
Cry Tough was formed in 1990 in Tampa Bay, Florida by drummer Angelo Ballis. The early lineup would be Ballis, guitarists Geno Stevens and Mark Moon, vocalist Cody and a local bassist. They soon became irritated with the bassist and singer and dumped them. Looking for a bass player, they found Silvio "Sly" Valentini who was this wild and crazy dude that hung around the warehouse with his bass just waiting for his chance. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Through a friend of theirs they found out about a singer from Pennsylvania named Mark Hopkins who was currently looking for a new project after his last band Damien Steele had disbanded. They called him up and flew him down to Tampa to meet the guys. They picked him up in a limo and hit every strip club and rock club in the city. A month later Hopkins moved to Florida and the band was on its way. With major money behind them contributed by Angelos brother Gus Ballis who become not only the manager of the band but also the unoffical 5th member of the band. They began writing and recording demos for their debut. By 1992 they had recorded their debut self-titled CD at Morrisound studios in Tampa and began a long string of major shows throughout Florida. Unfortunately the music scene suddenly shifted to grunge and Pretty Wicked found themselves out dated. Major labels told them they were great but they were just too late to cash in. The act then decided to make a change, Moon and Stevens were out and were replaced by guitarist Frank Foster, who added a heavier grungy edge to their music. Now a four piece Pretty Wicked went on to record a demo of great music that fit more into the music scene of the 90s. Sadly the new music was never released because the band soon broke up due to personal issues. But if your lucky you can find a cdr copy of the unreleased 2nd album on ebay or if you know the right people. The members of Pretty Wicked have since moved on with their lives. Angelo Ballis is a mortgage broker. Geno Stevens owns his own recording studio, Mana Recording, and works with many Metal Blade artists. Frank Foster has his own digital design company. Mark Moon is settled down and living his life without music and Sly Valentini moved back to detroit to form a new band called Mango Pie. Mark Hopkins returned to Pennsylvania and He is now working on a new project. Pretty Wicked's lone CD is considered a favorite among rare CD collectors and can sometimes can be found on eBay for the hefty sum of between 100 to 300 dollars