New York Dolls
Encyclopedia
The New York Dolls is an American
rock band
, formed in New York
in 1971. The band's protopunk
sound prefigured much of what was to come in the punk rock
era; their visual style influenced the look of many new wave
and 1980s-era glam metal
groups, and they began the local New York scene that later spawned the Ramones
, Blondie
, Television
and Talking Heads
.
In 2004 the band reformed with three of their original members, two of whom, David Johansen
and Sylvain Sylvain
, continue on today and have released three records of new material. The original bassist, Arthur Kane
, died shortly after their first reunion concert.
, who went to junior high school and high school together, started playing in a band called “the Pox” in 1967. After the frontman quit, Murcia and Sylvain started a clothing business called "Truth and Soul" and Sylvain took a job at "A Different Drummer", a men's boutique that was across the street from the New York Doll Hospital, a doll repair shop. Sylvain claimed that the shop inspired the name for their future band. In 1970 they formed a band again and recruited Johnny Thunders
to join on bass, though Sylvain ended up teaching him to play guitar. They called themselves the "Dolls." When Sylvain left the band to spend a few months in London, Thunders and Murcia went their separate ways.
Thunders was eventually recruited by Kane and Rick Rivets
, who had been playing together in the Bronx
. At Thunders' suggestion, Murcia replaced the original drummer. Thunders played lead guitar and sang for the band known as "Actress". An October 1971 rehearsal tape recorded by Rivets was released as Dawn of the Dolls. When Thunders decided that he no longer wanted to be the front man, David Johansen joined the band.
Initially, the group was composed of singer David Johansen, guitarists Johnny Thunders and Rick Rivets (who was replaced by Sylvain Sylvain after a few months), bass guitarist Arthur "Killer" Kane and drummer Billy Murcia. The original lineup's first performance was on Christmas Eve 1971 at a homeless shelter, the Endicott Hotel
.
The band was influenced by vintage rhythm and blues
, the early Rolling Stones, classic American girl group
songs, and post-psychedelic bands such as the MC5
and The Stooges
, as well as then-current glam rock
ers such as Marc Bolan
. They did it their own way, creating something which critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine
wrote "doesn't really sound like anything that came before it. It's hard rock with a self-conscious wit, a celebration of camp and kitsch that retains a menacing, malevolent edge." Despite their impeccable rock/punk/glam credentials, the band's sound was also formed by blues and soul influences, as evidenced by Johansen's bluesy harmonica and their choice of cover version
s – their two Mercury albums contain their covers of songs originally performed by Bo Diddley
, The Drells, Sonny Boy Williamson
, The Coasters
and the Jay Hawks (though, in the case of The Jay Hawks' song "Stranded in the Jungle", the Dolls may have been more familiar with a cover version by The Cadets
). The CD "Private World: The Complete Early Studio Demos 1972/3" includes their versions of songs by Otis Redding
, Gary US Bonds, Chuck Berry
, The Shangri-Las
and Muddy Waters
. The jazz music influence was particularly important for Johansen, whose subsequent career included work with jazz man Big Jay McNeely and blues man Hubert Sumlin
.
After getting a manager and attracting some music industry interest, the band got a break when Rod Stewart
invited them to open for him at a London concert. Shortly thereafter, Murcia died of accidental drowning, at age 21, after he passed out from drugs and alcohol.
Once back in New York, the Dolls auditioned drummers, including Marc Bell (who would go on to play with Richard Hell
and Ramones under the stage name "Marky Ramone
") and Jerry Nolan
, a friend of the band. They selected Nolan, and after US Mercury Records
' A&R man Paul Nelson signed them, they began sessions for their debut album.
New York Dolls was produced by former The Nazz guitarist Todd Rundgren
. In an interview in Creem
magazine, Rundgren says he barely touched the recording; everybody was debating how to do the mix. Sales were sluggish, especially in middle US, and a Stereo Review
magazine reviewer in 1973 compared the Dolls' guitar playing to the sound of lawnmowers.
The Dolls still polarised America's mass rock audience (a Creem magazine poll landed them wins as the best and the worst new group of 1973), but they toured the US to some satisfaction. The Dolls also toured Europe, and, while appearing on UK television, host Bob Harris
of the BBC
's Old Grey Whistle Test
derided the group as "mock rock," comparing them unfavorably with the Rolling Stones in the same way The Monkees
had been with the Beatles, as their unoriginal, upstart clones.
For their next album the quintet opted for producer George "Shadow" Morton
, whose productions for the Shangri-Las and other girl groups in the mid-1960s had been among the band's favorites, for 1974's Too Much Too Soon
. Mercury dropped the Dolls not long after the second album. In 1975, foundering in drug abuse and interpersonal spats as the opportunities dried up, the band split up. During their last weeks together Malcolm McLaren
helped with management. He got the band red leather outfits to wear on stage and a communist flag as backdrop. The Dolls did a 5-concert tour of New York - one gig for each New York district - supported by new band Television
that included Tom Verlaine
and Richard Hell
.
The McLaren-era Dolls were captured in a live set released by Fan Club records in 1982, Red Patent Leather
. Production is credited to Sylvain Sylvain, with former manager Marty Thau
credited as executive producer. In addition to the expected line-up, due to Kane being the worse for wear due to drink, roadie Peter Jordan was credited with 'second bass'.
replaced Thunders for the remainder of the Florida tour. A taste of The Dolls without Thunders and Nolan can be found on the album Tokyo Dolls Live (Fan Club/New Rose), from a Japanese show in August 1975, for which Johansen, Sylvain and Jordan were joined by keyboardist Chris Robison and drummer Tony Machine. The material is similar to that on Red Patent Leather, but notable for a radically re-arranged "Frankenstein" and a cover of Big Joe Turner
's "Flip Flop Fly." The album is undated and has no production credit, but was issued circa 1986.
Johansen and Sylvain continued on as the New York Dolls for a few years, with the band rounded out by Jordan, Machine and Robison. The group played its final shows for 28 years in late 1976, with Bobby Blaine on keyboards.
Thunders and Nolan formed The Heartbreakers
with bassist Richard Hell
, who had left Television the same week. After a few shows they added guitarist Walter Lure and a few months later replaced Hell with Billy Rath. They participated in the "Anarchy Tour" with the Sex Pistols
, The Clash
and The Damned in Britain in 1976. The Heartbreakers recorded one studio album, L.A.M.F. in London in 1977, and a few live sets (including one from a Max's Kansas City
show) before splintering.
Thunders continued to tour and record throughout the 1980s, releasing one solo album So Alone (on which Sex Pistols Steve Jones
and Paul Cook
among others guested) consisting of a few classic originals and some covers. During this period he briefly teamed up with ex-MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer
in the group Gang War
, which later altered its name. Thunders died in New Orleans in 1991 of an alleged heroin and methadone
overdose. It also came to light that he suffered from leukemia
. Nolan died a few months later in 1992, following a stroke
, brought about by bacterial meningitis
.
Immediately after the group's breakup, Johansen started a solo career. Several Johansen and Sylvain songs never made it to vinyl until the first two Johansen solo albums: e.g., "Funky But Chic," "Girls," and "Frenchette." His fourth solo album, a concert set called Live it Up, contained a medley of The Animals
' "We Gotta Get Out of This Place
", "Don't Bring Me Down
", and "It's My Life" with the video of the 'Animals Medley' performance becoming a hit on MTV.
Johansen had his greatest commercial success portraying the fictional lounge lizard/singer Buster Poindexter, who mixed comedy with a kitschy hybrid of soul and tropical pop. Under Buster Poindexter's name, Johansen finally made a chart-topping single: one of the 1980s' biggest dance hits, "Hot Hot Hot." He also hosted a variety show on VH1
as Poindexter, then moved on to folk
and blues
with David Johansen and the Harry Smiths through the 1990s. A posthumous New York Dolls album, Lipstick Killers (made up of early demo tapes of the original Dolls with Billy Murcia on drums), was released in a cassette-only edition on ROIR Records in 1981, and subsequently re-released on CD, and then on vinyl in early 2006. All the tracks from this title – sometimes referred to as The Mercer Street Sessions (though actually recorded at Blue Rock Studio, New York) – are included on the CD Private World, along with other tracks recorded elsewhere, including a previously unreleased Dolls original, "Endless Party." Three more unreleased studio tracks, including another previously unreleased Dolls original, "Lone Star Queen," are included on the Rock 'n' Roll album. The other two are covers – "Courageous Cat" theme from the original Courageous Cat Cartoon series, and a second attempt at "Don't Mess With Cupid," a song written by Steve Cropper
and Eddie Floyd
for Otis Redding
and first recorded by the Dolls for the Mercer Street/Blue Rock Sessions.
Sylvain formed his own band, The Criminals, then cut a solo album for RCA
, while also working with Johansen. He later became a taxicab
driver in New York. In the early 1990s he moved to Los Angeles and recorded one album Sleep Baby Doll, on Fishhead Records. His bandmates on that record were: Brian Keats on drums (Dave Vanian's Phantom Chords), Speediejohn Carlucci on bass (ex- Fuzztones), and Olivier Le Baron on lead guitar. Guest appearances by Frank Infante
of Blondie
and Derwood Andrews of Generation X
were also included on the record. It has been re-released as New York A Go Go, along with tracks by The Criminals.
and Aerosmith
, to both the American and British punk rock movements, to the huge wave of "hair metal" bands that were emanating out of the Sunset Strip
in the mid-1980s. In particular, they inspired various members of The Sex Pistols, especially guitarist Steve Jones
, who later said that looking back at his movements on stage, he was embarrassed by how much he copied Johnny Thunders' style. The Sex Pistols' manager, Malcolm McLaren
, worked with the New York Dolls towards the end of their career, though he never officially managed them.
They were first and foremost a major influence on the rock music scene in New York City, having accumulated a devoted cult following
during their career. By the time the New York Dolls had disbanded, Ira Robbins wrote that they "singlehandedly began the local New York scene that later spawned the Ramones, Blondie, Television, Richard Hell & The Voidoids, Dead Boys, Talking Heads
and others. A classic case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts, the Dolls were much more than just a band. Their devoted original audience became the petri dish
of a scene; they emulated their heroes and formed groups in their image."
The Smiths
' Morrissey
and R.E.M.
's Michael Stipe
and Peter Buck
– whose music is notably different from that of the New York Dolls – are noted for their Dolls enthusiasms. Stipe was a special guest on One Day..., and Morrissey (as "Steven Morrissey") wrote a book about them in his pre-Smiths days before going on, in November 2009, to select the Dolls' "(There's Gonna Be A) Showdown" as his favourite record on the BBC Radio 4 show Desert Island Discs.
Corey Taylor
from Slipknot
has been seen using New York Dolls' t-shirt.
, showing Kane's point of view of the genesis of the reunion contrasted against the backdrop of his conversion to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. However, future plans were affected when the news came of Arthur Kane's death on July 13, 2004, from leukemia. They played several festivals in the UK during 2004.
In July 2005, the two surviving members announced a tour and a new album, titled One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This
. Released on July 25, 2006, the album featured guitarist Steve Conte, bassist Sami Yaffa
(ex-Hanoi Rocks
), drummer Brian Delaney and keyboardist Brian Koonin, formerly a member of David Johansen and the Harry Smiths. On July 20, 2006, the New York Dolls appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien
, followed by a live performance in Philadelphia at the WXPN All About The Music Festival, and on July 22, 2006, a taped appearance on The Henry Rollins Show
. On August 18, 2006, the band performed in a free concert at New York's Seaport Music.
In October 2006, the band embarked on a UK tour, with Sylvain taking time while in Glasgow to speak to John Kilbride of STV. The discussion covered the band's history and the current state of their live show and songwriting, with Sylvain commenting that "even if you come to our show thinking 'how can it be like it was before,' we turn that around 'cos we've got such a great live rock 'n roll show".
In November 2006, the Dolls began headlining "Little Steven's Underground Garage
Presents the Rolling Rock and Roll Show," about 20 live gigs with numerous other bands. In April 2007, the band played in Australia and New Zealand, appearing at the V Festival
with Pixies, Pet Shop Boys
, Gnarls Barkley
, Beck
, Jarvis Cocker
and Phoenix
.
On September 22, 2007, New York Dolls were removed from the current artists section of Roadrunner Records' website, signifying the group's split with the label. The band played the O2 Wireless Festival in Hyde Park, London
on July 4, 2008, with Morrissey and Beck and the Lounge On The Farm
Festival on July 12, 2008. On November 14, 2008, it was announced that the producer of their first album, Todd Rundgren, would be producing a new album, which will be followed by a world tour. The finishing touches on the album were made in Rundgren's studio on the island of Kauai. The album, Cause I Sez So
, was released on May 5, 2009 on Atco Records
.
The band played at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas on March 21, 2009, and a show at London's 100 Club on May 14, 2009 supported by Spizzenergi.
On March 18, 2010, the band announced another two concert dates at the KOKO club in Camden, London and the Academy in Dublin on April 20. In December 2010, it was announced the band would release their fifth album. The album, Dancing Backward in High Heels
, featuring new guitarist Frank Infante (formerly of Blondie) was released on March 15, 2011.
On March 1, 2011, it was announced the New York Dolls would be the opening act for a summer tour featuring Mötley Crüe
and Poison
. They announced a new lineup for the tour, featuring guitarist Earl Slick
, who held previous stints with David Bowie
and John Lennon
, Bassist Kenny Aaronson
, who toured with Bob Dylan in 1988. Formerly of Dust
and since the early 90's and on hiatis, The John Eddie Band...drummer Jason Sutter
, formerly of Foreigner
and Smash Mouth
. Both Slick and Aaronson came to the band through their participation with David Johansen on the album Take It Or Leave It – A Tribute To The Original Queens of Noise: The Runaways. Coincidentally, Aaronson was once a member of Joan Jett and The Blackhearts.
In October 2011, the New York Dolls play 5 dates in Australia.
Once the summer tour of the US had finished the Dolls embarked on the tour of Australia for which Brian Delaney returned on drums, he sat out the summer tour for family reasons, the band are also to support Alice Cooper on a short tour of the UK in late October 2011
Former members
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
, formed in 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...
in 1971. The band's protopunk
Protopunk
Protopunk is a term used retrospectively to describe a number of musicians who were important precursors of punk rock in the late 1960s to mid-1970s, or who have been cited by early punk musicians as influential...
sound prefigured much of what was to come in 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...
era; their visual style influenced the look of many new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
and 1980s-era glam metal
Glam metal
Glam metal is a subgenre of hard rock and heavy metal that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States, particularly on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip music scene...
groups, and they began the local New York scene that later spawned the Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
, Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
, 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...
and Talking Heads
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
.
In 2004 the band reformed with three of their original members, two of whom, David Johansen
David Johansen
David Roger Johansen is an American rock, protopunk, blues, and pop singer, as well as a songwriter and actor. He is best known as a member of the seminal protopunk band The New York Dolls and also achieved commercial success under the pseudonym Buster Poindexter.-Early life:Johansen was born in...
and Sylvain Sylvain
Sylvain Sylvain
Sylvain Sylvain is an American rock guitarist, most notable for being a member of the New York Dolls.-Early years:...
, continue on today and have released three records of new material. The original bassist, Arthur Kane
Arthur Kane
Arthur Kane was a musician best known as the bassist for the pioneering glam rock band the New York Dolls. He stated in the 2004 documentary film New York Doll that his nickname, Arthur "Killer" Kane, was inspired by an early New York Dolls concert newspaper review in which the journalist...
, died shortly after their first reunion concert.
History
Sylvain Sylvain and Billy MurciaBilly Murcia
Billy Murcia, born in Bogotá, Colombia and raised in Jackson Heights, New York, was the original drummer for the New York Dolls.Billy Murcia and Sylvain Sylvain both attended Quintano's School for Young Professionals, in the late sixties. It was at Quintano's that they met Johnny Thunders, also a...
, who went to junior high school and high school together, started playing in a band called “the Pox” in 1967. After the frontman quit, Murcia and Sylvain started a clothing business called "Truth and Soul" and Sylvain took a job at "A Different Drummer", a men's boutique that was across the street from the New York Doll Hospital, a doll repair shop. Sylvain claimed that the shop inspired the name for their future band. In 1970 they formed a band again and recruited Johnny Thunders
Johnny Thunders
Johnny Thunders, born John Anthony Genzale, Jr. , was an American protopunk guitarist, singer and songwriter.He came to prominence in the early '70s as a member of the New York Dolls...
to join on bass, though Sylvain ended up teaching him to play guitar. They called themselves the "Dolls." When Sylvain left the band to spend a few months in London, Thunders and Murcia went their separate ways.
Thunders was eventually recruited by Kane and Rick Rivets
Rick Rivets
Rick Rivets is an American guitarist.In 1971, he and childhood friend Arthur Kane formed a band which, after Rivets was replaced by Sylvain Sylvain, became the New York Dolls, the name provided by the new guitarist....
, who had been playing together in the Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
. At Thunders' suggestion, Murcia replaced the original drummer. Thunders played lead guitar and sang for the band known as "Actress". An October 1971 rehearsal tape recorded by Rivets was released as Dawn of the Dolls. When Thunders decided that he no longer wanted to be the front man, David Johansen joined the band.
Initially, the group was composed of singer David Johansen, guitarists Johnny Thunders and Rick Rivets (who was replaced by Sylvain Sylvain after a few months), bass guitarist Arthur "Killer" Kane and drummer Billy Murcia. The original lineup's first performance was on Christmas Eve 1971 at a homeless shelter, the Endicott Hotel
Endicott Hotel
The Endicott Hotel is a former luxury hotel which now serves as a coop. The building sits between 81st and 82nd St. on Columbus Avenue in New York City's Upper West Side diagonal from the American Museum of Natural History....
.
The band was influenced by vintage rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
, the early Rolling Stones, classic American girl group
Girl group
A girl group is a popular music act featuring several young female singers who generally harmonise together.Girl groups emerged in the late 1950s as groups of young singers teamed up with behind-the-scenes songwriters and music producers to create hit singles, often featuring glossy production...
songs, and post-psychedelic bands such as the MC5
MC5
The MC5 is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan and originally active from 1964 to 1972. The original band line-up consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson...
and The Stooges
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
, as well as then-current glam rock
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
ers such as Marc Bolan
Marc Bolan
Marc Bolan was an English singer-songwriter, guitarist and poet. He is best known as the founder, frontman, lead singer & guitarist for T. Rex, but also a successful solo artist...
. They did it their own way, creating something which critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
wrote "doesn't really sound like anything that came before it. It's hard rock with a self-conscious wit, a celebration of camp and kitsch that retains a menacing, malevolent edge." Despite their impeccable rock/punk/glam credentials, the band's sound was also formed by blues and soul influences, as evidenced by Johansen's bluesy harmonica and their choice of cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s – their two Mercury albums contain their covers of songs originally performed by Bo Diddley
Bo Diddley
Ellas Otha Bates , known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter , and inventor...
, The Drells, Sonny Boy Williamson
Sonny Boy Williamson II
Willie "Sonny Boy" Williamson was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter, from Mississippi. He is acknowledged as one of the most charismatic and influential blues musicians, with considerable prowess on the harmonica and highly creative songwriting skills...
, The Coasters
The Coasters
The Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group that had a string of hits in the late 1950s. Beginning with "Searchin'" and "Young Blood", their most memorable songs were written by the songwriting and producing team of Leiber and Stoller...
and the Jay Hawks (though, in the case of The Jay Hawks' song "Stranded in the Jungle", the Dolls may have been more familiar with a cover version by The Cadets
The Cadets (doo wop)
The Cadets are an American doo wop group. The group began as a gospel group, the Santa Monica Soul Seekers, in the late 1940s. The members were Lloyd McCraw, Willie Davis, Austin "Ted" Taylor, Aaron Collins, Glendon Kingsby, and Will "Dub" Jones. In 1955, the group auditioned for Modern Records,...
). The CD "Private World: The Complete Early Studio Demos 1972/3" includes their versions of songs by Otis Redding
Otis Redding
Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...
, Gary US Bonds, Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
, The Shangri-Las
The Shangri-Las
The Shangri-Las were an American pop girl group of the 1960s. Between 1964 and 1966 they charted with often heartbreaking teen melodramas, and remain best known for "Leader of the Pack" and "Remember ".- Early career :...
and Muddy Waters
Muddy Waters
McKinley Morganfield , known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician, generally considered the "father of modern Chicago blues"...
. The jazz music influence was particularly important for Johansen, whose subsequent career included work with jazz man Big Jay McNeely and blues man Hubert Sumlin
Hubert Sumlin
Hubert Sumlin is an American Chicago blues and electric blues guitarist and singer, best known for his celebrated work, from 1955, as guitarist in Howlin' Wolf's band. His singular playing is characterized by "wrenched, shattering bursts of notes, sudden cliff-hanger silences and daring rhythmic...
.
After getting a manager and attracting some music industry interest, the band got a break when Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
invited them to open for him at a London concert. Shortly thereafter, Murcia died of accidental drowning, at age 21, after he passed out from drugs and alcohol.
Once back in New York, the Dolls auditioned drummers, including Marc Bell (who would go on to play with Richard Hell
Richard Hell
Richard Hell is a singer, songwriter, bass guitarist, and writer.Richard Hell was an innovator of punk music and fashion. He was one of the first to spike his hair and wear torn, cut and drawn-on shirts, often held together with safety pins...
and Ramones under the stage name "Marky Ramone
Marky Ramone
Marky Ramone is an American musician. He is best known for being the drummer for the Ramones, but has also played in other notable bands like Dust, Wayne County and the Backstreet Boys, Richard Hell & The Voidoids, and the Misfits.Although he is not the original drummer , Marky is the only living...
") and Jerry Nolan
Jerry Nolan
Jerry Nolan was an American rock drummer, best known for his work with The New York Dolls and Johnny Thunders and The Heartbreakers.-Career:...
, a friend of the band. They selected Nolan, and after US Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
' A&R man Paul Nelson signed them, they began sessions for their debut album.
New York Dolls was produced by former The Nazz guitarist Todd Rundgren
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings...
. In an interview in Creem
Creem
Creem , "America's Only Rock 'n' Roll Magazine," was a monthly rock 'n' roll publication first published in March 1969 by Barry Kramer and founding editor Tony Reay. It suspended production in 1989 but received a short-lived renaissance in the early 1990s as a glossy tabloid...
magazine, Rundgren says he barely touched the recording; everybody was debating how to do the mix. Sales were sluggish, especially in middle US, and a Stereo Review
Stereo Review
Stereo Review was an American magazine first published in 1958 by Ziff-Davis with the title HiFi and Music Review. It was one of a handful of magazines then available for the individual interested in high fidelity. Throughout its life it published a blend of record and equipment reviews, articles...
magazine reviewer in 1973 compared the Dolls' guitar playing to the sound of lawnmowers.
The Dolls still polarised America's mass rock audience (a Creem magazine poll landed them wins as the best and the worst new group of 1973), but they toured the US to some satisfaction. The Dolls also toured Europe, and, while appearing on UK television, host Bob Harris
Bob Harris (radio)
Robert Brinley Joseph "Bob" Harris, OBE , known as "Whispering" Bob Harris, is British radio host who currently works for BBC Radio 2, presenting music two nights a week...
of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Old Grey Whistle Test
Old Grey Whistle Test
The Old Grey Whistle Test was an influential BBC2 television music show that ran from 1971 to 1987. It took over the BBC2 late night slot from "Disco Two", which had been running since January 1970, while continuing to feature non-chart music. It was devised by BBC producer Rowan Ayers...
derided the group as "mock rock," comparing them unfavorably with the Rolling Stones in the same way The Monkees
The Monkees
The Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
had been with the Beatles, as their unoriginal, upstart clones.
For their next album the quintet opted for producer George "Shadow" Morton
Shadow Morton
George 'Shadow' Morton is an American record producer and songwriter best known for his influential work in the 1960s and the introduction of girl group The Shangri-Las to the pop music world....
, whose productions for the Shangri-Las and other girl groups in the mid-1960s had been among the band's favorites, for 1974's Too Much Too Soon
Too Much Too Soon (album)
Too Much Too Soon, also known as New York Dolls in Too Much Too Soon, is the second album by New York Dolls and the last studio album by the original recording line-up. The album was produced by Shadow Morton, a songwriter and record producer closely associated with the Shangri-Las...
. Mercury dropped the Dolls not long after the second album. In 1975, foundering in drug abuse and interpersonal spats as the opportunities dried up, the band split up. During their last weeks together Malcolm McLaren
Malcolm McLaren
Malcolm Robert Andrew McLaren was an English performer, impresario, self-publicist and manager of the Sex Pistols and the New York Dolls...
helped with management. He got the band red leather outfits to wear on stage and a communist flag as backdrop. The Dolls did a 5-concert tour of New York - one gig for each New York district - supported by new band Television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
that included Tom Verlaine
Tom Verlaine
Tom Verlaine is a singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known as the frontman for the New York rock band Television.-Biography:...
and Richard Hell
Richard Hell
Richard Hell is a singer, songwriter, bass guitarist, and writer.Richard Hell was an innovator of punk music and fashion. He was one of the first to spike his hair and wear torn, cut and drawn-on shirts, often held together with safety pins...
.
The McLaren-era Dolls were captured in a live set released by Fan Club records in 1982, Red Patent Leather
Red Patent Leather
Red Patent Leather is a 1984 live album by the earlier disbanded New York Dolls. It was recorded in New York a decade earlier, in March 1975, just a month before the group broke up while on tour in Florida....
. Production is credited to Sylvain Sylvain, with former manager Marty Thau
Marty Thau
Marty Thau is an American rock 'n' roll entrepreneur and music producer. He is best known as the founder of Red Star Records in 1977, arguably America's first full - fledged post '60s indie punk punk - new wave label and for being the manager of the New York Dolls and co-producer of Suicide's...
credited as executive producer. In addition to the expected line-up, due to Kane being the worse for wear due to drink, roadie Peter Jordan was credited with 'second bass'.
Break-up
Thunders and Nolan left in 1975 while on tour in Florida. Blackie LawlessBlackie Lawless
Blackie Lawless , is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, bassist and actor, best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for heavy metal band W.A.S.P..In an interview, Blackie claims to have been born in the kitchen of the Rainbow Bar and Grill in Hollywood,...
replaced Thunders for the remainder of the Florida tour. A taste of The Dolls without Thunders and Nolan can be found on the album Tokyo Dolls Live (Fan Club/New Rose), from a Japanese show in August 1975, for which Johansen, Sylvain and Jordan were joined by keyboardist Chris Robison and drummer Tony Machine. The material is similar to that on Red Patent Leather, but notable for a radically re-arranged "Frankenstein" and a cover of Big Joe Turner
Big Joe Turner
Big Joe Turner was an American blues shouter from Kansas City, Missouri. According to the songwriter Doc Pomus, "Rock and roll would have never happened without him." Although he came to his greatest fame in the 1950s with his pioneering rock and roll recordings, particularly "Shake, Rattle and...
's "Flip Flop Fly." The album is undated and has no production credit, but was issued circa 1986.
Johansen and Sylvain continued on as the New York Dolls for a few years, with the band rounded out by Jordan, Machine and Robison. The group played its final shows for 28 years in late 1976, with Bobby Blaine on keyboards.
Thunders and Nolan formed The Heartbreakers
The Heartbreakers
Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, also known as The Heartbreakers, were an American rock & roll band formed in New York in May 1975. The band was part of the first wave of punk rock.-History:...
with bassist Richard Hell
Richard Hell
Richard Hell is a singer, songwriter, bass guitarist, and writer.Richard Hell was an innovator of punk music and fashion. He was one of the first to spike his hair and wear torn, cut and drawn-on shirts, often held together with safety pins...
, who had left Television the same week. After a few shows they added guitarist Walter Lure and a few months later replaced Hell with Billy Rath. They participated in the "Anarchy Tour" with the Sex 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...
, The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
and The Damned in Britain in 1976. The Heartbreakers recorded one studio album, L.A.M.F. in London in 1977, and a few live sets (including one from a 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:...
show) before splintering.
Thunders continued to tour and record throughout the 1980s, releasing one solo album So Alone (on which Sex Pistols Steve Jones
Steve Jones (musician)
Stephen Philip "Steve" Jones is an English rock guitarist, singer and actor, best known as guitarist and founding member of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols.-Childhood:...
and Paul Cook
Paul Cook
Paul Thomas Cook is an English drummer and member of the punk rock band Sex Pistols.-Early life and career:...
among others guested) consisting of a few classic originals and some covers. During this period he briefly teamed up with ex-MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer
Wayne Kramer (guitarist)
Wayne Kramer is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and film and television scorer....
in the group Gang War
Gang War
Gang War is a 1928 gangster film, best known for being the main feature attached to Steamboat Willie, the debut of Mickey Mouse in sound. The film starred Jack Pickford in his last major role, as "Clyde", a saxophone player whose love for a dancer named Flowers traps him in the middle of a gang war...
, which later altered its name. Thunders died in New Orleans in 1991 of an alleged heroin and methadone
Methadone
Methadone is a synthetic opioid, used medically as an analgesic and a maintenance anti-addictive for use in patients with opioid dependency. It was developed in Germany in 1937...
overdose. It also came to light that he suffered from leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
. Nolan died a few months later in 1992, following a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
, brought about by bacterial meningitis
Bacterial meningitis
Bacterial meningitis refers to meningitis that is caused by bacterial infection.-Signs and Symptoms:*Fever*Seizures*Meningismus*Headache*Vomiting*Photophobia*Altered mental status and coma*Anorexia...
.
Immediately after the group's breakup, Johansen started a solo career. Several Johansen and Sylvain songs never made it to vinyl until the first two Johansen solo albums: e.g., "Funky But Chic," "Girls," and "Frenchette." His fourth solo album, a concert set called Live it Up, contained a medley of The Animals
The Animals
The Animals were an English music group of the 1960s formed in Newcastle upon Tyne during the early part of the decade, and later relocated to London...
' "We Gotta Get Out of This Place
We Gotta Get out of This Place
"We Gotta Get out of This Place", occasionally written "We've Gotta Get out of This Place", is a rock song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and recorded as a 1965 hit single by The Animals...
", "Don't Bring Me Down
Don't Bring Me Down (The Animals song)
"Don't Bring Me Down" is a rock song composed by Gerry Goffin and Carole King and recorded as a 1966 hit single by The Animals.-History:"Don't Bring Me Down" was the third of The Animals' epic personalisations of Brill Building material, following the 1965 hits "We Gotta Get out of This Place" and...
", and "It's My Life" with the video of the 'Animals Medley' performance becoming a hit on MTV.
Johansen had his greatest commercial success portraying the fictional lounge lizard/singer Buster Poindexter, who mixed comedy with a kitschy hybrid of soul and tropical pop. Under Buster Poindexter's name, Johansen finally made a chart-topping single: one of the 1980s' biggest dance hits, "Hot Hot Hot." He also hosted a variety show on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
as Poindexter, then moved on to folk
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....
and blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
with David Johansen and the Harry Smiths through the 1990s. A posthumous New York Dolls album, Lipstick Killers (made up of early demo tapes of the original Dolls with Billy Murcia on drums), was released in a cassette-only edition on ROIR Records in 1981, and subsequently re-released on CD, and then on vinyl in early 2006. All the tracks from this title – sometimes referred to as The Mercer Street Sessions (though actually recorded at Blue Rock Studio, New York) – are included on the CD Private World, along with other tracks recorded elsewhere, including a previously unreleased Dolls original, "Endless Party." Three more unreleased studio tracks, including another previously unreleased Dolls original, "Lone Star Queen," are included on the Rock 'n' Roll album. The other two are covers – "Courageous Cat" theme from the original Courageous Cat Cartoon series, and a second attempt at "Don't Mess With Cupid," a song written by Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper , also known as Steve "The Colonel" Cropper, is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T...
and Eddie Floyd
Eddie Floyd
Eddie Lee Floyd is an American soul/R&B singer and songwriter, best known for his work on the Stax record label in the 1960s and 1970s and the song "Knock on Wood".-Biography:...
for Otis Redding
Otis Redding
Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...
and first recorded by the Dolls for the Mercer Street/Blue Rock Sessions.
Sylvain formed his own band, The Criminals, then cut a solo album for RCA
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
, while also working with Johansen. He later became a taxicab
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
driver in New York. In the early 1990s he moved to Los Angeles and recorded one album Sleep Baby Doll, on Fishhead Records. His bandmates on that record were: Brian Keats on drums (Dave Vanian's Phantom Chords), Speediejohn Carlucci on bass (ex- Fuzztones), and Olivier Le Baron on lead guitar. Guest appearances by Frank Infante
Frank Infante
Frank Infante is an American guitarist and bassist best known as a former member of the punk/new wave band, Blondie.Prior to Blondie, he established himself playing guitar in heavy, electric blues groups such as The Elegant End and World War III. In 1975, he joined Sniper, an early, American glam...
of Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
and Derwood Andrews of Generation X
Generation X (band)
Generation X was a British punk rock band, formed on 21 November 1976 by Billy Idol, Tony James and John Towe.-History:...
were also included on the record. It has been re-released as New York A Go Go, along with tracks by The Criminals.
Influence
The band influenced a wide range of musicians and bands across multiple generations, from mainstream hard rock bands like KissKISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
and Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
, to both the American and British punk rock movements, to the huge wave of "hair metal" bands that were emanating out of the Sunset Strip
Sunset Strip
The Sunset Strip is the name given to the mile-and-a-half stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with Hollywood at Harper Avenue, to its western border with Beverly Hills at Sierra Drive...
in the mid-1980s. In particular, they inspired various members of The Sex Pistols, especially guitarist Steve Jones
Steve Jones (musician)
Stephen Philip "Steve" Jones is an English rock guitarist, singer and actor, best known as guitarist and founding member of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols.-Childhood:...
, who later said that looking back at his movements on stage, he was embarrassed by how much he copied Johnny Thunders' style. The Sex Pistols' manager, Malcolm McLaren
Malcolm McLaren
Malcolm Robert Andrew McLaren was an English performer, impresario, self-publicist and manager of the Sex Pistols and the New York Dolls...
, worked with the New York Dolls towards the end of their career, though he never officially managed them.
They were first and foremost a major influence on the rock music scene in New York City, having accumulated a devoted cult following
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
during their career. By the time the New York Dolls had disbanded, Ira Robbins wrote that they "singlehandedly began the local New York scene that later spawned the Ramones, Blondie, Television, Richard Hell & The Voidoids, Dead Boys, Talking Heads
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
and others. A classic case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts, the Dolls were much more than just a band. Their devoted original audience became the petri dish
Petri dish
A Petri dish is a shallow glass or plastic cylindrical lidded dish that biologists use to culture cells or small moss plants. It was named after German bacteriologist Julius Richard Petri, who invented it when working as an assistant to Robert Koch...
of a scene; they emulated their heroes and formed groups in their image."
The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
' Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
and R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
's Michael Stipe
Michael Stipe
John Michael Stipe is an American singer and lyricist. He was the lead vocalist of the alternative rock band R.E.M.Stipe is noted and occasionally parodied for the "mumbling" style of his early career as well as his social and political activism. He was in charge of R.E.M.'s visual image; often...
and Peter Buck
Peter Buck
Peter Lawrence Buck , is an American rock guitarist who is best known for playing in and co-founding alternative rock band R.E.M....
– whose music is notably different from that of the New York Dolls – are noted for their Dolls enthusiasms. Stipe was a special guest on One Day..., and Morrissey (as "Steven Morrissey") wrote a book about them in his pre-Smiths days before going on, in November 2009, to select the Dolls' "(There's Gonna Be A) Showdown" as his favourite record on the BBC Radio 4 show Desert Island Discs.
Corey Taylor
Corey Taylor
Corey Todd Taylor sometimes known by the number 8, is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of Slipknot and Stone Sour. Taylor was raised by his single mother. He developed a fond feeling toward classic rock after his grandmother introduced him to it...
from Slipknot
Slipknot (band)
Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. Formed in 1995, the group was founded by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray...
has been seen using New York Dolls' t-shirt.
Reunion
Morrissey, having been a long-time fan of the band, and head of the UK fanclub (in the 1970s), would go on to organize a reunion of the three surviving band members (Johansen, Sylvain, and Kane) for the Meltdown Festival in London in 2004. The reunion led to a live LP and DVD on Morrissey's Attack label, and a film, New York DollNew York Doll
New York Doll is a documentary film based on the life of former New York Dolls member Arthur Kane. The film was nominated for both a Satellite Award and a Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, where it premiered in 2005...
, showing Kane's point of view of the genesis of the reunion contrasted against the backdrop of his conversion to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. However, future plans were affected when the news came of Arthur Kane's death on July 13, 2004, from leukemia. They played several festivals in the UK during 2004.
In July 2005, the two surviving members announced a tour and a new album, titled One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This
One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This (album)
One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This is the third studio album by American glam punk band New York Dolls, released July 25, 2006 on Roadrunner Records. It is the band's first release of original material since Too Much Too Soon and their highest-charting album to date...
. Released on July 25, 2006, the album featured guitarist Steve Conte, bassist Sami Yaffa
Sami Yaffa
Sami Yaffa is a bass guitarist best known for his time in Hanoi Rocks during the 1980s. He is currently the bassist for the New York Dolls and the Michael Monroe band. He also plays guitar in his own band "Mad Juana".-Biography:Yaffa first began playing music when only fourteen years old in 1977...
(ex-Hanoi Rocks
Hanoi Rocks
Hanoi Rocks was a Finnish rock band formed in 1979, whose most successful period came in the early 1980s. The band broke up in 1985 after the death of their drummer, Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley...
), drummer Brian Delaney and keyboardist Brian Koonin, formerly a member of David Johansen and the Harry Smiths. On July 20, 2006, the New York Dolls appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
, followed by a live performance in Philadelphia at the WXPN All About The Music Festival, and on July 22, 2006, a taped appearance on The Henry Rollins Show
The Henry Rollins Show
The Henry Rollins Show was a weekly talk show hosted by Henry Rollins on the Independent Film Channel . The show featured Rollins' monologues, interviews with celebrities and uncensored musical performances. The show was canceled after the wrap of its second season.-Sections:Each episode features...
. On August 18, 2006, the band performed in a free concert at New York's Seaport Music.
In October 2006, the band embarked on a UK tour, with Sylvain taking time while in Glasgow to speak to John Kilbride of STV. The discussion covered the band's history and the current state of their live show and songwriting, with Sylvain commenting that "even if you come to our show thinking 'how can it be like it was before,' we turn that around 'cos we've got such a great live rock 'n roll show".
In November 2006, the Dolls began headlining "Little Steven's Underground Garage
Underground Garage
Underground Garage is the name shared by two related but different radio outlets, a syndicated show and a satellite radio station, both created and supervised by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt to present rock 'n' roll and garage rock on radio...
Presents the Rolling Rock and Roll Show," about 20 live gigs with numerous other bands. In April 2007, the band played in Australia and New Zealand, appearing at the V Festival
V Festival (Australia)
The Australian V Festival was an Australian music festival, and a spin-off of the British V Festival. Like all V Festivals, the event was primarily sponsored by Virgin Mobile. In Australia the event was also sponsored by airline Virgin Blue. The V Festival was televised exclusively in Australia by...
with Pixies, Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys are an English electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards....
, Gnarls Barkley
Gnarls Barkley
Gnarls Barkley is an American soul duo comprising Danger Mouse and Cee Lo Green. Their first studio album St. Elsewhere was released in 2006; along with its first single "Crazy". Both single and album were a major commercial success and have been noted for their large sales by download...
, Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
, Jarvis Cocker
Jarvis Cocker
Jarvis Branson Cocker is an English musician and frontman for the band Pulp. Through his work with the band, Cocker became a figurehead of the Britpop movement of the mid-1990s. Following Pulp's hiatus Cocker has led a successful solo career...
and Phoenix
Phoenix (band)
Phoenix is a Grammy Award winning French indie rock band from Versailles, founded by Thomas Mars, Deck d'Arcy, Christian Mazzalai and Laurent Brancowitz.-Formation and early years:...
.
On September 22, 2007, New York Dolls were removed from the current artists section of Roadrunner Records' website, signifying the group's split with the label. The band played the O2 Wireless Festival in Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...
on July 4, 2008, with Morrissey and Beck and the Lounge On The Farm
Lounge On The Farm
Lounge On The Farm is a music festival held annually at Merton Farm, Canterbury, Kent, which attracts thousands of visitors each year. Although there has been a vast increase in the capacity of the event, as well as the amount and quality of the performing acts, organizers insist that they keep the...
Festival on July 12, 2008. On November 14, 2008, it was announced that the producer of their first album, Todd Rundgren, would be producing a new album, which will be followed by a world tour. The finishing touches on the album were made in Rundgren's studio on the island of Kauai. The album, Cause I Sez So
Cause I Sez So
Cause I Sez So is the fourth studio album by the New York Dolls. It was released on May 5, 2009 on Atco Records. The album was produced by Todd Rundgren, who also produced their self-titled debut album. One of the songs, "Trash", is a re-recording of a song that originally appeared on their debut...
, was released on May 5, 2009 on Atco Records
Atco Records
ATCO Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, currently operating through WMG's Rhino Entertainment.-Beginnings:Atco Records was founded in 1955 as a division of Atlantic Records. It was devised as an outlet for productions by one of Atlantic's founders, Herb Abramson, who...
.
The band played at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas on March 21, 2009, and a show at London's 100 Club on May 14, 2009 supported by Spizzenergi.
On March 18, 2010, the band announced another two concert dates at the KOKO club in Camden, London and the Academy in Dublin on April 20. In December 2010, it was announced the band would release their fifth album. The album, Dancing Backward in High Heels
Dancing Backward in High Heels
Dancing Backward in High Heels is the fifth studio album by the New York Dolls. It was released on March 15, 2011 on 429 Records. Dancing Backward in High Heels can best be described as a departure from the New York Dolls hard rock, punk, sound and a return to the girl group, 1960's rock invasion...
, featuring new guitarist Frank Infante (formerly of Blondie) was released on March 15, 2011.
On March 1, 2011, it was announced the New York Dolls would be the opening act for a summer tour featuring Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
and Poison
Poison (band)
Poison is an American glam metal band that achieved great success in the mid-1980s to mid-1990s. To date, Poison has sold over 30 million records worldwide and have sold 15 million records in the United States alone. The band has also charted ten singles to the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100,...
. They announced a new lineup for the tour, featuring guitarist Earl Slick
Earl Slick
Earl Slick is a guitarist best known for his collaborations with David Bowie, Jim Diamond and Robert Smith, although he has also worked with other artists , John Waite, and even released some solo recordings.In the early 1970s, Earl Slick gained his...
, who held previous stints with David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
and John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, Bassist Kenny Aaronson
Kenny Aaronson
Kenny Aaronson is an American bass guitar player.- Early life and career :He started playing drums at the age of eleven, following in his older brother's footsteps. Kenny switched to electric bass at the age 14 after becoming enamored by the bass on Motown records and was strongly influenced by...
, who toured with Bob Dylan in 1988. Formerly of Dust
Dust
Dust consists of particles in the atmosphere that arise from various sources such as soil dust lifted up by wind , volcanic eruptions, and pollution...
and since the early 90's and on hiatis, The John Eddie Band...drummer Jason Sutter
Jason Sutter
Born in Potsdam, New York, Jason Sutter began playing drums at the age of nine and played his first professional gig at the age of ten with his band Paragon! Playing his first "bar gig" at thirteen, Jason continued to play clubs two to three times a week throughout his high school years...
, formerly of Foreigner
Foreigner (band)
Foreigner is a British-American rock band, originally formed in 1976 by veteran English musicians Mick Jones and ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald along with American vocalist Lou Gramm...
and Smash Mouth
Smash Mouth
Smash Mouth is an American rock band from San Jose, California. The band was formed in 1994, and was originally composed of Steve Harwell, Greg Camp, Paul De Lisle and Kevin Coleman as lead vocals, guitar, bass and drums respectively...
. Both Slick and Aaronson came to the band through their participation with David Johansen on the album Take It Or Leave It – A Tribute To The Original Queens of Noise: The Runaways. Coincidentally, Aaronson was once a member of Joan Jett and The Blackhearts.
In October 2011, the New York Dolls play 5 dates in Australia.
Once the summer tour of the US had finished the Dolls embarked on the tour of Australia for which Brian Delaney returned on drums, he sat out the summer tour for family reasons, the band are also to support Alice Cooper on a short tour of the UK in late October 2011
Members
Current members- David JohansenDavid JohansenDavid Roger Johansen is an American rock, protopunk, blues, and pop singer, as well as a songwriter and actor. He is best known as a member of the seminal protopunk band The New York Dolls and also achieved commercial success under the pseudonym Buster Poindexter.-Early life:Johansen was born in...
– vocals, harmonica (1971–1976, 2004–present) - Sylvain SylvainSylvain SylvainSylvain Sylvain is an American rock guitarist, most notable for being a member of the New York Dolls.-Early years:...
– guitar, bass, piano (1971–1976, 2004–present) - Brian Delaney – drums (2005–present)
- Kenny AaronsonKenny AaronsonKenny Aaronson is an American bass guitar player.- Early life and career :He started playing drums at the age of eleven, following in his older brother's footsteps. Kenny switched to electric bass at the age 14 after becoming enamored by the bass on Motown records and was strongly influenced by...
– bass (2011–present) - Earl SlickEarl SlickEarl Slick is a guitarist best known for his collaborations with David Bowie, Jim Diamond and Robert Smith, although he has also worked with other artists , John Waite, and even released some solo recordings.In the early 1970s, Earl Slick gained his...
– guitar (2011–present)
Former members
- Johnny ThundersJohnny ThundersJohnny Thunders, born John Anthony Genzale, Jr. , was an American protopunk guitarist, singer and songwriter.He came to prominence in the early '70s as a member of the New York Dolls...
(deceased) – guitar, vocals (1971–1975) - Rick RivetsRick RivetsRick Rivets is an American guitarist.In 1971, he and childhood friend Arthur Kane formed a band which, after Rivets was replaced by Sylvain Sylvain, became the New York Dolls, the name provided by the new guitarist....
– guitar (1971) - Arthur KaneArthur KaneArthur Kane was a musician best known as the bassist for the pioneering glam rock band the New York Dolls. He stated in the 2004 documentary film New York Doll that his nickname, Arthur "Killer" Kane, was inspired by an early New York Dolls concert newspaper review in which the journalist...
(deceased) – bass guitar (1971–1975, 2004) - Billy MurciaBilly MurciaBilly Murcia, born in Bogotá, Colombia and raised in Jackson Heights, New York, was the original drummer for the New York Dolls.Billy Murcia and Sylvain Sylvain both attended Quintano's School for Young Professionals, in the late sixties. It was at Quintano's that they met Johnny Thunders, also a...
(deceased) – drums (1971–1972) - Jerry NolanJerry NolanJerry Nolan was an American rock drummer, best known for his work with The New York Dolls and Johnny Thunders and The Heartbreakers.-Career:...
(deceased) – drums (1972–1975) - Blackie LawlessBlackie LawlessBlackie Lawless , is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, bassist and actor, best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for heavy metal band W.A.S.P..In an interview, Blackie claims to have been born in the kitchen of the Rainbow Bar and Grill in Hollywood,...
– guitar (1975) - Peter Jordan – bass (1975–1976)
- Chris Robison – keyboards (1975)
- Bobby Blaine – keyboards (1976)
- Tony Machine – drums (1975–1976)
- Steve ConteSteve ConteSteve Conte is an American singer and rock musician and lead singer of the band The Contes, along with his brother John Conte, both formerly members of the band Crown Jewels. He is perhaps more popularly known for his collaborations with composer Yoko Kanno, as well as being former lead guitarist...
– guitar, vocals (2004–2010) - Gary PowellGary PowellGary Armstrong Powell is a British drummer. He is primarily the drummer for The Libertines, as well as doing the same for the band formed by his bandmate Carl Barat after the Libertines split, Dirty Pretty Things and Guyanese artist, Eddy Grant...
– drums (2004) - Sami YaffaSami YaffaSami Yaffa is a bass guitarist best known for his time in Hanoi Rocks during the 1980s. He is currently the bassist for the New York Dolls and the Michael Monroe band. He also plays guitar in his own band "Mad Juana".-Biography:Yaffa first began playing music when only fourteen years old in 1977...
– bass (2005–2010) - Brian Koonin – keyboards (2005–2006)
- Frank InfanteFrank InfanteFrank Infante is an American guitarist and bassist best known as a former member of the punk/new wave band, Blondie.Prior to Blondie, he established himself playing guitar in heavy, electric blues groups such as The Elegant End and World War III. In 1975, he joined Sniper, an early, American glam...
– guitar (2010–2011) - Jason Hill – bass (2010–2011)
- Jason SutterJason SutterBorn in Potsdam, New York, Jason Sutter began playing drums at the age of nine and played his first professional gig at the age of ten with his band Paragon! Playing his first "bar gig" at thirteen, Jason continued to play clubs two to three times a week throughout his high school years...
– drums (2011)
Demo albums
- Actress – "Birth of the New York Dolls" (1972)
- Lipstick Killers - The Mercer Street Sessions 1972Lipstick Killers - The Mercer Street Sessions 1972Lipstick Killers - The Mercer Street Sessions 1972 is a 1981 album of demos by the New York Dolls. The songs on here were later re-recorded for New York Dolls, except for "Don't Start Me Talking" and "Human Being" which were later re-recorded for Too Much Too Soon and "Don't Mess with Cupid", which...
(1981) - Seven Day Weekend (1992)
- Private World - The Complete Early Studio Demos 1972-1973 (2006)
Studio albums
- New York DollsNew York Dolls (album)New York Dolls is the first album released by the American rock band the New York Dolls. The album's protopunk sound is mixed with influences of glam rock and rock & roll. It was produced by ex-Nazz guitarist Todd Rundgren....
(1973) - Too Much Too SoonToo Much Too Soon (album)Too Much Too Soon, also known as New York Dolls in Too Much Too Soon, is the second album by New York Dolls and the last studio album by the original recording line-up. The album was produced by Shadow Morton, a songwriter and record producer closely associated with the Shangri-Las...
(1974) - One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This (2006)
- Cause I Sez SoCause I Sez SoCause I Sez So is the fourth studio album by the New York Dolls. It was released on May 5, 2009 on Atco Records. The album was produced by Todd Rundgren, who also produced their self-titled debut album. One of the songs, "Trash", is a re-recording of a song that originally appeared on their debut...
(2009) - Dancing Backward in High HeelsDancing Backward in High HeelsDancing Backward in High Heels is the fifth studio album by the New York Dolls. It was released on March 15, 2011 on 429 Records. Dancing Backward in High Heels can best be described as a departure from the New York Dolls hard rock, punk, sound and a return to the girl group, 1960's rock invasion...
(2011)
Live albums
- Red Patent LeatherRed Patent LeatherRed Patent Leather is a 1984 live album by the earlier disbanded New York Dolls. It was recorded in New York a decade earlier, in March 1975, just a month before the group broke up while on tour in Florida....
(1984) - Paris Le Trash (1993)
- Live In Concert, Paris 1974 (1998)
- From Paris With Love (L.U.V.) (2002)
- Morrissey Presents: The Return Of New York Dolls Live From Royal Festival Hall (2004)
- Live At the Filmore East (2008)
Compilation albums
- New York Dolls / Too Much Too Soon (1977)
- Very Best of New York Dolls (1977)
- Night of the Living Dolls (1985)
- The Best of the New York Dolls (1985)
- New York Dolls + Too Much Too Soon (1987)
- Super Best Collection (1990)
- Rock'n RollRock'n Roll (New York Dolls album)Rock'n Roll is a 1994 compilation album by the New York Dolls. It features all the songs from their self-titled album, with the exception of their cover of Bo Diddley's song "Pills", and selections from Too Much Too Soon...
(1994) - Hootchie Kootchie Dolls (1998)
- The Glam Rock Hits (1999)
- The Glamorous Life Live (1999)
- Actress: Birth of The New York Dolls (2000)
- Endless Party (2000)
- New York Tapes 72/73 (2000)
- Great Big Kiss (reissue of Seven Day Weekend and Red Patent Leather, 2002)
- Looking For A Kiss (2003)
- Manhattan Mayhem (2003)
- 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of New York Dolls (2003)
- The Return of the New York Dolls – live from Royal Festival Hall 2004 (2004)
Singles
- "Bad Girl" / "Subway Train" (1973)
- "Jet Boy" / "Babylon" / "Who Are the Mystery Girls" (1973)
- "Personality Crisis" / "Looking for a Kiss" (1973)
- "Trash" / "Personality Crisis" (1973)
- "Stranded in the Jungle" / "Don't Start Me Talkin'" (1974)
- "(There's Gonna Be A) Showdown" / "Puss 'n' Boots" (1974)
- "Gimme Luv and Turn On the Light" (2006)