Benny Profane

Formed in the late 80s in Liverpool, England, Benny Profane featured Dave Jackson (vocals), Joseph McKechnie (guitar, drums), Robin Surtees (guitar) and Becky Stringer (bass). The permanent drummer had been Frank Sparks (ex-Ex Post Facto) but when he left, both Roger Sinek and Dave Brown helped out on the band’s debut album. Jackson, Stringer and Peter Baker, who filled in as an additional member providing organ, had all previously played in The Room. In many ways they were effectively an update of that commercially overlooked group. The new member McKechnie was rescued from the layout desk of the Merseyside health magazine "Who Cares?" They took their name from a character in Thomas Pynchon’s book "V", and their first single, ‘Where Is Pig’, came from his dialogue in the novel. A succession of low-key gigs at Monroes pub in Liverpool gave them a high local profile. However, they never repeated the success of the other local group who made the venue their home, The La’s, despite two strong albums and three fondly remembered sessions for the BBC disc jockey John Peel. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]