All Business

**All Business** are an American rock band formed in Waco, Texas in 1990. Led by lead vocalist and managerial eminence grise Vernon O'Shaughnessy alongside his songwriting partner, lead guitarist and "chief creative director" Ted Bundy (not to be confused with the serial killer of the same name), the group is known for their expansive, collective-size level of band members and the parade of controversies they have found themselves in, which have often overshadowed their sometimes wildly successful music. Though they have dabbled in a number of genres throughout the years, including new jack swing, opera, country, gospel, nu metal and trap, they are primarily credited with keeping hard rock and glam metal popular in the mainstream through the beginning of the 21st century.

Originally founded by O'Shaughnessy and pianist Cleveland Vickers, All Business began to gain traction once vocalist and self proclaimed group rapper Rolly Rockefeller joined the band, funding their early exploits with his family's wealth. Six more members would be added in the next few months, including notorious drummer Michael Slammer, vocalist and lone female member Lady Simone Augusto and Bundy, the latter of whom guided the mostly hard rock style of their debut album *Back to Basics* (1992). Peaking within the top 10 of the *Billboard* 200 chart, All Business would achieve even greater success 6 months later with the record's sequel *Back 2 Basics* (1992). Containing their first number one single "The Edge of Destiny", the album would become the bands best selling release and make them one of the most successful rock acts on the planet. Between the album's recording and the ensuing Industry Titans stadium tour, their official member count would balloon to 18, with some members touring and others working on new songs. These additions included Cuban singer-songwriter Larry Silk, his brother Mo, 13 year old guitar virtuoso Lonnie Joe Parker and perfume mogul turned musician Ernesto. The band saw dwindling yet occasional success with their following releases, which included the charity themed *Uniting the World* (1993) and the Augusto lead rock opera *The Band That Rocked the Fable* (1994). Many band members would leave the group during this time in the midst of, among other reasons, creative differences, personal tensions, substance abuse, who would get custody of Parker, lawsuits against their Unite the World Foundation and Vernon not allowing members to pursue solo careers. By the release of their seventh studio album *Friction Makes Heat* (1996), only six members remained with the band. Though the album became their most popular since *Back 2 Basics,* spawning six top 20 singles on the *Billboard* Hot 100 including the chart toppers "Larry's Life" and "Hissy Fit", the band could not set aside their differences and thus decided to part ways. Every member came back for what was intended to be their final release, the 18 disc *18 Kings* (1997), which featured one solo disc from every past and present member of the band (excluding Augusto, who's disc was replaced with the IDM album *IDJ* by the band's lawyer H. G. Wilikers (under the name peacekeeper)).

All Business would reunite less than one year later after the members embarked on several tepid solo tours. All 18 members would tour together for the first and only time in their careers on the record breaking Back to the Road Tour. Citing this as his "managerial magnum opus", O’Shaughnessy would subsequently step back from the group to focus on his failed push to become governor of Texas. An increasingly strung out Bundy thus led the band through a string of poorly received releases. These included the born again record *Humble Servants* (1998) and the nu-metal tinged *We’ve Got Something to Say* (2000), the latter of which doubled as a diss record to their former accountant Howard Neely. His perceived mismanagement of the band’s finances, along with the failure of this confusedly received new music, drove the band to bankruptcy. This would ultimately cause All Business to break up again in the midst of several other controversies, including the violent Stage 2 Tour, the first of several trials against Michael Slammer and the deployment of several members into the United States military. This break up would last for over a decade, with the band only reuniting for a handful of occasions in between (notably, the 2004 revolutionary war epic *Unify*, which featured every surviving member portraying one of the founding fathers). They would properly regroup following the death of saxophonist "Dirty" Bo Jones in 2014, releasing the commercially underwhelming *Back to Business* in 2015 and the hastily recorded *Back 3 Basics* in 2016. The latter contained the surprise hit "Can’t Stop the Feeling", which became the biggest single of the band’s career. This, coupled with nostalgia for the band’s earlier work, allowed them to once again become a profitable musical entity.

Despite regular critical malignment and media scrutiny, All Business are one of the most commercially successful bands of all time, selling over 100 million records worldwide. Their two most respected records, *Back 2 Basics* and *Friction Makes Heat,* are both certified diamond by the RIAA. The public attention on many member's personal lives has helped keep the band in the spotlight, with the failure of most every one's solo careers keeping them tethered to the group to some extent. Currently, a majority of All Business's surviving members are staging the All Business Cruise Experience abroad and on the high seas, as O'Shaugnessy and Ernesto are wanted by the United States government (along with Mo Silk as an accomplice) on racketeering charges. This is due to their affiliation with the New York mafia in recent years, as detailed on their self-incriminating album *Barely Legal: The Gangsters* (2018). After mob members assassinated keyboardist Manchester Seuss on stage in March 2020, most of the band fled the country at the start of the Covid pandemic (thus making the rest of the members fugitives as well). They would set up residency in Istanbul and recruit seven new Turkish members to their line up, as documented in their loose rock opera *Rockstantinople: Dawn of an Empire* (2020). They would be barred from the country less than two years later following the 2022 Istanbul riots, incited by one of O'Shaughnessy's political speeches, which led to the death of Cleveland Vickers. Several members have since left All Business and turned themselves over to the United States government, with at least three currently awaiting trial.

## History

All Business was formed by Rolly Rockefeller II upon meeting childhood friends O'Shaughnessy (then a bassist) and pianist Cleveland Vickers. Although Rockefeller was looking for back up musicians to support him as a frontman, O'Shaughnessy quickly took over as the bands leading figure. The addition of Ted Bundy further drove Rockefeller down what was becoming the band's strict hierarchal ladder, a defining piece of their constantly changing dynamic. One constant throughout their history would be the songwriting partnership of O'Shaughnessy and Bundy, which would become responsible for a majority of the band's catalog. Drummer Michael Slammer would round out the group's first incarnation, which began to capture the attention of the Texas rock scene and several major labels. A bidding war ensued, which was later revealed to be fixed, and within one year the group would release their Capital Records debut Back to Basics (1992). The band at this point had grown to include nine members, including bassist Johnny Law and vocalist Lady Simone Augusto, the groups lone female member. Three more musicians would be added before the release of their best selling album, the 18x platinum Back 2 Basics (1992), 6 months later, with the final member count ballooning to 18 by the following year's Mogul Status; Executive Perks (1993). Some of the most notable of these new additions include guitarists Larry and Moe Silk, keyboardist Manchester Seuss, saxophonist "Dirty" Bo Jones and drummer Danny Ingram. Larry & Moe's cousin Simon Silk would also unsuccessfully try to join the band. Guitarist Ernesto would also briefly appear on Mogul Status, however the success of his fragrance line Liberation by Ernesto lead him to not actively contribute to the group until a number of years later.

Following the success of the first two records, several members of the band would move into the Mount Vernon estate located in Cleveland, Ohio. Looking to get out of their record contract, which called for an unprecedented 6 albums in 3 years, All Business hastily released the socially conscious Uniting the World (1993), which acted as a partial response to the Waco massacre, and the rock opera The Band That Rocked the Fable (1994), which was primarily recorded by Lady Simone Augusto. The former was supported by a series of benefit concerts, backed by their recently founded Unite the World Foundation. One of these concerts resulted in the shooting of a man on stage by trumpeter Enzo Dodd. The latter was unsuccessfully adapted into a feature length musical film by Augusto in 1995. They would fulfill their contract the next year with Man's Best Friend (1996), in which the group confronted their belittling attitude towards woman and their dismissal of Augusto prior to the success of The Band That Rocked the Fable album. Now operating independently, the band formed Rock Records to release future projects under. A shake up in the bands hierarchy ensued, with bitter financial feuds and social climbing taking place during the recording of what became their 7th album, the 17x platinum Friction Makes Heat (1996). Several key figures had parted from the group by this time, including Rolly Rockefeller and Michael Slammer, however every member would return for the 18 disc album 18 Kings (1997). Featuring 18 solo albums from each of the groups members (save for Augusto, who already had a solo album of sorts with Fable) along with one from their lawyer H. G. Willikers (under the name peacekeeper), the project would be supported by 18 concurrent solo tours in preparation for the groups planned demise.

The entirety of All Business regrouped less than a year later and decided to carry on as a band, quickly recording The Lonely Road (1998) as a commentary on their lonely time apart from each other on their respective tours. The album was supported by an extensive tour of the American south, an experience which would inspire the first in a series of dramatic shifts for the group. They would embrace patriotism on their 10th album God Bless America (1998), so much so that half of the band's members would enlist in various branches of the United States military in the coming months. The members occupied a number of different positions, with Lady Simone Augusto going to Lebanon to construct an Opera house (despite the fact that Lebanon was not at war at the time). Although only two members had to shave their heads for the service, all 18 members of the band went bald in solidarity. To comfort fears they had for those now overseas, the remaining members turned to Christianity and released the born again album Humble Servants (1998) by the years end. This would lead into the band's most tumultuous period, during which auxiliary percussionist Philip Duke would die in a fatal car accident, O'Shaughnessy would unsuccessfully push to become governor of Texas, several members would face expulsion from the service and several risky financial decisions would be made, including buying the Longhorn steakhouse chain. Despite the release of their album Real History (1999) which alleged to reveal secrets about Christianity unearthed by members of the band while deployed, and it's supporting speaking engagement tour of American universities, Rock Records quickly plunged into bankruptcy. This was pinned on the band's accountant Howard Neely, who became the subject of the immensely controversial We've Got Something to Say (2000). The decision to reveal his wife's breast cancer diagnosis on record created much friction within the group, once again causing several members to leave. The album was supported by a notably rowdy world tour which included a vehicle ramming incident at their open field concert in Pennsylvania. The last release during the band's initial run would be an eponymous record released to fulfill their own recording contract with the soon defunct Rock Records, now run by Neely

All Business (2001) would release one week before the September 11 attacks, an event which according to Bundy "rocked the band to its hard rocking core". The group issued a statement claiming that they had begun work on their "magnum opus" in response to the attacks, a project which would take over 14 years to materialize. Despite minimal musical activity from the group during this period, save for a massive reunion show on the beaches of Brazil, the group kept themselves occupied. The All Business Business Boom roller coaster was opened in April, 2001, at Six Flags Over Texas to negative reviews. Outside of several members using the break to relaunch their solo careers and other various side endeavors, the largest project released in this time frame involving all band members was the historical drama Unify in 2004. Directed by Ronald F Maxwell, the three and a half hour war epic saw each of the band members playing key historical figures in the American revolution. Following a disastrous premiere tour that saw friction between the group increase with each successive screening, plans for a follow up film on the American Civil War called Divide were abandoned and the band would officially enter a hiatus. They would only reunite once in the proceeding decade for a one-off concert in Brazil, which became the highest attended concert in human history. Following the death of "Dirty" Bo Jones in 2014, the group reconvened and finally released their long awaited 15th album Back to Business (2015). It received a lukewarm reception, and its release was overshadowed by the 2015 trial of Michael Slammer. The album did not reciprocate the costs of its elaborate production, which forced the band to rush out the sequel album Back 3 Basics (2016). The record included the number one hit Can't Stop the Feeling, a single which helped put the group back in a favorable financial position despite persistent plagiarism claims and immense controversy. Regardless, All Business' now positive monetary standing lead them to become the first band to register themselves as an LLC, with their highest shareholders being promised a large say in their forthcoming album. This promise was blatantly ignored on the stock-themed Buy Low, Sell High (2017), with the company's ensuing trial being broadcast in a highly publicized TV special. Despite the shareholders winning the case, their demands were again ignored on their 18th album Barely Legal: The Gangsters (2018), an album which saw the group adopt a criminal persona in response to their increasingly seedy business practices. The members become so entangled in their new mobster lifestyle that they indeed became full blown wanted criminals, with Manchester Seuss even getting murdered by a rival gang. This, along with a series of mounting threats from their shareholders, lead the company to illegally flee the country during the start of the covid pandemic.

Within one month of their arrival in their new residence of Istanbul, Turkey, All Business had recruited 7 new Turkish members to help record what would become their next project, the concept album Rockstantinople: Dawn of an Empire (2020). It saw little success in America given the group's barring from the country, however it was a success across Eastern Europe and in some Asian countries. The company nonetheless continued to face several hardships, with Michael Slammer being jailed for 8 months and Cleveland Vickers being killed in the 2022 Istanbul riots, which were insinuated by a controversial political speech given by O'Shaughnessy. Many members of the company had grown weary of this never-ending turbulence, and several thus parted from the group. Johnny Law and Danny Ingram payed large settlements to the United States government in order to return to the country, while Lady Simone Augusto moved to Venice to try and construct a new opera house. The remaining members took part on the All Business cruise experience, which traveled through International waters as the group evaded arrest. They released X Marks the Spot (2024) just prior to being captured by U.S. law enforcement off the coast of Panama. In order to evade prosecution, the company agreed to infiltrate the Chinese government at the behest of Johnny Law, now a federal informant. Augusto and Ingram rejoined the company prior to their declaration of residency right outside of Beijing, during which the group recorded their largely inaccessible penultimate album Red Scare (2025). Upon being found out by the Chinese government, all members of the band fled back to America with the exception of trumpeter Enzo Dodd, who stayed behind and was thusly executed. Now cleared of all legal issues (with the exception of Rolly Rockefeller II, who was incarcerated for exceptional tax evasion), All Business officially decided to retire to a Las Vegas residency. The residency called for each member to participate up until their death, with the final member's death officially marking the end of the band. This would be commemorated by the release of their last album Last Men Standing (2028). The residency is still ongoing.

In 2030, the All Business Treasures, the first official book on the band's history, was released. Apart from a few of the band's controversy's and trials, the book is noted for being the most comprehensive account of the band.

## Legacy, style, influence and criticism

*Main article: List of awards and nominations received by All Business*

Despite the band's success, they have had relatively little influence on popular music.

## Band Members

*See also: List of All Business Affiliates*

* Vernon O'Shaughnessy - Lead Vocals (1990-present)
* Rolly Rockefeller - Vocals (1990-1995, 1997-2015, 2017, 2020-present)
* Lady Simone Augusto - Vocals (1991-1996, 1998, 2000-2020, 2025-present)
* Ted Bundy - Lead Guitar (1990-present)
* Larry Silk - 2nd Guitar (1993-1995, 1997-1998, 1999-2015, 2017-present)
* Lonnie Joe Parker - 3rd Guitar (1993-1998, 1999, 2001-2020, 2028-present)
* Moe Silk - 4th Guitar (1992-1998, 1999, 2001-2015, 2017-present)
* Ernesto - 5th Guitar (1993, 1997, 1998-present)
* Erman Holt - 6h Guitar (1991-2020, 2025-present)
* Johnny Law - Bass (1991-1998, 1999-2020, 2028-present)
* Manchester Seuss - Keyboards (1992-1998, 2000-2015, 2017-2018)
* The Reverend Archibald - Organ (1993-1999, 2001-2015, 2020-2023, 2028-present)
* Cleveland Vickers - Piano (1990-1994, 1997-1998, 1999, 2001-2015, 2017-2021)
* "Dirty" Bo Jones - Saxophone (1992-1999, 2001-2014)
* Enzo Dodd - Horns (1993-2022, 2025)
* Michael Slammer - Drums (1990-1995, 1997-1998, 2000-present)
* Danny Ingram - Drums (1993-1998, 1999-2022, 2025-present)
* Philip Duke - Auxiliary Percussion (1991-1999)

## Discography

*Main Article: All Business Discography*

* *Back to Basics* (1992)
* *Back 2 Basics* (1992)
* *Mogul Status: Executive Perks* (1993)
* *Uniting the World* (1993)
* *The Band That Rocked the Fable* (1994)
* *Man's Best Friend* (1996)
* *Friction Makes Heat* (1996)
* *18 Kings* (1997)
* *The Lonely Road* (1998)
* *God Bless America* (1998)
* *Humble Servants* (1998)
* *The Real History* (1999)
* *We've Got Something to Say* (2000)
* *All Business* (2001)
* *Back to Business* (2015)
* *Back 3 Basics* (2016)
* *Buy Low, Sell High* (2017)
* *Barely Legal: The Gangsters* (2018)
* *Rockstantinople: Dawn of an Empire* (2020)
* *X Marks The Spot* (2024)
* *Red Scare* (2025)
* *Last Men Standing* (2028)

## Concert Tours

* American Clubs & Arenas Tour (1990-1992)
* Industry Titans Tour (1992-1993)
* Unite the World Benefit Concerts (1993-1994)
* The Band That Rocks the Fable Live Operatic Experience (1995)
* Friction Makes Heat Tour (1996) *(cancelled after 6 performances)*
* Solo Tours (1997)
* Back on the Road Tour (1998)
* Humble Servants Mega Church & Public School Tour (1998-1999)
* Stage 2 Tour (2000-2001)
* Can't Stop the Feeling World Tour (2016-2017)
* Barely Legal Tour (2018)
* All Business Empire Eastern European & Asian Tour (2021-2023)
* The All Business Cruise Experience (2024)
* Best in the West Tour (2026-2027)
* Last Men Standing Vegas Residency (2028-Present)