Luscious Jackson is an alternative rock/rap-rock group formed in 1991. The band's name is a reference to former American basketball player Lucious Jackson.

The original band consisted of Jill Cunniff (lead vocals, bass), Gabby Glaser (vocals, guitar), and Vivian Trimble (keyboards, vocals). Drummer Kate Schellenbach joined the band midway through the recording of their 1992 debut EP In Search of Manny. and in 2000 the group announced their breakup, after releasing one album as a trio. February 2007 saw the release of the group's Greatest Hits.

In 2011, the three remaining members announced that they had reunited and were planning to make new music. The band released two new albums, including a children's album, in November 2013.

History

1991–1993

In 1991, Jill Cunniff and Gabby Glaser (the niece of graphic designer Milton Glaser) created the first Luscious Jackson demo with tip money from their restaurant jobs. The band's name was derived from a malapropism of the name of former American basketball player Lucious Jackson, after the band members heard an announcer on ESPN's SportsCenter mispronounce Jackson's first name as "Luscious" and thought it would make for a great band name.

Three tracks from the original Luscious Jackson demo, along with four new songs, were released in 1992 as the In Search of Manny EP. The album spawned three minor hits with "Citysong", "Deep Shag" and "Here", the latter featured in the film Clueless (1995). In addition, all three singles had music videos which received airplay on MTV.

The years 1994 and 1995 brought continued success for the band. They took part in the Lollapalooza tour and were the musical guest on numerous television shows, including Saturday Night Live, Viva Variety and MTV's 120 Minutes. They were also featured in a fashion segment on MTV's House of Style and on the Nickelodeon series The Adventures of Pete and Pete in the episode titled "Dance Fever", where the band performed "Angel", "Satellite", "Pele Merengue" and "Here" at Little Pete's first junior high dance.

While on tour in 1995, Trimble and Cunniff recorded a collection of mellow, acoustic-driven songs under the name Kostars, titled Klassics with a "K". The single "Ladyfingers" was a moderate success, with the video put into heavy rotation on VH1. "Ladyfingers" was also featured in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series episode "Beer Bad", as well as the "Witch Trial" episode of Charmed. A second single, "Nervous Breakthrough", was issued without a music video or commercial single release. Plans for releasing "Devotion" as the third single from Electric Honey were scrapped as interest in the album waned, although a radio/single remix was prepared.

The band embarked upon a tour that year with Cibo Matto, and both bands had performed at that year's Lilith Fair. Trimble was replaced by Singh Birdsong on keyboards, and the touring group was joined by DJ Alex Young and bassist/percussionist Tia Sprocket. In August, the tour included a date at the Opera House in Toronto.

In 2000, Luscious Jackson announced they would no longer be recording or touring, as they wanted to spend more time with their families.

On July 8, Luscious Jackson's official Twitter and Facebook accounts became active and confirmed that the band had reunited. Cunniff, Glaser and Schellenbach all returned to the band, while Trimble did not. Working with Pledgemusic as part of a fundraising drive, the band hoped to finish their album for children that had first been planned in 2006. They also revealed plans to make a new studio album, their first since 1999. A previously unreleased track from 1999 called "Girlscout" was also made available by the band as a free download.

On February 8, 2012, Rolling Stone magazine posted an article on how the band had reunited quietly in 2011 after more than a decade apart to begin work on their first album of new material since Electric Honey. The band opted to skip signing to a traditional label in favor of funding their new project through Pledgemusic. A track titled "Are You Ready?" was made available via internet stream. In September 2013, the lead single from their forthcoming album Magic Hour, "So Rock On", was premiered on NPR's All Songs Considered program.

The trio released Magic Hour on November 5, 2013, followed by their children's album, Baby DJ, on November 12. The band performed two shows in support of Magic Hour in Philadelphia on November 23 and New York on December 7, followed by an appearance on Late Show with David Letterman on November 18. Sporadic performances followed in 2014 and 2016.

On April 6, 2023, it was reported that former keyboard player Vivian Trimble had died two days prior, on April 4, at the age of 59, due to cancer.

Discography

  • In Search of Manny (1992)
  • Natural Ingredients (1994)
  • Fever In Fever Out (1996)
  • Electric Honey (1999)
  • Magic Hour (2013)
  • Baby DJ (2013)

Side and solo projects

Band members have been involved in the following side and solo projects:

  • Kims We Love 7” by Ladies Who Lunch (1995)
  • Klassics with a "K" by Kostars (1996)
  • Everybody’s Happy Nowadays 7” by Ladies Who Lunch (1997)
  • Dusty Trails by Dusty Trails (2000)
  • Punk Debutante by Cooler Kids (2003)
  • City Beach by Jill Cunniff (2007)
  • Gimme Splash by Gabby Glaser (2007)

See also

  • List of all-female bands

References

  • The Luscious Jackson Source