Wayne County & the Electric Chairs was an American-British rock band that was part of the first wave of punk bands from the 1970s. The band was headed by Georgia-born singer Jayne County (aka Wayne County) and became known for their campy, foul-mouthed ballads, glam punk inspired songs and image which was heavily influenced by Jackie Curtis and the Theatre of the Ridiculous.
Career
Jayne County, then known as Wayne County, originally began performing in New York with a band called Queen Elizabeth. This was followed by Wayne County and The Backstreet Boys as documented on Rhino's DIY: Blank Generation compilation album with an early single: "Max's Kansas City 1976." Upon moving to London with Greg Van Cook, a member of the Backstreet Boys, she recruited a new drummer and bassist to form "The Electric Chairs"; a band comprising Van Cook (guitar), Val Haller (bass) and Chris Dust (drums).
Jools Holland had his first studio session with the group in 1976.
None of County's albums were ever released in her native United States except for three songs on the very early punk compilation Max's Kansas City.
Wayne County and the Electric Chairs were supported by the Police during their 1977 tour of Holland. Dust, a Hungarian, was deported following the band's return to the UK when the authorities found that his visa had expired over a year before. He was replaced by John "JJ" Johnson, and the band recorded their first album The Electric Chairs. In order to recreate the sound of the album live the band recruited Police guitarist, Henry Padovani on rhythm guitar. The band's third album Things Your Mother Never Told You was produced by David Cunningham.
County played "Lounge Lizard" in Derek Jarman's 1978 film Jubilee, performing "Paranoia Paradise" with the Electric Chairs.