Greg Dulli

Last updated

Greg Dulli
Greg Dulli, The Afghan Whigs.jpg
Dulli performing at Primavera Sound in Barcelona in 2012.
Background information
Born (1965-05-11) May 11, 1965 (age 58) [1]
Origin Hamilton, Ohio, US
Genres Rock, alternative rock, grunge, indie rock
Years active1987–present
Member of The Afghan Whigs, The Twilight Singers
Formerly of The Gutter Twins

Greg Dulli (born May 11, 1965) is an American musician from Hamilton, Ohio. Debuting as a member of the rock band the Afghan Whigs in 1986, Dulli has been a member of the Twilight Singers, Gutter Twins, and in 2020 released his debut solo album, Random Desire . Dulli is known as the voice of John Lennon in the 1994 film Backbeat , and has produced music for musicians such as Afterhours, [2] and is known as a regular collaborator of Mark Lanegan and Joseph Arthur. [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Early life

Dulli grew up in Hamilton, Ohio. [6] In 1983, he studied film at the University of Cincinnati, but later dropped out after a year and a half, moving to Los Angeles and working at Tower Records on Sunset Boulevard while attempting to become an actor. [6] [7] Inspired to become a musician by the band the Dream Syndicate, Dulli moved back to Cincinnati and formed a band called the Black Republicans. [7] [6]

Career

1986–2001: The Afghan Whigs

The Afghan Whigs performing in Leicester (1993). The Afghan Whigs (1992).jpg
The Afghan Whigs performing in Leicester (1993).

Dulli formed the Afghan Whigs in late 1986 with bassist John Curley, who had also been a member of the Black Republicans, Rick McCollum, a guitarist who Dulli bonded with over their shared love of R&B, and later drummer Steve Earle. [8] [9] The band independently released their debut album Big Top Halloween in 1988, [10] which had been recorded in Curley's home studio. [8] The release caught the attention of Jonathan Poneman, the co-founder of Seattle-based indie label Sub Pop, who signed the band in 1989. [7] The band released their first album with Sub Pop, Up in It , in 1990, and a follow-up in 1992, Congregation . [8]

The band's success led to a contract with major label Elektra Records in 1992, [7] where they released Gentlemen (1993) and Black Love (1996). [8] In 1994, Dulli was featured in Backbeat , a film detailing the pre-fame years of the Beatles, where he portrayed John Lennon's singing voice. [8] Dulli also appeared on Foo Fighters' debut album in 1995, as the only credited musician other than Dave Grohl. [11] In 1997, Dulli moved to New Orleans, renting R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck's house. [12] Dulli also worked with directors Ted Demme and Joel Stillerman to produce a film script based on author Ann Imbrie's novel Spoken in Darkness (1993), which Elektra agreed to finance as a part of the band's 1992 contract, but the film was never made. [13]

Disappointed with the management and lack of promotion through Elektra, the band signed with Columbia Records (who had to pay out Elektra for the contract), and in 1998 the group released 1965 , [8] which happened at the same time Dulli was receiving treatment for depression. [14] [15] While touring in support of 1965, Dulli was beaten by an employee of a Texas club until he had a fractured skull, sending him into a coma. [16] However, he recovered and returned to touring in just two months. [17]

The band did not perform together from September 1999 until announcing their split in February 2001, blaming the difficulties of working together with each member living in different US states. [18] [19] Dulli co-purchased Short Stop, a bar in Los Angeles, soon after the announcement. [20]

2000-2011: The Twilight Singers, The Gutter Twins

Greg Dulli (right) performing with The Twilight Singers in 2006. Twilight Singers Orlando 2.jpg
Greg Dulli (right) performing with The Twilight Singers in 2006.

Dulli's main musical project became the Twilight Singers. First formed in 1997 as a side project featuring New Orleans-based musicians, the group released their debut album Twilight as Played by The Twilight Singers in 2000. [21] Dulli began working on a solo record, however due to the death of his close friend Ted Demme the sessions were shelved, and Dulli was inspired to write the band's second album Blackberry Belle (2003) instead. [22] [23] The solo material Dulli had written was eventually released as Amber Headlights in 2005. [22] The Twilight Singers released the covers album She Loves You in 2004, followed by Powder Burns in 2006, and Dynamite Steps (2011).

Dulli and Mark Lanegan formed a group named the Gutter Twins, and signed to Sub Pop in 2008, releasing their debut album Saturnalia on the label, [24] [25] as well as an extended play Adorata in the same year. [26] Dulli first met Lanegan in the early 1990s, and had been close friends and collaborators since the year 2000. [27] Later that year, Dulli released a solo live album, featuring content he had recorded at The Triple Door in Seattle, for the A Drink for the Kids fundraising effort by The Vera Project. [28] Dulli released a solo single in 2009, covering the Eddie Hinton tracks "Hard Luck Guy" and "Cover Me", as a part of Shake It Records' series vinyl single tributes to Hinton. [29]

In October 2010, for the first time in his career Greg Dulli embarked on a solo tour, which saw him perform twenty-nine shows in five different countries. [30]

2011 onward: The Afghan Whigs revival, solo debut

In 2011 the Afghan Whigs announced that they were reuniting, the first time the band had been together since recording two songs in 2006 for the Afghan Whigs compilation album Unbreakable: A Retrospective 1990–2006 . [31] [19] The band toured internationally for their 2012 reunion tour, reaching sixteen countries, [19] and in the following year Dulli teamed up with Steve Kilbey of The Church for several live performances in Los Angeles. [32]

In 2014, the band released their first album in 16 years, Do to the Beast , which debuted at number 32 on Billboard's Top 200 Albums and the #8 spot and #7 spot on the rock albums and alternative albums charts respectively. [33] [34] This was followed with a second revival album in 2017, titled In Spades . [25]

After the release of In Spades and the death of Afghan Whigs' guitarist Dave Rosser, Dulli began to work on his first solo album. [35] [25] The album, Random Desire (2020), took influence from Prince and Todd Rundgren's methods of writing and performing almost every instrument on their records. [25] Dulli's tour for the album was originally meant to be an international tour held from March to May, however this was postponed due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. [36]

Personal life

Dulli co-owns several bars across the United States. Dulli co-owns three bars in Los Angeles: Short Stop on Sunset Boulevard (which he purchased in 2001), Club Tee Gee in Atwater Village [20] [37] and Footsies in Cypress Park. [38] Additionally, Dulli co-owns three bars in his former residence New Orleans: the Royal Street Inn and R Bar in Faubourg Marigny, and Bud Rip's in Bywater. [36] [39]

Discography

Studio albums

TitleDetails
Random Desire

Compilation albums

TitleDetails
Amber Headlights
  • Released: September 6, 2005 [41]
  • Label: Infernal Recordings
  • Formats: CD, digital download

Live albums

TitleDetails
Live at Triple Door
  • Released: October 28, 2008 [42]
  • Label: Infernal Recordings
  • Formats: CD, digital download

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Afghan Whigs</span> American rock band

The Afghan Whigs are an American rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio. They were active from 1986 to 2001 and have since reformed as a band. The group – with core members Greg Dulli, Rick McCollum, and John Curley (bass) – rose up around the grunge movement, evolving from a garage band in the vein of the Replacements to incorporate more R&B and soul influences into their sound and image. After releasing their first album independently in 1988, the band signed to the Seattle-based label Sub Pop. They released their major-label debut and fourth album, Gentlemen, in 1993. Pitchfork described them as "one of the few alt-bands to flourish on a major label" in the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Screaming Trees</span> American rock band

Screaming Trees were an American rock band formed in Ellensburg, Washington, in 1984 by vocalist Mark Lanegan, guitarist Gary Lee Conner, bassist Van Conner, and drummer Mark Pickerel. Pickerel was replaced by Barrett Martin in 1991. Screaming Trees became known as one of the pioneers of grunge along with Melvins, Mudhoney, U-Men, Skin Yard, Soundgarden, Green River, and Malfunkshun, among others. Although widely associated with grunge, the band's sound incorporated hard rock and psychedelic elements.

<i>Congregation</i> (The Afghan Whigs album) 1992 studio album by The Afghan Whigs

Congregation is the third studio album by American alternative rock band The Afghan Whigs, released on January 31, 1992, by Sub Pop. After touring for two years in support of their 1990 album Up in It, the band received a $15,000 advance from Sub Pop to record a follow-up album. It was primarily recorded at Bear Creek Studios in Woodinville and Buzz's Kitchen in Los Angeles during July to August 1991. The band's frontman Greg Dulli produced the album entirely with audio engineer Ross Ian Stein. The album's production and release were hindered by Sub Pop's financial difficulties, which were eventually resolved by the massive commercial success of Nirvana's 1991 album Nevermind.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Catching</span> American musician

David Catching is an American musician from Memphis, Tennessee. He is a founding member of the California stoner rock band earthlings?, a touring member of Eagles of Death Metal and the co-founder of the Rancho De La Luna recording studio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Lanegan</span> American singer (1964–2022)

Mark William Lanegan was an American singer, songwriter, and poet. First becoming prominent as the lead singer for the early grunge band Screaming Trees, he was also known as a member of Queens of the Stone Age and The Gutter Twins. He released 12 solo studio albums, as well as three collaboration albums with Isobel Campbell and two with Duke Garwood. He was known for his baritone voice, which was described as being "as scratchy as a three-day beard yet as supple and pliable as moccasin leather" and has been compared to Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, and Nick Cave.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Twilight Singers</span> American indie rock band

The Twilight Singers are an American indie rock band. It was formed in 1997 by Greg Dulli as a side project during a hiatus from his group The Afghan Whigs. After the Afghan Whigs disbanded, Dulli used The Twilight Singers as his own artistic vehicle and has now released five studio albums backed by worldwide tours.

<i>1965</i> (album) 1998 studio album by The Afghan Whigs

1965 is the sixth studio album by American rock band The Afghan Whigs. It was released on October 27, 1998, by Columbia Records.

<i>Gentlemen</i> (album) 1993 studio album by the Afghan Whigs

Gentlemen is the fourth studio album by American alternative rock band the Afghan Whigs. It was recorded primarily at Ardent Studios in Memphis, with the band's frontman Greg Dulli producing, and released on October 5, 1993, by Elektra Records.

Benjamin Mumphrey is an American record producer, audio engineer, and musician.

<i>Black Love</i> (The Afghan Whigs album) 1996 studio album by the Afghan Whigs

Black Love is the fifth album by the band the Afghan Whigs, released in March 1996. It was released by Elektra Records/Sub Pop in the US and by Mute in Europe, and was produced by Greg Dulli. Black Love was preceded by the single "Honky's Ladder" and followed by the single "Going to Town".

<i>Blackberry Belle</i> 2003 studio album by The Twilight Singers

Blackberry Belle is the second full-length album released by The Twilight Singers. It was released by One Little Indian Records on October 14, 2003 and features guest appearances by Mathias Schneeberger, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Stanton Moore, Petra Haden, Kamasi Washington and Mark Lanegan. The album is a tribute to director Ted Demme, a close friend of Greg Dulli's who died of a heart attack while playing a game of basketball in January 2002. Dulli had been working on another project entitled Amber Headlights, but abandoned those sessions due to Demme's death. The recordings which followed, fueled in part by the memory of Demme, resulted in Blackberry Belle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Gutter Twins</span> American alternative rock band

The Gutter Twins was a musical collaboration between rock musicians Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan. Dulli and Lanegan had regularly contributed to each other's projects since 2000, most notably in Dulli's Twilight Singers; of the duo's origins, Dulli said "I think Mark told a journalist we were doing it, and then the journalist called me, and I didn't know we were doing it." On Christmas Day 2003, Dulli and Lanegan began work on the collaboration. Their name is a punning homage to the Glimmer Twins, the pseudonym used by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards for work producing recordings by the Rolling Stones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Lanegan discography</span>

The discography of Mark Lanegan consists of eleven studio albums and two EPs as a solo artist, and many other releases from collaborations with other artists.

Harold "Happy" Chichester is an American singer-songwriter and musician.

<i>Amber Headlights</i> 2005 studio album by Greg Dulli

Amber Headlights is an album by Greg Dulli, released in 2005.

Jeffrey Lawrence Klein is an American singer-songwriter of the band My Jerusalem from Newburgh, New York, who plays keyboards and guitar. He has released three solo albums and another three albums with My Jerusalem. Jeff Klein has risen to acclaim after the release of his album 'Everybody Loves A Winner' which gave him the necessary critical acclaim in the beginning and provided him with an international reach towards some few parts of every continent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afterhours (band)</span>

Afterhours is an Italian alternative rock band. The band was named after the Velvet Underground song of the same name.

<i>Has God Seen My Shadow?</i> 2014 compilation album by Mark Lanegan

Has God Seen My Shadow is a three-disc compilation album by Mark Lanegan, featuring songs from his releases between 1989 and 2011. It was released in January 2014 under Light in the Attic Records.

Dave Rosser was an American rock guitarist known for his work for the Afghan Whigs, who he joined in 2014. He played guitar on their albums Do to the Beast and In Spades. Previously, he was a member of the Gutter Twins and the Twilight Singers, projects started by Whigs frontman Greg Dulli.

<i>Random Desire</i> 2020 studio album by Greg Dulli

Random Desire is the debut studio album by American singer Greg Dulli, lead singer of the bands the Afghan Whigs and the Twilight Singers. It was released on February 21, 2020, by Royal Cream and BMG Rights Management.

References

  1. ↑ "HAPPY 55TH BIRTHDAY GREG DULLI (AFGHAN WHIGS, TWILIGHT SINGERS)". Magnet Magazine. May 11, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  2. ↑ Clarke, Betty (November 24, 2006). "Afterhours, Ballads For Little Hyenas". The Guardian. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  3. ↑ Hughes, Rob (September 25, 2019). "Mark Lanegan: a guide to his best albums". Louder Sound. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  4. ↑ Wong, Miranda ZY. (September 20, 2019). "Joseph Arthur, Patrick Carney & Greg Dulli Debut Indie-Folk Collaboration "Seek and Find"". Mxdwn. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  5. ↑ Graff, Gary (February 18, 2019). "Greg Dulli Debuts 'A Ghost' From First Solo Album 'Random Desire': Premiere". Billboard. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 Cromelin, Richard (January 22, 1994). "Whigged Out : Group's 'Gentlemen' Delves Into Dark Psyche of '90s Male". LA Times. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Arnold, Gina (May 16, 1996). "He stole the soul". Dallas Observer. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Nager, Larry (November 26, 1998). "Afghan Whigs Waiting In Wings For Stardom". Seattle Times. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  9. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Afghan Whigs – Music Biography, Streaming Radio and Discography – AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  10. ↑ Grendon, Bob (2004). Gentlemen. Continuum. pp. 11–15. ISBN   978-0-8264-2910-0.
  11. ↑ "Foo Fighters". Rolling Stone. August 10, 1995. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  12. ↑ Welch, Michael Patrick (June 1, 2006). "Twilight In New Orleans". Offbeat. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  13. ↑ Weiss, Dan (November 12, 2014). "The Afghan Whigs Dissect 'Gentlemen,' Track By Track". Spin. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  14. ↑ Gross, Joe (2004). "Afghan Whigs". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp.  9–10. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8 . Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  15. ↑ Chonin, Neva (December 2, 1998). "Afghan Whigs Bare Almost All / Lead singer Dulli finds joy again in sensual, life-affirming '1965'". SFGate. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Afghan Whigs Offer Shocking Account Of Nightclub Incident - mtv.com". MTV .
  17. ↑ "The Afghan Whigs: a personal story". August 10, 2017.
  18. ↑ "LO-FIS TURN TO NEW DULLI". NME. February 8, 2001. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  19. 1 2 3 Nishimoto, Rei (May 15, 2012). "The Afghan Whigs Announce Summer 2012 Reunion Tour Dates". MXDWN. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  20. 1 2 "Former Afghan Whigs Leader Buys L.A. Bar". Billboard. February 23, 2001. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  21. ↑ Ruhlmann, William. "Artist Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  22. 1 2 McMahan, Tim (November 5, 2003). "The Twilight Singer's Greg Dulli: Remembering Teddy". Lazy-i. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  23. ↑ Kerr, Dave (May 16, 2006). "The Twilight Singers: From Despair to Where?". The Skinny. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  24. ↑ "Gutter Twins (Dulli and Lanegan) Sign to Sub Pop". Archived from the original on March 7, 2008. Retrieved March 5, 2008.
  25. 1 2 3 4 Thomas, Fred (2020). "Artist Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  26. ↑ Album review by Joshua Klein. (September 4, 2008). "The Gutter Twins - Adorata E.P". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
  27. ↑ Kerr, Dave (February 22, 2008). "From down in the dark: The Gutter Twins step into the light". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  28. ↑ "Gutter Twins' man live album on the way". NME. October 14, 2008. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  29. ↑ Varias, Chris (April 2009). "Hard Luck Guy". Cincinnati: 34.
  30. ↑ Young, Alex (July 27, 2010). "Greg Dulli maps out first ever solo tour". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  31. ↑ Phillips, Amy (September 8, 2006). "Afghan Whigs Reunite". Archived from the original on February 3, 2009. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  32. ↑ Baltin, Steve (October 10, 2013). "Afghan Whigs, Church Frontmen Debut New Project". Rolling Stone . Retrieved November 15, 2013.
  33. ↑ "Afghan Whigs Enter Billboard Charts". Summer's Kiss.
  34. ↑ Grow, Kory (January 27, 2014). "Afghan Whigs Plan 'Beast' of a New Record, First in 16 Years". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  35. ↑ Bacioron, Robin (December 4, 2019). "The Afghan Whigs' Greg Dulli announces debut solo album Random Desire, shares "Pantomima": Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  36. 1 2 Spera, Keith (August 13, 2020). "Greg Dulli can't tour and his New Orleans bars are closed, so he'll livestream a solo show". Nola. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  37. ↑ Nati, Michelle (November 29, 2018). "Atwater Dive Bar Gets New Lease on Life". Los Feliz Ledger. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  38. ↑ Bradley, Paul T. (June 4, 2012). "TOP 10 JUKEBOXES IN LOS ANGELES". LA Weekly. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  39. ↑ Price, Simon (March 5, 2012). "Your Attention Please... Greg Dulli Of The Afghan Whigs Interviewed". The Quietus. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  40. ↑ "Random Desire". iTunes. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  41. ↑ "Greg Dulli Amber Headlights". AllMusic. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  42. ↑ "Live at Triple Door". iTunes. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.