View source for Wayne County & the Electric Chairs

{{Short description|Punk band}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Jayne County & the Electric Chairs
| image = Jayne County & The Electric Chairs 2012.jpg
| caption = Jayne County, 2012
| origin = London, United Kingdom
| background = group_or_band
| genre = [[Punk rock]], [[glam punk]]
| years_active = 1977-1979
| label = 
| past_members = 
* [[Jayne County]]
* Greg Van Cook
* Val Haller
* John Johnson
* Eliot Michael
* [[Henry Padovani]]
}}

'''Wayne County & the Electric Chairs''' was an American-British [[rock music|rock]] band that was part of the first wave of [[punk rock|punk]] bands from the 1970s. The band was headed by [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]-born singer [[Jayne County]] (aka Wayne County) and became known for their [[camp (style)|campy]], foul-mouthed [[ballad]]s, [[glam punk]] inspired songs and image which was heavily influenced by [[Jackie Curtis]] and the [[Theatre of the Ridiculous]].<ref>[https://dsps.lib.uiowa.edu/downtownpopunderground/person/jayne-county/] The Play-House of the Ridiculous</ref>

==Career==
Jayne County, then known as Wayne County, originally began performing in [[New York City|New York]] with a band called ''Queen Elizabeth''. This was followed by Wayne County and The Backstreet Boys<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZMpNCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA84|last1=Ramone|first1=Marky|year=2015|title=Punk Rock Blitzkrieg: My Life as a Ramone|publisher=Touchstone|isbn=9781451687781 |access-date=20 July 2019}}</ref> as documented on [[Rhino Records|Rhino]]'s ''DIY: Blank Generation'' compilation album with an early single: "Max's Kansas City 1976." Upon moving to [[London]] with Greg Van Cook, a member of the Backstreet Boys, she recruited a new drummer and bassist to form "The Electric Chairs"; a band comprising Van Cook (guitar), [[Val Haller]] (bass) and [[:hu:Darnel Christian|Chris Dust]] (drums).

[[Jools Holland]] had his first studio session with the group in 1976.

None of County's albums were ever released in her native United States except for three songs on the very early punk compilation ''Max's Kansas City''.

Wayne County and the Electric Chairs were supported by [[the Police]] during their 1977 tour of Holland.<ref name="Historia">Sutcliffe, Phil & Fielder, Hugh (1981). ''L'Historia Bandido''. London and New York: Proteus Books. {{ISBN|0-906071-66-6}}. Pages 42 and 54.</ref> Dust, a [[Hungarians|Hungarian]], was [[deported]] following the band's return to the UK when the authorities found that his [[Visa (document)|visa]] had expired over a year before.<ref name="Padovani90">{{cite book|last=Padovani|first=Henry|date=2009|title=Secret Police Man|publisher=Pen Press|isbn=978-1-907172-83-0|pages=90–97}}</ref> He was replaced by John "JJ" Johnson, and the band recorded their first album ''The Electric Chairs''. In order to recreate the sound of the album live the band recruited Police guitarist, [[Henry Padovani]] on rhythm guitar.<ref name="Padovani90"/>

This new five-piece line-up toured extensively, but County ultimately fired Greg Van Cook due to his rampant [[drug abuse]] and replaced him with Eliot Michael, another former member of the Backstreet Boys.<ref name="Padovani90"/> Producer [[Martin Birch]] exerted a great deal of creative control over the band's second album ''Storm the Gates of Heaven'' and Padovani later commented in his memoir that the album "wasn't bad but it wasn't the Chairs as we wanted it to be."<ref name="Padovani106">{{cite book|last=Padovani|first=Henry|title=Secret Police Man|date=2009|publisher=Pen Press|isbn=978-1-907172-83-0|page=106}}</ref> The band's third album ''Things Your Mother Never Told You'' was produced by [[David Cunningham (musician)|David Cunningham]].<ref name="Padovani106"/> After a few more tours, Wayne County & the Electric Chairs split in two, with Eliot Michael following County in her solo career. Padovani, Haller, and Johnson recorded a final single: "So Many Ways" as ''The Electric Chairs'' before management problems forced them to disband completely.<ref name="Johnson Interview">{{cite web|url=http://www.punk77.co.uk/groups/waynecountyjjjohnsoninterview.htm|title=JJ Johnson: Drummer Electric Chairs|author=Marko, Paul|date=16 January 2001|website=Punk77.co.uk|access-date=1 August 2010}}</ref>

County played "Lounge Lizard" in [[Derek Jarman]]'s 1978 film ''[[Jubilee (1978 film)|Jubilee]]'', performing "Paranoia Paradise" with the Electric Chairs.<ref name="Johnson Interview"/> This track appeared on the ''Jubilee'' soundtrack album released by [[Polydor|Polydor UK]] in 1978. County is featured in the 2013 film ''[[CBGB (film)|CBGB]].'' The Wayne County and the Electric Chairs track "Out of Control" appears on the ''CBGB'' film soundtrack

The bootlegged 'live' appearance of Wayne County & the Electric Chairs in 1978 on the German TV show ''[[Rockpalast]]'' was released as a DVD/CD double pack by [[Repertoire Records]] UK in December 2014.  The concert took place while the band were touring their second album ''Storm the Gates of Heaven"''.

==Discography==

===Albums===
* ''The Electric Chairs'' (Safari, February 1978)
* ''Storm the Gates of Heaven'' (also released as ''Man Enough to Be a Woman'') (Safari, August 1978)
* ''Things Your Mother Never Told You'' (Safari, May 1979)

===Compilations===
* ''Best of Jayne/Wayne County and the Electric Chairs'' (Safari, 1982)
* ''Rock 'n' Roll Cleopatra'' (RPM, 1993)
* ''Let Your Backbone Slip!'' (RPM, 1995)
* ''Safari Years Box'' ([[Captain Trip Records|Captain Trip]], 2011)
* ''The Safari Years – 4 CD Box Set (Captain Oi! 2020)''

===Singles and EPs===
* ''Max's Kansas City: New York New Wave'' EP (1975)
* "[[Fuck Off (song)|Fuck Off]]" / "On the Crest" (Sweet FA Records, Nov 1977)
* "Thunder When She Walks" / "What You Got" (Illegal, 1977)
* "Eddie & Sheena" / "Rock'n'Roll Cleopatra" (Safari, February 1978)
* "Stuck on You" / "Paranoia Paradise" / "[[The Last Time (The Rolling Stones song)|The Last Time]]" (Illegal, June 1978)
* "[[I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)|I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night]]" / "Fuck Off" (Safari, 1978)
* ''Blatantly Offenzive'' E.P. (Safari, 1978)
* "Trying to Get on the Radio" / "Evil Minded Mama" (Safari, August 1978)
* "Berlin" / "Waiting for the Marines" (Safari, June 1979)
* "So Many Ways" / "J'Attends Les Marines" (Illegal, 1979)

==Bibliography==
* ''Man Enough to Be a Woman'' ({{ISBN|1-85242-338-2}})

==Filmography==
* 1976 ''[[The Blank Generation]]'' [[film director|directed]] by [[Ivan Kral]] and [[Amos Poe]]
* 1977 ''[[Jubilee (1977 film)|Jubilee]]'' directed by [[Derek Jarman]]
* 1978 ''[[The Punk Rock Movie]]'' directed by [[Don Letts]]
* 1983 ''[[City of Lost Souls (1983 film)|The City of Lost Souls]]'' directed by [[Rosa von Praunheim]]
* 2013 ''[[CBGB]]''

==See also==
*[[List of 1970s punk rock musicians]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.jaynecounty.com Jayne County Official Site]
*[https://www.drumpunk.co.uk  Drumpunk – John (JJ) Johnson official website]
*[https://www.discogs.com/artist/264655-Wayne-County-The-Electric-Chairs Discogs page]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wayne County and the Electric Chairs}}
[[Category:American punk rock groups]]
[[Category:LGBTQ-themed musical groups]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in the 1970s]]