Henry Badowski

After serving his apprenticeship in UK bands Norman And The Baskervilles, Lick It Dry and The New Rockets, Badowski joined punk band Chelsea on bass, but in early 1978, after only a few months, he left to enlist as drummer for Stiff Records artist Wreckless Eric. During the summer of that year, he sang and played keyboards with the short-lived King, a punk/psychedelic group that included Dave Berk (drums; also Johnny Moped), Kym Bradshaw (bass) and Captain Sensible (guitar, ex-Damned). When King folded, Badowski took up the bass with the re-formed Damned offshoot, The Doomed. With the new year came the new position of drummer with The Good Missionaries, an experimental band created by Mark Perry from Alternative TV. This association led to the start of his solo career in the summer of 1979, with the release of ‘Making Love With My Wife’ on Perry’s Deptford Fun City label. Recorded at Pathway Studios, the track was performed completely by Badowski and displayed a strong 60s influence, with echoes of Syd Barrett and Kevin Ayers. The b-side, "Baby Sign Here With Me", was originally part of the King live set and utilized the talents of James Stevenson (bass, guitar) from Chelsea, and Alex Kolkowski (violin) and Dave Berk (drums), both from the Johnny Moped Band. The single drew favourable reviews and within a month he had signed a contract with A&M Records, releasing a further two singles, ‘My Face’ and ‘Henry’s In Love’, closely followed by the album 'Life Is A Grand', a classic slice of psychedelia that was to signal the end of Badowski’s solo career. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]