King Cool

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title: "King Cool" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["donnie-iris-albums", "1981-albums", "albums-produced-by-mark-avsec", "mca-records-albums"] topic_path: "arts/music" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Cool" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox album"]

Field	Value
name	King Cool
type	Album
artist	Donnie Iris and the Cruisers
cover	Kingcool.jpg
released	August 1981
recorded	Summer 1981 at Jeree Studios in New Brighton, PA
genre	Rock
label	MCA
producer	Mark Avsec
prev_title	Back on the Streets
prev_year	1980
next_title	The High and the Mighty
next_year	1982
misc	{{Singles
name	King Cool
type	studio
single1	Sweet Merilee
single1date	October 1981
single2	Love Is Like a Rock
single2date	December 1981
single3	My Girl
single3date	March 1982
::

| name = King Cool | type = Album | artist = Donnie Iris and the Cruisers | cover = Kingcool.jpg | alt = | released = August 1981 | recorded = Summer 1981 at Jeree Studios in New Brighton, PA | venue = | studio = | genre = Rock | length = | label = MCA | producer = Mark Avsec | prev_title = Back on the Streets | prev_year = 1980 | next_title = The High and the Mighty | next_year = 1982 | misc = {{Singles |name = King Cool |type = studio |single1 = Sweet Merilee |single1date = October 1981 |single2 = Love Is Like a Rock |single2date = December 1981 |single3 = My Girl |single3date = March 1982 | rev1 = AllMusic | rev1Score =

King Cool is the second album by Donnie Iris, released in 1981. The album was reissued in remastered form on CD in 2021 by Rock Candy Records with a live bonus track from the 1981 Live EP.

Track listing

Side one

1. "Sweet Merilee" (Avsec, Iris) - 3:37
2. "The Promise" (Lee) - 4:06
3. "Pretender" (Avsec, Iris) - 5:15
4. "Love Is Like a Rock" (Avsec, Iris, Lee, McClain, Valentine) - 3:35
5. "That's the Way Love Ought to Be" (Avsec, Iris) - 4:19

Side two

1. "My Girl" (Avsec, Iris) - 3:59
2. "Broken Promises" (Avsec, Iris) - 4:21
3. "King Cool" (Avsec, Iris) - 4:05
4. "Color Me Blue" (Avsec, Iris) - 5:19
5. "The Last to Know" (Avsec, Iris) - 5:19

2021 remastered CD reissue

1. "Sweet Merilee" - 3:42
2. "The Promise" - 4:08
3. "Pretender" - 5:14
4. "Love Is Like a Rock" - 3:38
5. "That's the Way Love Ought to Be" - 4:23
6. "My Girl" - 4:00
7. "Broken Promises" - 4:19
8. "King Cool" - 4:07
9. "Color Me Blue" - 5:20
10. "The Last to Know" - 5:21
11. "Shock Treatment (Live)" - 4:44

Personnel

Donnie Iris and the Cruisers

• Donnie Iris - lead and background vocals
• Mark Avsec - piano, organ, synthesizers, glockenspiel, background vocals
• Marty Lee Hoenes - guitars and background vocals
• Albritton McClain - bass guitar and background vocals
• Kevin Valentine - drums and percussion

Additional musicians

• Kenny Blake - saxophone

Production

• Executive Producer: Carl Maduri
• Producer: Mark Avsec
• Engineer: Jerry Reed
• Mixed by Michael Barbiero at Mediasound Studios, New York

Chart positions

Album - Billboard (United States) ::data[format=table]

Year	Chart	Position
1981	Top LPs & Tape	84
::

Singles - Billboard (United States) ::data[format=table]

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1981	"Sweet Merilee"	Billboard Hot 100	80
Top Rock Tracks	31
1982	"Love Is Like a Rock"	Billboard Hot 100	37
Top Rock Tracks	9
"My Girl"	Billboard Hot 100	25
::

References

References

1. "King Cool - Donnie Iris | Songs, Reviews, Credits".
2. "Parallel Time - The Unofficial Donnie Iris Site".
3. "Rock Candy Records".
4. (25 June 2021). "Donnie Iris – King Cool (2021, CD)".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::