The 101ers
Encyclopedia
The 101ers were a pub rock
band from the 1970s, notable as being the band that Joe Strummer
left to join The Clash
. Formed in London
in May 1974, the 101ers made their performing debut on 7 September at the Telegraph pub in Brixton
, under the name El Huaso and the 101 All Stars. The name would later be shortened to the 101 All Stars and finally just the 101ers. The group played at free festivals such as Stonehenge
, and established itself on the London pub rock circuit prior to the advent of punk
.
where they lived together: 101 Walterton Road, Maida Vale
, although it was for a time rumoured that they were named for "Room 101", the infamous torture room in George Orwell
's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four
.
The 101ers were supported by the Sex Pistols
at the Nashville Room on 3 April 1976, and this is when Strummer claimed he saw the light and got involved in the punk scene.
Joe Strummer commented on this event in the Don Letts
documentary Westway to the World
on the end of the 101ers by saying "5 seconds into their (the Pistols') first song, I knew we were like yesterday's paper, we were over."
By the time their debut single, "Keys to Your Heart", was released, Joe Strummer was in The Clash
and the band were no more. Clive Timperley later joined The Passions
, Dan Kelleher went to Martian Schoolgirls and The Derelicts
. Richard Dudanski
went on to work with The Raincoats
, Basement 5
and Public Image Ltd. Tymon Dogg
worked with Strummer
briefly in The Clash
, playing fiddle and singing his original song, "Lose This Skin," on Sandinista!
, and later in The Mescaleros
.
The 101ers' recorded output was initially limited to one single
. However, by 1981, interest in The Clash
was at its height and a second single
and a compilation album
Elgin Avenue Breakdown
was released. Several of the tracks on the latter album were live recordings, and there is no evidence that the band ever conceived of these recordings as a full length album.
Until his death in 2002, Joe Strummer had been planning to re-release Elgin Avenue Breakdown, complete with previously unreleased tracks that would encompass everything the band ever recorded. The project was completed with the help of Strummer's widow Lucinda Tait and former drummer Richard Dudanski, and released in May 2005 as Elgin Avenue Breakdown Revisited via Astralwerks
in the US and EMI
in Europe.
have played "Keys to Your Heart" live at around the same time it was reissued as a single. The Hypertonics have also covered this song.
Albums
Films and documentaries
|people=Letts Don
; Rick Elgood, Joe Strummer
, Mick Jones
, Paul Simonon
, Topper Headon
, Terry Chimes
, The Clash
|date=2001 |title=The Clash: Westway to the World |medium=DVD |publisher=Sony Music Entertainment
; Dorismo; Uptown Films |location=New York, NY |accessdate=2011-09-21 |time=8:40–11:40 |isbn=0-7389-0082-6 |oclc=49798077 }}
Pub rock (UK)
Pub rock was a rock music genre that developed in the mid 1970s in the United Kingdom. A back-to-basics movement, pub rock was a reaction against progressive and glam rock. Although short-lived, pub rock was notable for rejecting stadium venues and for returning live rock to the small pubs and...
band from the 1970s, notable as being the band that Joe Strummer
Joe Strummer
John Graham Mellor , best remembered by his stage name Joe Strummer, was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of the British punk rock band The Clash. His musical experience included his membership in The 101ers, Latino Rockabilly War, The Mescaleros and The Pogues, in...
left to join 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...
. Formed in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in May 1974, the 101ers made their performing debut on 7 September at the Telegraph pub in Brixton
Brixton
Brixton is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, England. It is south south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
, under the name El Huaso and the 101 All Stars. The name would later be shortened to the 101 All Stars and finally just the 101ers. The group played at free festivals such as Stonehenge
Stonehenge Free Festival
The Stonehenge Free Festival was a British free festival from 1972 to 1984 held at Stonehenge in England during the month of June, and culminating on the summer solstice on June 21. The festival was a celebration of various alternative cultures...
, and established itself on the London pub rock circuit prior to the advent of punk
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...
.
History
The group was named for the squatSquatting
Squatting consists of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use....
where they lived together: 101 Walterton Road, Maida Vale
Maida Vale
Maida Vale is a residential district in West London between St John's Wood and Kilburn. It is part of the City of Westminster. The area is mostly residential, and mainly affluent, consisting of many large late Victorian and Edwardian blocks of mansion flats...
, although it was for a time rumoured that they were named for "Room 101", the infamous torture room in George Orwell
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is a dystopian novel about Oceania, a society ruled by the oligarchical dictatorship of the Party...
.
The 101ers were supported by 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...
at the Nashville Room on 3 April 1976, and this is when Strummer claimed he saw the light and got involved in the punk scene.
Joe Strummer commented on this event in the Don Letts
Don Letts
Don Letts is a British film director and musician. He is credited as the man who through his DJing at clubs like The Roxy brought together punk and reggae music.-Biography:...
documentary Westway to the World
Westway to the World
The Clash: Westway to the World is a 2000 documentary film about the British punk rock band The Clash. In 2003 it won the Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video....
on the end of the 101ers by saying "5 seconds into their (the Pistols') first song, I knew we were like yesterday's paper, we were over."
By the time their debut single, "Keys to Your Heart", was released, Joe Strummer was in 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 band were no more. Clive Timperley later joined The Passions
The Passions
The Passions were a British band which formed in 1978, and disbanded in 1983. They were one-hit wonders with their misty song, "I'm in Love with a German Film Star". which was released in early 1981.-Career:...
, Dan Kelleher went to Martian Schoolgirls and The Derelicts
The Derelicts
The Derelicts were a London-based "Trotskyist R&B band" active from 1974–1976, well known on the London pub rock/squat rock circuit, consisting of Barbara Gogan, Richard Williams, Susan Gogan, and John Studholme, amongst others...
. Richard Dudanski
Richard Dudanski
Richard "Snakehips" Dudanski, a/k/a Richard Nother, is an English drummer who was a member of a number of seminal British proto-punk, punk and post-punk bands, including The 101'ers, The Raincoats, Public Image Ltd., and Basement 5...
went on to work with The Raincoats
The Raincoats
The Raincoats are a British post-punk band. Ana da Silva and Gina Birch formed the group in 1977 while they were students at Hornsey College of Art, London, England.-Career:...
, Basement 5
Basement 5
Basement 5 were a reggae punk fusion band from London founded in 1978. Their first vocalist was Winston Fergus, then Don Letts. One of their early performances was a support for Public Image Ltd.'s London debut at the Rainbow on Christmas Day 1978...
and Public Image Ltd. Tymon Dogg
Tymon Dogg
Tymon Dogg is a highly idiosyncratic English singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, playing piano, violin, guitar, oud and a harp of his own invention...
worked with Strummer
Joe Strummer
John Graham Mellor , best remembered by his stage name Joe Strummer, was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of the British punk rock band The Clash. His musical experience included his membership in The 101ers, Latino Rockabilly War, The Mescaleros and The Pogues, in...
briefly in 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...
, playing fiddle and singing his original song, "Lose This Skin," on Sandinista!
Sandinista!
Sandinista! is the fourth studio album by the English punk rock band the Clash. It was released on 12 December 1980 as a triple album containing 36 tracks, with 6 songs on each side...
, and later in The Mescaleros
The Mescaleros
The Mescaleros were the backing band for Joe Strummer, formed in 1999, which went on to make three albums prior to Strummer's death in 2002. Many of the band members were gifted multi-instrumentalists...
.
The 101ers' recorded output was initially limited to one 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...
. However, by 1981, interest in 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...
was at its height and a second 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...
and a compilation album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Elgin Avenue Breakdown
Elgin Avenue Breakdown
Elgin Avenue Breakdown is the only album by The 101ers, Joe Strummer's band before he joined The Clash. It was released in 1981 because of The Clash's popularity at the time.-Track listing:Original release...
was released. Several of the tracks on the latter album were live recordings, and there is no evidence that the band ever conceived of these recordings as a full length album.
Until his death in 2002, Joe Strummer had been planning to re-release Elgin Avenue Breakdown, complete with previously unreleased tracks that would encompass everything the band ever recorded. The project was completed with the help of Strummer's widow Lucinda Tait and former drummer Richard Dudanski, and released in May 2005 as Elgin Avenue Breakdown Revisited via Astralwerks
Astralwerks
Astralwerks is a New York-based record label that releases primarily electronic music. It is owned by Virgin Records/EMI and distributed by Caroline Distribution in the United States....
in the US and EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
in Europe.
Covers
The ClashThe 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...
have played "Keys to Your Heart" live at around the same time it was reissued as a single. The Hypertonics have also covered this song.
Band line-up
- John "Woody" Mellor aka Joe StrummerJoe StrummerJohn Graham Mellor , best remembered by his stage name Joe Strummer, was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of the British punk rock band The Clash. His musical experience included his membership in The 101ers, Latino Rockabilly War, The Mescaleros and The Pogues, in...
– Guitar, vocals - Clive TimperleyThe PassionsThe Passions were a British band which formed in 1978, and disbanded in 1983. They were one-hit wonders with their misty song, "I'm in Love with a German Film Star". which was released in early 1981.-Career:...
– Guitar, vocals - Dan Kelleher – Bass, guitar, vocals
- Richard DudanskiRichard DudanskiRichard "Snakehips" Dudanski, a/k/a Richard Nother, is an English drummer who was a member of a number of seminal British proto-punk, punk and post-punk bands, including The 101'ers, The Raincoats, Public Image Ltd., and Basement 5...
– Drums - Simon Cassell aka "Big John" – Saxophone
- Alvaro Peña-Rojas – Saxophone
- Marwood Chesterton aka "Mole" – Bass guitar (until Oct. 1975)
- Antonio Narvaez – Drums
- Julian Yewdall – Vocals, harmonica
- Patrick Nother – Bass (1st gig)
- Martin StoneMartin Stone (guitarist)Martin Stone is an English guitarist and book antiquarian. A longtime resident of Fingest in Buckinghamshire, he currently lives in Paris.-Musical career:...
– Lead guitar (final gig) - Tymon DoggTymon DoggTymon Dogg is a highly idiosyncratic English singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, playing piano, violin, guitar, oud and a harp of his own invention...
– Fiddle, vocals
Discography
Singles- "Keys to Your Heart" (Joe StrummerJoe StrummerJohn Graham Mellor , best remembered by his stage name Joe Strummer, was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of the British punk rock band The Clash. His musical experience included his membership in The 101ers, Latino Rockabilly War, The Mescaleros and The Pogues, in...
) b/w "5 Star Rock & Roll Petrol" (Strummer, Dan Kelleher) (Chiswick/Big BeatChiswick RecordsChiswick Records was a British record company. Chiswick was the "first true 'indie' label" to be established in Britain for nearly a decade". The label has been described as "significant" in the "punk era"...
1976) - "Sweet Revenge" b/w "Rabies" (Chiswick 1981)
Albums
- Elgin Avenue BreakdownElgin Avenue BreakdownElgin Avenue Breakdown is the only album by The 101ers, Joe Strummer's band before he joined The Clash. It was released in 1981 because of The Clash's popularity at the time.-Track listing:Original release...
Andalucia AND101 (1981) - Elgin Avenue Breakdown Revisited Astralwerks ASW32161 / EMI 474460 2 (2005)
Sources
BooksFilms and documentaries
|people=Letts Don
Don Letts
Don Letts is a British film director and musician. He is credited as the man who through his DJing at clubs like The Roxy brought together punk and reggae music.-Biography:...
; Rick Elgood, Joe Strummer
Joe Strummer
John Graham Mellor , best remembered by his stage name Joe Strummer, was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of the British punk rock band The Clash. His musical experience included his membership in The 101ers, Latino Rockabilly War, The Mescaleros and The Pogues, in...
, Mick Jones
Mick Jones (The Clash)
Michael Geoffrey "Mick" Jones is the former lead guitarist, secondary vocalist and co-founder for the British punk rock band The Clash until his dismissal in 1983. He went on to form the band Big Audio Dynamite with Don Letts before line-up changes led to the formation of Big Audio Dynamite II and...
, Paul Simonon
Paul Simonon
Paul Gustave Simonon is an English musician and artist best known as the bass guitarist for punk rock band The Clash. Recent work includes his involvement in the album The Good, the Bad & the Queen with Damon Albarn, Simon Tong and Tony Allen, released in January 2007...
, Topper Headon
Topper Headon
Headon was extensively interviewed for the Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten documentary film about the late Clash frontman. He related his experiences during this period, how he became addicted to heroin and how there were problems before his dismissal...
, Terry Chimes
Terry Chimes
Terry Chimes was the original drummer of punk rock group The Clash. He originally played with them from July 1976 to November 1976, January 1977 to April 1977, and again from May 1982 to February 1983. He was the drummer for Hanoi Rocks in 1985, before the band broke-up that same year...
, 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...
|date=2001 |title=The Clash: Westway to the World |medium=DVD |publisher=Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
; Dorismo; Uptown Films |location=New York, NY |accessdate=2011-09-21 |time=8:40–11:40 |isbn=0-7389-0082-6 |oclc=49798077 }}