Robert Gordon

Robert Gordon was among the first of the rockabilly revivalists to emerge in the 1970s, and one of the only ones singing the praises of Elvis Presley's primal early work while the King was still alive. Gordon went on to a long career championing the first rock & roll era with a strong, flexible voice that was ideal for the vocal dramatics of rockabilly, and a sense of style that suited the mood as well as the sound of vintage rock. He teamed up with a number of gifted guitarists who helped him make his music sound as authentic as his singing, among them Link Wray, Chris Spedding, and Danny Gatton. Gordon's early work captured him at his most passionate and energetic, especially 1978's 'Fresh Fish Special' and 1979's 'Rock Billy Boogie', while 1981's 'Are You Gonna Be the One' found him embracing a more mature and diverse approach and 2007's 'It's Now or Never', a tribute to Presley, was a latter-day triumph. Gordon returned in 2020 with 'Rockabilly for Life', whose many guests included members of The Blasters, The Stooges, and The Go-Go's.
 

Robert Gordon was born in Bethesda, Maryland on March 29, 1947. When Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" became a smash hit in 1956, it made a tremendous impression on young Gordon, and he became a passionate fan of Presley, Gene Vincent, Jack Scott, Eddie Cochran, and other heroes of the first salvo of rock. As the '50s gave way to the '60s, Gordon developed a taste for soul and R&B as well as rock, but he made no secret of the fact the British Invasion didn't impress him much. He discovered he liked to sing, and made his first appearance on stage when he was 15, performing at a summer camp talent show with his brother. He sang in a number of local bands, including The Confidentials and The Newports, but neither went much further than playing school dances and teen clubs. Later in the decade, he joined the National Guard to avoid being drafted and sent to Vietnam, and he got married when he was 19, fathering two children.
 

In 1970, Gordon relocated to New York City, where he opened a clothing store but had little time for music. A few years later, that changed when Gordon and his wife divorced and he began checking out a new rock & roll scene that was incubating at a Bowery club called CBGB. Gordon appreciated the energy of bands like the Ramones and Blondie, and he became a figure on the early N.Y.C. punk scene, joining a band called Tuff Darts. As punk attracted attention in the music press, Tuff Darts became rising stars, and three songs by the band would appear on 1976's 'Live at CBGB', a sampler of bands who played the club. However, Gordon would leave Tuff Darts before they could make an album when producer Richard Gottehrer heard them do a cover of Presley's "One Night" and suggested Gordon make a rock & roll album. 

 

Gordon and Gottehrer approached legendary guitarist Link Wray about joining them for the recording sessions, and Wray, impressed with his authentic rockabilly sound, signed on. Private Stock Records, who had signed just Blondie, struck a deal with Gordon, and his first album, 'Robert Gordon with Link Wray', appeared in 1977. Gordon's retro sound and style generated a buzz, and when Elvis Presley died on August 16, 1977, the interest in his early hits gave the public a greater taste for the sort of music Gordon championed, and "Red Hot" from the album picked up some radio play. Private Stock brought out Gordon and Wray's second LP, 'Fresh Fish Special' (named for the unflattering prison haircut inflicted on Elvis in "Jailhouse Rock") in 1978, which included a version of Bruce Springsteen's then-unrecorded "Fire." It generated enough attention that RCA Victor Records, Elvis' label, added Gordon to their roster after Private Stock went bankrupt. 

After reissuing his first two albums, RCA brought out 'Rock Billy Boogie' in early 1979; by this time, Wray had dropped out of the band, and British sessionman Chris Spedding took over lead guitar duties. The album fared better than his Private Stock releases, but was something short of a hit, and his second RCA LP, 1980's 'Bad Boy', generated more press than sales. Midway through recording his next LP, the label pressured Gordon to scrap the material and start over with a different producer and backing band, and 1981's 'Are You Gonna Be the One' was a more diverse set with R&B and country flavors along with the expected rockabilly, and was produced by Gordon, Lance Quinn, and Scott Litt, with Danny Gatton playing lead guitar. It became Gordon's best-selling album, and Gatton's stellar instrumental work made him an underground guitar hero; a live recording of Gatton backing Gordon on the "Are You Gonna Be the One" tour circulated among fans and pickers before it was released publicly under the title 'The Humbler'. Not long after the release of the album, Gordon was approached to contribute music to the soundtrack of a low-budget movie about a biker gang set in the '50s, "The Loveless". He ended up also playing a supporting role in the film, which starred a young Willem Dafoe and was the first directorial effort from Kathryn Bigelow, who went on to helm "The Hurt Locker" and "Zero Dark Thirty". 

While 'Are You Gonna Be the One' boosted Gordon's audience, he and RCA had a falling out over the budget for his next album, and on the advice of his manager, he cut ties with the label; they closed out his contract with a best-of album, 1982's 'Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die'. A new record deal was not forthcoming, and Gordon stuck to live work for over a decade. In 1989, a concert album, 'Live at Lone Star', was issued by the French New Rose label. The album was released without Gordon's participation or consent, and he responded by working with New Rose to assemble and bring out 1991's 'Greetings from New York', featuring live tracks from his years with Chris Spedding. (These were the first two of a long series of live albums that would appear regularly over the next three decades.) 1994's 'All for the Love of Rock 'N' Roll' featured new songs along with material that dated back to his days with Tuff Darts, and featured their guitarist, Jeff Salen, alongside Spedding and Gatton. The German Bear Family label delivered the 1995 collection 'Red Hot 1977-1981', an overview of his Private Stock/RCA era, and in 1998 they brought out 'Lost Album Plus', a set of rarities including the sessions that were scrapped in favor of 'Are You Gonna Be the One'. 1997's 'Robert Gordon' was a studio set focused on early rock and country material, and 2004's 'Satisfied Mind' was a similar effort that featured Eddie Angel on guitar. 2007's 'It's Now or Never' saw Gordon reunite with Chris Spedding to record 15 songs originally made famous by his hero Elvis Presley. After a recording layoff of 13 years, Gordon came back in 2020 with 'Rockabilly for Life', which included guest appearances from Chris Spedding, Dave Alvin, James Williamson (of Iggy and the Stooges), Clem Burke (of Blondie), Kathy Valentine (of The Go-Go's), and many more. Robert Gordon had been in treatment for acute myeloid leukemia in the last years of his life; he died on October 18, 2022 at the age of 75. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]

 

Jayne County

Initially making his name as a prominent scenester during the heady days of the early-'70s New York punk club scene, Wayne County later gained additional renown as rock's first prominent transsexual performer, billing herself as Jayne County following her return to the U.S. from Berlin in 1980. Born Wayne Rogers in Dallas, Georgia (near Atlanta) sometime in 1947, Wayne County assumed his stage name for a production of the Jackie Curtis play "Femme Fatale". County acted in several Andy Warhol-associated theater pieces and from there became the regular DJ at the legendary club Max's Kansas City. Starting in 1972, County performed (in drag) at the club as well, eventually writing and recording a celebratory theme song titled "Max's Kansas City" in 1976 with a backing group called The Back Street Boys. However, County found it difficult to find American labels interested in his trashy, campy, New York Dolls-influenced brand of rock & roll, so he relocated to London just as that city's punk movement was beginning to gather momentum. 

County found a home on the Safari label with a new band, The Electric Chairs, and issued his debut album -also called 'The Electric Chairs'- in 1978. Further albums included 'Storm the Gates of Heaven' and 'Things Your Mother Never Told You', both from 1979; afterwards, County retired to Berlin and emerged as Jayne County, returning to North America in 1980. A 1981 live album, 'Rock 'n' Roll Resurrection', was the first billed to Jayne County, and found her fronting a mostly new version of The Electric Chairs.

 
County was quiet for a while as a recording artist, returning only in 1986 with a self-produced album called 'Private Oyster' (a similar, unauthorized version was later issued under the title 'Amerikan Cleopatra'; in 2017, the two albums were reissued in a two-fer edition). Periodic releases followed in the '90s, some featuring new songs, some featuring reworked versions of past material. In 1996, County published her autobiography, "Man Enough to Be a Woman"; in 1999, she issued a newly recorded version of her song "Fuck Off," retitled "Fuck Off 2000." 2002's 'Wash Me in the Blood of Rock & Roll' was a live album that featured a duet between County and Handsome Dick Manitoba of The Dictators. 2006's 'Wayne County at the Trucks' featured material from a 1974 recording project that was long believed to be lost. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC] 

The Runaways

Often dismissed during their existence as a crass marketing gimmick, The Runaways have grown in stature over the years as the first all-female band to make an impression playing loud, straight-up, guitar-driven rock & roll. Since all of the members were teenagers (some were still learning to play when they debuted), the band's music was frequently raw and amateurish, but it neatly combined heavy metal and junkshop glam with the newly emerging sound of punk rock. Promoter and manager Kim Fowley's insistence on a sleazy jailbait image for the group made it easy for the press to dismiss them as nothing but a tasteless adolescent fantasy. But in the end, the Runaways' sound and attitude paved the way for female artists to crank up the volume on their guitars and rock as hard as the boys with the rebel-girl manifesto "Cherry Bomb" and the albums 'The Runaways' and 'Queens of Noise'. 

The genesis of The Runaways can be traced to a 1975 Alice Cooper party, where Fowley met teenage lyricist Kari Krome. Fowley was impressed with Krome's streetwise perspective and set about putting together a female band. Krome's friend, guitarist Joan Jett (born Joan Larkin), had been forming a band of her own with drummer Sandy West (born Sandy Pesavento), and Fowley quickly had a trio on his hands. However, it soon became apparent that Krome was not much of a singer, and she was replaced by vocalist Michael "Micki" Steele (born Sue Thomas), who also began learning the bass. As a trio, this lineup recorded a demo titled "Born to Be Bad" in late 1975; shortly thereafter, guitarist Lita Ford successfully auditioned through a trade-paper ad, and Steele left the group (she would later join The Bangles). Cherie Currie became the new lead vocalist, and after an extremely brief stint with a bass player known only as Peggy (which lasted just a few weeks), the band settled on Jackie Fox (born Jacqueline Fuchs), who switched to bass from guitar in order to join the band. 

Thus constituted as an entirely teenaged quintet, it didn't take long for the Runaways to score a record deal; Currie's stage wardrobe (lingerie) and Fowley's well-established contacts made sure of that. After signing with Mercury in February 1976, the band began recording their self-titled debut album, which was released just a few months later. However, it was not greeted well. Fowley was preceded by his reputation for overhyping gimmicky acts, and the sheer number of roles he played in guiding the Runaways' career made him appear a manipulative, Svengali-like figure. Moreover, regardless of whether or not the Runaways were simply a cheap exploitation act (an endlessly debatable question), the entire concept of the band -teenage girls playing their own instruments and singing frankly and enthusiastically about sex, booze, and life on the streets- was simply too discomforting for much of America. Fowley's extensive involvement (some called it near-total control) made it easy for journalists and radio programmers to dismiss the group out of hand as a male-concocted sham; it was also a convenient way to ignore the myriad cultural buttons the Runaways were pushing. 

 

Despite a wave of publicity on Fowley's part, The Runaways just barely scraped the bottom of the charts in the early fall of 1976, around the same time the band played their first gig at the legendary New York punk club CBGB's. The second Runaways album, 'Queens of Noise', was released in early 1977 and fared little better on the charts than its predecessor, thanks to radio's continued reluctance to program the group's music. However, when the Runaways mounted a tour of Japan in June of that year, they were greeted with sold-out arena gigs and rabidly enthusiastic audiences who didn't consider them a joke ("Cherry Bomb" had, in fact, topped the Japanese charts). A concert record, 'Live in Japan', was culled from the tour, but wasn't released in the U.S. 

Despite this taste of success, relationships between some of the group members had begun to fray, thanks partly to substance abuse problems and partly to unconcerned negligence on the management's part. Upon their return to Los Angeles in July 1977, Jackie Fox departed the group; a story circulated that she had attempted suicide on the Japanese tour, though it was later discredited. Before the year was out, Currie too had left, spurred in part by consistent disagreements with Fowley. Jett took over as lead vocalist, and new bassist Vicki Blue was hired for the group's third album. 'Waitin' for the Night' was released at the end of the year, and failed to even hit the U.S. charts. By this point, Fowley had lost interest in the band, and quit as manager early the next year. Jett's unofficial leadership role within the group became more serious, but unfortunately, musical differences were beginning to arise (Jett's punk and glam rock influences clashed with West and Ford's love of straight-up hard rock and heavy metal). One more album, 'And Now...The Runaways', appeared toward the end of 1978, but it was released only in the group's core markets of Europe and Japan (it later appeared in America with a different running order under the title 'Little Lost Girls'). Blue quit the band after their New Year's gig and was replaced by Laurie McAllister, but to no avail; Jett left the group in April 1979, and the Runaways officially disbanded not long after. 

Currie released a solo album in 1978 titled 'Beauty's Only Skin Deep', and then teamed up with her twin sister Marie for 1980's 'Messin' with the Boys'. Jackie Fox went to law school and became an attorney. Meanwhile, West and Ford formed a short-lived outfit of their own, after which Ford went solo and scored several hits as a pop-metal artist during the '80s. An even better indicator that there was more to the Runaways' music than met the eye was the success of Joan Jett's solo career. Jett formed her own band and record label, landed an enormous number one smash with 1982's "I Love Rock n' Roll," and continued to produce albums of tough hard rock into the 21st century. The heavily feminist riot grrrl punk movement claimed Jett as a major inspiration, prompting a re-examination of the Runaways' output divorced from Kim Fowley's marketing tactics. Rumors of a full-band reunion surfaced periodically but never resulted in an actual gig, although the release of a summertime biopic in 2010 -one that starred Kristen Stewart as Jett and Dakota Fanning as Currie- helped rejuvenate interest in the band. In 2023, the British label Cherry Red issued 'Neon Angels on the Road to Ruin 1976-1978', a five-disc box set that combined all four Runaways studio albums and the 'Live in Japan' set, along with an extensively illustrated booklet. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC] 

Crazyhead

Crazyhead formed in Leicester, England, in 1986, and were signed to the fledgling Food label. Their first two releases saw quick independent chart success, ‘(What Gives You The Idea That) You’re So Amazing Baby?’ and ‘Baby Turpentine’ both reaching number 2. In common with Gaye Bikers On Acid, Bomb Party and Pop Will Eat Itself, the group was linked with the media-fuelled ‘biker’ or ‘grebo’ rock genre. By the time of their third single, ‘Time Has Taken Its Toll On You’, and the debut album in 1988, their career was in decline, despite later minor national chart success in 1989 with the 'Have Love, Will Travel' EP and "Like Princes Do" on the 'Food Christmas EP 1989'. Enjoying ludicrous names such as Vom, Superfast Blind Dick, Ian ‘Anderson Pork Beast’ (vocals) and stranger still, Kevin, they were dropped from Food in 1989. Their second album, produced by Pat Collier, found them housed on Black records. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]

 

The Stukas

The Stukas debuted in 1977 with a sound that fell halfway between the emerging powerpop and the fast fading pub rock on their "Klean Living Kids" single on Chiswick. It was more of the same on the follow-up, "I Like Sport" EP, this time on Sonet Records. Neither record is said to have captured the energy of their live sound, though this song "Motorbike", from their third, must surely be pretty damn close. [SOURCE: LAST.FM]

 

D. Clinton Thompson

D. Clinton Thompson is a guitarist, vocalist and songwriter from Springfield, Missouri. D. Clinton were also key member of The Skeletons and also the core of The Morells. Between all the related side projects, D. Clinton and cohorts have released literally dozens of great discs beginning in 1977. In addition tho their own music as The Skeletons, you might want to check out their work backing Rudy Grayzell, Syd Straw, Clarence Brewer, Robbie Fulks and others. Of late, D. Clinton' bassist Lou Whitney teamed up with The Bottle Rockets for the tribute album 'Songs Of Sam'. But the coolest thing is that in 2000, Springfields's Downtown High School commissioned a mural of the areas music stars for one of their walls, and there in the right corner, big as life, are The Skeletons.

 

2 Timers

2 Timers were an American new wave rock group who formed in New York in late 1977. By early 1978 the group had relocated to London, England. The line-up in March 1978 was: John Warnick (vocals), George Fury (bass), Johnny Jones (rhythm guitar), Audie Willert (lead guitar) and Jim Morrison (drums, former member of Tuff Darts). Notably, their "Now That I've Lost My Baby" single was produced by ex-Gong member Mike Howlett (OMD, Sting, Revillos, etc.), and that's probably why it also sounds very British and of it's era. They self released a second single, "Living For The Week End" in 1979, but that was it for these guys.

 

The Action

The Action were based in Ohio between 1979-82, and featured Mike Purkisher on guitar and vocals (and brother of Lux Interior of The Cramps), Brent Warren on bass and Cliff Bryant on drums. "Get Back To Me" (1978) was the first of three singles, all on the same RadioGram label, followed by 1979's "Radio Music" and 1981's "She's Got My heart", all with the trio patented harmonies ans sense of melody intact. In the late 90's Mike gigged with a band called 3-D, and even spent time as live sound engineer for the only Beatles tribute band officially sanctioned by Apple Records, 1964. Meanwhile Brett and Billy Sullivan have also written songs for numerous artists including Dave Edmunds. More importantly, Brent and Mike backed former Raspeberrie Scott McCarl on his 1997 album 'Play On', bringing it all full circle.

 

The Blackjacks

Formed in 1983 by Thrills guitarist Johnny Angel and Outlets bassist Whitey with Jeff Erna, The Blackjacks were determined to be nothing like the twin scourges of that year, cheesy British synth-pop and poseur "Roots Americana" from former New Wave fops turned Hank Williams freaks. They succeeded and were likely the first of the glam/sleaze/psuedo Stones-Dolls bands of the American stripe, augmented by their former roadie and Nikki Sixx look-alike Rafe Mabry who would become the band's frontman mid-career. 

 

Brought to Homestead Records in 1984, the band released one classic EP titled 'Basic Blackjacks', launching the label that would offer acts including Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr, Big Black, Nick Cave, The Dogmatics and La Peste. The Blackjacks would later release a full length LP titled 'Dressed in Black' for Throbbing Lobster Records. The track "Dressed In Black" was a massive college and alternative radio hit in the Winter of 1985. 

 

The band performed as a top draw throughout the Boston and NYC club circuit including a pinnacle career moment, performing as the opening act for the touring group The Clash. Despite massive North East success, they disbanded in the late 80's. Johnny started The Broken Promise, Housewives on Prozac and Army of Bozos in Los Angeles, Whitey joined The Nor'Easters, Jeff Erna co-founded the world famous Dropkick Murphys and The Street Dogs and Rafe Mabry also moved to Los Angeles and joined Black Cherry. [SOURCE: LAST.FM]

 

The Nightmares

The Nightmares were a Garage rock band based in New York City featuring Ned Hayden pre-Action Swingers. They only recorded the 7" single "Baseball Altamont", covered also by Yo La Tengo in the 2006 album 'Yo La Tengo Is Murdering The Classics'. The Nightmeres featured Ed Shanahan (bass), Ned Hayden (vocals and guitars), Phillip Shelley (vocals and guitars), Steve Dansiger (drums) and Tex Lyon (guitar).