Cheetah Chrome
Encyclopedia
Cheetah Chrome is an American
musician
who achieved fame as a guitarist for Rocket From the Tombs
and the punk rock
band
, The Dead Boys
.
After the Dead Boys break-up, Chrome played around New York
(mostly at Max's Kansas City
) doing shows with the Stilettos, as well as his own band Cheetah Chrome and the Casualties. He recorded a single
for ORK Records, "Still Wanna Die" / "Take Me Home", recorded by Atlantic Records
co-founder Herb Abramson
. Shortly thereafter, he played on Ronnie Spector
's debut solo album Siren. He appeared on several recordings during the 1980s, most notably his own "Cheetah Chrome and the Ghetto Dogs" (Get Hip) and Jeff Dahl's
"I Kill Me" (Sympathy For The Record Industry). He also rejoined the Dead Boys for the ill fated reunions of the late 1980s.
In the 1990s, Chrome moved to Nashville, Tennessee
and recorded a live album
Alive in Detroit (DUI) at Lili's in Hamtramck, Michigan
. In the 2000s, he played guitar on several tracks for False Alarm's
Fuck ‘Em All We've All Ready (Now) Won!
.
In 2003, after the release of The Day the Earth Met the Rocket from the Tombs, he reformed Rocket From The Tombs with David Thomas
, Craig Bell, with Steve Mehlman (Pere Ubu
) on drums and Richard Lloyd (Television
) replacing the late Peter Laughner
. The reincarnation of the group toured in 2003 and 2006. In 2004 it entered the studio to record some of the band's old material for the first time. The recordings were released as Rocket Redux (SmogVeil).
Chrome continues to play live shows both in the United States and Europe
.
Sylvain Sylvain
and Cheetah Chrome, two founding fathers of punk rock, have formed Batusis. The project marks the first-ever collaboration of two longtime friends, both of whom happen to have profoundly influenced the direction of punk rock and its aftermath: Cheetah Chrome, hard-charging guitarist of Cleveland icons Rocket From The Tombs and Dead Boys and celebrated solo rocker, and Sylvain Sylvain, wildly charismatic New York Dolls axeman and adventurous solo artist.
In the fall of 2010, Chrome released his autobiography "Cheetah Chrome: A Dead Boy's Tale from the Front Lines of Punk Rock" through Voyageur Press. The book received critical praise and helped launch the "Cleveland Confidential" book tour with fellow Cleveland punk legends Mike Hudson (The Pagans) and Bob Pfeifer (Human Switchboard) in 2011.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
who achieved fame as a guitarist for Rocket From the Tombs
Rocket From The Tombs
Rocket From the Tombs is an American rock music band originally active from mid-1974 to mid-1975 in Cleveland, Ohio.Heralded as an important protopunk group, they were little known during their lifetime, though various members later achieved renown in Pere Ubu and the Dead Boys...
and the punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
, The Dead Boys
The Dead Boys
The Dead Boys were an American punk rock band from Cleveland, Ohio. Among the first wave of early punk bands, the Dead Boys were initially active from 1976 to 1979, briefly reuniting in 1987, 2004 and 2005.-Formation and 1970s punk rock era:...
.
After the Dead Boys break-up, Chrome played around New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
(mostly at Max's Kansas City
Max's Kansas City
Max's Kansas City was a nightclub and restaurant at 213 Park Avenue South, in New York City, which was a gathering spot for musicians, poets, artists and politicians in the 1960s and 1970s.-Origin of name:...
) doing shows with the Stilettos, as well as his own band Cheetah Chrome and the Casualties. He recorded a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
for ORK Records, "Still Wanna Die" / "Take Me Home", recorded by Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
co-founder Herb Abramson
Herb Abramson
Herbert C. Abramson was an American record company executive and producer.He was born in 1916 in Brooklyn, New York City and initially studied to be a dentist but he landed a job with National Records producing such performers as The Ravens, Billy Eckstine and Joe Turner...
. Shortly thereafter, he played on Ronnie Spector
Ronnie Spector
Veronica Yvette "Ronnie" Spector is an American rock and roll and popular music vocalist, and was the lead singer of the 1960s hit-making girl group, The Ronettes, who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. She is known as the "original bad girl of rock and roll."-Personal...
's debut solo album Siren. He appeared on several recordings during the 1980s, most notably his own "Cheetah Chrome and the Ghetto Dogs" (Get Hip) and Jeff Dahl's
Jeff Dahl
Jeff Dahl is an American musician. Born in Stuttgart, Germany in 1955, but in 1960 the Dahl family relocated to Hawaii. Jeff recorded his first single, Rock N Roll Critic, in 1977 and it was released on the Doodley Squat label...
"I Kill Me" (Sympathy For The Record Industry). He also rejoined the Dead Boys for the ill fated reunions of the late 1980s.
In the 1990s, Chrome moved to Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
and recorded a live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
Alive in Detroit (DUI) at Lili's in Hamtramck, Michigan
Hamtramck, Michigan
Hamtramck is a city in Wayne County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 22,423. Hamtramck is surrounded by the city of Detroit except for a small portion of the western border that touches the similarly surrounded city of Highland Park...
. In the 2000s, he played guitar on several tracks for False Alarm's
False Alarm (band)
False Alarm is an American punk rock band founded in the outskirts of Beverly Hills, California, in 1982.- History :In 1981, brothers Paul and Floyd Aragon started a band called Bad Influence. The present name False Alarm, came up around 1982...
Fuck ‘Em All We've All Ready (Now) Won!
Fuck ‘Em All We've All Ready (Now) Won!
Fuck 'Em All We've All Ready Won! is the second studio album by the American punk rock band False Alarm. It was recorded in 2001–2002 at Painted Sound Studios in Los Angeles, but released only in 2006 and re-released in Italy by Nicotine Records in 2009.- Track listing :# "Horrible Life" —...
.
In 2003, after the release of The Day the Earth Met the Rocket from the Tombs, he reformed Rocket From The Tombs with David Thomas
David Thomas (musician)
David Lynn Thomas is an American singer, songwriter, and musician.He was one of the founding members of the short-lived protopunkers Rocket From The Tombs , where he went by the name of Crocus Behemoth, and of punk group Pere Ubu . He has also released several solo albums...
, Craig Bell, with Steve Mehlman (Pere Ubu
Pere Ubu
Pere Ubu is an experimental rock music group from Cleveland, Ohio.Père Ubu may also refer to:* Ubu, the enigmatic central figure of a series of French plays by Alfred Jarry, including Ubu Roi, and subsequent plays Ubu Cocu and Ubu Enchaîné...
) on drums and Richard Lloyd (Television
Television (band)
Television was an American rock band, formed in New York City in 1973. They are best known for the album Marquee Moon and widely regarded as one of the founders of "punk" and New Wave music. Television was part of the early 1970s New York underground rock scene, along with bands like the Patti...
) replacing the late Peter Laughner
Peter Laughner
Peter Laughner was an American guitarist, songwriter and singer.A native of Bay Village, Ohio, Laughner remains a rather little known figure; nonetheless, Richie Unterberger described him as "probably the single biggest catalyst in the birth of Cleveland's alternative rock scene in the mid...
. The reincarnation of the group toured in 2003 and 2006. In 2004 it entered the studio to record some of the band's old material for the first time. The recordings were released as Rocket Redux (SmogVeil).
Chrome continues to play live shows both in the United States and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Sylvain Sylvain
Sylvain Sylvain
Sylvain Sylvain is an American rock guitarist, most notable for being a member of the New York Dolls.-Early years:...
and Cheetah Chrome, two founding fathers of punk rock, have formed Batusis. The project marks the first-ever collaboration of two longtime friends, both of whom happen to have profoundly influenced the direction of punk rock and its aftermath: Cheetah Chrome, hard-charging guitarist of Cleveland icons Rocket From The Tombs and Dead Boys and celebrated solo rocker, and Sylvain Sylvain, wildly charismatic New York Dolls axeman and adventurous solo artist.
In the fall of 2010, Chrome released his autobiography "Cheetah Chrome: A Dead Boy's Tale from the Front Lines of Punk Rock" through Voyageur Press. The book received critical praise and helped launch the "Cleveland Confidential" book tour with fellow Cleveland punk legends Mike Hudson (The Pagans) and Bob Pfeifer (Human Switchboard) in 2011.