Pauline Murray
Encyclopedia
Pauline Murray was the lead singer
of the punk rock
band, Penetration
, which was originally formed in 1976.
In May 1976 the then 18-year-old Murray saw the Sex Pistols
. Murray and her Ferryhill
comrades became Pistols devotees, earning for themselves by late 1976 the title of 'Durham Contingent' (coined by the NME
).
Penetration soon began gigging and debuted on vinyl
with their single
, "Don't Dictate". They released two albums, Moving Targets and Coming Up for Air, and later a Best of Penetration compilation album
. After some brief success in 1978/79, they split up in 1980.
In 1980 Murray worked on her first solo album with record producer Martin Hannett
's band The Invisible Girls
, which also included ex-Penetration member Robert Blamire
, as well as other Manchester
musician
s who drifted in and out such as Vini Reilly, guitarist
in The Durutti Column
. John Maher from Buzzcocks
also drum
med for the band. The resulting album, Pauline Murray and The Invisible Girls
, reached Number 25 on the UK Albums Chart
and spawned the singles "Dream Sequence" and "Mr X".
Murray also provided vocals
for The Only Ones
on their tracks
, "Fools" and backing vocals
on "Me and My Shadow".
Murray worked sporadically as a solo artist under the name "Pauline Murray and The Storm" with Robert Blamire, Tim Johnston and Paul Harvey. She spent the next 10 years fronting various outfits, and is now back gigging with a rejuvenated Penetration.
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
of the punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band, Penetration
Penetration (band)
Penetration is a punk rock band from County Durham, England formed in 1976. They re-formed in 2001 with several new members.Their debut single, "Don’t Dictate", is now acknowledged as a classic punk rock single and their debut album, Moving Targets , is still widely admired-Biography:The lead...
, which was originally formed in 1976.
In May 1976 the then 18-year-old Murray saw 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...
. Murray and her Ferryhill
Ferryhill
Ferryhill is a town in south-central County Durham, England with a population of around 11,651 people, making it the 8th biggest town in the County. It is in the Durham County Unitary area...
comrades became Pistols devotees, earning for themselves by late 1976 the title of 'Durham Contingent' (coined by the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
).
Penetration soon began gigging and debuted on vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
with their single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "Don't Dictate". They released two albums, Moving Targets and Coming Up for Air, and later a Best of Penetration compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
. After some brief success in 1978/79, they split up in 1980.
In 1980 Murray worked on her first solo album with record producer Martin Hannett
Martin Hannett
Martin Hannett , sometimes credited as Martin Zero, was a record producer and an original partner in Factory Records with Tony Wilson...
's band The Invisible Girls
The Invisible Girls
The Invisible Girls were a British rock band, formed in Salford, Greater Manchester in 1978, to provide a musical backdrop to the recorded output of Salford punk poet John Cooper Clarke...
, which also included ex-Penetration member Robert Blamire
Robert Blamire
Robert Blamire is known for being bassist of punk and new wave band Penetration.He formed along singer Pauline Murray, the punk band Penetration, in 1976, after seeing The Sex Pistols live. After the band split up, Murray and him went to form a project along John Cooper Clarke's backing band The...
, as well as other Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
s who drifted in and out such as Vini Reilly, guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
in The Durutti Column
The Durutti Column
The Durutti Column are an English post-punk band formed in 1978 in Manchester, England. The band is an ongoing project of guitarist Vini Reilly who is often accompanied by drummer Bruce Mitchell. Other current members are Keir Stewart and Reilly's girlfriend Poppy Morgan...
. John Maher from Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton in 1976, led by singer–songwriter–guitarist Pete Shelley.They are regarded as an important influence on the Manchester music scene, the independent record label movement, punk rock, power pop, pop punk and indie rock. They achieved commercial...
also drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
med for the band. The resulting album, Pauline Murray and The Invisible Girls
Pauline Murray and The Invisible Girls (album)
Pauline Murray And The Invisible Girls is the only album made by Penetration singer Pauline Murray and The Invisible Girls, John Cooper Clarke's backing band...
, reached Number 25 on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
and spawned the singles "Dream Sequence" and "Mr X".
Murray also provided vocals
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
for The Only Ones
The Only Ones
The Only Ones are an English rock band. They were initially active in the late 1970s and were associated with punk rock, yet straddled the musical territory in between punk, power pop and hard rock, with noticeable influences from psychedelia...
on their tracks
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
, "Fools" and backing vocals
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
on "Me and My Shadow".
Murray worked sporadically as a solo artist under the name "Pauline Murray and The Storm" with Robert Blamire, Tim Johnston and Paul Harvey. She spent the next 10 years fronting various outfits, and is now back gigging with a rejuvenated Penetration.
