The Gun Club | Artist
The Gun Club was an American rock band formed 1980 in Los Angeles, California, by Jeffrey Lee Pierce (vocals, guitar), Kid Congo Powers (guitar), Terry Graham (drums), Rob Ritter (bass) and Ward Dotson (guitar). Guitarist Brian Tristan aka Kid Congo Powers, was formerly with The Cramps. Created and led by singer, guitarist and songwriter Pierce, the band merged punk rock with the more traditional genres of rockabilly and country, not dissimilar to other LA based bands such as X, The Flesh Eaters and The Blasters. The Gun Club has been called a "tribal psychobilly blues band" and initiators of the US wave of cowpunk. Securing a record deal with Ruby Records, the group released their excellent debut album, Fire of Love in August 1981, which received strong reviews. Critic Stevo Olende wrote that the "album's lyrical imagery is plundered from voodoo, '50s EC Comics and the blues". In April 1982, the band signed to Blondie guitarist Chris Stein's Animal Records and they temporarily relocated to New York City to record their follow-up album, 1982's Miami. This album featured not only Stein as producer, but Debbie Harry singing backup vocals on several tracks. The album was another critical success, securing the band's reputation as one of LA's most promising post-punk rock acts. The band released seven studio albums before leader Jeffrey Lee Pierce died of a brain hemorrhage at his father's home in Salt Lake City on March 31 1996. Standout albums include Fire of Love, Miami, The Las Vegas Story and Mother Juno. The importance of Jeffrey Lee Pierce, and The Gun Club has been recognised by artists such as Jack White of The White Stripes, Nick Cave, and Mark Lanegan. The Jeffrey Lee Pierce Sessions Project was initiated by Pierce's former collaborators Cyprus Grove. In 2010 the project launched We Are Only Riders, the first of a series of four albums featuring Pierce's previously unreleased works-in-progress, featuring interpretations of his work by old friends and collaborators such as Debbie Harry, Nick Cave, Lydia Lunch, Mick Harvey and Kid Congo Powers. An interesting fact is, before forming The Gun Club and eventually being signed to Chris Stein's label, Jeffrey Lee Pierce was head of the Blondie fan club in Los Angeles.
Artist Website: jeffreyleepierce.com
Featured Albums: The Gun Club
Related Artists: Jeffrey Lee Pierce, The Jeffrey Lee Pierce Sessions Project, Blondie, Cypress Grove
