Billy Duffy (born William Henry Duffy, 12 May 1961, Hulme, Manchester) is a hard rock and alternative rock guitarist best known for his role in post punk band The Cult. His fusion of punk and rock riffs had a dark, mystic vibe. In the mid-2000s, he formed a new band called Circus Diablo. is the 132nd day of the year (133rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section seems not to be written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia entry. ... This article is about the City of Manchester in England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Hard Rock redirects here. ... This article is about the genre. ... Alternative music redirects here. ... Post punk generally refers to the particularly fertile and creative period following the initial punk rock explosion. During the first wave of punk, roughly spanning 1976-1983, bands such as The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Ramones and The Damned began to challenge the current styles and conventions of rock... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making music. ... For the UK magazine, see Guitarist (magazine). ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition (chords) or melody to songs, or both. ... In the music industry, a record label can be a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... Virgin Records was a British recording label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, and Nik Powell in 1972. ... Situation Two, aka Situation 2, is a record label which began life in 1981 as an offshoot of the larger Beggars Banquet label. ... Beggars Banquet is an English independent record label that began as a chain of record shops owned by Martin Mills and Nick Austin, and is part of the Beggars Group of labels. ... Atlantic Records (Atlantic Recording Corporation) is an American record label, and operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Music Group. ... The Cult are an English rock band, who appeared in their earliest form in Bradford during 1981. ... Theatre of Hate is a post-punk band which formed in Britain in 1980. ... The Gibson Les Paul is a solidbody electric guitar originally developed in the early 1950s. ... Gretsch is a U.S. musical instrument manufacturer currently being distributed by guitar company Fender and drum craft company Kaman. ... is the 132nd day of the year (133rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section seems not to be written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia entry. ... This article is about the City of Manchester in England. ... Hard Rock redirects here. ... Alternative music redirects here. ... Post-punk was a popular musical movement beginning at the end of the 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid 1970s. ... The Cult are an English rock band, who appeared in their earliest form in Bradford during 1981. ... Circus Diablo is an alternative rock band, formed in early 2006 in Los Angeles. ...

Early days

He grew up in Manchester, where he began playing guitar at the age of fourteen. Duffy got his start playing in different punk line-ups in the late 1970s, but these earlier years were more notable for his introducing Johnny Marr (The Smiths) to the guitar and encouraging Morrissey to make his singing debut with Duffy in a short-lived punk band called The Nosebleeds. Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... Johnny Marr (born John Martin Maher on 31 October 1963 in Ardwick, Manchester) is an English guitarist, keyboardist, harmonica player and singer. ... The Smiths were an English rock band active from 1982 to 1987, based on the songwriting partnership of singer Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr. ... For other uses, see Morrissey (disambiguation). ... Ed Banger and the Nosebleeds was a short-lived punk band formed in Wythenshawe, Manchester, England in 1976. ...

When the initial punk rock movement led by the Sex Pistols became stale and was replaced by the jagged, aggressive UK 82-style hardcore of band like Discharge Duffy switched genres to the moodier and more arty style of Theatre of Hate. He eventually met Ian Astbury (the front man for positive punk band Southern Death Cult), who abandoned SDC to start a new band with Duffy. Together, they exploited the Southern Death Cult's success by calling themselves Death Cult. After initial fanfare and a couple of singles, Duffy convinced Astbury to shorten the band's name to The Cult following a trip to New York. Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... Sex Pistols are an iconic and highly influential English punk rock band, formed in London in 1975. ... Discharge is an influential punk and metal band formed in the UK in 1977, whose music is characterized by a heavy, distorted, and grinding guitar-driven sound and anti-melodic shouted or screamed vocals, with lyrics on anarchist and pacifist themes. ... Theatre of Hate is a post-punk band which formed in Britain in 1980. ... Ian Astpurie (born May 14, 1962, in Heswall, Cheshire) is an English rock singer and lyricist. ... Gothic rock (sometimes called goth rock or simply goth) is a genre of alternative rock that originated during the late 1970s. ... Southern Death Cult was a gothic rock band in the early 1980s. ... For other uses, including people named Islam, see Islam (disambiguation). ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ...

As early as The Cult's debut single "Spiritwalker", Duffy began establishing a distinctive flanged sound with an offbeat choice of guitar, a mid 1970s Gretsch White Falcon. His fusion of punk and rock riffs, intricately connected, inhabited a middle ground between U2's The Edge and the screaming distortion leads of Jimi Hendrix. Duffy's sound was unique, with a dark, mystic vibe that complemented Astbury's eccentricity. With songs like "She Sells Sanctuary", "The Phoenix", and "Nirvana" (from their second album, 1985's critically acclaimed Love), Duffy became one alternative rock's original guitarists. Gretsch is a U.S. musical instrument manufacturer currently being distributed by guitar company Fender and drum craft company Kaman. ... This article is about the Irish rock band. ... For other subjects called The Edge, see The Edge (disambiguation). ... Jimi Hendrix (November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) was an American guitar virtuoso, singer and songwriter. ... Love is an album by the English rock band The Cult, released in 1985 on Beggars Banquet Records. ... Alternative music redirects here. ...

Late 1980s

Duffy cranked up the distortion for the Cult's wild departure into metal-infused blues-rock on their third album, 1987's Electric, the credit for which partially goes to an overzealous AC/DC fan, Rick Rubin. Fresh from producing the Beastie Boys' debut album Licensed to Ill, Rubin encouraged Duffy and The Cult to explore a new, more high-energy musical direction. Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... Blues Rock or Blues-rock is a fusion genre of music which combines elements of the blues with rock and roll. ... Electric is an album by The Cult and it was released in 1987 on Beggars Banquet (Catalogue number BEGA 80). ... This article is about the band. ... Frederick Jay Rick Rubin (born March 10, 1963 in Lido Beach, New York) is a Jewish American record producer and is currently the co-head of Columbia Records. ... Adam Horovitz Adam Yauch Michael Diamond The Beastie Boys are an American hip hop group from New York City consisting of Michael Mike D Diamond, Adam MCA Yauch, and Adam Ad-Rock Horovitz. ... Licensed to Ill is the debut album by the Beastie Boys, released in 1986 (see 1986 in music). ...

As Duffy's music became Americanized to incorporate the then-popular glam metal sounds, Duffy himself was becoming more Americanized. He moved to Los Angeles in 1988 with Astbury, where both remain. There, the two writing partners (with longtime bassist Jamie Stewart) moved towards a loud stadium rock style with their album Sonic Temple. By Astbury's account, the album was intended to be a marriage of their Love and Electric albums. Duffy had traded in his Gretsch for a Les Paul, and with it, his signature sound was replaced with a more predictable, commercial sound. The Cult thus reached a larger, mainstream audience, but only to the extent of competing for attention with a dozen other glam metal bands. The attention from the public could not be sustained as The Cult floundered with their next album, Ceremony, at the dawn of the grunge age. Glam metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that arose in the late 1970s - early 1980s in the United States. ... Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ... Jamie Stewart was a bassist of the 1980s British post-punk/hard rock group The Cult. ... Arena rock, also called stadium rock or anthem rock, is a loosely-defined term describing a rock era. ... Sonic Temple is the fourth album by the The Cult, released in 1989 (see 1989 in music). ... The Gibson Les Paul is a solidbody electric guitar originally developed in the early 1950s. ... Glam metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that arose in the late 1970s - early 1980s in the United States. ... Ceremony is an album by The Cult that was first released in 1991. ... Grunge redirects here. ...

Following the "Ceremonial Stomp" tour of 1992 (with Lenny Kravitz supporting), Astbury pressured Duffy to get back to his original sound and tone for the band's next album, Black Sheep. The weariness of the recent years led Astbury to depart from The Cult in 1995. During the band's four-year hiatus, Duffy played with Mike Peters of The Alarm in a project called Coloursound, which garnered a modest response in the United Kingdom. Leonard Albert Lenny Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and arranger whose retro style incorporates elements of rock, soul, funk, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, folk, and ballads. ... The Cult is the sixth studio album from English rock band, The Cult. ... Mike Peters photo by Greg Preston Mike Peters is an American cartoonist. ... For the 1914 film starring Fatty Arbuckle, see The Alarm (film). ...

Reformation

Duffy reformed The Cult with Astbury for their 1999 tour, which led to a new contract with Atlantic Records. This was capped off by a show at Atlanta's Music Midtown Festival in May 2001, leading up to the release of Beyond Good and Evil. The single to promote it, "Rise", which reached #41 in the US and #2 on the mainstream rock charts, but it was removed from radio rotation a week after the album's release. Disappointing sales, reviews, and tour attendance ensued, and in 2002, Astbury left the band to sing for The Doors. Atlantic Records (Atlantic Recording Corporation) is an American record label, and operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Music Group. ... This article is about the state capital of Georgia. ... Beyond Good and Evil was a 2001 album by The Cult. ... The Doors were an influential American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles by vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger. ...

2006 onwards

The Cult reformed in early 2006 and after playing several American shows toured Europe in the fall. The Cult now consists of Billy and Ian alongside Mike Dimkich on rhythm guitar, Chris Wyse (who contributed basslines to the Beyond Good and Evil record) on bass and the heavy metal drummer John Tempesta (who played for White Zombie, Testament and Exodus). Duffy appears in Ethan Dettenmaier's film, Sin-Jin Smyth, which was filmed in 2006, but remains unreleased as of June 2007. John Tempesta is a rock drummer, that has worked with a few bands, namely Exodus, Testament, White Zombie. ... White Zombie was an American band named after the 1932 film White Zombie, which starred Bela Lugosi. ... Testament are an American thrash metal band from California. ... Exodus is an American thrash metal band formed in 1980 in San Francisco, California by singer/drummer Tom Hunting, guitarists Tim Agnello and Kirk Hammett, and bassist Carlton Melson. ... Ethan Dettenmaier. ... This article is about motion pictures. ... Sin-Jin Smyth is a 2007 horror film written and directed by Ethan Dettenmaier, based on an old legend inspired by the Kansas Stull Cemetery. ...

In early 2006, Duffy recorded a debut album with his new band, Circus Diablo. The album was recorded with Duffy playing lead guitar and former Cult touring bass player Billy Morrison handling lead vocals and bass guitar duties. Former The Almighty frontman, Ricky Warwick, plays rhythm guitar on the CD. The former Cult, current Velvet Revolver drummer, Matt Sorum also played on the record and appears courtesy of RCA Records. After the completion of the album, former Fuel member Brett Scallions was added to be the bassist, so Morrison could focus on being the lead singer. Then, Jeremy Colson formerly with Steve Vai, was brought in to be the full time drummer for the band. In 2007, he was a judge on Bodog Music's Battle Of The Bands. “Sound recorder” redirects here. ... A debut album is the first released music album by an artist or a band. ... Circus Diablo is an alternative rock band, formed in early 2006 in Los Angeles. ... The Almighty are a rock band, known for such songs as Free N Easy. They are from Glasgow in Scotland and formed in 1988. ... Frontman (also front man) is a term referring to the lead singer or band leader of a music group. ... Ricky Warwick (born Newtownards, County Down, Northern Ireland) is probably best known as the frontman for the UK band The Almighty. ... Rhythm guitar is a guitar that is primarily used to provide rhythmic and harmonic accompaniment for a singer or for other instruments in an ensemble. ... CD redirects here. ... Velvet Revolver is a Grammy Award-winning hard rock supergroup currently consisting of, Slash (Lead Guitar), Duff McKagan (bass guitar, backing vocals), Matt Sorum (drums, percussion, backing vocals) of Guns N Roses, and Dave Kushner (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), of Wasted Youth. ... Matt Sorum (born November 19, 1960, in Mission Viejo, California) is an American hard rock drummer and percussionist. ... A 12-inch record (left), a 7-inch record (right), and a CD (above) Two 7 singles (left), two colored 7 singles (middle), and two 7 singles with large spindle holes (right). ... RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony BMG Music Entertainment. ... Fuel is a rock band formed by guitarist/songwriter Carl Bell and bassist Jeff Abercrombie in 1989. ... Brett Allen Scallions (born on December 21, 1971 in Brownsville, Tennessee) is an American musician. ... Steven Steve Siro Vai (born June 6, 1960 in Carle Place, New York) is an American instrumental rock guitarist, songwriter, vocalist and producer. ... Bodog Logo NewBodog. ...