The Godfathers
Encyclopedia
The Godfathers are an alternative rock
band from London, England.
single
releases produced
by Vic Maile
, and collected on their debut album
, Hit By Hit, they signed to Epic Records
in 1987. Extensive tours of the UK, Europe and the United States followed. Their guitar-driven alternative rock
sound foreshadowed the Britpop
movement of the 1990s. The single "Birth, School, Work, Death" made the U.S. Billboard
Mainstream Rock Top 40 in the late 1980s after heavy college radio airplay but they were only marginally recognised in the UK.
After the split of the original line-up the band briefly resurfaced in the 1990s and toured Europe and Australia.
In 2003 Peter Coyne and Kris Dollimore contributed to an outfit called The Germans with Rat Scabies
, formerly of The Damned. Mike Gibson released his first solo
album in 2004 with the City Farmers. Lead guitarist Kris Dollimore is active on the British blues
scene in London and the South East purveying his so-called 'Medway Delta'
blues. George Mazur has been working as a session
drummer
overseas.
In 2008, the band began touring with its original line-up. In March 2009, the band announced a change - Del Bartle former Sid Presley Experience guitarist, replacing Kris Dollimore and Grant Nicholas replacing drummer George Mazur.
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band from London, England.
Career
The Godfathers were formed by Peter and Chris Coyne from the ashes of The Sid Presley Experience in 1985. After independentIndependent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
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...
releases produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Vic Maile
Vic Maile
Vic Maile was a British record producer. After starting his career as sound engineer with Pye mobile studios for The Animals on their song, "We Gotta Get out of This Place", Maile worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry, such as Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, The...
, and collected on their debut 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...
, Hit By Hit, they signed to Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
in 1987. Extensive tours of the UK, Europe and the United States followed. Their guitar-driven alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
sound foreshadowed the Britpop
Britpop
Britpop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom. Britpop emerged from the British independent music scene of the early 1990s and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s...
movement of the 1990s. The single "Birth, School, Work, Death" made the U.S. Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Mainstream Rock Top 40 in the late 1980s after heavy college radio airplay but they were only marginally recognised in the UK.
After the split of the original line-up the band briefly resurfaced in the 1990s and toured Europe and Australia.
In 2003 Peter Coyne and Kris Dollimore contributed to an outfit called The Germans with Rat Scabies
Rat Scabies
Christopher Millar , better known by his stage name Rat Scabies, is a musician best known for his tenure as the drummer for The Damned....
, formerly of The Damned. Mike Gibson released his first solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
album in 2004 with the City Farmers. Lead guitarist Kris Dollimore is active on the British 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...
scene in London and the South East purveying his so-called 'Medway Delta'
Medway
Medway is a conurbation and unitary authority in South East England. The Unitary Authority was formed in 1998 when the City of Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with Gillingham Borough Council and part of Kent County Council to form Medway Council, a unitary authority independent of Kent County...
blues. George Mazur has been working as a session
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
overseas.
In 2008, the band began touring with its original line-up. In March 2009, the band announced a change - Del Bartle former Sid Presley Experience guitarist, replacing Kris Dollimore and Grant Nicholas replacing drummer George Mazur.
Line-up
- Peter Coyne - vocals
- Chris Coyne - bass, vocals
- Del Bartle - guitar, vocals
- Grant Nicholas - drums, percussion, vocals
Albums
- 1986 Hit by Hit - Corporate Image
- 1988 Birth, School, Work, DeathBirth, School, Work, DeathBirth, School, Work, Death is an album by the alternative rock band The Godfathers, released in 1988. The album's release pre-dated the explosion of the alternative rock scene, and therefore went relatively unnoticed in the band's native UK.-Track listing:...
- Epic - UKUK Albums ChartThe 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...
#80 - 1989 More Songs About Love and Hate - Epic — The UK album cover shows Richard BurtonRichard BurtonRichard Burton, CBE was a Welsh actor. He was nominated seven times for an Academy Award, six of which were for Best Actor in a Leading Role , and was a recipient of BAFTA, Golden Globe and Tony Awards for Best Actor. Although never trained as an actor, Burton was, at one time, the highest-paid...
and Elizabeth TaylorElizabeth TaylorDame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
. All tracks written by The Godfathers - UK #49 - 1991 Unreal World - Epic
- 1992 Dope, Rock 'n' Roll, and Fucking in the Streets (Live) - Corporate Image
- 1993 Orange
- 1995 Afterlife
- 1996 Birth, School, Work, Death: The Best of the Godfathers - Sony / Legacy
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Modern Rock | U.S. Mainstream Rock | |||
| 1985 | "Capo Di Tuti Capi EP" | Hit by Hit | ||
| 1986 | "This Damn Nation" | |||
| "Sun Arise" | ||||
| 1987 | "Love Is Dead" | Birth, School, Work, Death | ||
| 1988 | "Birth, School, Work, Death" | 38 | ||
| "Cause I Said So" | ||||
| 1989 | "She Gives Me Love" | 8 | More Songs About Love and Hate | |
| 1990 | "I'm Lost and Then I'm Found " | |||
| 1991 | "Unreal World" | 6 | Unreal World | |
| 1993 | "Strange About Today" | Orange | ||
| 1995 | "That Special Feeling" | Afterlife | ||
| 2011 | "Back Into The Future" | download single | ||
| 2011 | "The Outsider" | download single |