Dead Boys

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Template:Short description {{#invoke:other uses|otheruses}} Template:Redirect-distinguish Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox musical artist

The Dead Boys are an American punk rock band from Cleveland, Ohio.<ref name="LarkinGE">Template:Cite book</ref> The band was among the first wave of punk, and regarded by many as one of the rowdiest and most violent groups of the era. They were formed in 1975 by vocalist Stiv Bators, rhythm guitarist Jimmy Zero, bassist Jeff Magnum, lead guitarist Cheetah Chrome, and drummer Johnny Blitz—the latter two having splintered from the band Rocket from the Tombs. The original Dead Boys released two studio albums: Young, Loud and Snotty and We Have Come for Your Children.<ref name="LarkinGE"/>

The Dead Boys were active from 1975 to 1980, briefly reunited a few times in the mid-1980s, and regrouped in 2004 and 2005 for the first time without Bators, who had died in 1990. In September 2017, Chrome and Blitz reunited the band with a new line-up for a 40th anniversary tour along with a new album, Still Snotty: Young, Loud and Snotty at 40, a re-recording of their debut album. This lineup included Chrome and Blitz with vocalist Jake Hout, guitarist Jason "Ginchy" Kottwitz and bassist Ricky Rat. Hout quit in November 2024 over plans for a new Dead Boys album with an AI-synthesized Bators vocal.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

History

Formation and 1970s punk rock era

Chrome and Blitz joined Cleveland proto-punk band Rocket From The Tombs in late 1974.<ref name="auto">Template:Cite web</ref> Chrome invited his friend Steve Bator (a.k.a. Stiv Bators) on stage to sing a few songs at a show in August 1975. This caused most of the other band members to walk off stage and they broke up.<ref name="auto"/> Shortly thereafter, Bators, Chrome, and Blitz recruited Magnum and Zero to form Frankenstein who recorded demos in October<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> but they broke up in January 1976.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In July 1976, the band's members moved to New York City at the encouragement of Joey Ramone, the Ramones' lead singer. Taking the name Dead Boys from a line in the RFTT song "Down in Flames",<ref name="Punk77Website">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Punk77">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Discogs">Template:Cite web</ref> the Dead Boys quickly gained notoriety for their outrageous live performances.<ref name="LarkinGE"/> Lewd gestures and profanity were the norm.<ref name="LarkinGE"/> They frequently played at the rock club CBGB (the band was briefly managed by club owner Hilly Kristal)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and in 1977 they released their debut album, Young, Loud and Snotty, produced by Genya Ravan. Their song "Sonic Reducer" is often regarded as one of the classics of the punk genre, with AllMusic calling it "one of punk's great anthems."<ref>Template:Citation</ref><ref name=NoisyMay2014>Template:Cite news</ref>

Their second album, We Have Come for Your Children, produced by Felix Pappalardi, was recorded in Miami in early 1978 and released later that year. Sire Records pressed the group to change their look and sound to appeal more to the U.S. mainstream (which had yet to embrace punk on the level seen in the UK) and this contributed to Dead Boys breaking up in 1979.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>

Shortly after returning from Miami, Johnny Blitz and a group of his friends got into an altercation on Second Avenue in Manhattan which led to Blitz being stabbed in the chest five times. While he was recovering in the hospital, a benefit was held for him at which the Dead Boys performed with John Belushi and former New York Dolls and Johnny Thunders & the Heartbreakers drummer Jerry Nolan filling in for Blitz on drums.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Several 1979 performances were featured in the 1980 film, D.O.A.. A few months after the breakup, the band had to reunite to record a live album and thus fulfill their contractual obligations. To exact revenge on the label, Bators purposely sang off-mic and the resulting recording was unusable. When the material eventually surfaced on Bomp! Records, Bators had re-recorded the vocals in a studio. They booked a 1979 - 80 tour but Magnum, then Chrome, Blitz and finally Zero left, leaving Bators as the only original member. He recorded his first solo album with the final (until later reunions) Dead Boys lineup.

Bators' and Chrome's subsequent careers

in 1979, Bators recorded some singles including a cover of "It's Cold Outside" by the Choir and a solo album, Disconnected, for BOMP! Records. Bators later joined the Wanderers with former members of Sham 69 and shortly thereafter formed Lords of the New Church with Brian James from The Damned and Dave Tregunna from Sham 69. They released several albums on IRS Records, including the keyboard-laden hit single "Open Your Eyes" and a cover of "Like a Virgin".

After the Dead Boys dissolved, Cheetah Chrome played around New York City (mostly at Max's Kansas City) doing shows with The Stilettos as well as his own band Cheetah Chrome and the Casualties. He recorded a single for ORK Records, "Still Wanna Die" / "Take Me Home", recorded with Atlantic Records co-founder Herb Abramson. Shortly thereafter, he played on Ronnie Spector's debut solo album Siren. He appeared on several recordings during the 1980s, and rejoined the Dead Boys for their ill-fated reunions of the late 1980s.<ref name=Cleveland.comAug2013>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2003, after the release of The Day the Earth Met the Rocket from the Tombs, Chrome reformed Rocket from the Tombs with David Thomas, Craig Bell, with Steve Mehlman (Pere Ubu) on drums and Richard Lloyd (Television) replacing the late Peter Laughner. This reincarnation of the group toured in 2003 and 2006.<ref name=Cleveland.comAug2013 />

In summer 2003, they entered the studio to record some of the band's old material for the first time. The recordings were released as Rocket Redux.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2005, the members of Rocket from the Tombs flew to Germany to headline one night (Buzzcocks headlined the other) of the International Punk Kongress in Kassel; then, in 2006, they reconvened in Cleveland, Ohio to write material for a new record. This material became the single "I Sell Soul"/"Romeo and Juliet", released in 2010, and the album Barfly, released in 2011.<ref name="NoisyMay2014"/>

In early 2010, Chrome formed a short lived band called Batusis with Syl Sylvain of the New York Dolls. They recorded at least 10 songs <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> but released only four on an EP.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In September 2010, Cheetah Chrome: A Dead Boy's Tale from the Front Lines of Punk Rock was published.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the end of a week-long Rocket from the Tomb tour in December 2011, Chrome announced to the band that he had decided to stop touring extensively after 2012. He currently works for Plowboy Records in Nashville, Tennessee, mainly in production and promotion.<ref name="NoisyMay2014"/>

Reformation, death of Bators, 40th anniversary tour

The Dead Boys reformed for several gigs in the 1980s. They re-released their first album as Younger, Louder and Snottier in 1989, mastered from a cassette tape of rough mixes, attributed to a young Bob Clearmountain, a studio assistant at the time.

In June 1990, Bators died in France due to injuries sustained after having been hit by a taxi.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In September 2004, the remaining members of the band re-formed for a one-off gig in Cleveland.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 2005, they played a benefit show for CBGB and another reunion show on Halloween.

On April 25, 2017, Chrome and Blitz played six shows in Canada as a tribute to the 40th anniversary of Young, Loud and Snotty.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The band played the record in its entirety. Chrome and Blitz then announced in 2017 that the band would go on a full reunion tour.<ref name="blabbermouth.net"/>

On September 8, 2017, Still Snotty: Young, Loud and Snotty at 40 was released. The album is a re-recording of their debut album and the first studio album by the Dead Boys in 39 years.<ref name="blabbermouth.net">Template:Cite web</ref> Along with Chrome and Blitz, the tour and album featured Jason "Ginchy" Kottwitz (Bulemics, Sylvain Sylvain and the Sylvains, Cheetah Chrome solo band) on guitar, Ricky Rat (Trash Brats) on bass, and vocalist Jake Hout from zombie-themed Dead Boys tribute band the Undead Boys.<ref name="blabbermouth.net"/>

Chrome said of the tour "(w)ith the 40th anniversary of the Dead Boys on the horizon and a solid band that could interpret and deliver the performance and sound needed to maintain the authenticity of the Dead Boys, I reached out to Johnny Blitz about an anniversary tour and he said yes and we began the journey of what would become Still Snotty. I've been singing the Dead Boys songs myself for 20 years because I couldn't find another singer I trusted enough to hand it to. The first gig with Jake, it was like, 'You got it, man!' I think Stiv would be very proud of our choice."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A photobook, Dead Boys 1977: The Lost Photographs of Dave Treat, was also released on September 29, 2017.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2013, the American biographical drama film CBGB about the former New York music venue of the same name was released.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Bators is portrayed by actor Justin Bartha, best known for his roles in The Hangover films and the National Treasure films, while Rupert Grint, best known for his work in the Harry Potter film series as Ron Weasley, portrays Cheetah Chrome. Chrome also makes a cameo appearance in the film.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Band members

Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2 Current members

  • Cheetah Chrome (Gene O'Connor) – lead guitar (1976–1979, 1987, 2004–2005, 2017–present), vocals (2004–2005)
  • Mark Thorn – vocals (2025–present)
  • Scott Churilla – drums (2019–present)
  • Monk Burris – rhythm guitar (2019–present)
  • Sam Hariss – bass (2023–present)

Template:Col-2 Former members

  • Stiv Bators (Steve Bator) – vocals (1976–1979, 1987)
  • Johnny Blitz (John Madansky) – drums (1976–1979, 1987, 2004–2005, 2017–2019)
  • Jimmy Zero (William Wilden) – rhythm guitar (1976–1979, 1987, 2004–2005)
  • Jeff Magnum (Jeff Halmagy) – bass (1976–1979, 1987, 2004–2005)
  • Jason "Ginchy" Kottwitz – rhythm guitar (2017–2019)
  • Ricky Rat – bass (2017–2020)
  • Jake Hout – vocals (2017–2024)

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Timeline <timeline> ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:90 bottom:80 top:10 right:15 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1976 till:{{#time:m/d/Y}} TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4 ScaleMajor = increment:4 start:1976 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1976

Colors = 

 id:vocals     value:red         legend:Vocals
 id:guitar     value:teal        legend:Lead_guitar
 id:rguitar    value:brightgreen legend:Rhythm_guitar
 id:bass       value:blue        legend:Bass
 id:drums      value:orange      legend:Drums
 id:studio     value:black       legend:Studio_album
 id:bars       value:gray(0.95)

BackgroundColors = bars:bars

LineData = 

 color:studio layer:back
 at:10/01/1977
 at:06/01/1978
 at:09/08/2017

BarData = 

 bar:Stiv    text:"Stiv Bators"
 bar:Jake    text:"Jake Hout"
 bar:Mark    text:"Mark Thorn"
 bar:Cheetah text:"Cheetah Chrome"
 bar:Jimmy   text:"Jimmy Zero"
 bar:Jason   text:"Jason Kottwitz "
 bar:Monk    text:"Monk Burris"
 bar:Jeff    text:"Jeff Magnum"
 bar:Ricky   text:"Ricky Rat"
 bar:Sam     text:"Sam Hariss"
 bar:Johnny  text:"Johnny Blitz"
 bar:Scott   text:"Scott Churilla"

PlotData = 

 width:11
 bar:Stiv    from:start      till:01/01/1980 color:vocals
 bar:Stiv    from:01/01/1987 till:01/01/1988 color:vocals
 bar:Jake    from:01/01/2017 till:11/24/2024 color:vocals
 bar:Mark    from:01/15/2025 till:end        color:vocals
 bar:Cheetah from:start      till:01/01/1980 color:guitar
 bar:Cheetah from:01/01/1987 till:01/01/1988 color:guitar
 bar:Cheetah from:09/01/2004 till:11/01/2005 color:guitar
 bar:Cheetah from:09/01/2004 till:11/01/2005 color:vocals width:3
 bar:Cheetah from:01/01/2017 till:end        color:guitar
 bar:Jimmy   from:start      till:01/01/1980 color:rguitar
 bar:Jimmy   from:01/01/1987 till:01/01/1988 color:rguitar
 bar:Jimmy   from:09/01/2004 till:11/01/2005 color:rguitar
 bar:Jason   from:01/01/2017 till:07/01/2019 color:rguitar
 bar:Monk    from:07/01/2019 till:end        color:rguitar
 bar:Jeff    from:start      till:01/01/1980 color:bass
 bar:Jeff    from:01/01/1987 till:01/01/1988 color:bass
 bar:Jeff    from:09/01/2004 till:11/01/2005 color:bass
 bar:Ricky   from:01/01/2017 till:01/01/2021 color:bass
 bar:Sam     from:01/01/2023 till:end        color:bass
 bar:Johnny  from:start      till:01/01/1980 color:drums
 bar:Johnny  from:01/01/1987 till:01/01/1988 color:drums
 bar:Johnny  from:09/01/2004 till:11/01/2005 color:drums
 bar:Johnny  from:01/01/2017 till:07/01/2019 color:drums
 bar:Scott   from:07/01/2019 till:end        color:drums

</timeline>

Discography

Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2

Studio albums

Alternate mix albums

  • Younger, Louder and Snottier (1997, Bomp!)
    • Original rough mixes of Young, Loud and Snotty
  • 3rd Generation Nation (1999, Bad Boy Production)
    • Premix of We Have Come for Your Children

Live albums

  • Night of the Living Dead Boys (1981, Bomp! Records)
  • The Return of the Living Dead Boys (1987, Revenge Records) (Import/France)
    • Recorded July 22, 1977 at CBGB
  • Liver Than You'll Ever Be (1988, Various Labels) (Import/Various)
    • Recorded December 26, 1987 at the Ritz, NYC
  • Twistin' on the Devil's Fork: Live At CBGB's (1998, Hell Yeah Records / Bacchus Records)
    • Recorded October 2, 1977 and August 31, 1978 at CBGB
  • All This and More (1998, Bomp!)
    • Recorded in 1977, November 1 in San Francisco and August 7, 22 and April 7 at CBGB

Template:Col-2

Singles

7" singles

12" singles

  • "All The Way Down/Nights Are So Long" (1987, Relativity Records 8165) (never released on CD)

Video albums

  • Return Of The Living Dead Boys! Halloween Night 1986 (2008, MVD Visual)
  • Live At CBGB's 1977 (2009, MVD Visual)

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References

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Further reading

Template:The Dead Boys

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