The Gun Club were an American rock band from Los Angeles that existed from 1979 to 1996, formed and led by singer-songwriter and guitarist Jeffrey Lee Pierce. They were notable as one of the first bands in the punk rock subculture to incorporate influences from blues, rockabilly, and country music. The Gun Club has been called a "tribal psychobilly blues" band, as well as initiators of punk blues and cowpunk – "He (Pierce) took Robert Johnson and pre-war acoustic blues and 'punkified' it. Up until then bands were drawing on Iggy & the Stooges and the New York Dolls but he took it back so much further for inspiration."

History

Early days (1979–1980)

The Gun Club were formed by Jeffrey Lee Pierce (guitar and vocals) with friend, chief of the Ramones fan club and fellow music enthusiast Brian Tristan, also known as Kid Congo Powers. Pierce was the former head of the Blondie fan club in Los Angeles and previously a member of the Red Lights, the E-Types, the Individuals, Phast Phreddie & Thee Precisions, and the Cyclones.

The Gun Club's precursor band, the Creeping Ritual, formed in late 1979. Along with Pierce (lead vocals and guitar), the first lineup consisted of Brian Tristan (lead guitar); Don Snowden (bass), who was at the time a music critic for the Los Angeles Times; and Brad Dunning (drums), now a prominent designer and writer. Kid Congo commented that the early Gun Club incarnation were "too arty for rock people, far too rock for arty people, too cuckoo for the blues crowd and too American for punk". Snowden and Dunning departed in June 1980, replaced by two ex-members of the Bags, Rob Ritter and Terry Graham, respectively. Fire of Love sold well and received strong reviews upon release. Billy Persons of the Weirdos temporarily replaced Ritter for several shows in late 1981.

In April 1982, the Gun Club signed to Blondie guitarist Chris Stein's Animal Records, a subsidiary of Chrysalis Records. Released April 13, 1983, by Animal, it was the only recording of the short-lived lineup featuring Duckworth and Pop. During this time Pierce refrained from playing guitar, focusing solely on singing. After eight months Graham returned, replacing Pop, and on the eve of the October 1983 Australian tour, both Duckworth and Graham quit, refusing to board the plane. Arriving minus half the band, Pierce recruited drummer Billy Pommer Jr. and guitarist Spencer P. Jones from support act the Johnnys to fill in on the tour, while former member Powers also flew over to play guitar. When they returned to the US in November, Graham resumed his place on drums.

Pierce returned to guitar playing during this lineup, and both he and Powers are credited with guitar on their third album, The Las Vegas Story (the Blasters' Dave Alvin also played lead guitar on a handful of tracks). Released on June 25, 1984, this album marked a significant change for the band; it represented a shift away from the punk rock of Fire of Love and Miami and a step towards a more polished alternative rock sound. After US gigs supporting Siouxsie and the Banshees, in September the band embarked on a European tour in support of the album, but after five weeks Graham again departed after a gig in Paris. The band carried on and he was replaced with former roadie Peter Kablean, known as Desi Desperate, despite having no rehearsal. The Gun Club broke up in January 1985, Pierce remaining in London with then-girlfriend Romi Mori, who he had met during the final December 10–11 shows at Dingwalls, London. Powers, who had also been recruited into Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds at this time, resumed his place at guitar, with Mori switching to bass and Sanderson retaining his spot on drums. This lineup of the Gun Club recorded a handful of albums, including Mother Juno, released October 19, 1987, on Red Rhino Records. This album, produced by Robin Guthrie of the Cocteau Twins, was a successful comeback, garnering a positive critical reception.

Swedish punk and rock singer-songwriter Joakim Thåström has referenced the Gun Club and Pierce in several songs, including " Jeffrey Lee Pierce", "" and "".

Singer Mark Lanegan included Miami among his favorite recordings, and covered Pierce's "Carry Home" on his 1999 album of cover songs, I'll Take Care of You.

Canadian rock band Japandroids included "For The Love of Ivy" on their sophomore album Celebration Rock. Brian King (vocalist/guitarist) said "the magnitude of discovering The Gun Club cannot be understated."

Members

Former members

  • Jeffrey Lee Pierce – vocals, guitar (1979–1996; his death)
  • Kid Congo Powers – guitar (1979–1980, 1983–1996)
  • Don Snowden – bass guitar
  • Brad Dunning – drums (1979–1980)
  • Terry Graham – drums
  • Rob Ritter – bass guitar (1980–1982; died 1990)
  • Anna Statman – bass guitar
  • Ward Dotson – guitar (1980–1982)
  • Billy Persons – drums
  • Anny Unger – guitar
  • Patricia Morrison – bass guitar (1982–1984)
  • Jim Duckworth – guitar (1983)
  • Dee Pop – drums (1983)
  • Jimmy Joe Uliana – bass guitar (1983)
  • Desi Desperate – drums
  • Romi Mori – bass guitar (1987–1994)
  • Derek Thompson – drums
  • Nick Sanderson – drums (1987–1996; died 2008)
  • Simon Fish – drums (1994)
  • Rainer Lingk – guitar
  • Robert Marche – guitar
  • Efe – bass guitar (1994)
  • Mike Martt – guitar; died 2023
  • Randy Bradbury – bass guitar (1995)
  • Brock Avery – drums (1995)
  • Elizabeth Montague – bass guitar
  • Nigel Preston – drums (1991; died 1992)

Discography

Studio albums

  • Fire of Love (1981, Ruby Records/Slash Records)
  • Miami (1982, Animal Records)
  • The Las Vegas Story (1984, Animal Records/Chrysalis Records)
  • Mother Juno (1987, Red Rhino Records)
  • Pastoral Hide and Seek (1990, Fire Records (UK), The Orchard Music (on behalf of Blixa Sounds); BMI – Broadcast Music Inc.)
  • Divinity (1991, New Rose Records)
  • Lucky Jim (1993, Triple X Records)

Singles and EPs

  • "Ghost on the Highway"/"Sex Beat" 7-inch single (1982, Beggars Banquet Records)
  • "Fire of Love" 7-inch single (1982, Animal Records)
  • Death Party 12-inch EP (1983, Animal Records)
  • Sex Beat 81 7-inch single (1986, Lolita)
  • "Breaking Hands" 7-inch/12-inch single (1988, Red Rhino Records)
  • "Sex Beat" CD single (1989, New Rose Records)
  • "The Great Divide" 7-inch/12-inch single (1990, New Rose Records)
  • "Pastoral, Hide & Seek (The Lost Song)" 7-inch/CD single (1991, New Rose Records)
  • "Cry to Me" 7-inch single (1993, Sympathy for the Record Industry)
  • "Walkin' With the Beast" 7-inch single (2004, Sympathy for the Record Industry)

Live albums

  • The Birth the Death the Ghost (1983, ABC Records; recorded 1980)
  • Sex Beat 81 (1984, Lolita; recorded 1981)
  • Love Supreme (1985, Offense Records; recorded 1982)
  • Danse Kalinda Boom – Live in Pandora's Box (1985, Megadisc; recorded 1984)
  • Death Party (1987, Revenge Records; recorded 1981–1982)
  • Ahmed's Wild Dream (1992, Solid Records; recorded 1992)
  • Live in Europe (1993, Triple X Records; recorded 1992)
  • Larger Than Live! (2008, Last Call Records; recorded 1990)
  • Destroy the Country (2014, Cleopatra Records; recorded 1983)
  • Moonlight Motel (2014, Cleopatra Records; recorded 1983–1984)

Compilation albums

  • Two Sides of the Beast (1985, Dojo Records)
  • In Exile (1992, Triple X Records)
  • Early Warning (1997, Sympathy for the Record Industry)
  • Pastoral Hide & Seek/Divinity (1997, 2.13.61 Records)
  • Da Blood Done Signed My Name (2007, Castle Communications)
  • The Life and Times of Jeffrey Lee Pierce and the Gun Club box set (2008, Retro Deluxe)
  • Mother Berlin (2014, Bang! Records)
  • In My Room (2017, Bang! Records)

Compilation appearances

  • "Devil in the Woods" on Keats Rides a Harley (1981, Happy Squid Records)
  • "Jack on Fire" on Rockabilly Psychosis and the Garage Disease (1984, Big Beat Records)
  • "Sex Beat" on Slash: The Early Sessions (1984, Slash Records)

Live videos

  • Live at the Hacienda VHS (1994, Visionary Communications/Jettisoundz; recorded 1983)
  • Preaching the Blues VHS (1995, Visionary Communications/Jettisoundz; recorded 1984)
  • Live at the Hacienda 1983/84 DVD (2006, Cherry Red Films; recorded 1983–1984)
  • Fire of Love DVD (2007, Cherry Red Films; recorded 1983/1985)

References

  • The Gun Club archives
  • Discography – no recent updates, but still very detailed