 'In The Court Of The King Crimson'. Martell also busied himself with his own cable television show in the States, 'Vince Martell Rocks', hosting live jam sessions. VANILLA FUDGE themselves, pulling in keyboard player Bill Pascali, resumed live action once again in 1998.

Despite such side projects as Appice's Japanese act PEARL, C.B.A. with Appice, Bogert and Japanese Guitar Guru Char and Appice's 'Guitar Zeus' albums, VANILLA FUDGE would still be touring in 2000.

Appice would re-assemble his KING KOBRA band for a 2001 album 'Hollywood Trash' prior to regrouping with Martell and Bogert for a further VANILLA FUDGE reformation tour kicking off at the Los Angeles House Of Blues in on August 21st. This new band line up comprised the established triumvirate of Bogert, Martell and Appice alongside newcomer Bill Pascali on keyboards. A significant new album, 'The Return', emerged during late 2002 featuring four new songs and re-works of classics. Also featured were newsworthy renditions of some typically off the wall covers such as 'I Want It That Way' by the BACKSTREET BOYS and N'SYNC's 'Tearin' Up My Heart'. Recordings during 2003 produced the album 'When Two World's Collide', this ambitious project being a union with the 52 piece San Fernando Symphony Orchestra.

VANILLA FUDGE keyboard player Bill Pascali, going under the moniker of THE PASCALI PROJECT, issued a debut solo record in March of 2004 entitled Where Broken Hearts Go' for Hyperspace Records'. That same month VANILLA FUDGE embarked upon a two month tour of Europe in union with THE LIZARDS, an act featuring drummer Bobby Rondinelli of RAINBOW and BLACK SABBATH fame. At the 13th March gig at the Midlands Stourbridge Rock Café 2000 they were unexpectedly joined onstage by the LED ZEPPELIN legend ROBERT PLANT for a during an encore of CACTUS' 'Parchment Farm' featuring both bands onstage together. Unfortunately Tim Bogert was absent, being taken ill that same evening.

Meantime Appice announced the foundation of a new band project in union with Canadian guitarist PAT TRAVERS and VANILLA FUDGE touring bassist TM Stevens. This band would initially go by the title of TNA ('Travers n' Appice') until just days after this announcement another band was discovered with the same name. The project switched to simply TRAVERS & APPICE for the album 'It Takes A Lot Of Balls'.

One special 2004 gig for VANILLA FUDGE would be an appearance, alongside former DEEP PURPLE singer/bassist GLENN HUGHES, co-headlining the 11th annual 'BolinFest' celebrating the memory of late DEEP PURPLE guitarist TOMMY BOLIN in late July at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. In late 2004 it was learned Tim Bogert was working with former OZZY OSBOURNE and BADLANDS guitarist JAKE E. LEE on an album of classic Rock cover versions.

Word arrived in July 2006 that the band was ensconced in a Southern Californian studio recording an album of LED ZEPPELIN covers.