The Godz (Ohio band)

The Godz
Origin	Columbus, Ohio, United States
Genres	Hard rock, classic rock
Years active	1976–2018
Labels	F-N-A Records, Garddog Records, Ridgeline studios, Casablanca, Grudge Records, Cobra
Members	Mark Carlisle Jeff Boggs John Cardillino
Past members	Eric Moore (d. 2019) Robert Hill Mark Chatfield Glen Cataline (d. 2019) Matt Mees Ty Beebe Eric Mauk

The Godz are an American hard rock band from Columbus, Ohio that formed in the 1970s.

History

Eric Moore in 2008

Formed in 1976, the band conceived their moniker only to later learn of a band from New York City already known as The Godz. A monetary settlement allowed them to keep their name. The Godz did not have a recording contract when they hit the road with Kiss alongside Cheap Trick in 1977. The band released its first, eponymous, album the next year on Millennium Records. In addition to being on the Kiss Love Gun Tour, they played on what was billed the Heaven and Hell Tour by embarking on the road with Angel.

In 1979, band's original label, Millennium Records, changed its distribution from Casablanca Records to RCA Records and the Millennium label was subsequently folded altogether. Millennium's parent label, Casablanca Records, picked up The Godz to fulfill their contractual obligation with the band but had no particular enthusiasm for them when their second album, Nothing is Sacred, was released the same year.

Whatever the group's merits, The Godz went unappreciated by rock critics; the 1983 Rolling Stone Record Guide described them as a "Miserable hard-rock quartet from Columbus/Deavertown, Ohio, epitomiz[ing] the most wretched excesses of Seventies rock." With little label support, the band toured again with Blue Öyster Cult, Kansas, Iggy Pop, and Judas Priest.

By late 1980, suffering from lack of label support and general exhaustion, the original Godz split up, although Mark Chatfield had returned at various points, with Eric Moore remaining the constant member. For a few brief times in-and-between the years since 1981, Moore attempted to do away with the "Godz" moniker, calling it among other things, The Eric Moore Band. The band's fan base continued to refer to them as "The Godz." As 1982 came to a close, The Godz were all but reforming; and were fully ramped-up and back on the road the next year.

The Godz 1985 album, I'll Get You Rockin', a European release on the Heavy Metal America label did quite well, spawning a hit video of the title-track in the UK. That year and the next they went on the road with Metallica as they supported their album Master of Puppets on their Damage Inc. Tour with Ozzy Osbourne. This activity was followed by Mongolians in 1987, a domestic release on Grudge Records, featuring revamped versions of several tunes from the previous record. It turned out to be one of the best-selling independent albums of the year.

In 1995, three-quarters of the classic Godz lineup reunited for a live concert which was recorded and released as Greatest Hits Live. In 2003, some brand-new Godz material surfaced on the compilation, 25 Moore Years.

Discography

• The Godz [1978], US #191
• "Under the Table" [1978], NLD #50
• Nothing is Sacred [1979], US #189
• Vinyl Ecstasy [1981] (Columbus Ohio radio station WLVQ-FM96 compilation album featuring the Eric Moore single - "I Won't Be Lonely Tonight")
• I'll Get You Rockin' [1985]
• Mongolians [1987]
• Greatest Hits Live [1995]
• Power Rock from USA [1997] (Compilation album consisting of the entire first album, plus eight of the ten songs from Nothing Is Sacred. "I Don't Wanna Go Home" is not listed on the CD but plays as the hidden 15th track)
• Eric Moore and The Godz: 25 Moore Years, [2003]
• Last of the Outlaws [2012] (Godz)

Members

• Eric Moore - (original member) – vocals, bass guitar, May 7, 1952 — May 17, 2019
• Mark Chatfield - (lead guitar), (vocals)
• Bob Hill - vocals, guitar
• Mark Carlisle - vocals, guitar, bass guitar
• Jeff Boggs - guitar
• Bruce Collins - harmonica