Black Punk Time:
Blacks in Punk, New Wave and Hardcore 1976-1984

Blacks in Punk, New Wave and Hardcore 1976-1984 (Part 1)

When punk-rock arrived—as we now know it—back in 1975-77, it was the kick in the ass the music world needed. At a time when the wide-ranging rock scene incorporated everything from Midwestern Metal to Outlaw Country to funk-fusion combos like Weather Report, there was an overall, evident energy drop. When the debut albums appeared from the Ramones, the Dictators, Patti Smith, the Sex Pistols, the Dead Boys, and others, the edge was back. As Spin, VH1, Rolling Stone and the rest of the self-important "Rock History Reports" so boldly declare these days, punk was the wildest, angriest, most vital, most energetic, hottest shit going.

But it was also the whitest.

For many of the young punks coming up, Black music meant disco. Or their older hippie brother's Blues albums. I recall a Rolling Stone article from 1979 on the Ramones where one member seemed particularly proud of the fact that there were no Blues influences in their music. Nothing wrong with that—it was an honest assessment of their classic sound. However, this did have an ugly side. When rock writer Lester Bangs first moved out to New York in the mid-seventies when punk rock was peaking, first thing he did was throw a party, inviting all his friends from the CBGB's scene. Bangs reflexively threw on an Otis Redding album, ostensibly so everybody could dance; right then he heard somebody yell, "Hey, Lester, what are you playing that nigger disco shit for?"

To some people, punk rock might have represented another wave of ethnic cleansing in Rock & Roll. However, that first wave of the New Wave was more integrated than most people might think. Several Black performers had key roles in punk bands during the prime early years (1976-83), particularly in New York, which, as the home of the Black Rock Coalition (a musician's collective), has had a long involved history of Blacks playing Rock & Roll. This is a salute to the brothers and sisters that helped make it happen.

As far as Black punk's relationship to Hip Hop, there's lots of soundbites to give, but they don't necessarily add up to much. Rick Rubin recalls Russell Simmons' initial reaction to Public Enemy being, "Rick, this is like Black punk rock. How can you waste your time on this garbage?'" Perhaps the most famous record ever done in an 80s hardcore style was "Cop Killer" by BODYCOUNT, rapper Ice T's novelty project where he had an all Black band playing hardcore/thrash. Johan Kugelberg, who compiles discographies of insanely obscure punk singles for Ugly Things magazine, has recently come out of the closet as a rap-head by declaring in print that early Electro records and battle tapes have the vitality and spirit of their punk contemporaries. And, of course, there were a few cases of cross-pollination, with projects like Time Zone (Afrikaa Bambataa and Johnny Lydon) and bands like the Clash becoming interested in Hip Hop (a nod returned when zillion sellers with Clash hooks began popping up from commercial Hip Hop).

But the true relationship really comes down to early punk and early Hip Hop both being D.I.Y. movements with independent spirits. When Black Hip Hop artists began exploring (and creating) their underground, culminating in obscure, unbelievably NEW sounding vinyl spinning out of NYC, this was not entirely untread ground. So in addition to the African griots, the signifying toasters, the comedic Jump Blues vocalists, the chitlin circuit standups, the political poets, the fusion Jazz experimenters and the countless other pioneers that can lay legit claim to the roots of Hip Hop, leave a tiny space for the handful of Black punk rockers who dared to refuse to accept that they had to dig the music they were supposed to dig and wear the clothes they were supposed to wear.

(Note: Bands mentioned in descriptions in ALL CAPS have separate entries, either in main listing, in Also Notable section in Other Punk/New Wave Hardcore Bands With Black Members section. Bands in bold type are acts with a significant relationship to Black Punk that do not have a separate entry)

BARRY ADAMSON

Adamson, later of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, played bass in Magazine from 1979-1981. The band, while not too punk, was the product of the undeniable punk pedigree of Howard Devoto of the Buzzcocks. Adamson brought funky influence to the band, and that funkiness continued with his solo work in the 90s, especially The Negro Inside Me [Elektra, 1993], which explored his relationship with Funk, Jazz, Hip Hop and Euro Pop. (JA)

STEVE ALDRICH

The perpetually sunglassed Steve fronted the late 70s Grand Rapids, MI punk/New Wave band GWBT (which, believe it or not, stood for the Guys With Big Teeth) and then had a career spinning punk records on college radio (WSRX) which morphed into spinning "alternative" music as a pro-jock on WLAV. I've heard Aldritch's take on punk described as "possessed of a rare naivette" and also as that of "a big New Wave poseur." I suppose those aren't actually contradictory. GWBT's "Now I'm Really Mad" may be the only punk song to feature a celeste solo. (JA)

Terry Mohre adds: Way off in stating that STEVE ALDRICH fronted the GUYS WITH BIG TEETH, Stig had little or nothing to do with the band except we used his drums, which I remember urinating on. Members of the GUYS WITH BIG TEETH were M. DUNG, CAPTIAN TODEL, TERRY, WALTER WRIGHT, SPUDDY, and sometimes FROOT TA MAN. Also, no celeste it was a little blue toy piano

ALGEBRA MOTHERS (a/k/a THE A-MOMS)

This Detroit punk band was led by the African American guitarist Gerald Collins. They released the single "Strawberry Cheesecake" b/w "Modern Noise" on Aftertaste in 1979.

ALLAH AND THE KNIFE WIELDING PUNKS

Bernie Edwards, Nile Rogers and Tony Thompson were among the members of this 1976 co-ed New Wave act (they did not release any records) before morphing it into the legendary dance act Chic. Rogers and Edwards became two of the most successful producers in pop history, and each has worked with a number of rock artists (Rogers' collaborators include David Bowie, Peter Gabriel and Sting; Edwards' include ABC, Duran Duran and Air Supply). Edwards died of pneumonia while on tour in Japan in 1996. Thompson also played with Duran Duran members and Robert Palmer in the Edwards-produced rock supergroup Power Station, and was the drummer for the Led Zeppelin reunion at Live Aid in 1985. He died of cancer in 2003. (JA)

JABARI ALLEN & DAVID ALLEN, JR. OF UNITS

Jabari Allen and David Allen Junior joined the band Units for their New Way to Move EP. A video of the single "A Girl Like You" was released and can be viewed here: http://youtu.be/i44WVe1Hci4. The band started out fairly aggressive and political, but as they grew older leaned a bit more toward R&B;/New Wave, but philosophically remained true to their original principles. The Allen brothers contributed very nicely in my opinion, giving Units a fresh sound, while creating a commercially viable sound given their shift to a major label, (though ultimately fruitless, as their debut for Epic didn't chart.) (Grant Olsen) [New Entry 2-2-13]

ANDY ANDERSON

Drummer for the Cure in 1983 and 1984 on the 'Lovecats' single and 'The Top,' "Japanese Whispers" and "Concert" albums. Clifford Leon Anderson (his birth name) was briefly in Hawkwind before joining the Cure, and was fired from the Cure for fighting with security guards during a Japanese tour. (JA)

RODNEY ANDERSON and PAT BAPTISTE of SEISMIC WAVES

Hailing from the wrong side of the tracks in the Chicago suburb Evanston, Rodney would go on to play drums in one of the best regional hardcore bands, DJ on the crucial punk radio show "Fast and Loud" and eventually become one of the bitterest men in Chicago punk. Seismic Waves' body of work deserve a place in punk history based on their titles alone; you have to acknowledge songs named, "Cable TV Was A Ripoff," "Lipsynch To The Go Gos," and "Fat Girls." Guitarist Pat Baptiste was also African American, making the band 66.7% Black. The "Fast and Loud" radio show (born in 1983) was one of the cornerstones of Chicago punk. Hailing from the campus of Evanston's Northwestern University (where Rodney attended) it played a boldly diverse sampling of local, national and international punk, hardcore, Oi! and speed metal (see ZOETROPE), and the show even spawned one of the great Midwest comps, The Middle Of America. Rodney's post Seismic Waves band, 007, was a surf mod act in which he played guitar, and which featured Eric Williams, another Black rocker. (JA)

Rodney Responds: While it is an honor to be mentioned in this article (and to still be remembered so many years later), I wanted to "refine" a few things: "Cable TV" was the title. "It's a ripoff/just bought a ripoff/sho 'nuff a ripoff" was the chorus. The Seismic songs mentioned were based on real people and real events. Some knew that they were the lyrical focus; most didn't. By the way, I didn't stumble into the job. I was drummer, head writer, and lead singer, though we all sang/yelled. I was kind of a Grant Hart copycat, if anything. Location, location, location... How'd I get to Northwestern, and WNUR, from the wrong side of the tracks? That one's funny. "...one of the bitterest men..."? Your sources don't know me. I'm the opposite. Someone once called me a cynic. I laughed, and said "You're dead wrong. I'm an optimist. Only an optimist can see that much potential and hope (in something) to complain about it..."

Another reader adds: ...I did a short tour with Tranquility Bass a few years back and who should be playing guitar, but Rodney. And to further mix it up, Eric Williams was acting as the Merch guy. They were 2 of the nicest and laid back blokes one could hope to meet. Rodney was certainly not even close to the "Bitterest Man in Chicago Punk", in fact making no mention of his pedigree until me and the head hippy in the band got into it over the relative virtures Black Flag, at which point Rodney off handedly threw his weight behind my contention that they were better than the Dead, or something equally stupid. I roomed with him for a couple nights and we chatted a bit about "the old days" in which he had a "been there, done that" attitude, but without the arrogance that sometimes goes with it. He, like many people, seemed to lose interest when the bands started sounding like cookie cutter thrash morons who got so insular that goons would start a punchin when someone who did not fit their narrow viewpoints. I don't think the irony was lost on him that many of these losers were first introduced to the whole scene by his show, but when he would later go to a show dressed less than punk they would always find an excuse to hassle him. After the tour ended I dropped him and his gear off at his folks house in Evanston and it was definitely not the Wrong Side of the Tracks.

THE ATOMICS

Rick "Stick" Greene sang for a while with this 1980-1983 Gainesville, FL band. The Atomics for the most part were a punk/New Wave cover band.

BAD ACTOR

Bad Actor was formed back in 1980 in Phila. Pa., original members are; Ken "Tojo White, Henry "Tex" Mosley, Michael "Spider" Sanders (ex-Pure Hell), Gary "Wooly" Neal. Soon after forming they migrated to L.A. only to lose lead vocalist Tojo, being replaced by Shawn Bright (Oingo Boingo) and then Dee Dee Troit (U.X.A.). they played all of the then punk/new wave venues of the day, taping the very last New Wave theater, before Peter Ivers was murdered. They made only one recording that was released on the 1983 compilation LP "Sounds Of Hollywood Girl" on Doug Moody's Mystic label. Their house in Silver Lake was the meeting place for the Better Youth Organization planning the "Someone Got Their Head Kicked In" tour. Sadly Spider passed away in 2002 in the middle of reforming Pure Hell, we still miss him! See PURE HELL (Gary Neal) [NEW ENTRY 7/11/09]

BAD BRAINS

Bad Brains are perhaps the most important hardcore punk band ever (many argue that their single, "Pay To Cum" b/w "Stay Close to Me" [Bad Brains Records, 1980] is the first hardcore record) but they are definitely the most interesting one. If a brilliant book is ever written based on the hardcore scene, a piece of literary historical writing that captures the bizarre complexities of American culture the way In Cold Blood did, the Bad Brains' story would be the perfect source material. Quite simply, H.R (Paul Hudson), the band's founder, is a mad genius that only America could produce; he's a magnetic, self-destructive, unfocussed/ultrafocussed, brilliant, schizo, frustrating, talented icon whose powers have resulted in a career/non-career that has no parallels. Before he was 20 he studied medicine in college, flunked out, abused drugs, fathered a child and worked simple jobs. His dismal hopes for a better life left Hudson ripe for suggestion, and when he stumbled upon some dusty self-help manuals he decided to reconfigure his life based on the principles of PMA (Positive Mental Attitude). He used this positivity to realize a dream: he wanted to make music! Hudson lived in Maryland, but our story shifts to nearby Washington, DC. DC is a predominantly African American town, but the punk scene was, not surprisingly, very white. Two neighbors from the Black side of the tracks, Sid McCray and Darryl Jenifer, were open to white music and an interest in Metal led them to '77 punk. Jenifer's interests drifted to progressive Jazz Fusion music, however, and he soon joined Paul Hudson's new band, Mindpower (a PMA name) with Paul's brother Earl Hudson on drums and friend Gary Miller (the future Dr. Know) on guitar. Mindpower was a short lived, unsuccessful musical experiment, but Paul stayed positive, and when McCray urged them to give punk a chance they changed gears and renamed the band Bad Brains. HR (Hudson's punk persona) liked the name because it combined the Black English slang "Bad" with the idea of mind power, not knowing that Daryl took it from a Ramones song. The key axis-moment in DC punk history is the Cramps show at Hall of Nations in 1979. Though it's hard to believe the ultra-serious straight edge and emo scenes would be born from a band as joyous and goofy as the Cramps, the fact is, like the famed Ramones show that inspired every important British punker, this concert was attended by future members of Minor Threat, Rights of Spring and many other significant DC bands. And it was at that show that Bad Brains handed out flyers for their debut show in the Hudson basement. The five member band (Sid was briefly a second vocalist) played furious punk with lyrics that combined PMA optimism with outrage. They developed a unique sound, combining jazz influences, Jenifer's and Dr. Know's invigorating playing, HR's unusual reedy voice, and, in lieu of the stiff metronomic beat that hardcore would be known for, the meaty rhythms of drummer Earl Hudson that swung like a rusty ax. By the end of the year they recorded their demo (7 tracks done in an hour), started incorporating Reggae (Mindpower had gone on a band field trip to a Bob Marley concert before Bad Brains formed), tried to relocate to New York and London (both failures, they never got past customs in Europe) and recorded what would be their first single. As the '80s dawned HR struggled with drugs and spirituality and become more invested in Rastafarianism. From any distance HR, a drug addled college dropout basing his life around absurd self-help books, doesn't seem like someone you'd follow, but his charisma and magnetism made him a true leader and soon the band members spoke in Jamaican accents. Over the next couple of years several managers who recognized Bad Brains' powers tried to get them on the road to superstardom but it wasn't to be. Though their shows were amazing (HR's signature backflips were something unseen on the tiny punk stages he roamed) and though they managed to record some amazing songs, HR's unpredictability always shut doors of opportunity as fast as they opened. The only reason they were able to negotiate the release of their legendary self-titled cassette album for ROIR (1982) is that ROIR's Neil Cooper (who died last year) personally knew Rastafarian prophet Haile Sellassie. The cassette (diehards insist it only sounds right on cassette) would sell over 100,000 copies and became one of the most influential hardcore releases of all time. It led the band to coast to coast touring, and it was in San Francisco and Texas that Bad Brains would feel their first backlash from the punk world. The religious doctrines HR was adhering to were intolerant of homosexuals. This led to conflicts as bands they played with were either gay friendly or gay, culminating in some ugly incidents with the Big Boys that became the talk of the punk grapevine. HR's Rasta ways also had him trying to guide the band to an all Reggae repertoire, which caused quite a bit of oddness, with either punk fans not getting as much punk as they expected or, on occasion, Bad Brains drawing a Black Reggae crowd that was confused by the local, white punk opening acts. After the troubled tour more chaos followed, leading to them losing their practice space, master tapes for upcoming records and equipment. They were given a new lease on life by punk fan Rick Ocasek (the Cars) who helped them record the band's first full length Rock For Light (PVC, 1983). Due to the regular Bad Brains chaos the record had an odd history or being released on a few labels over the years, but the album is perhaps the most cohesive document of their Rasta/punk balance. This led to interest from major labels but HR wanted none of it. He really wanted to change the band's name and stop playing rock altogether, and he (of course) thought major corporations were Babylon/Satan/apocalypse bringers. After sabotaging their chances at success the band was essentially broken up, and HR supported himself financially by selling pot (leading to an arrest and jail sentence). He still played occasionally with his brother, but was not on warm terms with Jenifer or Know. However, in 1985 they somehow made peace and re-formed, wrote new material, toured and made a new album. After the drama and odd release history of their previous recordings, now they were working with an almost real label on an almost real record, I Against I (SST, 1986). It featured diverse musical excursions, and solid writing and singing by a fully engaged HR. The well-received album led to the possibility of signing with Island (Bob Marley's label!) but again HR refused and he and his brother left the band to concentrate on their other project. Between 1984 and 1990 HR performed with and released recordings with his "solo" band H.R. (also known as Human Rights). The best of these, Human Rights (SST, 1987) is an odd fusion of Reggae, Funk, pop and Rock that showcases the unusual magic of HR's voice. The band performed with a rotating lineup that often included his brother Earl and DAVE BYERS. I saw them perform once with a chorus of sweet singing women complimenting HR's reedy, off center vocal stylings in a sublime, fantastic way, making it evident what was special about his unique talents. However, at the same show the band performed without keyboardist Billy Fields (later of the Atlanta-based Black rock band Follow For Now and the rap group Arrested Development) who HR had take the fall for a drug bust at the previous show. Unfortunately, that kind of disorder was more what the band would be about than the musical coherence. Human Rights was able to exist with drastically changing lineups until the end of the 80s, but eventually no one would work with him. After a European tour with Human Rights ended with HR stranded overseas he eventually made it back to the states and he and his brother briefly rejoined Bad Brains who had been performing with another singer. Quickness (Caroline, 1989), featured HR as a lyricist (anti-gay stuff included), but had little Reggae, and with the inclusion of the Punk-Metal crossover sound that many hardcore bands were into, it feels like HR is merely a hired hand. The European tour that followed had HR physically attacking a bandmate and jumping off a moving tour bus. When they returned to the states the band broke up. Bad Brains reformed with singer Chuck Mosely (Faith No More) and continued to play. Things were worse for HR whose Reggae band was falling apart. He had sold the rights to the name and the music of Bad Brains to his ex-bandmates for needed cash, and without even that minute income coming in he spent a few years drifting between homelessness, his parents' house, incarceration, and short stints on friends couches for the brief period between his arrival and the time he alienated them. On the other side of the coin, in 1992, a few years after the commercial success of the Black rock band Living Colour, Epic Records took a look at the newly energized Bad Brains and signed them to their first major label contract. It was easy to see why they seemed appealing; the fantastic musicianship of Jenifer and Dr. Know was complimented, though not elevated, by their new lead singer Israel, a young, super-energetic kid with long dreadlocks and a stage presence influenced by pit diving punk. If you'd never heard of HR you'd be mildly impressed. Rise (Epic, 1993) had a perfunctory release but they were dropped when it didn't find a new audience (and lost the old audience who couldn't reconcile the Stones-without-Mick nature of the lineup). In 1994 perhaps the strangest chapter of Bad Brains history was written. Somehow Earl and then HR returned to the fold. Not long after the original Bad Brains lineup was reformed they signed a contract with Maverick/Warner Brothers (Madonna's label) and the real Bad Brains were all of a sudden a major label band. On one hand it could be argued that the amazing thing here is that HR agreed to sign. But the truly bizarre aspect of this arrangement is that Bad Brains (a middle aged, self-destructive, Black rock band with a cult following at best, who never even knew themselves if they played punk or Reggae) was perhaps the stupidest major label signing ever. There is no reasonable argument that would justify investing in Bad Brains' potential as an extremely commercial act. But the legend of Bad Brains was so powerful, and the band meant so much to any kid that grew up in hardcore, that someone at Maverick with a punk pedigree (I assume not Madonna) made the stupid decision with heart, not mind. They quickly released the unfocussed God Of Love (Maverick, 1995), produced by Ocasek, and took off on a tour with (hardcore pedigreed Bad Brains loyalists) Beastie Boys. Inevitably the tour was a disaster; HR beat his manager brutally before a show in Canada, got arrested for possession, and when the tour resumed, jumped off a stage in Kansas and, with the help of a microphone stand, hospitalized two fans he thought were spitting on him. As he dealt with the criminal charges the band was dropped, and apparently lost the rights to even use the name "Bad Brains." When the group straggled back together at the end of the decade they had to be billed as Soul Brains. I heard numerous punk fans mention halfheartedly going to see the shows out of sense of obligation. It was hard for them to be excited about what they knew would be a perfunctory show at worst and a sad, violent, act of self destruction at its most interesting. But this was Bad Brains! How could you not go? The various members of the band, when not on tour, split their time between regular jobs, family and various musical projects that their Bad Brains veteran status affords them (like Dr. Know's recent stint in Black Jack Johnson, a Rap-Rock band with Mos Def, BERNIE WORRELL, and members of Living Colour). But despite the fact that they didn't live up to the stellar expectations that their amazing first recordings and shows promised (an impossibility perhaps), Bad Brains will always stand tall as the true godfathers of hardcore and the punk band with the most formidable (and deserved…and bizarre) legend. (JA)

An e-mail response from a Bad Brain (since it was an e-mail we can't verify if it is genuine, of course): you dont shit about the bad brains son.............pay closer attention ....meditate between the lines.......peep the true mystic and science of the brains and not the petty earth runnings that tend to blind all of yall lemmings, still,even today 03.......open your mind -not your mouth,..knucklehead............d.jenifer [Updated 3/31/03]

On a more positive note, Steve Albini adds: I was struck by how perfect your biography of the Bad Brains was (my all-time favorite hardcore band -- I will never forget the sight of HR making his entrance by doing a backflip and landing precisely on the downbeat and precisely in front of the mic stand at C.O.D. in 1982), and I was impressed that you were willing to listen to- and digest their many lesser works so the rest of us don't have to, despite our curiosity. You did a great job of appreciating the genius of the band (and especially HR) without ignoring their human failings. I was told (by Minor Threat's Lyle Preslar, if it matters) that HR was originally a nickname, the initials for "Hunting Rod," which probably has the meaning we imagine it does. I was told that Darryl Jennifer played bass on a Bob Dylan album in the '80s, and if memory serves, also a Hall and Oates album, but I have no evidence of it. [Updated 3/31/03]

JEREMY WALLACH ADDS: It's "Rites of Spring," not "Rights of Spring." Here's a question: On the Ramones' 1987 album Halfway to Sanity, HR is clearly the vocalist on the track "I Lost My Mind," yet he is not credited in the liner notes (at least not in the ones that came with my nineteen-year old cassette...). Does anyone know the story behind this collaboration? [Updated 11/28/06]

Guy Fiorentini adds: On the I Against I tour in 1986, I was listening through the back door because I didn't have enough money to get in and the tour manager gave me $12 from his wallet and said go around and pay at the front door. [Updated 1/28/08]

KENNY BALDWIN

One of the pioneers of Milwaukee punk, Baldwin was drummer in Locate Your Lips, but more significantly turned his father's strip club, Starship, into the city's first punk venue, which he managed (reportedly in a grumpy manner).

BASEMENT 5

Basement 5 was an all Black trio from England that combined punk, dub and Metal, with Lemmy like vocals. Their album was cryptically titled Basement 5 1965-1980 (Island, 1980) and they also had a few 45s, 12"s and EPs, including a dub mix of their album and a Christmas single, "Last White Christmas" which railed negative X-mas greetings at Jimmy Carter, Margaret Thatcher, Khomeni and Ian Smith. Their take on a punk dub fusion was much more convincing then PIL's. Leo Williams, the bass player, was later in BIG AUDIO DYNAMITE. (JA)

BEACH BUNNIES

Circa 1979-80 there was a Black two piece (bass and drums) girl band in Pittsburgh called the Beach Bunnies who performed in Playboy bunny outfits.

JEAN BEAUVOIR

Beauvoir's punk cred can't be denied; he played bass (and piano, and synth) for the Plasmatics from 1980-1981 (He's on Beyond the Valley Of 1984, Stiff, 1981) and he wrote the Ramones' closest thing to an '80s-style punk song (exploiting the ever popular Reagan mockery theme in "Bonzo Goes To Bitberg"). Born in Chicago to Haitian parents Beauvier took up bass early, and by his teen years was musical director for Gary "U.S." Bonds. This got him on the Dick Clark oldies circuit, which led to a stint as a singer in the Flamingos ("I Only Have Eyes For You"). Rejecting the clean-cut world of American Bandstand he started hanging on the NYC punk scene and after responding to an ad joined the Plasmatics and donned his trademark blonde Mohawk. The Plasmatics were legitimately more famous for Wendy O. Williams' remarkably hilarious stage antics (chainsaws, shotguns and shaving cream included) than for their songs, so it's amazing how highly regarded he was as a commercial musician when he left the band. He joined Little Steven Van Zandt's Disciples of Soul in 1982 (based more on his Gary "U.S." Bonds pedigree than his Plasmatics gig). In 1984 when Gene Simmons' acting career distracted him from KISS, Beauvoir (who had opened for KISS in the Plasmatics) was brought in to (anonymously) play Gene's bass tracks on the Animalize LP. He also co-wrote that album's "Thrills In The Night" In additon to Animalize, his apparently bestial knowhow was tapped for Animal Boy, the Ramones' 1986 LP that Jean produced and co-wrote. He released a solo album, Drums Along the Mohawk (Columbia/Virgin UK), in 1986, which sold over a million copies worldwide (he had a much bigger audience in Europe). He followed it up with several more solo albums, but more significantly with production and writing work for other bands (more in Sweden than the US). In the late 80s and 90s he led two bands who were somewhat popular (in Europe), Voodoo X (the Voodoo aspect was a play on his Haitian heritage), and the Black rock supergroup Crown of Thorns (with Tony Thompson of Chic and Power Station and Micki Free, the pink guitar slinging Prince impersonator of post Jody Watley Shalamar). In recent years he's gone from Mohawk to bald, written for NSYNC, performed with Bruce Springsteen, released a solo acoustic LP, and is working on a beer campaign. Perhaps not the punkest career, but he's kept it interesting. Check out www.jeanbeauvoir.com if you dare. (JA)

BIG COUNTRY

From the un-punkest reaches of the tail end of New Wave, this band did rise from the ashes of the far punker Skids. Featured one Black member, journeyman bassplayer Tony Butler (he played with the Pretenders [in 1984], Pete Townsend, and Roger Daltry, amongst others). (JA)

BLACK DEATH

Though embraced as more of a Metal band than a punk act (their self titled 1983 LP was on the Ohio Metal label Auburn Records), Sikki Spacek and his leather-clad, all African American bandmates definitely played a Hardcore inspired brand of Thrash. The punkest thing about them was that these kids from the wrong side of the tracks (a/k/a/ East Cleveland) rode the bus to their own gigs…with guitars and a full drum kit! (JA)

THE BLENDERS

This band had two Black lead singers (Bobby & Gail). I saw them open for the Bad Brains at CBGBs. No vinyl but they had a lot of fans. I also saw them at Max's. Vocalist Gail Epps is currently working as a stand up comic (edie gourmet) [New Entry, 11/28/06]

BODYCOUNT

Not the Ice T hardcore project, this was an early 80s Maryland punk-Reggae crossover band. The drummer, Crucial Tony, was Black.

BOO (aka THE BOO BAND)

Boo, from Dallas, consisted of two black men on bass, guitar and vocals, and a white, female drummer. They played a variant of Dub Punk, similar to The Basement 5. They never caught on, but, did play at the protests of the 1984 Republican Convention, one of the only local acts afforded such a distinction. (John Battles) [New Entry 9/14/13]

BOSCH

This band from Columbus, OH, started as a studio project called Hieronymus Bosch for a 1977 single ("Rollin' In Firs" on local label Enigma, not the more prominent label of the same name) before emerging as a full-fledged band under the shorter name. Their promo photo shows a Black member. (JP)

KEVIN BOWIE (THE FRONT LINES)

Bowie played bass for the Evanston, IL-based punky power pop band Front Lines. The teen was discovered in a guitar shop by the rest of the band, who were Northwestern University students (including guitarist Kier Strejcek, brother of Nathan of Teen Idles/Dischord fame. Bowie appears on both of their records, Where Do We Go From Here ep (1980, with bluesman Carey Bell guesting on harmonica) and "Capital Attraction" b/w "In This Universe" (1982). A detailed history of the band (including mention of partying with Rick James’ band in Buffalo) can be found at http://strejcek.net/bands/bands.html (JA, thanks to Felicismo Go)

BUDDY BOWSER

Sax player who guested with the Dolls and Johnny Thunders. [New Entry 11/12/05] Bowser also wrote much of Maximillian's debut album. Maximillian was a power trio with an irresistible Garage ineptitude, much like The Gories, though Mick Collins and Dan Kroha disagree with me on that one. (John Battles) [Updated 9/16/13]

CHERYL BOYZE of NASTYFACTS/PANDEMONIUM

Boyze and her band were high school students from Brooklyn circa '79-'80, who played melodic punk and released one amazing collector scum coveted single, "Drive My Car" on Jimboco. Boyze (a/k/a Boyce) was older then the others but they asked her to be in the band (originally called Pandemonium) because she looked cool. She played bass, sang and is credited with writing the songs. They played Max's, CBGB's and even shared a bill with BAD BRAINS at a cowboy bar. Bandmate Brad Craig, as well as other members, are still active musicians but are out of touch with Boyze. Hear MP3s of their single and unreleased stuff at Brad's fretman.com site. The band recorded again in 2004 without Cheryl. Recently Boyze has been performing in San Francisco as King TuffNStuff, a drag king (male impersonator) character who performs excellent original Delta-style blues music. Both Nastyfacts and TuffNStuff have Myspace pages. (JA) [Updated 6/09]

SHAWN BROWN of DAG NASTY

Brown, who is currently involved with Jesus Eater, performed his first show with DC melodic hardcore band Dag Nasty at the WUST Hall in DC in the early 80s. Brown recorded the band's demo, but was out of the band when they recorded their debut. He was also in Swiz and Sweetbelly Freakdown. [New Entry 11/12/05]

BUS BOYS

Time (and a still-nascent, would-be 80's revival) has totally passed this band by, and those who still remember think of them as that bar band that appeared in Eddie Murphy's 48 Hours. I'm still kinda peeved that "Make The Music Go Bang," Don Waller's excellent chronicle of the pre-MTV New Wave scene in L.A., doesn't include any Bus Boys trivia. As Damon Locks from the Eternals exclaimed when he overheard me describing them as a New Wave band: "NEW WAVE??!?? Naw, naw, man, the Bus Boys were mainstream arena rock like Huey Lewis & the News! Where did you get 'New Wave' from?" Well, maybe you had to have been there, but the Bus Boys came from the Los Angeles punk/New Wave scene of the late seventies and early eighties. During the era that they were almost famous, with two moderately-selling albums on Arista that charted in Billboard, it was basically the New Wave crowd that provided a support base. The arena-rock crowd was too busy listening to REO Speedwagon to give a toss about a mostly-Black rock band who dressed like waiters and specialized in throwing stereotypes back into their listeners' faces (Lyric: "...I'll bet you never heard music like this by spades!!!") On their first album, Minimum Wage Rock & Roll, every other song deals with racial issues, turning negative stereotypes (old-school "yassuh, boss" Ebonics, etc.) into a vicious tool of satire. The monkeyshines were toned down on their second LP, 1982's American Worker, and then...nothing. In 1988, with Black rock finally getting another shot on the radar through Living Colour, the Bus Boys reappeared on a label called Voss (related to the soft-drink company?) with the horrid Money Don't Make No Man, which had them chasing the sound of Prince but not quite catching up. (JP)

NIKKI BUZZ of SUN

With his massive afro peeking out in a goofy publicity shot Nikki Buzz, lead singer of Sun, breaks the color line on the Live At CBGB's LP (Atlantic, 1976). Listening too their track the buzzsaw guitars definitely indicate "punk" but a closer listen reveals that they're just playing 60s Blues Rock at double time. The first dead giveaway is that Nikki's vocals are straight out of the Filmore stylewise, not so much sounding like Soul vocals, but sounding like a Black take on the white 60s version of Soul vocals. The real clue that these guys didn't know what punk was about (and why they didn't make it in the scene) is that their tune, "Romance," is five minutes long! Though some discographies indicate Nikki was involved in the funk band Sun from Dayton I think that's a mistake, though he did hail from nearby Louisville, KY. As far as credible post-CBGB's history, lucky for us he kept that ridiculous name throughout his career. In the early 80s Nikki fronted Vendetta who put an album on Epic in 1982, and then at some point (with the help of Curtis Knight…see PURE HELL) he ended up in Europe. The Nikki Buzz Band popped up at Blues fests and clubs around the continent for years, and the latest Buzz sighting has him fronting The Jackson re-5-al Band, a J5 tribute act in Holland. (JA)

BUZZ & THE FLYERS

This was a Black-led rockabilly band on the late '70s NY punk scene; Buzz later changed his name to Dig Wayne and sang with the band JoBoxers in 1983. He's gone into the stage and screen sides of performing in recent years. He appeared in the original London cast of the Louis Jordan musical, 5 Guys Named Moe, and showed up in a few crappy movies, including Judge Dread. (JP)

Brian Young adds: Buzz and the Flyers were a KILLER band - hugely influential on the Uk rockabilly scene as their records were just so good..Syl Sylvain produced their first EP and released it on his Sing Sing label..so much for all us rockabillies (of which I am one!) being racist!..after all wasn't Little Richard one of the first punks!..sadly the Jo Boxers were 80s studio pop....ulp! [Updated 11/12/05]

DAVE BYERS of ENZYMES

Byers played guitar for the Washington, D.C. '80s hardcore band Enzymes, who became the punk-funk band The Psychotics. He was also in the shortlived 1981 band Peer Pressure (see TONI YOUNG), who to my knowledge didn't release any recordings but do show up a few times in the great 1988 photo book, Banned In DC. In '85 Byers was the guitarist for an early incarnation of HR's band Human Rights (also known as HR), and later played in Press Mob, a band with an ambitious take on hardcore. The first punk show he attended was the legendary Cramps show at D.C.'s Hall of Nations (see BAD BRAINS) (JA)

Odd Rocker Orlando Greenhill adds: Dave Byers also played with Los Angeles post punk band Cygnet (with some of the members of Scaterd Few) in the Late 80s. He has since passed on. [Updated 3/11/13]

Blacks in Punk, New Wave and Hardcore 1976-1984 (Part 2)

CRAIG CALVERT of THE FIX

This Lansing, Michigan based hardcore band released a couple of singles on Touch & Go in 1980 and 1982 ("Vengence" b/w "In This Town" which now sells for a thousand dollars or so, and the less coveted JAN'S ROOMS EP) and toured the US and Canada a few times. The guitarist Craig grew up in a rough Chicago neighborhood, so his parents sent him to white Catholic school to keep him out of trouble. Little did they know his exposure to the white kids would lead to a brief but important punk rock career (the Fix were one of the first Midwest h/c bands). Steve from the Fix recalls, "He never even mentioned race, and dug mostly white rock, from Black Flag to Rush (but) he could play a mean version of 'Heatwave.'" When he answered my ad for a guitarist in March, 1980, he just dropped that he was Black, from almost a marketing perspective. It felt like an afterthought." In Michigan his post-Fix career had him collaborating with Janis/Aretha styled vocalist Jan James in the Blues-a-billy band Flying Tigers. Craig returned to Chicago with Jan and spent the 90s and the new century sporting various degrees of poofy hair on the bar circuit under the names Jewel Fetish, and the Jan James band . Their longtime collaboration has spawned several albums in the US and the Netherlands. Career highlights include European tours, commanding the stage at the Taste of Chicago festival and recording in Memphis with Jim Dickinson. (JA)

Steve Albini adds: The Fix was probably the first hardcore group I ever heard, thanks to Jon Babbin, who was friends with them and later would manage the Effigies. In his hair-metal incarnation in Jewel Fetish, Craig went by the nom-de-hair "Roxy Bombay," a name so perfect in its evocative idiocy that it still gets shouted as a heckle whenever a band oversteps the limits of tackyness. [Updated 3/31/03]

KENNY "MADDOG" CARTER

Chicago punk scenester who became a bouncer at Exit. He was in the mid '80s band Johnny Chainsaw and the Troops of Tomorrow. (RA) [Update: Maddog reportedly passed away a few years ago 9/16/13]

CHAINSAW

This Belgian band released the raw, great "See Saw" 4-song 7"EP way back in 1977 (which included the best punk cover yet of the Velvet Underground's "What Goes On"). The back of the sleeve has pictures of the four members, one of whom was black- I don't know if he sang or what instrument he played though.

GITIIM CHACKAMOI

from Nigeria became one of the most in-demand drummers in Dallas in the 80s. She played with everyone from the all-girl mainstream rock band Debutante to the Dallas Symphony to The Howling Dervishes (with Tom Battles, later in Lithium Xmas and T. T ex Edwards' Swingin' Cornflake Killers) and Chuck Rose (formerly with infamous Ft. Worth Punks Cringe and later in Rockabilly legend Johnny Carroll's last band). She also played in the classic Lithium Xmas lineup. Now based in Houston, she still plays in a plethora of bands. It was unusual enough to be black on the punk/New Wave scene in Dallas in the 80s when racial tensions were at an all time high, but to also be female made Gitiim truly unique, thpugh she never played the race or gender cards. She was a person first, and, then, one helluva musician. (JB 12/7/13)

CHARLEY CHARLES

As drummer for Ian Dury and the Blockheads it's hard to call Charles a punk rocker. While the band was definitely part of the movement their music was perky, funky and sometimes borderline disco, making the role of the backbeat very unpunk indeed. Charles was with the band from the late '70s through 1981. He died from cancer in 1990. (JA) [Added 5/17/04]

CHARLU

Played bass in the French punk/Reggae band Nuclear Device (formed '83, several records in the mid 80s). Later was in the French punk band Ludwig Von 88. (raf) [Added 5/17/04]

NENEH CHERRY

Don Cherry's stepdaughter (her real father was an African percussionist) dropped out of school in 1980 at age 14, moved to London, and was briefly in the Slits, the Cherries, the Nails and Rip Rig + Panic. Her rap-singing solo career in the late 80s yielded the hit pop song "Bufallo Stance." [New Entry 11/12/05]

DEREK CONNER of DACHAU COUNTRY CLUB, ANECHOIC CHAMBER ORCHESTRA, THIS YOUNG BOY

Guitar: Derek was a fierce guitar player for DACHAU CLUB, one of the best, albeit unknown, early 80s Michigan Hardcore Punk Bands. Formed in 1980, DC eventually morphed into a reggae group, opening for REM in 1983. While playing in DC, Derek also played in the experimental Eno-esque ANECHOIC CHAMBER ORCHESTRA with other members of DC and assorted Flint punks. He would later join DC drummer Craig Berry and former members of Detroit hardcore band PRIVATE ANGST to form the very new wave THIS YOUNG BOY. Dachau Club's music can be heard with on the Flint Undergound Music archive with a bit of navigation: http://www.takenoprisoners.info/ Click on : Audio>Demos>Dachau Club- Vintage (Aggravation Overdose) [New Entry 2/1/13]

MICHAEL CORNELIUS of JFA

Cornelius was the original bass player for the skatepunk band that was as much or more devoted to skating as it was to playing. He was with them from 1981-84 and again from 1986-88, and one of the reasons that he initially split with the band was skate-centric; he didn't tell them about a secret skate spot so they considered him a traitor. All is forgiven these days and he's friendly with the still active band, though his leisure time is devoted now not to skateboards or bass playing but to the cold and dangerous activities of snowboarding, heli-boarding and mountain biking. He even got married on the slopes. He was later in a wonderful DIY punk trio called the Jr Chemists. They had one release on Subterranean. (JA)

Cornelius responds: I read what you wrote about me in the article. Kinda nice to be remembered. I DO still skateboard! Still riding empty pools; they just happen to be paid for with my tax dollars rather than illegal. Thank goodness for skateparks. I also manage the site www.SkateRock.com - Like a method air into the mosh pit since 1999 baby! (JA)

CULT HEROES

Hiawatha Bailey is the Iggy-esque frontman (short on Iggy stage moves, but stronger than Iggy vocally) for Michigan's Cult Heroes. Formed in '78, the Detroit-style punk band opened for all the bigshots when they came through Ann Arbor, and lived up to their name by recording one of the better Midwest pre-hardcore punk records. Both songs on their 1979 single "Berlin Wall" b/w "The Prince And The Showgirl" are great. The band has miraculously been kept alive by Hiawatha through various incarnations for over 20 years, and has released new material as recently as '96. Apparently part of Hiawatha's shtick is that he makes the somewhat dubious claim of having roadied for the Stooges, but if that still works, more power to him! (JA)

Cheetah Chrome adds: Hiawatha Bailey DID roadie for the Stooges, nothing dubious about it. I have been in the same room with him and both Ashton brothers telling war stories. [Updated 3/31/03]

Morgan Wright adds: Hiawatha Bailey roadied for the Stooges, MC5 and Uprising in the 60s and early 70s and many other Ann Arbor bands. What's so hard to believe about that? He roadied for the MC5 in the 60's and Unprising and other house bands of the White Panthers. Hi was a member of the White Panthers even though he was black, and the fact that some of their members (Hiawatha, the drummer for Uprising, etc.) were black is the reason they changed their name to the Rainbow People's Party in the early 70's before they broke up. Hiawatha was a roadie back then, and never started singing until around 1974 maybe. The reason I know it is because I lived with Hi for about a year in Ann Arbor in 1973, I heard all the stories that he and others told. [Updated 5/17/04]

Steve Hesske adds: Hiawatha is true black and blue old school punk. I had several pleasant hangs w/ him and Scott Morgan in Ann Arbor in the late '80s and early '90s and you couldn't meet a nicer guy. Hi was a Zelig-like figure during the whole brief, incandescent Stooges-MC5-Motor City Burning stuff. He brings the noise. Check out the Powertrane (one of Morgan's many post-Sonics Rendezvous Bands) record "Ann Arbor Revival Meeting" recorded live in the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor in 2002 where "guest star" Hiawatha joins the band and sings four Stooges songs "1969", "No Fun" "I wanna be Your Dog" and "Down on the Street" fronting a band led by Morgan and Deniz Tek (Radio Birdman) and then ask yrself if it gets any better. [Updated 11/12/05]

CULTURE CLUB

Malcolm McClaren's New Wave aesthetics finally reached Beatles success with this band, featuring Black bassist Mikey Craig, who, with Boy George, was also in an early, theoretical incarnation of the pioneering Goth band Sex Gang Children.

THE CUSTOMS

This Cincinnati, OH band was one of the few late 70s/early 80s punk bands to directly acknowledge 60s Garage-punk. They released two singles, "Let's Get It On" b/w "Bring My Cadillac Back" (Shake It, 1980) and the much-comped collector's item, "Long Gone" b/w "She'll Always Be Mine" (Shake It, 1980). The record sleeve for the amazing "Long Gone" single shows a Black bassist (Forrest Bivens?), though they did change bassists at some point. (JA) [Updated 11/28/06]

VAGINAL DAVIS

From the mean streets of Watts came one of the Godfathers/Mothers of homocore punk, the statuesque, crossdressing Vaginal Creme Davis whose cred is cemented by her presence in LA punk's early days and her huge body…of zinework (starting in the 70s, and peaking with her most notorious zine, the late 80s to early 90s title Fertile La Toyah Jackson). Her earliest records were as a member of the a cappella punk performance act The Afro Sisters (Geza X and Kim Fowley produced a half dozen or so LPs and singles between the late 70s and the mid 80s, including Indigo, Sassafras & Molasses [Amoeba, 1978] and Shoulder Pads, Maxi Pads [Amoeba, 1983]). She's been in a series of punk-spirited bands since, including PME, Gore Gore Girls, black fag (whose album was released on Dischord) and !Cholita! The Female Menudo (Davis is of Hispanic, as well as African American, heritage). PME (Pedro, Muriel and Esther) is a collaboration with homosexual Christian singer/songwriter Glen Meadmore, whom Davis and RUPAUL CHARLES worked with on Meadmore's solo album in 1987. Though she's remained underground, her work has always attracted attention from the punk/indie/hipster bigwigs in the know, and her recordings have been produced by Steve Albini, Alice Bag, Beck, Kim Gordon and Arthur Kane amongst others. In addition to music and zines, Dr. Davis (she is rumored to be a Ph.D.) has been a queen of all trades, acting in underground films, doing comedy, writing advice columns, DJing, lecturing, dominitrixing and the list could continue for pages. Race is often a theme of Davis's work (she named herself after Black heroine Angela Davis) as the personas she takes in her work have included a gay-bashing gangster rapper and "a Black Muslim for Christ." At this writing Davis is the opening act for comedian Margaret Cho. (JA)

DEATH

All-Black Detroit band who, in 1976, put out the proto-punk "Keep On Knockin'"/"Politicians In My Eyes" 7". The A-side is excellent, driving, very catchy, Detroit-ish guitar stuff and the single fetches like $400-500 when a copy turns up. The B-side is a little slower and wanky but not horrible. The guys in the band put out other records after that single but I've been told it's nothing punk-ish in the least bit. (Tony Azu-Popow)

From the press release to the 2009 Drag City reissue of Death's demo, from which their vinyl was culled; note that the release does not include this info in the liner notes: Brothers David, Bobby and Dannis started making music from their garage in Detroit, Michigan the summer of 1971. In 1973, the kids started getting into highly amplified bands like Alice Cooper, MC5, Black Sabbath and The Stooges. This was something new to guitarist David Hackney who prior, had been playing more groove based funk songs. That year they put together a killer demo under the name DEATH. They got light rotation on radio station W4 usually during "off" periods. Most people heard about them via word of mouth or during their many garage shows that were becoming very popular. The excitment of their live shows inspired them to reach out to famous producer Don Davis (Funkadelic). All it took was for him to sit in for one rehearsal and next thing you know they're recording their record "...For The Whole World To See" at United Sound Recording Studio. Their time there was very organic and raw rather with polished up and over produced. DEATH embraced a DIY aesthetic by selling and giving away records on the street and at various garage shows. Clive Davis of Columbia records heard the buzz of three African American brothers making punk music (sound like Bad Brains?? Yeah but this happened before them)! The only trouble was that he wanted to change the band's name. David would have no part of it and it created a lot of tension between the brothers. To take a break from everything, they joined their half brother in New England. What was meant to be only a couple weeks, turned into 20+ years. Bobby and Dannis remain there today and still make music in a popular reggae band. The singles that were recorded at United Sound have been put together "...For The World To See" for the first time since the early 70s. Robert Manis who turned us onto DEATH paid $800 for one of their 45s! Together we're bringing it to the people. Come help us out... (Updated 1/6/09)

DEATH SENTENCE (UK)

Death Sentence were a hardcore band from Leeds w/ two black members, (featured prominently on the cover of the their only single, "Death and Pure Destruction"). The single is absolutely raging and one of my favorite UK82 era 45's. Total aggressive and violent sounding Discharge style hardcore.... (New Entry from RJ 7/11/09)

DEEN AND THE WEENIES

This New Wave band that appears in the movie Mondo New York has a Black bass player.

DEEP 6

Southern California punk band circa 81 had a black drummer. They have a very collectable single called "Ghost Ride. (Scott S) [New Entry 11/12/05]

DEMOB

This street punk group based out of Gloucester England had a guitarist Terry Elcock and a drummer John Melfah who were both black. Demob released two 7"s and existed from 1978 to 1982. John went onto become a famous boxer in the UK while Terry had formed goth group Kiss The Blade. In recent years Demob reformed with a new drummer and have toured the US, Japan,and Europe, as well as releasing a retrospective CD on Glendale California label Grand Theft Audio (who also reissued Whipping Boy) called "Contractual Obligations" and a CD of new recordings on UK label Amber Records called "If It Aint Punk It Dont Rock". (Brian GTA) [New Entry 11/12/05]

KATON W. DE PENA of HIRAX

Rhode Island native, and massive Hendrix fan, De Pena moved to California as a youngster and in 1984 formed Hirax in Orange County, California, becoming frontman/vocalist for one of the best bands in the first wave of crossover thrash/metal. The band recorded a demo that year, and then released classic albums on Metal Blade. In 1988 De Pena quit and formed the short-lived band Phantasm, and Hirax soon broke up. Hirax reformed in 2000 with the original members, but since it has recorded and toured with only De Pena remaining from the classic lineup. Although many Hirax lyrics vividly describe man's inhumanity and brutal violence, race is not a specific topic, but De Pena is not adverse to bringing it up, naming his label Black Devil Records and once telling an interviewer, "Well, you can’t tell by my skin color… but I’m total white trash. I drink Budweiser." (JA) [New Entry 3/12/2013]

THE DISPOSALS

The bassist/singer for this LA punk band (circa 1980) was a Black girl from Inglewood named Janice Jones (sometimes spelled Janus Jones), who later played in the Nip Drivers. [New Entry, 11/28/06]

DUMMY CLUB

Dummy Club was a great pychobilly band from Milwaukee, somewhat Cramps influenced, with a powerful singer named Frankie "Stoney" Rivera. They formed in 1982 and their first release was a German EP "Ballad of a Lady Gunslinger" (Zensor, 1985). They toured Europe (the record charted), then broke up, but reformed as the Psycho Bunnies by the late 80s. That band, with "the grand dame of Milwaukee girlpunk" upfront, was active into the 21st century.

BUBBA DUPREE of VOID

In his processed pompadour Dupree delivered distinct, wild guitar leads for D.C.'s premiere early 80s Metal-Core band, before the concept of Metal-Core really existed. They didn't look punk, and their chaotic, anything-could-happen style of music was far from textbook hardcore, but unlike Chicago's ZOETROPE, whose Metal edge and Rock Star ambitions kept them out of the punk venues, Void was definitely accepted in the D.C. scene. They recorded some great tracks for Dischord, and had one of the great hardcore logos. Dupree currently resides on the West Coast and his reputation as a brilliant guitarist found him touring in Moby's band and playing with Soundgarden. Recently he has been working with "super" group Spys4Darwin, which features members of Queensrÿche, Sponge and Alice In Chains. (JA)

KIP DUVALL of NEON CHRIST

William "Kip" Duvall played guitar and wrote the music for Neon Christ, an Atlanta hardcore band that was active circa '83-'86 and released one record, the Parental Suppression 10 song EP (Social Crisis, 1984). Pushead praised the 7" in Thrasher magazine as "Rapid-fire, pistol-packed bolts of hauling mayhem, expressing a headlong franticness of Georgia thrash -- sheer turbulence of speed and intensity in the tradition of D.R.I., that creates a sonic desolation. Neon Christ bring forth a full steamahead whirlwind of boisterous onslaughts, making this EP a must for all radical thrusters." They recorded some additional material which was released posthumously. Duvall followed up Neon Christ with No Walls, a Hendrix inspired prog-thrash-soul band that released a locally popular CD on Third Eye Records. He also briefly joined the LA band Bl'ast (spelled with an aposthrophe), and it credited with writing one song under the name of "Dr. Twang" on their album "It's In My Blood." In the 90s Duvall became a fixture on the Atlanta club circuit with his well-dressed Funk glamrock band Madfly, who released an album on Joan Jett's Mercury distributed Blackheart Records in 1998. His biggest success, though, came in co-writing the hit single "I Know" (#1 for two weeks in March 1995) for former Arrested Development vocalist Dionne Farris. William's latest project Comes With The Fall is a hard rock band. For more information www.comeswiththefall.com. (JA, Noel Ivey, Claudia Jardine)

Jason Stone adds: I was checking out my vinyl last night, and noticed something that needs to be corrected. Kip Duvall is not Dr.Twang. Dr.Twang is listed on song two along with Neider and Dinsmore. Kip Duvall IS given credit on song 3 with Clifford Dinsmore (vox). [Updated 11/12/05]

Edgar Johnson adds: Wiiliam just got done with a world tour singing and sometimes playing guitar for Alice in Chains. They played to a lot of sold-out venues and crowds of up to 80K (Oslo, I believe). The fan reaction to William has been mixed, but most people who've actually seen him live agree that he's been a solid vocalist for the band, even if he can't truly replace Layne Staley. There's a lot of tracks up on You Tube if you'd like to check them out. P.S. I am working with Brandon Mullis and the members of Neon Christ to make a documentary about the band. We staged two reunion shows in January 2006 and filmed both of them. We're making good progress and hope to have the film completed sometime in the next year or so. The working title of the film is From the Ashes: The Neon Christ Story. You can find some live stuff by Neon Christ on the official site: nx.motherbuster.com and on the band's myspace page www.myspace.com/neonchristatlanta. [Updated 1/28/08]

ELECTRODES

This French punk/ska band released a single in 1983 which has appeared on a Killed By Death comp. The Black member (readers, please help us with his name) later became a studio musician and also played with Gogol Premier et Sa Horde. (raf)

FISHBONE

By the time they recorded in 1985 they were clearly riding the tail end of second wave Ska (see 2-TONE), but when this all Black LA combo started in 1979 they must have been so inept that even if they were attempting ska they sounded punk as hell. (JA)

P.T. Sturrock adds: First of all their impetus was in 1978 not 1979 (Angelo Moore did join in 1979) and they were all teenagers! Their primary influences were Funk Rock/Acid Rock (Hendrix, Maggot Brain, etc.) Heavy Soul and later Punk and Reggae. In fact they came about a Ska sound without having actually listened to Ska. (Trumpeteer/Vocalist Walt Kibby hipped them to Ska around late '79 - early '80). Without going into all the gory details it was Fishbone, and to a much lesser extent the Untouchables, who created the heavy rock Ska Funk sound that bands like No Doubt and 311 latched onto and made millions off of. The word inept is the antithesis of Fishbone's ability. (Gee I wonder why the Brothas in Fishbone did not reap the benefits of that so-called third wave? Couldn't have been because they are a Black Rock group huh?) Like them or not their musicianship, creativity and talent are irrefutable. [Updated 5/17/04]

KEITH FLEETWOOD - FREE CHEESE and CRUX ANSATA

Keith was a drummer in FREE CHEESE, a bizarre early 80s Flint Hardcore band that substituted an organ for bass guitar. CRUX ANSATA was a "Progressive Punk" band that also included Phill Hines of DISSONANCE and Brad Morley of GODSPEED. Keith also was a multi-instrumentalist in AVANT GARDEN. His brother Linval played bass in AVANT GARDEN and THINGAMOBOB. FREECHEESE can be heard with a bit of navigation at: http://www.takenoprisoners.info/ Click on Audio>Demos>Free Cheese-demo- 1982/1983http://www.archive.org/details/FreeCheese

KEITH in his own words: I had been in High School bands, a cover band, and I worked two years in a theatrical orchestra, but at the beginning of 1981 Crux Ansata was my first real rock band to write original music. We called it Progressive Punk. Joel and I were into King Crimson and Yes, while Brad and Phil liked Black Flag and The Circle Jerks, so we combined the different styles. Though not pictured, Bill Dillenbeck was heavily involved for a while. Bruce Stedron and Russ Williams also had short stints. In September 1981, I transferred from UM-Flint to that other university in Lansing. Brad and Rose and Blair were also moving to Lansing, and they asked me play in a hardcore punk band. I said okay if I could play drums. I don't know how they found guitarist Mike Thomas, but Free Cheese was born. Brad was more of a pianist that a bass player, so we got the idea he would do the bass lines on keys (not the norm for hardcore, but it worked). Unfortunately I don't have any photos (Anyone have any? Please contact me.) We played and toured all over the Mid-West, to growing fans. I lived in the basement of the home of Gus Varner (guitarist for The Crucifucks), and he and Doc Dart helped us get gigs, and a phone call from Jello Biafra of The Dead Kennedy's. We played mostly in Ohio and Kentucky. (We gigged with Faith No More) Gus had an old 4-track reel-to-reel that he let us borrow and we spent some time learning to record. 11 months after we started I transferred back to UofM-Flint, and Michael went off to Europe. Back in Flint, Brad and I got into some money-making band. Montana was a country band, Blackhawk a classic rock band. Later we got into a funk band called Thrust. Bill Dillenbeck came back to join us in Avant Garden, doing obscure covers and originals. Also invloved were my twin brother Lin, girlfriend Dee Wilbur, Debbie Wilcox and Diane Russell. We all played multiple instruments and switched a lot. (Aggravation Overdose) [New Entry 2/1/13]

DWAIN FLOWERS of THE CLITBOYS

This Midwest hardcore band had a Black drummer named Dwain Flowers who was a hell of a finesse drummer. He joined the band shortly after the "We Don't Play The Game" e.p. was recorded, but they put his pic on the cover. The cover was such miserable 10 generation xerox that it's impossible to tell if he's human much less Black. He was a fixture in the Milwaukee scene for many years, but grew up in Cabrini Green (a Chicago housing project) and was sent to Catholic School and met kids into punk that way (sort of the same deal as Craig of the Fix). When I knew him he was 1 of 3 drummers in the tribal Detroit punk band FUCKFACE (sort of heavy MC5/Iggy stuff with major tribal drums, amazing live) which included Eric from Die Kruezen and Paul of the Crusties. They used fuller kits, while he usually only had a couple toms and kick snare and he routinely blew them both off the stage nightly. He is one of my all time fave drummers who relied on an amazing sense of finesse which was always more powerful than the caveman pounding of his band mates. Last I heard he had moved to Atlanta and was in some kind of local outfit of Black punks that were sort of mining the Living Colour/24-7 Spyz/Fishbone thing, to little avail as far as I know. (RL) [Updated 3/31/03, replacing the original CLITBOYS entry.]

C. T. JACKSON ADDS: In addition to having worked with the lovely mr. flowers here in atlanta for a number of years, i have considered him a friend for a few years more. as i have seen him play in more than a couple of failed local bands, i can honestly say that dwain was the only thing keeping them interesting, and has been highly overlooked as a power-fuckin-house drummer. while i certainly would not want to speak for him, i don't think he has much passion left to play, at least in atlanta, which is a shame, as everyone is missing a damn fine drummer, and, for that matter a pretty swell fella to boot. [Updated 6/29/06]

Guy Fiorentini adds: I was in a band with Dwain in the mid 80's called Necromantx, and I was interested to read your entry because he never talked much about his past. One point of note: Dwain was playing the "Jungle" rhythm, which is really a beat developed by producers and copied by drummers, back in 1984.

4-SKINS

Not the popular Oi/skinhead band from the UK, who were no strangers to race riots, but rather an obscure US band of the same name with Black members.

ADAM FRANKLIN

Played in English band Shake Appeal (fromed '83-'84) - a Stooges song title and a Stooges-inspired group. Though they only recorded one single, Adam later went on to lead one of the seminal British bands of the early 90s: Swervedriver. A phenomenally gifted songwriter with true lyrical vision. (Danny Ingram)

FREDDY THE BASTARD

Fred Carter was never in a band for any length of time, but he ran a punk mailorder business/distro, Pogo In Your Face, as Freddy the Bastard. An important figure in the Gainesville, FL scene, his race never proved a obstacle to getting skinhead girls into the sack. (JA)

GIRLTRASH

was an all-girl Midwest punk band started in 1983. We had two black members, myself, Libby Hodges (vocals) and my sister Doni (guitar). Julie Kerry (songwriter/keyboardist) and Robin Kerry (songwriter/guitarist), who were also siblings, rounded out the lineup. Julie was serious about writing songs and poetry; I was always trying to get out of our practice, asking, "why can't we just get gigs and not practice?" Julie and Robin did not want to be another punk band that sucked so practice was taken seriously like it was our real job. Eventually their sense of excellence rubbed off on me. Julie and Robin could very easily sit and create five to seven complete, quality songs in a row without stopping for a break or breath; they were both natural writers/poets. Julie was also political; once she stopped me from getting gas at some gas station because she said that station supported South Africa, and at the time South Africa practiced Apartheid and had imprisoned Nelson Mandela. Julie was an advocate for abused children, disabled children, homeless people, and for ending racism. Julie and Robin always pushed me to be more political and more of an advocate for human rights. Because my parents were very political I often stayed away from political stuff, but Julie and Robin wanted me to know I could be an advocate for human rights without making everyone around me miserable the way my parents did. Julie, Robin and I wrote a song together called "Soul Massacre" about the human hardship of Apartheid.

My bandmates and our friends (Tiffany Martens, a California transplant punk; Hollee McClain a Missouri punk who also liked country music, rap and punk; Kim Reed, who had a hip/hop and R&B; flare; and Kenya Brumfield who liked Rock & Roll). Used to go to a teen/punk club called Animal House in Saint Louis. Julie and Robin had an older sister Kathy who drove us around and was very gracious to us younger brats. Kathy had a funny sense of humor; she teased me about my Mohawk, saying "how can you be so happy when your hair is so nappy." Our friends influenced our music. We had a song "Resurrection of Soul" that had a California punk vibe; our song "Stop and Smell The Roses" had a a punk/country vibe; another song "Grandma Tell Me" was very punk and R&B; and we had songs called "Crying Like A Sea" and "Raggedy Ann Dynasty" that had punk edge but were very classic rock Sexy like the Runaways.

Girltrash played parties but before we could get more gigs or get signed Julie Kerry and Robin Kerry were both raped, murdered, and thrown off the Chain Of Rocks Bridge into the Mississippi River in St. Louis, Missouri. Their cousin Jeanine wrote a book titled A Rip In Heaven which deals with her feelings of losing two of her favorite cousins. I have never gotten over losing my friends and bandmates. Music is something that we did together that made me feel close to them, and the rape and murder of Julie Kerry and Robin Kerry certainly changed the entire course of my life. Three of the men that killed my friends/bandmates were sentenced to death. The fourth man was an underage criminal; because of his young age he was not sentenced to death, but instead served his time in prison, and I believe got out of prison not too long ago to enjoy the rest of his life. Our music career was cut short by violence. I don't know how far Girltrash would have gone if two of our members were not brutally killed.

All of our songs were written together, and I never written one song by myself until recently. I am working on a song called "Pretty Prison," which describes my time in the Georgia and my reluctant journey to liking Southerners. It's a little country, a little R&B;, a little sexy rock and roll, and a lot of Punk. So again my old friends have influenced me in true Girltrash fashion. What is funny is I have been working on Pretty Prison on and off for over two years, while back in the 80s me and a couple of kids (Julie and Robin) could complete five songs in an hour. At the rate I am going I should have new songs completed just in time to get my senior citizen discount card from AARP. Now I have to laugh instead of crying about that. (Vampire Libby Hodges)

JAMES GOSS & THE GEEKS

The Geeks were a bunch of high schoolers from San Quentin, CA who formed in 72 inspired by Zappa, Beefheart & free jazz. In '78 they put out a record called "Its Not About Notes" that reflects their influences. Brad Harmon, the black drummer (one of the Geeks' two drummers) apparently played a lot of other instruments and after the Geeks wound up touring with a lot of reggae bands - like the Mighty Diamonds, Mutabaruka, etc. - during the '80s. Now he is staffer for Congresswoman Barabara Lee, the only congressperson to vote against the US intervention in Afganistan. (The other drummer Radley Hirsh is a sound engineer who put in the sound system at legendary punk venue Gilman and did sound there for years) A couple years after their debut the Geeks did a 7" called "Poland" b/w "the Spark" with their (Black) friend, poet James Goss. It sounds like some cross between Sheer Smegma and Archie Shepp with intelligent political lyrics (non-preachy, dept). The band mixed the 7" in the studio of disco diva Sylvester's collaborator James "Tip" Wirrick. Radley recalls walking around San Francisco with Tip who would point to houses and say "That's 'You Make me Feel Real.' There's 'Living Proof.' That's 'Sell My Soul.'" Tip was pointing out real estate he had bought with money made from Sylvester records and he had named them after the records! Former Geeks went on to Polkacide. Jim Goss is now a prison shrink.

Goss adds: If Roctober does Indians of Punk, please include me in, as I'm a member of the Amonosoquath Cherokee Nation (yes, there are Black Indians & love to represent my nation). [Updated 3/31/03]

ROCKY GEORGE

George was the second guitarist of LA skate punks, Suicidal Tendencies (though the band was around in '83, Rocky didn't join for a couple of years, so technically he shouldn't make this list). Rocky's in the latest incarnation of Fishbone. Funny story, I actually got to hang out some with Angelo Moore and Rocky after a gig in Georgia and I was talking to Rocky about his Suicidal Tendencies days. Angelo looked at Rocky and said, "I thought you were Mexican when you were in Suicidal. Now you're in Fishbone and you look black." Well, anyway, Rocky is black and an important pioneer in the LA punk/metal scene. (Damon Eubanks) [New Entry 11/12/05]

Odd Rocker Orlando Greenhill adds: Here's another reason to keep him on the list. He was in Jeff Hanneman's (Slayer) 1984-1985 hardcore thrash punk band Pap Smear. [Updated 3/4/2013]

ROLAND GIFT

The Fine Young Cannibals' singer was the main punk inspiration behind the band that formed in 1984 and had their biggest success in 1989. Although the band had worldwide commercial success with "She Drives Me Crazy", Gifts punk credentials are well known and respected here in Yorkshire. (Franklin) [New Entry 1/28/08]

HAIRCUT 100

Formed in 1980, this was the least punk New Wave band, in part because they embraced the concept of wearing a uniform of preppy country club clothes and fluffy sweaters. The English act was anchored by the Memphis-born African American drummer Blair Cunningham. The band became a sensation in 1982 but quickly imploded (leader Nick Heyward went solo). Cunningham became a hot studio drummer and hired gun, working with the Pretenders, Echo and the Bunnymen, Sade, Roxy Music and Paul McCartney, amongst others.

COLBERT HAMILTON

Not exactly punk but well worth mentioning (he did sing back up on a Thunders record), Hamilton came from the UK rockabilly/psychobilly background and released a handful of great records over the years often under Colbert Hamilton and the Hellrazors banner..great singer..he also does an Elvis tribute show as 'Black Elvis'...but do checkout his earlier recordings..they'll flip yer wighat! (Brian Young/Belfast) [New Entry 11/12/05]

CHARLIE HANKINS

Anyone who went to a New York hardcore show between 1982 and 1989 couldn't help but see "Big" Charlie, what was he 6'5"-6'7"? I first saw him and one of his many brothers clear the entire floor at the Ritz in 1984 at a Suicidal Tendencies show. Literally hundreds of people scampered out of the path of these wrestling titans. Any club that wanted to calm unruly crowds employed Charlie as a bouncer. In the mid-1980s he was at nearly every show, working dozens of clubs in the Lower East side, Hoboken and elsewhere. If he wasn't employed as a doorman he used his giant arms to clear the pit like the incredible Hulk would toss soldiers in the comics. He was also good enough to let many of us vault off of his shoulders into the abyss. Charlie was as friendly and even-tempered as a man could be when totally out of control. I never saw him bully anyone, but people suicidally bothered him, especially white power skinheads. This often resulted in the two hit fight as Charlie slapped his assailants and their heads hit the cement at high velocity. Unlike most big guys used to smaller guys running, Charlie learned how to fight from his larger brothers and he would stand toe to toe with troublemakers big enough to make other bouncers hide. Sean Taggart informed me that Charlie died in a tragic auto accident, but I don't have any details. (Wes Harvey) [New Entry 11/28/06]

HARVEY

The San Francisco band released a 4 song 12" ep in 1983 called "A-Live." It is is not punk but punkish glam metal, kinda like Sweet meets Joan Jett with Eddie Van Halen leads. They remind me of the Bus Boys if they were harder and didn't have the new wave schtick. The band is a power trio of three brothers. The leader Doni Harvey plays in Caribbean bands in the Bay Area. Prior to Harvey he played on a number of UK prog records and live as a part of Gong. These guys were probably a great club band. See www.doniharvey.com for more. (SS) [Added 3/31/03]

DONI HARVEY ADDS: Thanks for the shout out. Nice to be remembered. First of all I want to say that the three family brothers in HARVEY are, Regi Harvey (drums/vocals), Doni Harvey (guitar/vocals) and Chris Harvey (bass/vocals). HARVEY released an LP on our independent label Yevrah Moons Records in 1986 called "Survivor Population 3", which delved deeper into the heavy metal sound you mentioned in your article. HARVEY opened for many punk, hard rock, and metal bands, with the high point being our opening up for Living Color in San Francisco in 1989. Our influences range from Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Bad Brains and also from other local San Francisco Bay Area black punk bands such as Jane Doe, the A T's, and Mingo Lewis's band The Tong. The black punk bands were a serious force in our area during the late 70's and early 80's. Since HARVEY I have played guitar for Clarence Clemons and the Red Bank Rocker recorded a on a couple hip hop CD's and I am currently promoting my solo blues career and have two solo CD's out, see my website at www.doniharvey.com . I still play bass and sing for the Caribbean Allstars, a reggae/calypso band based in San Francisco. [Updated 5/17/04]

REGI HARVEY ADDS: First of all I thought I should also say thanks for the shout out about our band, HARVEY. Secondly a little correction is in order for the sake of those sibling thangs. Brother Doni wasn't actually the leader of the band although he did make sure we were tight. One leader of a trio with three brothers? I don't think so! Truthfully speaking, we all had jobs to do. Chris was harmony and band police so we didn't kill each other at those times it was needed (not a lot) but it was a balancing act. Doni was rehearsal man and scrutinizer, and I, Regi (the eldest) did almost all of the booking and shmoozing for the band, in particular those shows Doni mentioned. I also finance a good portion of "HARVEY A-LIVE and all of "Survivor Pop3 .I'm currently managing a blues club in San Francisco: see- SkipsTavern.com .I also have three cd's 2 for my blues band Regi Harvey's Thunder Blue and 1 for my metallic blues band Regi Harvey's Eample. We gave them a good run for the money back in the day and am looking forward reuniting with my brothers for more "HARVEY" magic. Thanks again for the mention - Regi Harvey (contact: RegiHarvey@SkipsTavern.com) [Updated 11/12/05]

LAMONT WESTON HARVEY

If a history of Blacks in punk includes Lefty, whose only contribution to the "scene" was to be at the center of disturbing stories of black lesbian self-loathing, sex crimes, thuggery and stupidity, then you really need to include the anti-Lefty, another black "skinhead," Lamont Weston Harvey. He was not a musician per se, although he did backing vocals on my band Life's Blood's "Defiance" record, and did the illustration for the cover of God sending white power skinheads to hell. He attended School of Visual Arts back in the 80s, with Sean Taggart (artist of Underdog, Crumbsuckers covers and innumerable flyers) and his student film "Raw Chunks" features the young Butthole Surfers. Lamont did some amazing flyers as well, which can be found on ebay. Lamont is now an artist and journalist for the Baltimore Sun, has done artwork for Public Enemy and will have underground comics coming out shortly - one series about Blacks in WWII (from oral histories and research he did himself), and a very punk rock "adult" comic which both of us worked on (it will come out under pseudonyms, because we have normal jobs to protect). Lamont was one of the original black skinheads, and he's true to his roots: he's a semi-pro soccer player and coach. Oh, and he's also famous for kicking Raybeez's (Warzone) ass after Ray attacked a Puerto Rican family while under the influence of hard drugs, during the strange period in our history sometimes referred to as the "brick fights." His website: www.garrisonpublishing.com (Jason O'Toole)

THE HASKELS

Milwaukee's greatest punk band, The Haskells, after numerous configurations, settled on a 2/3 Black lineup, with dynamic frontman Presley as the lone Caucasian, joined by Bobby and Vodie. This is the lineup on the classic "Taking The City By Storm" EP [Milwaukee Hits, 1980].

THE HEAT

This NYC band released a rock and roll/power pop/New Wave single on Hot Stuff Records in 1979. It is a TRI-racial band. Dwyatt Dayan (vocals) and Tally Taliaferrow (guitar) are both Black, Geoff Li (bass) is of Chinese descent and Jeff Formosa is Italian. Tally T was a member of the legendary NYC pre-punk band The Planets. Jeff Formosa was later in the Dots. [Added 5/17/04]

NONA HENDRYX

Made rock adjacent recordings (a very straightforward, radio-ready self-titled album for Epic in 1977, and her stellar work, including the bulk of the songwriting, with the often heavy, glammy, genre-defying R&B; act Labelle), and was hanging out and performing with New York New Wave musicians in the late 70s and early 80s. She sings backup on the TALKING HEADS' Remain In Light LP and toured with them at the time, and she sang with Material. When she returned to making her own records, Hendryx wholly switched over to dance music. However she did recruit JEAN BEAUVOIR to do some of the writing during this period. (JP)

DERECK HIGGINS

Omaha-based musician (son of jazz musician Red Higgins) was in punk cover bands in the 70s, and in the early 80s was in New Wave band Norman and the Rockwells, who released a record, and in 1982 formed Digital Sex. Was in mid-80s hardcore band RAF. [New Entry 7/11/09]

LIBBY HODGES

I have been a punk since the Summer of 1982, learning about bands such as Dead Kennedys, Plasmatics, and the all Black punk band Pure Hell. That helped me out a lot with my parents because they kept saying Black kids do not listen to this music or dress like that. They and I did not know at that the punk distinctive dress (leather, jackets, shaved heads, combat boots) was borrowed from Black/Caribbean dock rockers better known as the rude boys of England back in the 1960s, a/k/a the teddy boys or original skinheads. My dad who was an American who played Reggae/Calypso music in St. Louis, MO down on Gas Light Square also borrowed the rude boys dress code. Later on he became a Black Muslim but kept the rude boy dress code. Even today in his seventies he still wears the combat boots, cuffed jeans and a t-shirt. When I adopted the dress for myself my friends always commented, "your dad dresses like a punk but acts like a nerd." In reality we were dressing like him and were too young and uneducated about history and the world to see the connection. I was a band in St. Louis called Girl Trash. The members were Jill Rossman, lead guitar, Lisa Anzalone-bass, Donalda Hodges-guitar/vocals, Libby Hodges-lead vocals and back up vocals, drummer unknown (I do not remember her name, only that she left St. Louis to play with another band in Chicago), Julie Kerry- keyboards/lyrics, Robin Kerry-lyrics, guest vocals. We played from 1987 to 1989. Julie Kerry and Robin Kerry were both raped and killed.. After Julie and Robin were killed I completely gave up music myself and turned instead to writing vampire novels. I really enjoyed playing in this band and it would be great to find the rest of the living members. (Libby Hodges, attallhodg@aol.com) [New Entry 11/28/06]

HOMO PICNIC

Early 80s Philadelphia band. Their stickers said "Rich Black Kidz playing heavy metal." They were originally from the Dutch Antilles.(Tony Slug/Amsterdam) [New Entry 11/12/05]

THE HOT SPIT DANCERS

Black singer Vince Voodoo fronted this great Stockton CA hardcore band in 83-84. Released one demo. Other members were in the Authories (Soundtrack for Trouble 7", KBD #1). Big Nor Cal fave. (SS)

IDENTITY CRISIS

They were from Chicago, circa 1980. They were sort of a Post Punk/New Wave Punk band, but their song "Born to be a Bozo" (from the 1980 s/t EP on Cirkle) was a kind of punk joke ditty and hasbeen comped. Mainly they are known as the first appearance by a high school aged Kim Thayill of Soundgarden and John Pavitt, the brother of Sup Pop founder Bruce Pavitt. Had a Black drummer, Joe Zake.

THE INFLUENCE

A late 70s all Black punk act.

JAYNE DOE

Bay Area band headed by vocalist Flynn Flam. Good 4 man band. Good looking, big strong guys. Sort of an agitated Bus Boys. Flynn would rant and rave in tails and sunglasses. Drummer Joe Barbosa aka "Billy Freedom" was the hard hitting driver. He moved to Japan after they broke up . There was Kenny Jackson guitar, Dan Hart Bass, and later Eric McCann on bass. First time I met Flynn was classic : a girl on each arm, and dressed like a 1930's gangster- I'm in my road warrior drag. We spoke as if we were OG's and we ran our own territories. His was Berk.and mine SF. One of the women with him started to walk away, but he just turned gently touched her arm and asked where she was going. She stopped and fell back in line on his arm no questions asked. Our bands did quite a few gigs together. lots of respect. (Regi Harvey - see HARVEY) [New Entry 11/12/05]

ALAN JONES of END RESULT

Chicago's End Result was a multi racial experimental No Wave band born out of the early 80s hardcore scene. They managed to limp all the way to the end of the 80s with a rotating cast (at one point they advertised they were seeking a "singer with a hatred of music") built around guitarist Jones. Perhaps their greatest legacy is that they paved the way for No Wave/artfuck bands presenting themselves to an all-ages, hardcore/punk audience, something that defined the Chicago underground of the 90s (Milk of Burgundy, Skingraft, etc.). Their odd songs (a straightforward tune about amputation wasn't atypical) were released on Articles Of Faith's Wasteland label, and on several important Midwestern hardcore/punk comps, resulting in fans of boundary-pushing gravitating towards them, including Steve Albini and Sonic Youth. No child of privilege, Jones lived in a mission for a while, and turned lemons into an odd tasting lemonade by briefly making the mission's basement a site for punk shows. (JA)

Steve Albini adds: End Result was truly a band apart. Ahead of its time and unique in more ways than I can count. Alan tuned his guitar like a cello, which gave his already-free mind a new voice to play with. End Result had no drummer to keep the beat, because (in Alan's immortal words) "we think our audience can count." Alan speaks with a delightful soft tone, and has such an easy smile that it seems unlikely that he would be responsible for such explosively jarring music. During the brief time I ran Ruthless Records, I was able to release an album by End Result, and that might be my proudest achievement from that period. [Updated 3/31/03]

BARRY JONES of THE IDOLS

In the late 70s the New York Dolls-esque Idols began their longstanding sporadic tenure on the NY punk scene. Cred heavy Ex-Dolls Jerry Nolan and Arthur Kane were joined by the unknown Jones, who no doubt was valued by them for his Johnny Thunders guitar style. The Idols recorded on their own (a 45 on Ork in 1979), but their main claim to fame was their status as the back up band to doomed legends. When Sid Vicious did his famous short stint at Max's Kansas City, Jones was on guitar (they accurately had a Black actor play him in the film Sid and Nancy). And on numerous occasions the Idols served as Johnny Thunders backup band in NY and on tour, including an '86 show that has been released on CD and video. Imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, Jones' copping of Thunders style endeared the damaged guitar god to his follower. Rather than shunning him, Thunders took Barry under his wing and taught Jones the secret Ninja tricks of the Johnny Thunders Guitar Style. His role as the official Thunders protégé brings him to the forefront of the Junkie Business cult every now and then, as he backed Johnny up without the Idols often, and in the 90s he appeared on a few international Thunders tribute albums. The Idols kept a low profile, gigging every now and then (when a rent check was due?) but Jones has never fully faded from sight; as long as the Dean Martin of Heroin still has worldwide devotees, there will always be some demand for the Black Johnny Thunders. (JA)

Downladed1 adds: Barry Jones played in London Cowboys and also managed legendary Vortex club in London for a period of time. [Updated 1/28/08]

BUSTA "CHERRY" JONES

Though it would be absurd to call bassist Michael "Busta" Jones, a punk or New Waver, his credentials are undeniable. The journeyman was a significant contributor to Eno's Here Come The Warm Jets, he was a legit recording/touring member of the Talking Heads in their expanded funky stage around 1980, he had his own punk/funk band, The Escalators, he was briefly a member of Gang Of Four, and he wrote a song for the Ramones ("Chasing The Night," on Too Tough to Die). Always exploring the dynamics between Black and white music and musicians, the Memphis native's early band was a Black rock act with Willie Mitchell's son called, appropriately, Black Rock. Jones then got his first taste of punk's anarchy, if not its musical form, in the late '60s-early '70s unit Moloch. That post-hippie, ultra-wild, theatrical Blues-Rock band played with the Stooges and MC5 and matched them in chaos (Jones isn't on the Moloch LP, however). After Moloch he went the more trad route, becoming Albert King's guitarist. In 1973 he went to England where he became a member of the Sharks with Chris Spedding (and was in Spedding's subsequent solo act) and played on the debut solo album by art rock/New Wave pioneer Brian Eno (Here Come The Warm Jets, Island 1973). In 1975 he returned to his roots, playing in the all Black, near-Metal Memphis based power trio, White Lightnin' with Donald and Woody Kinsey, later of Kinsey Report. Wrapped in an elaborate cover by the same artist who painted the Bitches Brew sleeve, it's surprising their interesting self-titled album (Island, 1975) didn't find an audience. It was around 1980, with his reputation gleaming, that things exploded for him. He became an integral member of the expanded TALKING HEADS (the funkier big band on the Remain In Light album [Sire, 1980] and tour featured Funkadelic's BERNIE WORRELL on keys, Labelle's NONA HENDRYX on vocals and Busta sharing doubled-up bass duties with Tina Weymouth). He also appears on the David Byrne/Eno My Life in the Bush of Ghosts (Sire, 1980) and Robert Fripp's Under Heavy Manners / God Save The Queen (EG-Polydor, 1980) and began releasing funky solo records around this time. On the more rock tip, his punkest band, The Escalators, a collaboration with Talking Head Jerry Harrison, recorded and released their obscure self titled album (Unison, 1980). He had a cup of coffee with Gang Of Four in '81 when they were between bassists. In 1984 he collaborated with Joey Ramone on Too Tough to Die (Sire, 1984) and did additional recording, some unreleased, with Joey. Over the subsequent years the list of musicians he worked with is expansive and bizarrely diverse (it includes Dan-I, Stevie Wonder, Bill Laswell, and the Modern Folk Quartet). One of his later projects was the Agitators, a Memphis unit featuring many ex-Moloch members. Jones died in 1995. (JA)

IVAN JULIAN

Julian began his Rock 'n' Roll career as a teenager in the Foundations ("Build Me Up Buttercup"). A more musically mature Julian (he'd just spent the better part of a year touring around Eastern Europe in a band called Parnni Valyek) emerged in the NY punk scene as a strongly contributing member of Richard Hell & the Voidoids. In tandem with Robert Quine, their twin-guitar attack reflected the influence of the New York avant-garde scene, as well as Julian's exposure to global music. Listen to the jazzy tempo of "Blank Generation" for their fucked-up take on punk-rock, with Julian playing no small role. His writing and producing skills were sought out and he's worked with the Clash (on Sandinista) , Shriekback and Matthew Sweet. Recently he's devoted his time to scoring TV, films and advertisements with his Gatlian Music company, founded with fellow downtown scenester Christine Gatti. His love of film scoring can be traced to his work on the excellent Sandra Bernhard film, Without You I'm Nothing. In 2001 Wayne Kramer's CD project Beyond Cyberpunk featured a new Voidoids track with Julian playing. (JP, JA)

LES JULY

The still-active New York bassist played in numerous bands including Radio City, Elixer, The Shakes and The Splinters. He played live all over NY.(Tracks, Zenons,CBGB's, Great Gildersleeves, etc.), and in the studio he played with Jimmy Destri (from Blondie) in a group called Girl Talk. July was the first African American to be featured in Mike Varney's Spotlight Column in Guitar Player Magazine '83. His Myspace page(www.myspace.com/lesjuly) tells of his latest music projects and his work as a Music for Healing therapist. [New Entry 1/28/08]

JUVENILE JUSTICE

Ron Charles played bass for the early '80s SF teenage hardcore band that appeared on the MRR comp Not So Quiet On The Western Front doing an excellent anti-cop song. Ron wore a sleeveless Motorhead shirt and backward baseball cap in the band photo, which would have been heinous in '89 but ruled in '82.

KRASH ON POLAND

This Amsterdam band was doing more of a hectic guitar/punk thing, musically. They weren't around for too long, ca. 1978, and morphed into equally shortlived ska outfit, the DIXO WANKERS, when ska became hip. (Tony Slug/Amsterdam) [New Entry 11/12/05]

KREMLIN CORPS

This Philly band released a generic thrash EP "Moscow's Revenge" in 1984. One of the players - I think the guitarist - is Black. (SS) [Added 3/31/03]

LEFTY

When D.C. produced Iron Cross, who many hail as the first American skinhead band, trouble was bound to follow. With D.C.'s Black majority population, Nazi-inspired skinhead racism wasn't going to be business a usual, and one of the ways this manifested itself was surprising. Amazingly, the leader of the early 80s D.C. Skins was not an Aryan, but Kendall Hall, a hulking Black woman, better known as Lefty. Adorned with swastikas, Lefty and her violent followers disrupted shows, stole Doc Martins off kids' feet, brawled with bikers, stomped Jews, gay bashed and most shockingly, supported Reagan. Iron Cross, denouncing their skinhead past, had an anti-Lefty song, "Wolf Pack," on their Hated and Proud ep. (JA)

Danny Ingram adds: Your entry on "Lefty" is a tad inaccurate. She was, quite honestly, a laughing stock among people in the DC music scene. A very minor menace to the punks in DC - more of a nuisance or an embarrassment. That she was notorious for organizing attacks in DC's gay communities is without question...but at concerts she was invariably outnumbered and she only ever started incidents when she had a numerical advantage. I spoke with her recently - she works for UPS now - and she has actually tried to down-play her involvement with violence - claiming that she was much like Marlon Brandon in Apocalypse Now - a figure head that presided over minions run amok (though she didn't phrase it quite so eloquently). I once confronted her on M street when I saw one of her "crew" wearing an Nazi armband - I told her and the 3 or 4 young Aryan youth that constituted her posse, that I was Jewish. I was, in fact, wearing a star of david teeshirt at the time. I asked her if she had anything to say about it - and she said nope. No problems with her.

NY Gwen adds: I was searching the internet for a book that was written in the early 80's. The couple who were writing it took lots of pix of us in NYC, the skins the punks and all the other kids at CB's who were regulars at the Hardcore matinee's. then i stumbled across your web site. The funny thing is not but 6 days ago i was talking to someone and we started talking about Lefty. I am a NY Jew and that never seemed to bother Lefty in anyway shape or form. I dont know how she acted in DC, But in NY she was certainly on her best behaviour. O.K., so a black "Nazi" Skin is an obsurd concept. But back in those days we were all a bit mixed up. The subject of "Fag bashing", "Nigger bashing" and various other clever "Skin head" past times was close to tabu when we would hang out. One thing for sure was that Lefty took a liking to me and me to her. She was feared by alot of people but as far as being only a "Nazi" that was only a part of Lefty. Lefty, if you are reading this, Hello from NY Gwen (that's me). Hope your doing well. Remember the days?! [Updated 11/12/05]

DON LETTS

The London punk scenester was a DJ who helped bring Reggae rhythms to punk, was the Slits' manager, from '85-'89 was a member of Big Audio Dynamite (Mick Jones' Post Clash project, which also featured former BASEMENT 5 bassist Leo Williams), and is punk's official filmmaker (having made The Punk Rock Movie and The Clash documentary "Westway to the World." [New Entry 11/12/05]

LOST CAUSE

They put out 2 albums and the bassist was probably one of the few Black skinheads at the time when there was such a dominance of the racist skinhead SHOCK boys... K.C. was a class act. (Ted D.)

LULU ZULU AND THE WHITE GUYS

This Amsterdam band is hard to classify, proto punk maybe in the sense that there was no point of reference yet to describe their musical style. They were around from 1976 to 1987 at the latest playing dub oriented reggae with loud guitars and free-form expression noise. They all hung out in this squat house called DDT, so I think their line-ups were changing on a weekly basis. There really was no opportunity for such bands to perform elsewhere back then. (Tony Slug/Amsterdam) [New Entry 11/12/05]

JOHN MACIAS

The frontman for the LA punk band Circle One that played, toured and recorded from 1980-1985, reforming briefly in 1989 and 1991. Macias was a charismatic and intimidating presence on the scene and a leader with the P.U.N.X. collective that promoted shows and ran a punk house called the Wig Factory in Hollywood, and with a Christian punk group/gang called The Family. He suffered from mental illness and died in 1991 after being shot by police after reportedly throwing an unarmed security guard off the Santa Monica pier while screaming about God. Macias was Afro-Puerto Rican. [New Entry 3/11/13]

MAD SOCIETY

Early LA punk band famous mostly for how young they were, their singer being a few years shy of teenhood. The guitarist, Cathy, was Black.

CARLA MADDOG of THE CONTROLERS

Drummer (skate boarder and U.S. Postal worker) Carla Maddog (Carla Du Plantier) joined the LA based Controllers in early 1978, less than a year after the band's inception. Though they already had a single out, it wasn't until Carla joined that the band began to get real attention, thanks to her skills, magnetism and powers of promotion. Their EP (Suburban Suicide, Siamese 1978) and tracks on the legendary 1979 L.A. punk comp Tooth and Nail, as well as a Bomp magazine interview (that Carla made happen) helped build a large, hungry audience for the band by the time they self-destructed in 1979. Though Karla didn't sing it, one of their best songs, "Do The Uganda," featured the lyrics, "I wanna be Black and look like Idi Amin." After the Controllers, Karla played in Sexsick, with Kira Roesller (Black Flag), then traveled to England in a futile attempt to fill the empty drummer's chair in Siouxsie and the Banshees. She squatted, bartended, stole cars, started a band (Precious Few), went to jail, and got sent back to America, but she returned as soon as possible, and spent the rest of the 80s in England. Malcolm McLaren took a shine to Maddog and helped name and promote her new band, Jimmy The Hoover. A stint opening for Bow Wow Wow led to a recording a contract, and their single "Tantalise" (Innervison, 1984) reached #18 on the British charts, and the band appeared on Top Of The Pops twice (the Cure and Mary Jane Girls were on the same shows as JTH). After their second single flopped, the band was dropped and struggled for the next few years with windows of opportunity closing around them. In 1989 Carla returned to the States. In the early 90s she joined ex-Controller Kid Spike and Billy Bones of their punk contemporaries The Skulls (The Controllers were the first punk band to play the Masque club, and the Bones became the house band) to form the hybrid Skull Control. They played old Controllers and Skulls songs, and eventually built up a new body of tunes and a following, but other then a small indie CD (Radio Danger, Iloki) they weren't able to generate any label interest, and the band ended in 1997. In the late 90s she's also drummed with Legal Weapon, Leaving Trains (with whom she did her first US tour), and El Rey. A complete Controllers discography CD was released in the late 90s. Karla apparently is battling MS these days and some of the old time punks are organizing benefits for her. Maddog trivia: It was mostly her kit that Don Bolles borrowed and played on the Germs lp. (JA)

Jack Grisham of T.S.O.L. adds: I got the chance to see Karla front the 'Blackhearts' before Joan Jett. I dont know if it was a one-off, but it was at the Masque.

MAJOR CONFLICT

New York hardcore band that released a 7"EP back in 1983. See also: URBAN WASTE. who predated Major Conflict. One member was black, A posthumous Major Conflict CD came out called "Sounds Like 1983": On a related note, Dino Montiel- author of "A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints" which was made into a movie, was in Major Conflict. [New Entry 1/28/08]

SAM McAFEE of IMPACT UNIT

Though this Boston hardcore band never released anything during their tenure, the demos they recorded in '82 (My Friend-The Pit featuring the timeless love tune "I'd Eat Your Shit") were released in '89 in Germany. They were then issued in the States after Impact Unit lead singer Dicky Barrett gained fame as a Mighty Mighty Bosstone. McAffee kept active in the Boston scene throughout the 80s and 90s playing bass in Feeding Frenzy, Chloe and Six Server and playing drums in Sea Biscuit. (JA)

SAM MCAFEE ADDS: Howdy!, Just a slight correction: I played bass in public anyway for Impact Unit & Six Sever, i played guitar for Feeding Frenzy & Chloe,and I fronted Chloe. but it is nice to know somebody remembers or cares? - sam. [Updated 11/12/05]

CHLOE footage: http://www.youtube.com/user/65epiphone [Updated 1/2/09]

MEN WITH NO IQ's

Early 80s band released the single "Dreamin/Can't Resist It" 7" on the Mississippi (!?!) label Young Blood Records. It is described in a catalogue by uber-punk collector Chuck Warner (who, most recently, has been running the great Hyped To Death reissue label). as "Bad Brain-ish A side and Detroit-ish guitar on B side". (Tony Azu-Popow)

Sean adds: I was digging around the web to try and find anything about these guys...then I stumbled across your site. I grew up in Jackson, MS and saw these guys regularly in '84-'86. They were brutal live. They were a 3 piece w/the drummer singing most of the songs. They did a few "new wave of british heavy metal" covers in their sets as well (most notably a great cover of Iron Maiden's "Powerslave". They had a decent local following. A guy named Sylvester Harris was the guitar player...he was also the oldest (17 at the time - the other two were in their early teens). His dad did yard work for a living and would drive the band to gigs with a trailer containing not only the band's gear but all kinds of lawnmowers. The last time I saw Sylvester was in '90 or so...have no clue whatever came of him. [Updated 11/28/06]

MR. BUTCH

(from Wikipedia) Harold Madison, Jr., a/k/a "The King of Kenmore Square" a/k/a "The Mayor of Allston" was a homeless man living on the streets of Boston. Over the course of three decades, he gained significant celebrity among Boston's college students and within its rock scene. In the mid- to late-70s Mr. Butch was often seen on the streets near the Berklee College of Music playing guitar. During the 1980s, Mr. Butch's fame among the local music scene grew, and he was given gigs at The Underground in Allston and The Rat in Kenmore Square. Besides solo gigs, he would also sometimes perform with his band of rotating musicians and derelicts, "Mr. Butch and the Holy Men". It was around this time that he began to be featured in The Noise, a local music fanzine. Mr. Butch is mentioned in the liner notes to hardcore compilation "Bands Theat Could Be God." Mr. Butch's likeness appears in a mural on the side of a building located on the corner of Cambridge Street and Harvard Avenue in Allston. Mr. Butch was traveling inbound on Brighton Avenue on his scooter around 8 a.m. on July 12, 2007, at a speed close to 50 miles per hour when he struck a light pole and died. He was 56. [New Entry 1/28/08]

TEQUILA MOCKINGBIRD

Mockingbird booked bands for New Wave Theater starting in 1979 and had her hand in promoting, acting and music as well. In 2012 she opened the Punk Rock Museum in Hollwood. (Odd Rocker Orlando Greenhill) [New Entry 3/11/13]

TERRY MORGAN

After studying Systematic Musicology and African American Studies in college, Morgan turned that know how into promoting, producing and releasing punk rock in the Pacific Northwest. Modern Records released some amazing punk records starting around 1979 (including the single by the legendary Vancouver punk band Dishrags) and Modern Productions (eventually Modern Enterprises) had a hand in lots of bigshot New Wave acts. Morgan stayed in music as talent buyer for the Bumbershoot Festival, manager for The Posies, The Young Fresh Fellows and others, and tour manager for King Sunny Ade. Recently he's been doing production on Cirque Du Soleil. A musician himself, Morgan was not a punk but rather a member of Seattle's respected Inner City Jazz Quartet. (JA)

NEON LEON

Neon Leon was a NYC punk scenester in the early days, and if you see Max's Kansas City flyers from the heyday you'll often see him gigging a night or two before or after some legendary band. He also shows up in Rock Scene magazine, as most NYCenesters eventually did, thanks to the photos taken by Paul Zone (of the Fast) and Jayne County's advice columns. As far as I know he didn't record, but he can be seen playing with Johnny Thunders on a volume of the Japanese video series Under Underground. Zone recalled, "His act sucked, you can ask anyone (anyone who would remember). But he was a great guy. We really liked him. He was a coke dealer with a blonde white stripper girlfriend. He goes way back on the scene, before punk, like 1974." Syl Sylvain (NY Dolls) recalled, plausibly, that he had a girlfriend (the stripper?) who he taught to play bass for his own band, and (less plausibly) that he'd been a porn star in Sweden as of ten years ago. He may be confusing the fact that Leon appears as a guitarist with the Stilettos (the band Debby Harry and Chris Stein of Blondie emerged from) in the 1978 porno movie Punk Rock (a/k/a Teenage Runaways). However, the band only plays in a club, Leon has no "action" scenes. (JA, JP) [Read an interview with Neon Leon in Roctober #40.]

Leon adds: Well I don't know you guys and it's apparent you don't know or have any of your facts staight.I'm the original Neon Leon, Max's blah, blah, blah. Paul & Micki Zone, I remember doing gigs with them from Prospect Park in Brooklyn to Max's. Since I "sucked" so band that's why the Rolling Stones brought my group to the UK in '76 where we spent the better part of a year recording, playing, etc. Spider my drummer (PureHell,this is before them) he was more in to the druggy side...Smack and that shit, wasn't a dealer either, not a porn star either. Dated a lot of them in the 70's Sharon Mitchell,Ming Toy,etc. Dating them doesn't make you a porn star. Next what a load of crap about never recording. Remember Dr.Pepper concerts in Central Park. Who do you think that was on all those comercial ads for K-Rock fm. The song was called "R&R; is Alive" on Big Deal Records, me and Honi O'Rourke own label sponsored by James Karnback(Ladies & Gentlemen the Rolling Stone,film) Jeff Stein (award winning video producer and film maker, The Who(The Kids are Allright) Billy Idol, Bruce Springsteen. Plus you forget to mention all the work I've been doing in Europe for Warner Bros. and Music for nations. S/t LP Neon Leon "Artificial Stimulation"(Tandan/Warner) The list goes on. Are you interested in more info...truth as opposed to fiction. I'm very alive and well half my year I spend in Hawaii with my wonderful girlfriend, and the remainder of the year I play music on the continent from Sweden to Italy. Life is good. So c'mon feed me some questions I love to hear from old associates and friend or anyone who just wants to "shoot the shit." Just finished the new Neon Leon cd..."New York City/Babylon,Produced by Tommy Newton (Victiory,Helloween,UFO,Guano Apes etc.). Contact....E-mail Supasoca1@hotmail.com........ Rock n Roll is still Alive, NeonLeon [Updated 5/17/04]

SANDRO JOHNSTON adds: My name is Sandro, i'm from Stockholm, the capitol of Sweden. I'm a model rock singer photographer, writer song writer video maker D.J., movie back ground artist. I met Neon Leon, back home in Stockholm, in 1987 and party with him a few times at the rock club Ritz, in Stockholm, and at Scrap Bar, in New York. I saw a couple of his shows in Stockholm, like 15 years ago. I remember this female vocalist singer Lisa who looks like Donna Summer, she was cool. I know hi lives in Denmark, because I met him in Stockholm, at the street in 1999. (Sandrojohnston@hotmail.com).

LINDA NYBO ANDERSEN ADDS: Leon is really fit and he is doing great over here (Europe). At the moment he is entertaining at a great ski resort for millionaires in Austria. In 2001 the Rolling Stones send out a CD with Neon Leon feat. Mick Jagger doing "Heart of Stone" ("The Rolling Stones Bootleg - Ex Stone" Alan G. Parker and his film crew came to Copenhagen to shoot the lacking part of the film Who killed Nancy" which is going on the big screen in February 2009. The film producer Alan G. Parker wrote this on his My Space website on August 7th 2008 when he finally found Neon Leon: Good news today, so the phone rings in the office, we are deep in the edit and busy doing favours to get archive footage, Sid is now getting his own voice in our movie... It's the phone though, just now it's all that matters, it's only Neon Leon! The missing piece of our hotel Chelsea jigsaw puzzle... And the man who next week in Europe we will now interview... By the time I hit home Barry Jones is on this here myspace thing, looks like the Gods above finally love me! And later on this one on Parker's My Space Website: After spending the best part of 20 years or more just thinking that I might never meet Neon Leon, the week before last all that changed. Following various leads, in the first instance on the web, and later via this thing we call myspace suddenly we are talking on the phone, suddenly it's on...(a)fter packing up we head for the lower side of the street, we find a bar order beer and food, while Ben calls Leon. 30 minutes later (as Nick leaves to pick up a camera from the hotel) we spot a figure in the square, even through glass we need no introduction, it's Neon Leon, and Lynda (his assistant). After lots of handshakes and initial conversation we head off to a pub/club (I swear I never saw so many rooms in one building in my life!) were we are given the full VIP tour by manager Louise, and in this case it's before all of the place has actually opened!! As the evening goes on amid much chat, a lot of giggles and a pretty deep conversation between Leon and I, all good stuff though, we talk about soul-mates, about having the right people around, I explain one of my tattoos and we both realise we understand each other enough to go for that well known male bonding act, the big hug...(l)ater in the afternoon we interview Leon in the very place he took us to the night before! He is very forthcoming with events in The Chelsea Hotel, some 30 years ago this year they may well have been, looking at Leon you'd never believe he was old enough to have been there! But pictures (largely by my good friend Eileen Polk) and the man himself prove otherwise. I don't think much of what he said will hit the cutting room floor, like the man said; "It's all good". Later on he put this comment up on Leon's Website. What can I say, we came, we saw, we bonded like brothers! It was brilliant and I am so glad your in our movie... Later mate..." [UPDATED 1/2/09]

THE NIGGERS

Seemingly three bands in three different cities (New York/Boston/Detroit) used this ungenteel name. The most prominent band appears to have been the **Detroit Niggers**, who had a story printed in Creem magazine in 1978 (as part of a larger piece on the Detroit punk scene) and a brief news blurb in Bomp. Both articles had pictures of the band with processed Chuck Berry hairdoos and flaunted bare chests. Their songs included "Crazy White Bitch," "Dirty Dogs" and the anthem, "Niggers," and of the band name, members Reno and J.C. Richards explained, "Should we call ourselves The Honkies?" One New York punk legend of our acquaintance suggests that the N.Y. Niggers were "friends" with the late Nancy Spungen, Sid Vicious' doomed girlfriend. They self-released a ridiculously obscure single, "Just Like Dresden" b/w "Headliner" in 1978 as the "N.Y. Niggers." Though there's no picture sleeve, the rough punk sound of the record is Detroit influenced enough to possibly suggest it was the same band transplanted out East. (JP)

NIP DRIVERS

Janus/Janice Jones was the original bassist/singer in this Southern California punk band that was on a Mystic comp in 1983 and released the collectible "Destroy Whitey" ep in 1984. [New Entry, 11/28/06]

NITECAPS

Multi-racial punk R&B; band on the NY hipster scene ca. '82.

NO EMPATHY

Chicago-area band (1983-1987) had an African-American guitarist named Craig White. After he left No Empathy, he played with the art/hardcore band Repulse Kava who released one 7" e.p. and 7" single on Peter Margasak's Buttrag Records and a posthumous LP on Ajax. He later went onto be in Seam.

Blacks in Punk, New Wave and Hardcore 1976-1984 (Part 3)

LOS OLIVIDADOS

Clay Stevens II was the Black bassist in this early 80s San Jose skatepunk band. They appeared on the Not So Quiet on the Western Front comp in 1982 and had a compilation CD of their recordings on Alternative Tentacles in 2002. Stevens was later in Odd Man Out, The Faction, and (as Steve Ravens) is in the contemporary poppy skatepunk power trio Clay Wheels, who have appeared on numerous skate video soundtracks.

OMB

Pseudonym of Larry Robinson, who did a super rare synth-pop record in 1980 and appeared on Peter Ivers' local LA TV show "New Wave Theatre". Robinson had grown up in Beverly Hills and had been in a teen-pop-soul act called Apollo in about 1977 who did an album on Motown before starting OMB. The album was withdrawn due to copyright issues regarding the lyrics on one song having been taken from a book by Ba'hai Faith prophet Shoghi Effendi; the Ba'hai Faith (of which Robinson is a member) refused to grant Robinson permission to use them. Robinson went on to play guitar in a psychedelic-folk-pop band The Mooseheart Faith Stellar Groove Band with ex-Beverly High classmate Todd Homer, (of the Angry Samoans,) who did several albums in the late 1980s and 1990s (most of which were only released in Germany). Robinson played guitar on the Angry Samoans' "Unhinged" on the Yesterday Started Tomorrow album and almost joined the Angry Samoans. Todd Homer wanted Robinson to replace Gregg Turner on guitar in the Samoans, and unfortunately Mike Saunders didn't agree. Robinson has also played guitar with LA avant gardists Crawlspace and most recently guesting on Homer's free jazz band Hollywood Squaretet's Tet Offensive album. (Michael Snider) [New Entry 11/12/05]

ONO

Chicago late '70s unit that featured several Black members including P. Michael and Travis, one of the first dreadlocked frontmen in a non-Reggae band.[Read an amazing interview with ONO in Roctober #45.]

ORLANDO X

The hulking X sang in Special Forces, a Bay Area punk band, from 1983-1990. He later was in United Blood and Intrepid AAF. Called the "Godfather of Bay Area Oi/Street Punk." (thanks to Patrick Splat) [Added 5/17/04]

D.H. PELIGRO

The biggest punk group most UNLIKELY to ever get back together has to be the Dead Kennedys. They had an artistically stellar career, with vocalist Jello Biafra's attacking big business, the Republican administration, the political left and other easy but worthy targets with amazing clarity in legit classics like "California Uber Alles," "Let's Lynch The Landlord" and "I Kill Children." However, Biafra must have some bad karma somewhere, because no band has ever spent more time in court over more ridiculous things than the DKs. Obscenity, copyright violations and other charges all seemed to reflect on the absurdity of the society Jello was targeting, but the most recent legal woes are far harder to reconcile for fans. Biafra's former bandmates accused him of underpaying royalties and refusing to release archive material that would generate revenues. The justice system agreed, and in 2000 D.H. Peligro (pending appeal) was cut the largest check a Black man has ever received from punk rock when a judge awarded him and his bandmates $100,000 each. Peligro had initially joined the band in mid 1981 (the drummer for the first year was Bruce "Ted" Slesinger). He played on everything from Too Drunk To Fuck (1981) to Give Me Convenience Or Give Me Death (Alternative Tentacles 1987). His aggressive pounding (he is one of the great punk drummers) helped make the Dead Kennedys the most legitimate bridge between 70s punk and 80s hardcore, and their huge popularity in England introduced many aspects of American hardcore to the Brits (including stagediving). The band sizzled out in 1986, but Peligro's post DKs projects have been frequent. He led the eclectic pop/soul/punk combo Jungle Studs, who released an LP on AT in 1986. In 1988 after Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Hillel Slovak O.D.ed and drummer Jack Irons quits the band to grieve, D.H. briefly replaced him. He's also worked with the Feederz, Nailbomb, Crazy Town and other nuevo punk acts. He currently fronts (or backs, since he's a lead singing drummer) a trio simply called Peligro, who have a very Rock take on the punk thing, and who have released four albums and toured the world (though rarely outside of Cali in America). His website (www.dhpeligro.com) currently features a homepage that begs for a new manager and a full page of instrument sponsorships. Rumors of a DK reunion tour without Jello (with the name Zach De La Rocha of Rage Against The Machine attached) are unconfirmed at press time. However, a record release show (for court ordered reissues and a live album) and "reunion" tour with Brandon Cruz (of Courtship Of Eddie's Father fame and the band Dr. Know) singing lead caused ripples of dissent in the petty, high school clique-like world of punk rock. (JA)

D.H. Responds: YO WHAT UP THIS IS D.H. PELIGRO TO CLARIFY A FEW FACTS! I DID NOT RECIEVE $100,000 OR DID THE BAND EVEN RECIEVE THAT--- YOU WORD IT AS IF THOUGH TED PLAYED ON "TOO DRUNK TO FUCK" "PLASTIC SURGERY" "FRANKENCHRIST" "IN GOD WE TRUST", AND "BED TIME FOR DEMOVRACY" WHEN IN FACT I PLAYED ON THEM. AS FAR A PELIGRO GOES-- WE DO NOT HAVE FOUR RECORDS WE HAVE ONE RECORD CALLED "PELIGRO"; AN EP "WELCOME TO AMERICA" AND IN MARCH 2003 WE WILL RELEASE "FUTILE RESISTANCE" AND AS FAR AS SPONSORSHIP GOES --BUSINESS IS BUSINESS ---PLEASE DON'T AIR OUR BUSINESS-- AND FURTHER MORE THE SPONSORSHIP IS FOR OUR BASS PLAYER AND DRUMMER--SPEAKING OF DRUMMERS-- I AM ALSO NOT THE DRUMMER IN PELIGRO-- I AM FRONTMAN--GUITARIST AND VOCALIST- JUST SETTIN' THE FACTS STRAIGHT YOUR DOGG MY BLOOD D.H. PELIGRO--- ONE LOVE, PEACE!

Reader Mark Webster adds: I was in a band that supported the Dead Kennedys in 1982 or 1983 in Auckland, New Zealand (Flak). They had just been in Australia, renowned for its 'White Australia' policy and drummer D.H. Peligro - a very, very impressive drummer, by the way - had been arrested in South Australia for 'unlawful assembly'. This was because he was standing on the street talking in a group of four people. Why does it sound racist? D.H. Peligro was the only one arrested!

THE PENETRATORS

Punk band from Upstate NY that also had a Black member named Curtis Seals. They were more along the lines of 60 garage punk, but were doing it in the late '70s and now have a couple reissues on Rave Up. (RL)

E.J. PHILLIPS (DISAPPOINTED PARENTS)

Phillips, a New Orleans native who grew up in the Desire Housing Project, was a Hendrix inspired guitarist when he joined the N.O. hardcore band Disappointed Parents in 1981. He appears on their 1983 EP "Am I Getting Through," called "a minor classic" by Tim Yo at Maximumrocknroll. Shortly after the EP was released Phillips shifted his attention to the more roots music oriented Electric Blues Band and has been a Bourbon Street fixture ever since. In 2009 Disappointed Parents reformed, sans Phillips. (JA, thanks to Felicismo Go)

ROBERT PITTMAN

Born in Chicago (allegedly in Jimmy's Woodlawn Tap), Pittman moved out West and spent the late 70s and early 80s in a series of Bay Area punk and New Wave bands, including the Delusions and the Good Samaritans. Pittman is currently recording as a solo artist. (JA)

PLANETS

Before punk-rock had defined itself, many of the bands on the New York scene seemed like a pop version of the many hard-rock bands extant, blending the guitar crunch of the era's arena-rock faves yet maintaining the AM radio consciousness of the Nuggets compilation. The Planets had been kicking around since '71, but by the time punk sprang full-blown on the world in '76-'77, it was the Planets time. Led by guitarist Binky Phillips, the band's charisma was due in part to Tally Taliaferrow, a former boy soprano with the New York Philharmonic who as a grownup had been going the acoustic folk route. Prodded by Phillips, Taliaferrow landed feet first in the Rock & Roll realm, becoming the lead singer in February '75. When the record labels were buzzing around CBGB's wanting to get a piece of this newfangled thing called punk, the Planets were aggressively courted by Bugs Bunny's boys at Warner Brothers. Unfortunately, this didn't get past the demo stage. Shortly afterward, Taliaferrow was dropped from the band. A rumor (given credence by the creeping conservatism of the time) had it that the record companies figured that a rock band with a Black frontman and bass player just wouldn't play in small-town U.S.A., so Phillips' girlfriend (who was also the band manager) instigated Taliaferrow's departure. True or not, the Planets disbanded anyway, feeling they wouldn't get any farther than they had. Despite a one-off reunion gig at CBGB's in 1983, both Taliaferrow and Phillips continued to be fixtures on the New York scene through the eighties, with the former returning to his folk singer roots (after briefly playing in another mixed-race rock band called the Heat) and Phillips recording for the Caroline label in the mid-80's as a solo act. (JP)

DESMOND SULLIVAN ADDS: hey from nyc - just got forwarded the black punk article from Tally's (Planets/Heat) daughter in Austin Texas (!) wanted to let you guys know there is an active Planets still alive and well and playing fairly often on the club scene here-features Binky Philips (gtr/vox) and Tally Taliaferrow (vox) from the original band , Rich Teeter (drms/vox) from the Dictators and Twisted Sister) NYC scene/club vets Phillip Solomon (vox -yeah we have 2 lead singers -its really cool) Jim Weisbin (bass) and me Desmond Sullivan (gtr/vox) - only doing covers (ny dolls/who/iggy/stones/punk chestnuts/kinks & like that) and rockin heavily - theres a Tally-fronted Heat around too and we're working together where and when...nice someone remembers the old crew - original Planet bassist Anthony Jones (who went on to later-day Humble Pie) died about 5 years ago in California from meningitis but his spirit is still with us -- happy new year ....... [Updated 1/28/08]

PUBLIC DISTURBANCE

Have a legendary 7" that was highly touted by Tim Yo of MRR and even ended up as the cover of a KBD comp. They were from NJ and did a really odd reverb soaked surf punk thing in a sea of HC dreck, circa 1982. Later had an LP in 84 that wasn't that hot. (RL)

ROB VOMIT ADDS: Darryl Hell was the Bass Player for Public Disturbance... he was the only black guy in the band he later went on to play in Abstinence, Operation Mindwipe etc and now goes by the the name DJ Hell and/or S6K etc. check his myspace and web page below. He's done a lot of interesting stuff music and other with some pretty noteworthy musicians over the years... IMHO the 1984 PD LP was pretty good too, “Russell's Ramp” was a great tune. I just noticed the LP was Mutha 003 and came out BEFORE the 7" (Mutha 011) both are from 1983. http://www.myspace.com/dj7734 http://www.s6k.com [Updated 11/28/06]

PURE HELL

Often referred to as the first Black punk rock group, Philly's Pure Hell (Spider, Stinker, Chip Wreck and Lenny Still) played around the U.S. in whatever few venues were available from '77-'79, but really had a "career" when they went to England. Their overseas "discovery" was credited to Curtis Knight, who claims Jimi Hendrix as a discovery and who apparently decided he was the reverse Sam Phillips ("If I could only find a Black boy that played like a cracker…" see also NIKKI BUZZ). Their sole single released was the UK only "These Boots Are Made For Walking" b/w "No Rules" (Golden Sphinx, 1978) and it's a pretty straightforward punk record. However, at the time their live show was described as sounding like everything from the Sex Pistols to Stax to Reggae. Martin of Los Crudos traded the Mentally Ill's "Gacey's Place" single for the Pure Hell 7", so you know it's a collector scum treasure! As huge Black guys with genuinely fucked punk-out hair and makeup, it's surprising these fellows didn't make it bigger, at least as a novelty (their look was enough to get their picture printed in Rock Scene and other mags). However, they still have fabled status in Philly, where Spider has worked on the fringes of the rock scene for years, managing Helena's Tiki Bar in Old City a few years back and more recently booking at New Road Brewhouse in Collegeville (36 W. Third Ave). In 1997 a new Pure Hell recording produced by Lemmy was announced on Philly's Brandon Records, but I don't think it ever saw the light of day, though they did schedule (and play?) at least one reunion show. (JA)

Jinx 1978 adds: I work with Chip Wreck (real name: Preston Morris) in Philly. Sweetest guy you'd ever meet. Just wanted to give you an update on the band. Spider, sadly, passed away April 2003 from pancreatic cancer. Spider's death prompted the band to play a reunion benefit which Chip wasn't asked to play. Since then the band has added two new guitar players and are gigging sporadically around Philly with at least one new (or at least previously unreleased song) posted online at IUMA (artists.iuma.com/IUMA/Bands/PURE_HELL/). They also played a Bad Brains tribute show (ironic since the Brains tribute them for showing them it was ok to be black and play punk rock, right?) Chip is working full time outside the punk scene. But he does still play, he also records and sound engineers at the occasional gig. [Updated 5/17/04]

REAGAN YOUTH

Had a black drummer's named Rick Royale, from 1984 -1985. This was one of the most diverse looking hardcore bands touring at the time. [Updated 11/18/11]

FREDA RENTE

Rente has been a part of the L.A. punk scene since the early 80s as a vocalist, bass player and keyboardist. She was a member of the Zarkons (a latter incarnation of the Alleycats), sung with fIREHOSE, and led the band Vicious Attack. She released a solo album in the early 2000s that featured an army of all-star guests, including Dez Cadena, Kirra Rossler, and Mike Watt.

EUGENE ROBINSON of WHIPPING BOY

Eugene Robinson was the singer for this fairly generic Northern California political hardcore band. A Stanford University student, his college trained coherence and his band's proximity to Maximum Rocknroll radio and magazine headquarters made him a spokesman for the scene. Their record was The Sound of No Hands Clapping LP (Control Free Youth, 1983). The band also had another Black member, Dumone. (JA)

COUNT DANTE ADDS: I used to see Whipping Boy a lot when I was a teenager. They were our local band coming from the Southern suburbs of San Francisco. There was one legendary show at the On Broadway (I think) where the Red Hot Chili Peppers tried to cut Whipping Boy's set short and even cut the power to the stage. Singer Eugene Robinson and their drummer (a big wrestling fan) stayed on the stage playing and singing without electricity for like 20 minutes while Anthony Kiedis went nuts back stage. After that, nobody much liked the Chili Peppers, even when they broke big. I still run into Eugene Robinson sometimes. He is in that band Oxbow now. They're big in Europe. I used to challenge Eugene to cage matches back then. It's funny because we both ended up writing for "Grappling" magazine as freelancers. Oh in another note of trivia, both of my CD's were recorded and produced by Bart Thurber, who was in Whipping Boy during their later hard rock, double guitar incarnation. [Updated 11/28/06]

Steve Albini adds: After the dissolution of Whipping Boy, Eugene was (and is) the vocalist for the outstanding band Oxbow, and his performances bring new levels of both menace and compound absurditv to the stage. He is equally likely to be dressed as a businessman (which he is, to an extent), or buck naked. The last Oxbow show I saw (at the Beyond the Pale festival organized by Neurosis in 2001), he began the set with his ears taped shut with black gaffer tape, carrying a briefcase and wearing a suit. By the end of the show, he was a mass of sweat and tattoos in jockey shorts. I'm sure he has come to regret his choice of a "La Vida Loca" tattoo. Eugene has worked in the computer field (for Adobe) and as a writer and editor for both wrestling/extreme fighting/body building magazines and style-and-fashion magazines. He appeared as a thug in the Bill Cosby film "Leonard Part 6" and occasionally appears in rap videos as a posse member. [Updated 3/31/03]

ROMEO VOID

This early 80s Bay Area band (best known for the dynamic vocals of Native American frontwoman Deborah Iyall) briefly featured studio drummer Aaron Smith, who is African American.

RUPAUL CHARLES

Years before becoming famous as the crossover disco drag king of the 90s, Rupaul fronted a "New Wave tribal" (think Bow Wow Wow) band called Wee Wee Pole in Atlanta in '83. They toured the East Coast and surrounding South (often in places like Alabama Ru would be the only Black person in the club) and recorded but didn't release anything, though the tracks ended up on RuPauls's underground debut album Sex Freak (Funtown, 1985). (JA)

SADISTIC EXPLOITS

SEE YDI

CATHY SAMPLE

Niece of jazz musician Joe Sample, played drums in a '79-80 era LA punk band called Mad Society, which recorded a single and appeared on compilations. (Michael Snider) [New Entry 11/12/05]

BYRON SCOTT

One of the few black rockers in Austin's early punk scene, Byron Scott was a guitarist for rockabilly band the Trouble Boys who opened for the Clash in 1982 and fronted Bad Mutha Goose in the 80s (Tim Kerr was in the band) as well as playing with Do Dat and Twisteyes. He died of a stroke in 2007 (Thanks to T. Tex Edwards) [New Entry 2/3/09]

SCREAMING URGE

Classic Ohio punk band (started circa '77-'78, still exist in some form) whose punkest stuff was written by Myke, the Black member.

SECRET HATE

Formed in 1980, this Long Beach, CA hardcore band featured African American Guitarist Reggie Rector. They released the 1983 12" "Vegetables Dancing" on the Minutemen's New Alliance Records. In 1985 the band broke up, and Rector played in the band Phantom Opera. Not long after he was murdered in Southern California. In the late 90s, after Sublime covered one of their songs, Secret Hate's record was reissued, the band reunited, and they began recording again.

SHEER SMEGMA (AKA TEDDY AND THE FRAT GIRLS)

SS was the original name for a group of gals in Miami who did a 7" with the famous song "Club Nite". It was later reissued on 12" by Jello at AT under the name "Teddy and the Frat Girls" which is how most people know them and have a proper point of reference. I don't know why there was a name change.

SINCEROS

Ron Francois was the bassist in this late 70s-early 80s New Wave band, but his higher profile gig was backing Lena Lovich on her debut.

SLIT AND THE STITCHES

The Reagan eighties were a conservative, yet goofy, time, full of light pastel colors, upturned polo collars and fluffy synth bands. The music of the era reflected the conservativeness and goofiness, but this was only what you heard on mainstream radio. Indie-label/college radio was full of bands like the Dead Kennedys who had little trouble finding something to be angry about. This is where Chicago's own Stitches come in. No vinyl was released, but a self-released cassette from that period, Deep Wounds, reveals them to be firmly in the punk vein. You wouldn't expect any less from a band who started out, in 1979, as the Nigguzz. "The rap scene is late with that!," cracks Stitches guitarist Brian Washington, speaking from his South Side home in the present day. "It seems like Blacks are going through now with rap what Blacks in hardcore went through back then." Under that name, no club would touch them with a yardstick, so the next year they switched to the Dirty Black Boy Band (which could always be abbreviated to DBBB). Around '82, they settled on Slit & the Stitches, which was eventually shortened to the Stitches. With lead singer Jamie Robinson playing Robert Plant to Washington's Jimmy Page, the original Stitches were an all-Black band. Somewhere down the line a white drummer and bassist entered the picture (which is an interesting twist; usually in multiracial rock bands, the Black members are the ones holding down the rhythm). For whatever reason, Washington noticed that bookings came easier with a mixed-race band. Although he now admits that it may not have been a conspiracy ("It just worked out that way"), he also adds: "I don't think Chicago was ready for an all-Black band, even though people like BAD BRAINS came around." The Stitches essence was best captured in 1985 on Rising Star Showcase, a local cable-access program hosted by one Debbey Thomas. Removed from their usual rock-club element, the band is performing in front of a sterile set design, which makes Robinson's spastic movements (during their song "No Control") look all the more dangerous. The interview segment provokes a laugh when the host cluelessly asks them, "How would you rate your musical style with performers like Kiss?" It should also be noted that bassist Jim Griese just barely escapes the censors by wearing a jacket over his (still visible) "Too Drunk To Fuck" T-shirt. During their later years, the band progressed to a funk-metal sound not unlike Living Colour or Follow For Now before disbanding at the start of the nineties. Robinson is now in L.A., working in the computer industry, while Washington is still in Chicago, involved in security and periodically sitting in with Blues bands. (JP)

PAT SMEAR

The unique looks of L.A. punk guitar hero Pat Smear (born George Ruthenberg) that perfectly match his personality can partially be credited to his diverse ethnic heritage (a German immigrant father and an African-American/Navajo mother). However, the glint in his eyes can be credited to punk rock, which became his surrogate parents in his teenage years. Smear's troubled youth found direction when he met Darby Crash at an alternative high school for problem kids (a school that a large portion of the L.A. punk scene attended). They became the nucleus of The Germs, LA's first punk gods. Smear's nasty fuzzed out guitar as much as Crash's self-destructive frontman powers, helped guide punk into becoming hardcore, and their LP (GI) (Slash, 1979) is an intense, manic masterpiece. After Crash's death Smear spent short stints in a number of bands, from the most obscure to the zillion sellers. He's been in Nina Hagen's band, 45 Grave, Tater Totz, and the acoustic duo Death Folk. In 1993, after releasing two interesting solo albums, Pat RuthenSmear (SST 1987) and So You Fell In Love With a Musician (SST Records, 1992), he joined Nirvana and appears on their MTV Unplugged In New York LP (Geffen, 1994). Touring with Nirvana, Smear (a fan of 70s stadium rock) got to live some Rock & Roll dreams and meet some heroes, but it didn't all turn out golden: A drunken Eddie Van Halen, in an attempt to sit in with the band, made disparaging racial remarks about Smear, referring to him as "the dark one" and (innacurately) as Hispanic. After suffering the death of his band leader for a second time, Smear joined Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl (see SKEETER THOMPSON) in Foo Fighters, and appears on their The Colour And The Shape album (Geffen 1997). He's since left the band. In addition to the rock, Smear's done some acting in movies and videos and has appeared on MTV, turning his exaggerated gay shtick (he's not particularly gay in real life) into gold by appearing as a signifier of fruity authenticity on MTV's fashion programs and the DENNIS RODMAN show. (JA)

FRED SMITH

African American member of the Dischord band Beefeater. The band was most active around 1984, but perhaps existed in some form in '83. The leather-clad, guitar hero from DC subsequently in Madhouse and Strange Boutique. Fred was fondly known around DC as Freak - a former government contract-worker, he also worked at the 9:30 club when he wasn't playing guitar. Other claims to fame (or infamy) include allegedly being related to the Art Ensemble of Chicago's Lester Bowie (he told me they were cousins) - appearing on the Jerry Springer show as a porn star - and legally changing his name to The Freak. Fred's roots were in metal - he was a huge KISS fan, but Beefeater were funk- punk inspired...Madhouse and Strange Boutique were post punk gothic bands. (Danny Ingram)

SORRY

Boston area artcore band with a Black lead vocalist, John Easley, released Imaginary Friend [Taang, 1984] and The Way It Is [Taang, 1986]. I think some members, not the vocalist, became Volcano Suns. Jon Easley, who would later go on to play in Crown Heights with bassist Jason Asnes/Asnis from Nice Strong Arm (Austin, TX). Crown Heights were on American for a nanosecond before getting dropped. Jon died of an overdose in 1998 after a long struggle with heroin addiction. It's also noteworthy that he briefly sang for the awesome guitar noise band Dust Devils. [New Entry 1/28/08, updated by David U 7/11/09]

STD

Knoxville, TN band with a black member. STD released an ep called "Another Dead Asshole" in 1984. (Adam Wilson) [New Entry 11/12/05]

STEVE STEADHAM

Early 80s skate-god (he integrated vert skating years before guys like Peanut Brown came around) Steadham had a band, Shredded Steele and appeared on one of the Skate Rock comps. He ruled the skate scene with his cool dreads and fashion disasters (skin tight Mad Rats shorts, checkered Vans hi-tops, big tube socks, sleeveless vert shirts, etc). A notable hardcore show he played was immortalized in an article where the mid-80s hardcore band Life Sentence explained how they got the skateboard scene to embrace them (from Roctober #9, 1994): "… initiated by Steadham and our guitar player's love of spliff…we had Steadham come up on stage and play drums with us for a 'Blues' jam as our first song. Needless to say the kids loved it." (JA, TA)

STEREO FREEZE of THE T.V. BABIES

Bassist, guitarist and vocalist Freeze was in this multi-racial act (white Jewish guy and girl plus Black man) who released the versatile New Wave "High Contrasty" EP on Rockin' Horse Records in 1980. Any info on the band would be appreciated. (JA) [Added 3/31/03]

STRANGE CIRCUITS

Pre-Wax Trax era electronic New Wave band from Chicago. [New Entry 1/28/08]

RODNEY BAKERR ADDS: My name is Rodney Bakerr the founder and leader of the group Strange Circuits you mention in your Roctober article on Black Punk if you would like to know more about me since Strange Circuits go to: www.rodneybakerr.com You will find out that i became a pioneer in the Chicago House Music Movement.go to the visuals section and you will see many of the classic Chicago house artists with me . I also have been added to the "Uncommon Sound" list as one of the "Left Handed Guitar Players Who Changed Music" go to: www.uncommon-sound.com when you get there scroll to the bottom of the right hand side to: left handed guitarist site then click on left handed guitarist in the menu. scroll to Rodney bakerr it would be nice if you could add my name to the line in your article about Strange Circuits thanks, r.bakerr p.s. Some cool facts about Strange Circuits: original group member Stephen George left the group to form Ministry with Al Jourgensen and Legendary Chicago Artist Ed Paschke did the cover artwork for the pre Wax Trax single Release. The single "Industrial Living " is now part of many Flexi Pop and New Wave Complex compilations now floating around the U.S and Europe. the Flexi Pop compilation that features Strange Circuits is called "New Wave Complex vol.8" go to: www.discogs.com/release/847660 go to: www.hoersturz.com/newwavecomplex.html Just one more thing Strange Circuits was the first New Wave Synth Pop group to feature the Chapman stick and Roland Guitar Synth both played by me. Flexi Pop Broke and Exposed many Great electro new wave acts such as Soft Cell ,Yello magic Orchestra and Visage.you can learn more by Googling: Flexi Pop and or New Wave Complex. Also go to go to: www.waxtrax-not-subpop.com/wax_trax.html These guys have updated the waxtrax records discography to include the tracks that WaxTrax did before they became an imprint. as you can see my Group "Strange Circuits" was the First Group they Released after "Brian Eno" who was not a Group.So! the first Electronic group that set the trend for the label before" Ministry, Front 242, kmfdm,coil etc.etc. was.....Strange Circuits. in my humble opinion HA! HA! Stevo George was an original member of Strange Circuits he left the Group to form Ministry with Al Jourgensen they became an electronic dance duo for the first two recordings. [New Entry 1/28/08]

POLY STYRENE of X-RAY SPEX

This seminal English punk outfit has proven to be one of the great one-album (Germ Free Adolescents, Virgin 1978) bands, and lead singer Poly Styrene (Marion Elliot) wrote the lyrics, provided their main point of view, and brought it all home with screeching genius. Though seemingly lighthearted and absurd, her songs have genuine insight about the woes of corporate consumer culture and alienation. Her talent wasn't the only thing that made her rise above the pack; as a half-Black, not skinny teenager with braces on her teeth, Styrene stood out as a one-of-a-kind figure in the often homogenous punk scene. When the "Rock Against Racism" movement started in England in the late 70's, Poly & co. were right at the forefront. Since that movement was predominantly white bands, Styrene provided a needed racial balance. As she told Trouser Press magazine in 1978, "You've got to remember that with 'Rock Against Racism' and magazines like that who have interviewed me, most of the people who support it are white, and they can't get through to Black people, so they try to get me to do it for them." I'd love to say that the articulate Styrene went on to a substantial career that outlasted her band, but apart from a jazzy, atypical solo set (and a stint as a Hare Krishna), she hasn't been heard from much, though a semi-obscure X-Ray Spex reunion LP from 1995 was far better than you'd expect. (JP)

TALKING HEADS

Featured several Black performers in their touring and recording band, including BUSTA "CHERRY" JONES, NONA HENDRYX and BERNIE WORRELL. Talking Head Jerry Harrison also recorded with Jones and acclaimed African American backup singer Dolette McDonald (Talking Heads, Gang of Four, Laurie Anderson, many others) as the Escalators, and in 1984 made a post modern anti-Reagan record as a duo with Bootsy Collins called Bonzo Goes To Washington

SNUKY TATE

Tate was a San Francisco punk scene dude, but "Snuky Tate" also served as the band name on his amazing "Who Cares" EP [Blackmouth, 1979] which features the brutal, much bootlegged "Stage Speech." The band on the single backing Tate was pretty much the same lineup as The Mutants. Tate later made more dance oriented stuff, and Reggae.

RICHARD BURKE ADDS: Real name;Lionel Tyrone jackson White,from Wilmington,Delaware.He used to knock 2 coffee mugs together softly,while singing"lay my body down,lord",most effectively. (1/2/14)

SKEETER THOMPSON of SCREAM

Thompson was the great bass player for one of the longest lasting D.C. punk bands. A full energy, Rock embracing band, Scream was one of the few acts that still presided over genuinely fun shows even after Emo took the piss and vinegar out of D.C. punk in the mid 80s. Though the band became a little too RAWK in the later stages, when Dave Grohl (future Nirvana) joined the band, Thompson always delivered, and when he wasn't on the wrong end of the drugs he could be the best. One of his more memorable moments was his turning some tables by singing Minor Threat's "Guilty Of Being White" at a show. Even in Scream's late 90s reunion tour (capitalizing on Grohl's newfound superstar status) he was on the top of his game. Sadly, recurring cocaine problems have left him M.I.A too often over the course of what should have been a more active career. He currently lives in Little Rock. (JA)

MARK ENNIS ADDS: In 1995, Skeeter was in 2 bands - his main band was called "Soylent Green" and his other band was called "Orangohead." Soylent Green also had Harley from Scream and they used to practice in the basement of an office building in Falls Church, VA. I also had a band at that time called "Potters Field" that practiced in the same basement area and we got to know Skeeter because we were the only other band that even remotely sounded punk (the other bands practicing were either top 40 or hair metal) plus Skeeter sort of knew our bass player at the time (Emory Olexa from the Slickee Boys). Soylent Green played a couple of shows around the DC area and had a minor following. Potters Field moved out of the basement practice area and I never did run into Skeeter again. Skeeter was a cool guy and we had a good time hanging out with them the brief time we got to know them.

Steve Albini adds: During a studio session in London, Scream was staying at the flat of Peter "Pinko" Fowler, who worked at Southern Studios and was a friend to many. As a lark, Skeeter one night began rudely propositioning neighborhood girls from the window, telling the ladies to come 'round and ask for "Pinko" for fucking. A day or so after Scream left, a committee of neighborhood men did come 'round and ask for "Pinko," telling a bewildered Mr. Fowler that he had better stop asking their sisters and daughters to fuck him if he wanted to keep the use of his legs. This episode is played-out as a homage of stage banter in the Big Black live video "Pig Pile," which was being filmed by Pinko Fowler. [Updated 3/31/03]

TODOS TUS MUERTOS

Though better known for their later reggae-inspired incarnation, this radical Argentinean band formed in the early 80s as a punk band, with Angolan descendant Fidel Nadal on vocals. They did some nice political punk and hardcore, naming themselves in allusion to the many thousands of people killed by the military dictatorship of the 70s. They slowly turned onto reggae-ska across the years. In 2000 Nadal finally went solo into complete Rastafarianism, changing his name to Fidel Shaleka. (Federico Martini) [New Entry, 11/28/06]

THE TONG

This New Wave trio was lead by fusion drummer Mingo Lewis, who also had a wild solo album and worked with Al Di Meola, Santana, and The Tubes. Released an LP, "Dangerous Games," in 1981. The trio was somewhat Police-influenced. Mingo would often use poly-rhythms by playing drums over a drum machine. He did the lead vocals. The songs were interesting tricked out tunes with the guitarist {white} skanking, and the bass players{black} funk-popping. Since Mingo is bi-racial the band's look was futuristic. He'd set up with the cymbals high and polished so they'd look like flying saucers. The kit was always big and looked new (he had a lot of kits). "I don't Like Telephones" and "Time Will Tell" were my favorite songs. (Regi Harvey) [Updated Entry 11/12/05]

CHUCK TREECE of McRAD

An important pro skater already when he started McRad, Treece quickly became a legend of Philly skatepunk. Formed in 1983 the band can be heard on their own album, Absence of Sanity, and as background music on a number of crucial skate videos (including Ban This and Public Domain). McRad is still active, but in the interim between the 80s and the 21st century Treece found his musical talents sought out for session and pick up gigs, working with everyone from Billy Joel (he played bass on the River of Life remix) to BAD BRAINS (Treece joined the touring Bad Brains on bass in '89 after an unsuccessful tryout as lead vocalist). Recently Absence of Sanity has been re-released, McRad has played gigs, Treece has done solo recording, a McRad board has been manufactured and Treece has played drums in Suburban Hoodz. For more info go to http://www.subhoodz.com/mcrad/. (JA)

VELVERT TURNER

Hendrix protege and sometimes Arthur Lee guitarist moved to New York in the late 70s, and was known to hang out on the punk scene. He never found a way to reinvent himself for that crowd, though he'd been friends with Richard Lloyd from Television and Rocket From The Tombs in his teens and Chris Robison, a member of the early 70s Velvert Turner Band (who were all white other than Turner) became a New York Doll. Turner died in 2000. (JB) [12/7/13]

UGLY AMERICANS

Had a really great song on a comp called Buffalo Bill in the early '80s but their 12" (circa '86-'87) wasn't as good. They were from the same scene that spawned COC in the Carolinas I think and one of the members was in COC for a while. They had a Black drummer, Jon Mclain. After playing in No Rock Stars in Charlotte, he moved to Raleigh and played with Stillborn Christians then Ugly Americans, became a cross country truck driver, and played drums for Picasso Trigger ('90s).On a trip to California, Jon appeared on "The Price Is Right" and won a refrigerator and a new car. Word has it, he is now a teacher/professor - whereabouts unknown. [Replaces original entry, added 5/17/04]

URBAN TURBULENCE

Urban Turbulence was an Oshkosh band of short tenure circa '83/'84, featuring a head dude known only as Ford Fairlane (this was long before the Andrew Dice Clay movie, yet after the advent of the automobile). The band was, essentially, an unintentional joke. We had them play on one of the all ages hardcore shows of the day, above a decrepit bowling alley, with the usual seven or ten other bands, crappy PA, no ventilation, etc., etc., symptomatic of the time, and these jokers show up (recalling, of course, this is in the ultra-proletarian period of HC's otherwise profane[d] existence) with eyeliner, and cartridge belts, and lame Melrose Ave. knockoff type shirts with zippers, and fancy rented gear (for the usual, what, fifty kids who may have paid two bucks each over the course of the evening, of which maybe half were inside)...and, needless to say, in those days, with six or eight bands being the norm, set changes were kept to an absolute minimum, with no soundchecks, bands generally sharing as much gear as possible, etc...but, of course, Ford wants a soundcheck, these guys are adjusting their rented rockstar gear this way and that, they're like the first band, there's maybe two dozen kids there, they're taking forever, we're trying to get them to start, blah blah blah...so, Jim ("Jim Mature") Runge, lead vocalist of No Response, decides to press the issue a bit by turning to the assembled youngsters and announcing "COME ON, KIDS, LET'S WATCH THESE GUYS! THEY'RE REALLY GREAT!", followed by his sitting Indian-style about three feet in front of Ford. The kids follow suit. Soon everyone is sitting Indian style on the floor, like a kindergarten class, looking up at these dorks in eyeliner in mock reverance. Getting the message, Ford gets the troops to finally launch into their first number, "No Room For You" by DEMOB. Somewhere during the sort of proto-martial buildup to the song proper, the bass player apparently commits some manner of playing error. Ford stops, in mid-strum, and screams "MAN, LEARN YO' PARTS!" at the bass player, already frazzled from the crowd's mocking vibe. Bass player chucks his bass to the ground, and storms off the stage. Crowd hoots in delight. Band begins song anew, as a bassless four-piece. I decide now would be a good time to rub a little salt in the wound, so i get up and start playing "Duck Duck Goose" with the crowd. Needless to say, this further anguishes the talent. Somewhere in the whole melee, the rhythm guitarist commits another error, in the same introduction to the same song. Ford stops the band again to bitch out rhythm guitarist. Same result. Guitar player unplugs his guitar, and storms out of the hall. Needless to say, at this point in time, we were all literally rolling around the floor in laughter, but the band managed to somehow gamely limp thru the rest of the set (consisting primarily of covers from the "Punk And Disorderly" compilation on Posh Boy -- i guess it was the one record they owned) as a three-piece, and broke up shortly thereafter. To this day, however, Ford remains the only Hamite to ever have been in a band in the Northeastern Wisconsin punk scene, that I can think of. Oh well. (Rev. Norb)

URBAN WASTE

New York early 80s hardcore band (who later became Major Conflict) had a black drummer & bassist. [New Entry 11/12/05]

GEORGE WALKER of THE CHEIFS

One of the early LA punk bands, the Cheifs are cited as inspirations by everyone who was from or around the L.A. scene. Even though they pre-dated hardcore (and despite their aggressiveness, were too melodic hooks to be considered h/c) they were a favorite of bands like Black Flag and Bad Religion. Walker was the Cheifs' guitarist, and a Black guy with a blue mohawk, an odd sight anywhere, was especially outstanding in the L.A. clubs. Their 45 ep Blues (Playgems, 1980) sells for $40 to $100 these days, thanks to namechecks over the years from everyone from Darby Crash (who worked with the band on recordings) and Henry Rollins (who tried to reissue stuff on his Infinite Zero label). They have been included on Killed By Death comps and a CD of their collective works was released. (JA)[Updated 4/15/13, Danny Gromfin informed us that "Cheifs" was intentionally misspeleed]

WHITE FLAG

Beginning with their "S Is for Space" LP [Gasatanka, 1982] White Flag began their assault on the L.A. metropolitan area punk scene, with absurd, Stadium Metal inspired, prank-punk guaranteed to peeve hardcore purists. Their Black member, bassist Jello B. Afro, and the rest of the band celebrated their 20th anniversary with a 15th Anniversary commemoration.

WICKED WITCH

This leather-clad Black rocker put out the early-80s DC punk single "Fancy Dancer" b/w "Y Wood U Call It Rock." Though the music is ostensibly funky, the weirdly wailing rock guitar (which may be Y U Wood call it that) makes the lo-fi songs bizarre in a way that is certainly punk/New Wave adjacent, with some nods to Bizarro World Prince.

CHRIS "CW" WILSON of FANG

CW played bass (or "base" as the band spelled it on Not So Quiet On The Western Front) for the Bay Area hardcore band. One time when staying at Big Blue, the punkhouse where Articles of Faith lived in Chicago, Wilson got a taste of Chicago hospitality when he went out to nearby 1000 Liquors to get to booze for the band. The Men in Blue stopped him and took him for a ride. When the cops asked what he was doing in the neighborhood he explained he was with a touring band from San Francisco. "So you're a nigger and a fag." They dropped him off in the ghetto and Articles of Faith had to come pick him up. (JA)

TERRELL WINN of THE JIM CARROLL BAND

In '78 when writer Jim Carroll was inspired by Patti Smith to put his poetry to punk music he corralled the Bay Area band Amsterdam to become the Jim Carroll Band. Winn played with Carroll on the great Catholic Boy LP (Atco, 1980), which features the band's signature track, "People Who Died." When the band moved to NYC Winn stayed behind, and doesn't appear on subsequent albums. However, 1993's World Without Gravity: The Best of the Jim Carroll Band features previously unreleased tracks with Winn. Winn has been teaching high school English in New Hampshire, but took his guitar out of the closet in 2001 to join Carrol at two readings in Massachusetts, playing the Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane" and the Jim Carrol Band's "I Want the Angel." (JA)

TRACY WORMWORTH of THE WAITRESSES

The New York via Akron band The Waitresses was one of the odder New Wave acts, most notably because most of the lyrics are about being a jaded woman, even though they were all written by male guitarist Chris Butler. The bass playing of Wormsworth provided the foundation that made "I Know What Boys Like" a minor international hit, made "Christmas Wrapping" a holiday perennial, and made their debut LP Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful (Ze, 1982) a genuinely grooving record. After the band broke up Butler became an idiosyncratic musical prankster but Tracy actually became an active, mainstream, in demand gigger. She's toured with the B52s, Sting and Wayne Shorter. However she became best known (by a very specific demographic) as the cornerstone of Rosie O'Donnell's band on the Rosie O'Donell talk show, appearing daily in front of millions of housewives from 1996-2002. (JA)

YDI

Philly punk band had two Black members. Their lead singer Jackal (who was briefly in the band Legion of Decency) wrote lyrics about race ("Prejudiced eyes look upon me/judge me by sight/Take away my rights"). Drummer Howard (who was also in Sadistic Exploits) was also Black. Their "Place in the Sun" EP [Blood Bubble, 1983] was pretty brutal, and their tracks pop up on Killed By Death comps. Band name pronounced "Why Die." [Expanded entry 1/5/06]

AngieFrom Tower adds: Sadistic Exploits' next drummer-or maybe the next after that (and I think the last, but don't quote me...) was Mike Mosley, who was/is also a man of color...and one helluva drummer. I think he's still kicking around in the Philly music scene. (added 2/20/09)

TONI YOUNG

Young's great bass playing was a fixture in the early D.C. hardcore scene. In 1981 and 1982 she was in Peer Pressure (see DAVID BYERS) and Red C., the latter group having four tracks on the legendary comp Flex Your Head (Dischord, 1982), despite breaking up before its release. Her next project was the more interesting Dove, but after leaving that band in 1984 she dropped out of the scene completely. Sadly, two years later she died of pneumonia. She came from a modest background and had no health insurance, so poor medical treatment hastened her death. As one of the only women in the early D.C. hardcore scene (a scene in theory political and radical but in practice extremely macho) her legacy of holding her own amongst the muscleheads is still recognized today. (JA)

0DFX (Zero-Defex)

A hardcore band from Cleveland called that had a Black bassist at one point and released a few songs on compilations, including a song on the "PEACE" comp. in '84.

Blacks in Punk, New Wave and Hardcore 1976-1984 (Part 4)

ALSO NOTABLE:

ELECTRO FUNK

The missing link between electronic New Wave and Hip Hop, Electro showcased technology that invoked the future, yet in many ways was the punkest, rawest phase of recorded Rap music. While many Black radio acts in the late 70s and early 80s used electronic keyboards (it wasn't unusual to see a live band with 5 guys playing stacks of three or four keyboards each) this was usually embracing the instruments as enchanted pianos that produced slick sounds cheaply. The idea of playing up the robotic, tinny limitations of the instrument was left to the white New Wavers. Then Electro emerged, combining Euro robotic music with urban sensibilities and the magic was evident as Afrika Bambaataa's "Planet Rock" vibed on the Kraftwerk's aesthetic, Marley Marl explored drum machine synthetic beats and artists like Chuck Chill Out, Z-FORCE, Egyptian Lover and the great Mantronix made robo-magic. In the pre-crossover era of early 80s Hip Hop, these records were released by tiny, one man operation indie labels in small quantities and sold as singles to regional audiences, so even in distribution this genre paralleled hardcore punk. (JA)

ICE T

Perhaps the best selling song ever done in an 80s hardcore style was "Cop Killer" by rapper Ice T's 90s novelty act, Bodycount, an all Black thrash band. The guitarist for the band, Mooseman, later collaborated with Iggy Pop. He was killed in a drive-by shooting in 2001. (JA)

GARLAND JEFFREYS

It may be debatable to some whether Jeffreys, a singer-songwriter whose first solo album was released in 1973, belongs in a Black punk roundup at all, but if his song "Wild In The Streets" isn't a punk call to arms, what is? During the halcyon days of the New York '70s scene, he was hanging with the likes of Patti Smith and Lou Reed, and any of his albums should be of interest to anyone drawn to punk's intellectual side. Like the BUS BOYS, his strongest shot at commercial fame (in the States) was in the early eighties. Escape Artist, his 1981 album on Epic, produced a near-hit with a remake of "96 Tears" (hard-rock guitar + new-wave keyboards = a dated production, but Garland came through like a champ anyway). After a couple more albums, he truly became an "escape artist," keeping a low profile until Don't Call Me Buckwheat, a 1991 comeback on RCA, before disappearing again. (JP)

GRACE JONES

Though her music was always Disco rather than New Wave, no one played the downtown scene or looked the part better than Jones who took the fashion cues from punk and New Wave to a seductive, intimidating extreme. She also covered bands like Joy Division and the Normal, re-configuring their songs to better fit German gay disco dance floors. (JA)

HERB KENT'S "PUNK OUT" SHOW

In the early 80s Kent, a staple of Chicago Black radio since the 50s, had one of his most popular shows ever. Noticing that Black teenagers were going nuts for Devo's "Whip It" he started playing white New Wave artists on his Black audience show on WXFM. Depeche Mode, B-52's, The Tubes, THE BUS BOYS and others of the same ilk were played, and the show became a huge hit. When Kent did an appearance in Hanover Park, a massive crowd of hundreds of kids, Black and white and Latino, showed up. The show was such a force that WGCI hired Kent away from XFM just to kill the competition. (JA)

PUPPA LESLIE

Though in the early 80s he was more into dub and ragamuffin, Leslie did a record with the French Post Punk band Ausweis later in the decade. (raf)

PHIL LYNOTT

The main man in Thin Lizzy was a mainstream rocker but he was super supportive of punk (he declared himself a "punk rock expert" in Triad, and in a Circus interview he credited house guest Sid Vicious' love of the Ramones first album as something that inspired him when his interest in Rock was waning). He also recorded with the Sex Pistols' Paul Cook and Steve Jones, backing up Johnny Thunders on his first solo album, So Alone (Real, 1978) and recording a Christmas 45, "Merry Jingle," as a Lizzy/Pistols hybrid side project. Thin Lizzy also did a mean cover of "Pretty Vacant." (JA)

BOB MARLEY'S "PUNKY REGGAE PARTY"

(On Babylon By Bus, Island 1978) - After Marley got wind of the punk thing going on he wrote this fantasy song where punks and Rastas jam together in unity. Tell that to Bad Brains fans. (JA)

NY PUNK, NY NO WAVE AND THE "N" WORD

Something about NY's punk scene seemed to give some folks the impression that being punk was reason enough to say "nigger" without reproach. Richard Hell (who had a Black guitarist, IVAN JULIAN) explained, "punks are niggers. If I go on the street, I can't get a cab, I can't get nothin' but abuse in restaurants, in New York City or anywhere else in the country. The treatment that you would classify as being prejudicial to minority races is precisely the same accorded to people who go around dressed like me. It's a very rare day that I don't get some kinda shit walking down my own block where I've lived for two years." Most famously Patti Smith Group recorded "Rock n' Roll Nigger." ("Jimi Hendrix was a nigger / Jesus Christ and grandma too / Jackson Pollack was a nigger"). The jazz punk of the No Wave movement featured some Black musicians (especially if you include the amazing ESG in that group) but the movement also involved a lot of subtle and not so subtle racism, with the minstrelsy of some of the performers mimicking Blackness, and comments like James Chance of the Contortions made in an interview, where he dismissed the mythic aura of Black music as "just a bunch of nigger bullshit." (JA)

ROADIE MARLON of YOUTH BRIGADE

Roadie Marlon was one of the "Boys In The Brigade" roadcrew (along with Brian and Dogbite) and when the Stern brothers needed a rap on "Men In Blue" they turned to him (though he is credited on the record not for a rap, but for providing "soul on Men In Blue"). (JA)

DENNIS RODMAN

Though this was over a decade after the era we're talking about it's notable that a Black man yielded the power to put the final nail in the underground punk coffin by ultimately removing the visual signifiers between punk rock outsider freaks and jocks. (JA)

SOUL MUSIC & THE FORGOTTEN NEW WAVE ERA

When you think of old-school Soul music in the early eighties, unless you were there, "New Wave," or new ideas in general, don't come to mind. Hip Hop from the Sugarhill label was happening, but it was basically an East Coast phenomenon. Preppy male singers like Luther Vandross were starting to emerge. Funk was limping along on its last legs, with Skyy, the Dazz Band, Con Funk Shun, the SOS Band, and the Gap Band. Thriller? Lionel Ritchie? Teddy Pendergrass prior to his auto accident in 1982? They're remembered today.

However, the "New Wave" period remains safely tucked in time...

The year was 1980. Although the "Disco sucks" movement didn't really affect Black kids, it was clear that R&B; needed to go in new directions. The Disco thing was exhausted, and although African-Americans were wearing western gear (re: that summer's "urban cowboy" craze), it wasn't about to influence the music. However, New Wave was starting to make noise over in the rock sector, so by default, for a few years in the early part of the decade (1980-84), New Wave was a central part of Black music.

It should be noted that New Wave's influence on Soul was very fleeting and in many cases fake. This was probably one of the few times R&B; tried to bite from white music and wound up late to the beach. When bands like Funkadelic and the Isley Brothers copped from Psychedelia and hard rock, it was very agitated and over the top and not as fluffy as, say, the Grateful Dead. Only the frenzy of white Detroit bands like the MC5 and the Stooges could compare. Even a glorified lounge act like the Temptations could freak out with conviction (although if it was mostly their producer's idea). New Wave was different, as were the context and times. White kids viewed punk as a weapon of social change. Black musicians saw a bandwagon to be jumped on; you'd dance to it at parties, but it wouldn't alter the social landscape or anything. Yes, Janet Jackson did her best Debbie Harry impersonation on "Come Give Your Love To Me," and Jermaine Jackson somehow enlisted Devo to help him out with "Let Me Tickle Your Fancy." And don't forget, one of the biggest songs from brother Michael Jackson's Thriller album was a New Wave/crossover cash-in, "Beat It." But did that mean the whole Jackson clan had their ear to the ground as far as new trends? More likely, they saw the trend and didn't wish to be left behind. Psyche fans still revere those early Funkadelic albums on Westbound, and Sly Stone is in the same category. But if there's a cult of New Wave fans too young to remember the eighties, they'd probably bust a gut laughing at Shalamar's "Dead Giveaway."

For a time, the cultural crossover actually worked. Nationally, Right On (a Black teen magazine) did a special "New Wave" issue (with Prince on the cover, ca. 1981). Here in Chicago, when kids weren't going to "punk" dances at the local armory hall, they listened to deejay and soul institution HERB KENT on WXFM, who devoted a segment of his nightly show to the phenomenon he called "Punk Out," spinning Devo, Pat Benatar (remember when she was considered "New Wave") the Vapors and others. Before long, most Soul artists had the token "punk-funk" song in their repertoire. Ozone recorded "Li'l Suzy," which unashamedly looked towards Rick James' "Super Freak" for inspiration. Bill Summers and Summer's Heat released "Seventeen." Both of these records had the punk-funk recipe down to a science, uptempo rock beat, gratuitous rock guitar, disembodied David Byrne vocals, plus plenty of bass to keep their core Black audience in the mix. You just knew that this was a one-time experiment for both bands and that they'd probably go back to what they did before; punk didn't change or save their lives. Hell, Summers is best known in jazz-fusion circles, but "Seventeen" wasn't exactly the Lounge Lizards. Crass and commercial, but taken on their own trashy terms, these tunes shine like Klondike gold.

Rick James, in his own way, was a punk-funk innovator as well, but that was more image than actual music. He was one of the first Black performers to refer to "punk" as something other than a homosexual (the old-time prison definition); he'd always rail on in interviews that he'd love to be an out-and-out rock star, but felt the world was too racist to support an African-American in that position; and "Super Freak," with that offhand reference to "girls in New Wave magazines," (whatever that means) was his peace offering to the Mohawk set. However, most of his music, good as it was, sounded like typical funk of the time. Prince took more chances and understood the new music better which is why, when the smoke cleared, the white rock crowd was forced to take him seriously. In 1980 Prince was viewed as a mild diversion in Black music, an androgynous fop in a world of Jheri-curled funk bands in cowboy hats. Then he followed up two smooth, Black radio only LPs with the raw Dirty Mind (Warner Brothers, 1980) that featured him and his band looking like something out of The Warriors. By 1990, he was recognized in white and Black circles as one of the most influential artists of the previous decade.

There were the usual slew of imitators, but Rockwell (Kennedy Gordy, son of Motown owner Berry) was one of the most obvious. Best remembered for "Somebody's Watching Me" (and the soundalike followup "Obscene Telephone Caller"), he recorded three albums for Motown that trailed Prince like the Standells chased the Rolling Stones. While the experiments didn't always work, the fact that he did it at all was half the fun.

Kagney and the Dirty Rats, whose Motown album hit the streets a good year before Rockwell's, didn't fare as well. Led by Rockwell's half-brother Cliff Liles, this was very much a plastic Hollywood affair from the start. It's a product of its' time---the squiggly keyboard riffs scream "early '80s," and while there are elements of straight Soul and REO-ish arena rock, they were obviously targeting the "new music" market. They had various members of the Motown family pitch in here & there---a Junior Walker sax solo here (on the ballad "Emotions"), a cameo from the Temptations' Dennis Edwards there (he's the father telling the son to turn the radio down on "FM"). Even Rick James showed up to lend his talents to "Sundown On Sunset," but the limited promotional efforts were more or less wasted. MTV had their video in light rotation when company politics sunk the project (the fact that Motown boss Berry Gordy didn't want to show favoritism towards a relative - however distant - had something to do with it).

There's no surefire explanation as to why this era ended, any more than why it began. The period came and went, with only the mega-talents surviving the wreckage. But maybe it's time to consider if that wreckage is ripe for scavenging. Just like Soul's occasional flirtations with Latin music, the punk-funk era produced equal amounts trash & treasure (sometimes within the same song). (JP)

TROUBLE FUNK

Go-Go, the DC/Maryland regional brand of Hip Hop era big band brass Funk, reached its peaks of popularity during D.C. hardcore's best days, and several attempts were made to bridge the audiences. Despite large crowds attending these punk/Go-Go fests, the audience would be mostly made up of the 1,000 or so Minor Threat fans that came to see Ian, and bands like Trouble Funk neither expanded their audience nor brought their fans into the punk camp. Trouble Funk was the most likely candidate for this wishful thinking crossover, as punk musicians embraced them (Big Boys even covered one of their songs) but it never really happened. Minor Threat's last show was with Trouble Funk. (JA)

2-TONE

Ska music emerged from Jamaica in the 1960s as a West Indian take on the R&B; music their brothers and sisters of the African Diaspora were making in Detroit. By the 1970s, Reggae took the music in more overt righteous/political directions, but the spirit of the original Ska was alive and well in England where many West Indian émigrés and white Brit musicians were teaming up, finding themselves sharing venues, press coverage and ideas with punk and New Wave bands. In 1979 Jerry Dammers formed 2-Tone Records which became home to many of the bands that formed the heart of the punk influenced 2nd Wave of Ska. The Specials, Bad Manners and The English Beat were the most prominent, and like most 2-Tone bands they had both Black and white members (thus the name, 2-Tone). American bands followed suit and the 80s and 90s featured a succession of 2nd and 3rd Wave Ska bands like FISHBONE, the Toasters, Untouchables and the Slackers, providing the punk clubs with more Black faces than usual, and making high school band geek horn players a valuable commodity. (JA)

JAMES "BLOOD" ULMER

The avant-garde Harmolodic jazz guitarist was not "New Wave" per se, but albums like Black Rock and Free Lancing were real big with the New Wave audience. (JP)

VILLAGE PEOPLE

Perhaps the most absurd indicator of New Wave's commercial crossover, it's racial politics and **SOUL MUSIC & THE FORGOTTEN NEW WAVE ERA** was Village People's Renaissance LP (RCA, 1981). After selling millions as a Disco supergroup, the act featuring six men dressed as different cartoonish Gay icons tried to lengthen their career by embracing the wholesome mainstream. Starting with 1980's Can't Stop The Music movie and soundtrack, the Village People addressed their bubblegum audience (little kids seem to like the same icons as homosexuals) by replacing the soulful leads of Victor Willis (whose drug addiction also hastened his departure) with the less sexually charged vocals of replacement cop Ray Simpson, Valerie Simpson's brother. Also, their subject matter became more Weird Al than Sylvester, as food and fun replaced gay life as subject matter. When this didn't work they threw a curveball, by addressing the New Romantic style of Adam Ant by completely changing the band's image into that of New Wave Victorian super fops. Foregoing the classic individual characters, they donned eclectic get ups that combined bullfighter outfits, puffy sleeves, harlequin couture and the classic no shirt/cummerbund combo to achieve some twisted, unintentional Cirque Du Soleil parody. This is topped off with starched, swoopy New Wave hair and makeup that falls somewhere between Louis The IV, Boy George, the somnambulist in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, and unfortunate birthmarks. Speaking of which, the over the top take on New Romanticism includes the lead singers each having multiple beauty marks. I say lead singers because as the album cover makes clear, to be a New Wave act there will be two frontman, both beautiful and both very white. Simpson and fellow brother Alex Briley (the army man) are in the background and David Hodo (the construction worker) and prettyboy Jeff Olson are very prominently in the foreground. Olson was brought in just for this project, his cheekbones and square jaw seemingly the final element of the Disco to New Wave transformation scheme. Alas, though the album is hilarious (the spare electronic take on New Wave in "Food Fight," and the other food songs on the album, "Diet" and "Big Mac" are tasty treats) and though this incarnation did make an American Bandstand appearance, the Renaissance era was shortlived. They attempted to go back to the old shtick, with Olson becoming the cowboy (Randy Jones, the original cowboy left before Renaissance) but they only were able to get solid bookings years later when 70s nostalgia kicked in. (JA)

WHY

An all Black hardcore group from the Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood from around 1982. (brian gta) [Added 3/31/03]

BERNIE WORRELL

A musical prodigy from pre-school age, "Woo" surprisingly parlayed a Classical education in music studies into a gig as Architect Of The Funk, when his brilliant keyboards made him a crucial founding member of Parliament-Funkadelic. After making dozens of records with Black acts (mostly with the Rock cognizant P-Funk family, but also with traditional R&B; artists like Johnny Taylor, Albert King and the Dramatics) he worked with David Byrne and Jerry Harrison on separate projects in 1981, leading to his recruitment by the TALKING HEADS, along with BUSTA "CHERRY" JONES and NONA HENDRYX, for their expanded funky lineup in 1982. Since then he's worked on solo projects with both Jones and Hendryx, but also tons of rock/alternative/crossover stuff, including Fred Schneider, PIL, The Pretenders, Time Zone, Tom Tom Club, Matthew Sweet, Dee Lite, Material, Cibo Matto and recently Black Jack Johnson, a rap-rock band with Mos Def, members of Living Colour and BAD BRAINS' Dr. Know. (JA)

Z-FACTOR

Around 1982 this resident of Chicago's Cabrini Green housing projects made waves in the New Wave scene by making music that the English press didn't yet have the vocabulary to identify as Electro, Hip Hop or House. Z-Factor achieved the rare double play of coverage in Trouser Press and airplay on Black radio. "I Like To Do It In Fast Cars" (Mitchball, 1983) was popular, but his claim to history is that some designate his single "Fantasy" (Mitchball, 1985) as the first House record (though they credit producer Jessie Saunders with the innovation, not the artist). (JA)

ZOETROPE

Calvin "Willis" Humphrey was the bass player for this awesome 80s "Hardcore Street Metal" band. Their take on Thrash was more influenced by hardcore punk than many of their contemporaries, and while they thank only Metal bands like Slayer, Raven and Lita Ford on the outer sleeve of their debut LP (Amnesty, Combat Records 1985), the "special thanks" on the dust sleeve reveal their true influences; 7 Seconds, AOF, ROTA, Life Sentence, Out Of Order, Die Kruezen and "all open minded Chicago hardcores." Calvin's post Zoetrope band was Sharon Tate's Baby. (JA)

Steve Albini adds: Calvin "Willis" Humphrey: In 1982, I took a job as a salesman at Dean guitars. Calvin used to hang around the shop and play metal licks on all the guitars, especially delighting in playing the fancy showpiece models (Dean made guitars for the Cars and ZZ Topp, including both the fuzzy and spinning models). He had his own Dean guitar, outfitted with fancy Schaller "Imperial" tuning pegs. One day we got into a conversation about music, and he asked if I liked any metal. I said I didn't mind Motorhead, and he said "Oh yeah, they're my boys!" I only saw Zoetrope play a couple of times, and I never introduced myself, so it's doubtful he even remembers me. [Updated 3/31/03]

Note: For takes on the Black presence in contemporary punk seek out the zines Scorpion (POB 7804 Washington, DC 20044) and Bitchcore.

Other online sources for Black punk history (including info on the contemporary black punk documentary Afropunk): afropunk.com and afropunkarchive.wordpress.com