List of Gang of Four band members

Last updated

Gang of Four 1982.jpg
Go4 16.jpg
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Gang of Four in 1982, 2011, 2015, 2019

Gang of Four are an English post-punk band founded by guitarist Andy Gill and singer Jon King in 1976, [1] the band originally consisted King, Gill, drummer Hugo Burnham and bassist Dave Wolfson, [2] who was soon replaced by Dave Allen. [3] The band currently consists of King (who was a consistent member, except for between 2012 and 2021) and Burnham (who most recently rejoined in 2021), guitarist Dave Pajo (since 2021) and bassist Gail Greenwood (since 2024).

Contents

History

King and Gill founded the band in 1976 in Leeds, [1] the two were joined by drummer Hugo Burnham and bass guitarist Dave Wolfson. [2] After two or three gigs, [2] Wolfson was replaced by Dave Allen. [3] After releasing two albums, Allen left in 1981. He was temporarily replaced by Busta "Cherry" Jones, [4] before Sara Lee joined as a permanent replacement. Burnham left in 1983, his replacement was Steve Goulding. [5] The band broke up in 1984. [6]

King and Gill reunited Gang of Four on three occasions in the 1990s, first to record Mail (1991), which featured Gail Ann Dorsey on bass and drummers Blair Cunningham, Frank Tontoh, Martyn Ford, Neil Wilkinson, Steve Monti. And again in 1995, recording Shrinkwrapped with bassists Phil Butcher and Dean Garcia, and drummers Dave Axford and again Steve Monti.

In 2004, the classic line-up of King, Gill, Burnham and Allen reunited for a UK tour in 2005. [7] [8] Burnham departed again in late 2005 to continue to be a college professor, he was replaced by Mark Heaney. [9] [10] Allen was also replaced by Thomas McNeice in 2008. [11] Founding member Jon King left in 2011 after disagreements with Gill, he was replaced by John Sterry. [12] Heaney was also replaced by Jonny Finnegan in 2014, [11] who was replaced by Tobias Humble in 2016. [13] Gill died in February 2020, ending this incarnation of the band. [14]

In October 2021, King reformed the band with Burnham, former bassist Sara Lee and Slint guitarist Dave Pajo. [15] [16] Allen did not return as "he didn’t want to do anything any more". [17] Lee was replaced by Linda Pardee in January 2024, [18] and then by Gail Greenwood in July. [19]

Members

Current members

ImageNameYears activeInstrumentsRelease contributions
Go4 1.jpg
Jon King
  • 1976–1984
  • 1990–1991
  • 1993
  • 1995
  • 2004–2011
  • 2021–present
  • lead vocals
  • percussion
  • melodica
all releases until Content (2011)
Hugo Burnham 2.png
Hugo Burnham
  • 1976–1982
  • 2004–2006
  • 2021–present
  • drums
  • backing vocals
Dave Pajo.png
David Pajo 2021–present
  • guitar
  • vocals
none to date
Gail Greenwood 2024–present
  • bass
  • backing vocals

Former members

ImageNameYears activeInstrumentsRelease contributions
Go4 2.jpg
Andy Gill
  • 1976–1984
  • 1990–1991
  • 1993
  • 1995
  • 2004–2020 (until his death)
  • guitars
  • backing and lead vocals
all releases to date
Dave Wolfson1976bassnone
David Allen Gang of Four.jpg
Dave Allen
  • 1977–1981
  • 2004–2008
  • bass
  • backing vocals
  • all releases from Entertainment! (1979) to Another Day/Another Dollar (1982)
  • The Peel Sessions (1990)
  • Return the Gift (2005)
  • Entertainment!: Official Live Recording (2005)
Busta Jones 1983.png
Busta "Cherry" Jones 1980 (died 1995)none
Sara Lee 2010 photo by Susan Alzner.jpg
Sara Lee
  • 1980–1984
  • 2021–2023
  • Songs of the Free (1982)
  • Hard (1983)
Steve Goulding performing with the Mekons at the Hideout, Chicago, IL on 2015.07.13.jpg
Steve Goulding 1983–1984drumsnone
Gail Ann Dorsey.jpg
Gail Ann Dorsey 1990–1991
  • bass
  • backing vocals
Gang of Four (5603575052).jpg
Mark Heaney 2006–2013
  • drums
  • backing vocals
  • Content (2011)
  • What Happens Next (2015)
Gang of Four SXSW -5364 (24425384473).jpg
Thomas McNeice2008–2020
  • bass
  • backing vocals
all releases from Content (2011) to Happy Now (2019)
ModernSky GangOfFour 10042015 043 (21967629471).jpg
John "Gaoler" Sterry2012–2020
  • lead vocals
  • percussion
  • melodica
What Happens Next (2015)
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Jonny Finnegan2014–2016
  • drums
  • backing vocals
Record Store Day 2019 - Gang of Four - 47551588722.jpg
Tobias Humble2016–2020Happy Now (2019)
Linda Pardee2023–2024
  • bass
  • backing vocals
none


Timeline

List of Gang of Four band members

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gang of Four (band)</span> English rock band

Gang of Four are an English post-punk band, formed in 1976 in Leeds. The original members were singer Jon King, guitarist Andy Gill, bass guitarist Dave Allen and drummer Hugo Burnham. There have been many different line-ups including, among other notable musicians, Sara Lee, Gail Ann Dorsey, and David Pajo. After a brief lull in the 1980s, different constellations of the band recorded two studio albums in the 1990s. Between 2004 and 2006 the original line-up was reunited; Gill toured using the name between 2012 and his death in 2020. In 2021, the band announced that King, Burnham, and Lee would be reuniting for a US tour in 2022 with David Pajo on guitar and Sara Lee returning to the band. They continue to perform live, including at the Cruel World Festival in Pasadena, California; headlining Luna Fest in Coimbra, Portugal, a UK Tour in October '23, and plan to be in Australia and beyond in 2024.

<i>Entertainment!</i> 1979 studio album by Gang of Four

Entertainment! is the debut album by English post-punk band Gang of Four. It was released in September 1979 through EMI Records internationally and Warner Bros. Records in North America. Stylistically, it draws heavily on punk rock but also incorporates the influence of funk, reggae and dub. Its lyrics and artwork reflected the band's left-wing political concerns. Entertainment! became a seminal album in the post-punk movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sara Lee (musician)</span> Musical artist

Sara Lee is an English-American bassist and singer-songwriter, who came to prominence when replacing Dave Allen on bass guitar in the post-punk band Gang of Four, of which she was a member from 1982 to 1984. She was also a member of Robert Fripp's short-lived band The League of Gentlemen and is also notable for work with the B-52s, Ani DiFranco, and Indigo Girls. As of October 2021, Lee rejoined Gang of Four with founding members Hugo Burnham and Jon King as well as David Pajo, to tour in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Pajo</span> American musician (born 1968)

David Pajo is an American musician. He has played a wide variety of music, loosely fitting into several other genres such as hardcore punk, math rock, post-rock, electronica, folk rock and indie pop. Though a multi-instrumentalist, he is best known for his guitar work, most notably with Slint. He is currently a member of Gang of Four and musician at large.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugo Burnham</span> Musical artist

Hugo Hamilton Mark Burnham is an English musician, and drummer for the rock group Gang of Four.

<i>Solid Gold</i> (album) 1981 studio album by Gang of Four

Solid Gold is the second album by the British post-punk band Gang of Four, released in 1981. Two of its tracks, "Outside the Trains Don't Run on Time" and "He'd Send in the Army", are re-recordings of songs previously released as a single in the UK.

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<i>Songs of the Free</i> 1982 studio album by Gang of Four

Songs of the Free is the third studio album by Gang of Four, released in 1982.

<i>Another Day/Another Dollar</i> 1982 EP by Gang of Four

Another Day/Another Dollar is a 12" vinyl EP by Gang of Four, released in 1982 in the US, by Warner Bros. Records. The release is a compilation of material previously unreleased in the US. The first two tracks were released in the UK as a single. The third track is the b-side of the UK only single "What We All Want," and the last two tracks are excerpted from a live show recorded at the Hammersmith Palais, in London, on 3/30/81. All five songs from the EP later appeared on the EMI Records and Infinite Zero Archive/American Recordings's 1995 CD reissue of the 1981 LP Solid Gold.

<i>Hard</i> (Gang of Four album) 1983 studio album by Gang of Four

Hard is the fourth studio album by the English post-punk group Gang of Four. It was originally released in 1983 on Warner Bros. Records and was the first album to not feature original member Hugo Burnham, while Dave Allen had already left before the previous album, Songs of the Free.

<i>The Peel Sessions</i> (Gang of Four album) 1990 compilation album by Gang of Four

The Peel Sessions is a compilation album by Gang of Four.

<i>Content</i> (Gang of Four album) 2011 studio album by Gang of Four

Content is the seventh full-length studio album by English band Gang of Four, released on 24 January 2011 on Grönland Records in Europe and the following day on Yep Roc Records in the US. It was the last Gang of Four album to feature original vocalist Jon King, and the only full-length album to featured the drummer Mark Heaney. It was recorded at Andy Gill's central London studio, The Beauchamp Building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damaged Goods (song)</span> 1978 single by Gang of Four

"Damaged Goods" is a song by English post-punk band Gang of Four. Acting as their debut single, it was released on 13 October 1978 through independent record label Fast Product. Produced by Fast Product owner Bob Last under the alias "Fast Product", the single received critical acclaim, prompting the band to sign to major label EMI. The title track and "Love Like Anthrax" were re-recorded for Gang of Four's debut album Entertainment! in 1979 and the whole EP was included in the Fast Product compilation Mutant Pop in 1980.

<i>What Happens Next</i> (Gang of Four album) 2015 studio album by Gang of Four

What Happens Next is the eighth studio album by English post-punk band Gang of Four. It was released on 24 February 2015 through Metropolis Records and Membran record label. It is the band's first album to feature John "Gaoler" Sterry on vocals, following vocalist Jon King's departure, which left the guitarist Andy Gill as the sole original member of the band. The previous drummer Mark Heaney, who already recorded several songs for the album left the band during the recording, and being replaced by Jon Finnigan to finished the drum parts for the album.

References

  1. 1 2 Deming, Mark. "Gang of Four Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & Mor..." AllMusic. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 Lester, Paul (2008). Gang of Four: Damaged Gods. Omnibus Press. pp. 25–26. ISBN   978-1-84772-245-4.
  3. 1 2 "Red Set: A History of Gang of Four". Repeaterbooks.com. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  4. "Gang of Four half dead from playing those live shows - Newspapers.com". Fort Lauderdale News. 16 June 2023. p. 93. Archived from the original on 16 June 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  5. Holden, Stephen (27 October 1983). "ROCK: BRITAIN'S GANG OF FOUR". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  6. Palmer, Robert (25 April 1984). "THE POP LIFE; THE GANG OF FOUR'S FAREWELL VISIT". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  7. Simpson, Dave (7 October 2005). "Gang of Four, Return the Gift". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  8. "Gang Of Four Interview". www.vgmusic.f9.co.uk. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  9. Lynskey, Dorian (20 January 2011). "Gang of Four: Old punks, new Content". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  10. "Mark Heaney — www.gtvone.com". simon pollock. 27 September 2009. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  11. 1 2 Power, Bobby (21 October 2015). "Andy Gill and the One-Man Legacy of Gang of Four". flagpole. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  12. Kaye, Ben (20 March 2017). "Gang of Four frontman John Sterry shares new solo song as Billionaire, "World Loves a Trier" -- listen". Consequence. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  13. Peters, Doug (13 November 2019). "Concert Review: Gang Of Four, Auckland New Zealand, 2019". Ambient Light. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  14. Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (1 February 2020). "Andy Gill, influential guitarist with Gang of Four, dies aged 64". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  15. Pearis, Bill (17 October 2021). "Gang of Four teasing something, share picture ft Jon King, Hugo Burnham, Sara Lee & David Pajo". brooklynvegan. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  16. Pearis, Bill (18 October 2021). "Gang of Four (with David Pajo) announce 2022 tour of '77-'83 material". brooklynvegan. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  17. Burgess, Mick (25 September 2023). "Gang Of Four singer Jon King on Andy Gill's legacy and why the time is right for more Entertainment |" . Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  18. Gang of Four [@gangof4official] (17 January 2024). "We'll be joined by Boston-based Linda Pardee from Orbit and The Chelsea Curve on bass guitar" (Tweet). Retrieved 27 August 2024 via Twitter.
  19. Gang of Four [@gangof4official] (26 July 2024). "Joining the band (Jon King, Hugo Burnham and David Pajo) on bass guitar for this show will be Gail Greenwood" (Tweet). Retrieved 27 August 2024 via Twitter.