The Gun Club were a rock band from Los Angeles in the 1980s led by flamboyant singer/guitarist, ex-rock critic Jeffrey Lee Pierce. They were one of the first bands to blend punk with blues, country, and other American roots musics. Rock group (or later rock band) is a generic name to describe a group of musicians specializing in a particular form of electronically amplified music. ... The City of Los Angeles (from Spanish; Los Ángeles, ) also known simply as L.A., is the second-largest city in the United States in terms of population, as well as one of the worlds most important economic, cultural, and entertainment centers. ... The 1980s in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1980 and 1989. ... Simon Le Bon lead singer of Duran Duran in concert, 2003. ... Steve Howe playing lead guitar for Yes in 1977 A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. ... A critic (derived from the ancient Greek word krites meaning a judge) is a person who offers a value judgement or an interpretation. ... Jeffrey Lee Pierce was one of the founding members of the 1980s punk band The Gun Club, along with Kid Congo, who later joined The Cramps. ... 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. ... For other uses, see blues (disambiguation) The blues is a vocal and instrumental music form based on the pentatonic scale and often on the twelve-bar chord progression. ... Country music, also called country and western music or country-western, is an amalgam of popular musical forms developed in the Southern United States, with roots in traditional folk music, Celtic Music, Blues, Gospel music, and Old-time music. ... Roots Rock is a sometimes vaguely-defined genre of rock music that draws on early rock and roll, blues music, country music or country rock, and other related forms. ...

History

The band was formed by Pierce and Kid Congo Powers and initially called Creeping Ritual. They went through several lineup changes before settling on "The Gun Club", a name suggested by Circle Jerks singer Keith Morris. Kid Congo Powers is a formative influence on dark, rootsy punk music. ... The Circle Jerks are a punk rock band formed circa 1978 in Los Angeles, California. ... Keith Morris was the co-founder of Black Flag along with guitarist Greg Ginn. ...

Kid Congo left before the first album to join The Cramps. Other notable members include bassist Rob Ritter and drummer Terry Graham, who had both previously been in The Bags. Rob left after the debut album to form 45 Grave, and changed his name to Rob Graves. Later, Patricia Morrison, then known as Pat Bag, one of the founders of The Bags, joined to play bass on two LPs Danse Kalinda Boom and Las Vegas Story before leaving to join The Sisters of Mercy and then The Damned. Image:The cramps band. ... The Bags were one of the first generation of punk rock bands to emerge out of Los Angeles. ... During 1979-1990 in Los Angeles, 45 Grave was born in the chaos of the punk movement and churned out their own brand of death rock. ... Patricia Morrison (born January 14, 1962 in Los Angeles) is an American musician. ... The Sisters of Mercy are a Gothic Rock band that came out of the British post punk scene in 1980-1981. ... This article is about the music group. ...

Their first album, 1981's Fire of Love, is regarded as a classic by many rock critics. One critic has written that the "album's lyrical imagery is plundered from voodoo, '50's EC comics and the blues," ¹ while another notes that "Nobody has heard music like this before or since."[1] Fire of Love sold well and arguably received the best reviews of any release from the band. 1981 (MCMLXXXI) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A large sequined Voodoo dwapo or flag by the artist George Valris The term Voodoo (Vodun in Benin; also Vodou or other phonetically equivalent spellings in Haiti; Vudu in the Dominican Republic) is applied to the branches of a West African ancestor-based spiritist-animist religious tradition. ... Entertaining Comics was headed by William Gaines but is better known by its publishing name of EC Comics. ... For other uses, see blues (disambiguation) The blues is a vocal and instrumental music form based on the pentatonic scale and often on the twelve-bar chord progression. ...

Along with The Cramps, X and other bands, they set much of the tone for the Hollywood rock scene in the 1980s. (Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe is rumored to have borrowed some of Pierce's distinctive look for his own early career.) Image:The cramps band. ... X on the cover of their 1997 collection Beyond and Back: The X Anthology. ... ... The 1980s in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1980 and 1989. ... Vince Neil (born Vincent Neil Wharton, February 8, 1961 in Hollywood, California) is the singer for American hair metal band Mötley Crüe. ... Mötley Crüe in 2004 (from left: Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx, Mick Mars, Tommy Lee) Mötley Crüe (pronounced as mott-lay crew) is an American heavy metal/Glam Metal band whose members include Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee, Mick Mars, and Vince Neil. ...

In 1992, Pierce returned to his musical roots by recording an album of mostly pre-war blues songs with his long time collaborator, the British blues Guitarist Cypress Grove. Cypress Grove is an English Singer and Guitarist who has worked with Jeffrey Lee Pierce. ...

Pierce continued leading various incarnations of the Gun Club up until his death in 1996. 1996 (MCMXCVI) is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

Romi Mori and Nick Sanderson went on to found the band Freeheat, with ex-members of Jesus and Mary Chain Jim Reid and Ben Lurie. Freeheat Freeheat are a British Indie rock band formed by Jim Reid and Ben Lurie of the Jesus and Mary Chain and Romi Mori and Nick Sanderson of Gun Club. ... 1989 promo shot for the album Automatic The Jesus and Mary Chain were a British Indie rock band that revolved around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim Reid and William Reid. ... Jim Reid on-stage in 1999 Jim Reid (born 29 December 1961) was the lead singer for critically acclaimed British indie band The Jesus and Mary Chain, which he formed with his elder brother and guitarist William Reid. ...

They helped influence the cowpunk scene that developed in their wake and a wide variety of bands ranging from Social Distortion in the 1980s to The White Stripes today. Psychobilly is a genre of music generally described as a mix between the British punk rock of the 1970s and the American rockabilly of the 1950s. ... Social Distortion live at the Avalon Ballroom in 2004 Social Distortion live at the Avalon Ballroom in 2004 Social Distortion (often known as Social D) is an influental old school punk band, appearing in the early 80s and still active today. ... The 1980s in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1980 and 1989. ... The White Stripes are a minimalist rock and roll duo from Detroit, formed on Bastille Day, 1997, composed of Jack White and Meg White, who rose to prominence with their albums White Blood Cells and Elephant. ...

Discography

• Fire of Love (1981)
• Miami (1982)
• Death Party EP (1983)
• Sex Beat '81 (Live) (1984)
• The Birth, The Death, The Ghost (Live) (1984)
• The Las Vegas Story (1984)
• Danse Kalinda Boom (Live) (1985)
• Mother Juno (1987)
• Pastoral Hide and Seek (1990)
• Divinity EP (1991)
• In Exile (1992) Compilation
• Live In Europe (1993)
• Lucky Jim (1993)
• Early Warning (1997) Rarities and demos

Notes

Note 1: Olende, Stevo (Jan. 2002). Preachin' the Blues: The Gun Club Story. Perfect Sound Forever.

References

• Band history at The Gun Club and Jeffrey Lee Pierce website
• Various members' articles about the band

External link

• The Gun Club and Jeffrey Lee Pierce general website with lyrics, photos, interviews