Jah Wobble
Encyclopedia
Jah Wobble is an English bass guitarist, singer, poet and composer. He became known to a wider audience as the original bass player in Public Image Ltd (PiL) in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but left the band after two albums. Following his departure from PiL, he went on to a successful solo career, continuing to the present. Jah Wobble has four children; two daughters, actress Hayley Angel Wardle
and Natalie Wardle from his first marriage, and two sons with his second wife, the Chinese-born guzheng
player and harp
ist Zi Lan Liao
. In 2009, he published his autobiography, Memoirs of a Geezer.
and worked later in life as a postman, while his mother, Kathleen Bridget (née Fitzgibbon), was a school and County Hall
secretary. Wobble grew up with his family in Whitechapel
's Clichy Estate in London’s East End, and is a long-time friend of John Lydon
(Johnny Rotten) whom he had met in the 1970s along with John Simon Ritchie (later known as Sid Vicious
) at London's Kingsway College (now Westminster Kingsway College
). Along with John Gray they were known as "The Four Johns". According to Rotten's autobiography, Wobble was once on the short list of replacements for original Pistols
bassist Glen Matlock
.
There are several versions of the origin of his stage name, though it's unclear if these origins are more than apocryphal: One account places the origin on a drunken, mumbled version of Wardle's name by Sid Vicious
; another states it was word play
based on Wardle's name, and his fascination with the "wobbly" basslines of reggae
and related genres, where praise to "Jah
" — a near-homophone
of "John" — is often offered.
group Public Image Ltd (PiL). His trademark bass playing drew heavily on dub
, which has remained an important feature of his music. In his early life and career, by his own admission, Wardle was given to occasional bouts of aggression, brought on in part by a strict upbringing in London's East End and exacerbated by heavy drinking. He has stated that the first Public Image Ltd. album was recorded so quickly due in part to the bassist's altercations with a sound engineer and men at a nearby pub. He has, however, dismissed claims accusing him of extreme malice, such as setting fire to the former drummer for The Fall, Karl Burns
, while Burns was session drumming for PiL.
Wobble left his signature mark on PiL's seminal second album Metal Box
which was released in 1979. However, he grew increasingly frustrated by the lacklustre creative atmosphere in the band, which he felt stifled his artistic ambitions and PiL's creative potential. Besides differences in artistic vision, further conflicts were brought on in part by heavy drug and alcohol abuse in the band. Wobble then went on to recording and releasing his debut album The Legend Lives on - Jah Wobble in Betrayal, and found himself accused by other PiL members of having made unauthorised use of material from Metal Box for the making of Betrayal. Wobble then left PiL in late 1980.
members Holger Czukay
and Jaki Liebezeit
on Czukay's solo projects (notably On the Way to the Peak of Normal and Rome Remains Rome) and Full Circle (released in 1984).
In 1983, Wobble formed the Invaders of the Heart, a group with a fluid line-up that included many notable musicians, including acclaimed pedal steel guitar
ist B.J. Cole and percussionist Neville Murray. Wardle also appeared on the LP Snake Charmer billed as a co-leader alongside guitarist The Edge
of U2
, Czukay, Liebezeit, and producer François Kevorkian
.
However, his critical stance towards the commercialisation of the music industry, compounded by heavy drinking and drunken brawls, led to his abandoning music for a short period in the mid 1980s. He then worked a variety of day jobs, whilst continuing to perform and record his music in what spare time he had. These jobs included a long stretch with the London Underground
. In an oft-quoted tale it is related that he once, at Tower Hill Underground Station
via the public address system, humorously regaled commuters with the deadpan announcement, "I used to be somebody. I repeat, I used to be somebody."
By 1986, Wobble was clean and sober
, and due to the repeated prompting of his friend and former bandmate, percussionist Neville Murray, Wobble returned to music professionally. Armed with a live recording of a concert he had made with a new line up of musicians during a European tour in 1988, Wobble travelled to New York City's New Music Seminar
in 1989 to get back into the music industry. After encountering some initial derogation hinting at the darker sides of his past, Wobble was able to secure an eleventh-hour record deal with a small European record label. The live album, Without Judgement, recorded in the Netherlands was released in November 1989 and successfully revived Wobble's career.
predated much of the genre's popularity. Jah Wobble's 1994 album Take Me To God was influenced by world music genres and enriched by contributions from a variety of artists of diverse cultural backgrounds, including Baaba Maal
, Dolores O'Riordan
, and Chaka Demus
, and its uplifting sounds made it both a critical and commercial success. His music has spanned a number of genres, including ambient music
and dance music
, and in 2003, reworkings of traditional English folk songs
. Though he has released recordings since the early 1980s, Wobble has been quite prolific from the mid 1990s to the present. He now runs his own label, 30 Hertz Records, and tours regularly throughout the UK and Europe with his current band, 'Jah Wobble & The English Roots Band'.
A collaboration with his wife, the Chinese-born guzheng
player Zi Lan Liao
, was entitled Chinese Dub. He also performed at the 2008 Rhythm Festival
.
Besides his work as a musician and composer, Jah Wobble also writes occasional book reviews for The Independent
. His autobiography, entitled Memoirs of a Geezer: Music, Life, Mayhem (Serpent's Tail books, London), was released in September 2009.
Jah Wobble and the Chinese Dub Orchestra won the 'Cross-Cultural Collaboration' category, for their album Chinese Dub, in the inaugural Songlines Music Awards, announced on 1 May 2009, which were the new 'world music' awards organised by the UK based magazine, Songlines.
In September 2009, John Lydon reformed of PiL for a series of concerts in late 2009. However, despite Lydon's invitation to join, Jah Wobble did not feature in the line-up, since he considered the wages offered insufficient and disagreed with the choice of venues.
In 2011, Wobble collaborated with Julie Campbell, alias Warp Records
artist LoneLady
in a project called Psychic Life. The eponymous debut album Psychic Life is reported to be inspired by disco, post-punk and psychogeography
and will be released by Cherry Red Records on 14 November 2011. The project also reunited Wobble with fellow ex-PiL
guitarist Keith Levene
. A digital-only
EP
, Psychic Life, fronted by the song "Tightrope", was released in October 2011.
Hayley Angel Wardle
Hayley Angel Wardle is an actress born in London, England.She spent the formative years of her childhood growing up in the South Bank area.-Early life:...
and Natalie Wardle from his first marriage, and two sons with his second wife, the Chinese-born guzheng
Guzheng
The guzheng or "gu zheng", also called zheng is a Chinese plucked zither. It has 18-23 or more strings and movable bridges....
player and harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
ist Zi Lan Liao
Zi Lan Liao
Liao Zilan is an international concert circuit performer on the guzheng . She has performed at the Royal Albert Hall and Royal Festival Hall, and has toured Spain, Italy, France, Holland, Finland, United States, and Australia...
. In 2009, he published his autobiography, Memoirs of a Geezer.
Early life
His father, Harry Eugene Wardle, was a tea clerk with the East India CompanyEast India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
and worked later in life as a postman, while his mother, Kathleen Bridget (née Fitzgibbon), was a school and County Hall
County Hall, London
County Hall is a building in Lambeth, London, which was the headquarters of London County Council and later the Greater London Council . The building is on the bank of the River Thames, just north of Westminster Bridge, facing west toward the City of Westminster, and close to the Palace of...
secretary. Wobble grew up with his family in Whitechapel
Whitechapel
Whitechapel is a built-up inner city district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, London, England. It is located east of Charing Cross and roughly bounded by the Bishopsgate thoroughfare on the west, Fashion Street on the north, Brady Street and Cavell Street on the east and The Highway on the...
's Clichy Estate in London’s East End, and is a long-time friend of John Lydon
John Lydon
John Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
(Johnny Rotten) whom he had met in the 1970s along with John Simon Ritchie (later known as Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious was an English musician best known as the bassist of the influential punk rock group Sex Pistols...
) at London's Kingsway College (now Westminster Kingsway College
Westminster Kingsway College
Westminster Kingsway College is a further education college in central London with Centres in King's Cross and Victoria . The College has about 14,000 students across all age ranges and provides further, adult and higher education programmes including full-time and part-time vocational,...
). Along with John Gray they were known as "The Four Johns". According to Rotten's autobiography, Wobble was once on the short list of replacements for original Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
bassist Glen Matlock
Glen Matlock
Glen Matlock is an English bass guitarist most famous for being in the original line-up of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols. Drummer Paul Cook has said that Matlock came up with much of the music for the band's songs and most of the lyrics, while lead singer Johnny Rotten made some adjustments...
.
There are several versions of the origin of his stage name, though it's unclear if these origins are more than apocryphal: One account places the origin on a drunken, mumbled version of Wardle's name by Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious was an English musician best known as the bassist of the influential punk rock group Sex Pistols...
; another states it was word play
Word play
Word play or wordplay is a literary technique in which the words that are used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement...
based on Wardle's name, and his fascination with the "wobbly" basslines of reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
and related genres, where praise to "Jah
Jah
Jah is the shortened form of the divine name YHWH , an anglicized version of the Tetragrammaton . The name is most commonly associated with the Rastafari movement or within the word hallelujah, although Christian groups may use the name to varying degrees. For example, Jehovah's Witnesses use a...
" — a near-homophone
Homophone
A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning. The words may be spelled the same, such as rose and rose , or differently, such as carat, caret, and carrot, or to, two, and too. Homophones that are spelled the same are also both homographs and homonyms...
of "John" — is often offered.
Public Image Ltd (PiL)
Wobble started his musical career with John Lydon's post-Sex PistolsSex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
group Public Image Ltd (PiL). His trademark bass playing drew heavily on dub
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
, which has remained an important feature of his music. In his early life and career, by his own admission, Wardle was given to occasional bouts of aggression, brought on in part by a strict upbringing in London's East End and exacerbated by heavy drinking. He has stated that the first Public Image Ltd. album was recorded so quickly due in part to the bassist's altercations with a sound engineer and men at a nearby pub. He has, however, dismissed claims accusing him of extreme malice, such as setting fire to the former drummer for The Fall, Karl Burns
Karl Burns
Karl Burns is a British musician best known as drummer for The Fall, featuring in many incarnations of the band between 1977 and 1998....
, while Burns was session drumming for PiL.
Wobble left his signature mark on PiL's seminal second album Metal Box
Metal Box
Metal Box is the second album by Public Image Ltd, released in 1979 by Virgin Records.The title refers to the album's original packaging, which consists of a metal 16mm film canister embossed with the band's logo and containing three 12" 45rpm records...
which was released in 1979. However, he grew increasingly frustrated by the lacklustre creative atmosphere in the band, which he felt stifled his artistic ambitions and PiL's creative potential. Besides differences in artistic vision, further conflicts were brought on in part by heavy drug and alcohol abuse in the band. Wobble then went on to recording and releasing his debut album The Legend Lives on - Jah Wobble in Betrayal, and found himself accused by other PiL members of having made unauthorised use of material from Metal Box for the making of Betrayal. Wobble then left PiL in late 1980.
Early post-PiL years
Soon after leaving PiL, Wobble started his solo career by forming 'The Human Condition' with guitarist Dave "Animal" Maltby and PiL's original drummer, Jim Walker. The Human Condition toured the UK, Europe, and US in 1981, and made two cassette-only releases of their live shows (Live at the Collegiate Theatre and Live in Europe). The post-PiL years saw Wobble also collaborating with CanCan (band)
Can was an experimental rock band formed in Cologne, West Germany in 1968. Later labeled as one of the first "krautrock" groups, they transcended mainstream influences and incorporated strong minimalist and world music elements into their often psychedelic music.Can constructed their music largely...
members Holger Czukay
Holger Czukay
Holger Czukay is a German musician, probably best known as a co-founder of the krautrock group Can. Described by critic Jason Ankeny as "successfully bridg[ing] the gap between pop and the avant-garde," Czukay is also notable for creating early important examples of ambient music, for exploring...
and Jaki Liebezeit
Jaki Liebezeit
Jaki Liebezeit is a drummer probably best known as a founding member of Can who has been called "one of the few drummers to convincingly meld the funky and the cerebral"....
on Czukay's solo projects (notably On the Way to the Peak of Normal and Rome Remains Rome) and Full Circle (released in 1984).
In 1983, Wobble formed the Invaders of the Heart, a group with a fluid line-up that included many notable musicians, including acclaimed pedal steel guitar
Pedal steel guitar
The pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
ist B.J. Cole and percussionist Neville Murray. Wardle also appeared on the LP Snake Charmer billed as a co-leader alongside guitarist The Edge
The Edge
David Howell Evans , more widely known by his stage name The Edge , is a musician best known as the guitarist, backing vocalist, and keyboardist of the Irish rock band U2. A member of the group since its inception, he has recorded 12 studio albums with the band and has released one solo record...
of U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, Czukay, Liebezeit, and producer François Kevorkian
François Kevorkian
François Kevorkian, alias François K, is a French DJ of Armenian origin, remixer, producer and record label owner. Having started his career in renowned clubs such as the Paradise Garage and Studio 54, the New York City resident is widely considered as one of the forefathers of house...
.
However, his critical stance towards the commercialisation of the music industry, compounded by heavy drinking and drunken brawls, led to his abandoning music for a short period in the mid 1980s. He then worked a variety of day jobs, whilst continuing to perform and record his music in what spare time he had. These jobs included a long stretch with the London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
. In an oft-quoted tale it is related that he once, at Tower Hill Underground Station
Tower Hill tube station
Tower Hill is a London Underground station at Tower Hill in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.The station is in Travelcard Zone 1 and near the Tower of London...
via the public address system, humorously regaled commuters with the deadpan announcement, "I used to be somebody. I repeat, I used to be somebody."
By 1986, Wobble was clean and sober
Sobriety
Sobriety is the condition of not having any measurable levels, or effects from, alcohol or other drugs that alter ones mood or behaviors. According to WHO "Lexicon of alcohol and drug terms..." sobriety is continued abstinence from alcohol and psychoactive drug use...
, and due to the repeated prompting of his friend and former bandmate, percussionist Neville Murray, Wobble returned to music professionally. Armed with a live recording of a concert he had made with a new line up of musicians during a European tour in 1988, Wobble travelled to New York City's New Music Seminar
New Music Seminar
The New Music Seminar was a series of multi-venue music showcases held annually in New York City, in the month of June, from 1980 to 1995, then relaunched in 2009....
in 1989 to get back into the music industry. After encountering some initial derogation hinting at the darker sides of his past, Wobble was able to secure an eleventh-hour record deal with a small European record label. The live album, Without Judgement, recorded in the Netherlands was released in November 1989 and successfully revived Wobble's career.
Early 1990s to present
Following on from the success of several critical and popular landmark recordings, most notably Without Judgement and Rising above Bedlam, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, respectively, Wobble has since collaborated with a wide variety of musicians. His explorations into World musicWorld music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
predated much of the genre's popularity. Jah Wobble's 1994 album Take Me To God was influenced by world music genres and enriched by contributions from a variety of artists of diverse cultural backgrounds, including Baaba Maal
Baaba Maal
Baaba Maal is a Senegalese singer and guitarist born in Podor, on the Senegal River. In addition to acoustic guitar, he also plays percussion. He has released several albums, both for independent and major labels. In July 2003, he was made a UNDP Youth Emissary.-Biography:Born 12 November 1953...
, Dolores O'Riordan
Dolores O'Riordan
Dolores Mary Eileen O'Riordan is an Irish musician, singer and songwriter. She led The Cranberries to worldwide success and fame for 13 years before the band took a hiatus in 2003. Her first solo album Are You Listening? was released in May 2007...
, and Chaka Demus
Chaka Demus
John Taylor , better known as Chaka Demus, is a jamaican reggae musician and DJ.-Biography:Taylor was a regular attendee at Kingston dances and was given a chance by Prince Jammy to deejay on his sound system...
, and its uplifting sounds made it both a critical and commercial success. His music has spanned a number of genres, including ambient music
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
and dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
, and in 2003, reworkings of traditional English folk songs
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
. Though he has released recordings since the early 1980s, Wobble has been quite prolific from the mid 1990s to the present. He now runs his own label, 30 Hertz Records, and tours regularly throughout the UK and Europe with his current band, 'Jah Wobble & The English Roots Band'.
A collaboration with his wife, the Chinese-born guzheng
Guzheng
The guzheng or "gu zheng", also called zheng is a Chinese plucked zither. It has 18-23 or more strings and movable bridges....
player Zi Lan Liao
Zi Lan Liao
Liao Zilan is an international concert circuit performer on the guzheng . She has performed at the Royal Albert Hall and Royal Festival Hall, and has toured Spain, Italy, France, Holland, Finland, United States, and Australia...
, was entitled Chinese Dub. He also performed at the 2008 Rhythm Festival
Rhythm Festival
The Rhythm Festival is an outdoor music festival held at The Mansion House, Old Warden Park, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire from 2011. From 2006 until 2010 it was held at Twinwood Arena, near the village of Clapham, Bedfordshire, England.. Rhythm Festival was founded by music promoter Jim Driver...
.
Besides his work as a musician and composer, Jah Wobble also writes occasional book reviews for The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
. His autobiography, entitled Memoirs of a Geezer: Music, Life, Mayhem (Serpent's Tail books, London), was released in September 2009.
Jah Wobble and the Chinese Dub Orchestra won the 'Cross-Cultural Collaboration' category, for their album Chinese Dub, in the inaugural Songlines Music Awards, announced on 1 May 2009, which were the new 'world music' awards organised by the UK based magazine, Songlines.
In September 2009, John Lydon reformed of PiL for a series of concerts in late 2009. However, despite Lydon's invitation to join, Jah Wobble did not feature in the line-up, since he considered the wages offered insufficient and disagreed with the choice of venues.
In 2011, Wobble collaborated with Julie Campbell, alias Warp Records
Warp Records
Warp, commonly referred to as Warp Records, is a pioneering independent British record label, founded in Sheffield in 1989, notable for discovering some of the more enduring artists in electronic music....
artist LoneLady
Lonelady
Julie Campbell, otherwise known as Lonelady , is a musician from Manchester, England. Her debut album, Nerve Up, appeared on Warp Records in 2010 and drew praise from Paul Morley.-Biography:...
in a project called Psychic Life. The eponymous debut album Psychic Life is reported to be inspired by disco, post-punk and psychogeography
Psychogeography
Psychogeography was defined in 1955 by Guy Debord as "the study of the precise laws and specific effects of the geographical environment, consciously organized or not, on the emotions and behavior of individuals." Another definition is "a whole toy box full of playful, inventive strategies for...
and will be released by Cherry Red Records on 14 November 2011. The project also reunited Wobble with fellow ex-PiL
PIL
PIL may refer to:* Private International Law* Carlos Miguel Jiménez Airport , in Pilar, Paraguay* Port Isabel-Cameron County Airport , in Port Isabel, Texas...
guitarist Keith Levene
Keith Levene
Keith Levene is an English songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was an early member of The Clash, but is best known as being a founding member of Public Image Limited, along with John Lydon....
. A digital-only
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, Psychic Life, fronted by the song "Tightrope", was released in October 2011.
List of collaborators
| Jah Wobble past and present collaborators (listed alphabetically) |
|---|
Discography
| Jah Wobble main discography |
|---|