Tumminello grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. According to his own statements, he started performing at the age of 11.[1] One of the bands he played with was King Kobra from 1983 to 1986.
In 1986, Rod received an offer to join W.A.S.P. His main bass at that time was a yellow B.C. Rich Ironbird. He played on the albums Inside the Electric Circus (1986), Live... in the Raw (1987) and The Headless Children (1989)[2] and accompanied the band on their 1992 farewell tour. Later attempts for a reunion of the classic lineup failed, mainly due to singer Blackie Lawless, according to Rod, as well as the rest of the members of W.A.S.P. during that era.[3]
In 2010, Rod reunited with King Kobra. The band went on hiatus after two album releases in 2013, and reunited again in 2016 for several live performances.[4]
In 2017, Rod collaborated with Carmine Appice on "Monsters and Heroes", a tribute cover song to Ronnie James Dio.[5]
Rod has used both Fender and B.C. Rich basses during his career. He lists the Fender Precision bass is his all-time favorite guitar.
Rod is a registered sex offender and was arrested in 2022 for failing to register as required in Florida. [6]
