Top Jimmy & The Rhythm Pigs

Last updated

Top Jimmy & The Rhythm Pigs were an American rock and R&B band that emerged from the Los Angeles punk/roots music scene of the late 1970s and early to mid-1980s. Music writer Chris Morris dubbed them "L.A. punk's house band." [1] This scene also produced bands such as The Blasters, X, Los Lobos, The Gun Club, The Knitters, The Circle Jerks, and The Plugz. [2]

Contents

History


Top Jimmy (born James Paul Koncek; died † May 17, 2001) was a Kentucky native who moved to Tacoma, Washington, in his youth. He relocated to Los Angeles at age 15 in November of 1970 -- rejoining his mother, who'd moved to L.A. while Jimmy was serving a stretch in a juvenile institution. His first friend in his new home was the guitarist who later became known as Billy Zoom. [1] [3]

He got his nickname from working -- and providing handouts -- at a fast-food stand called "Top Taco", located across the street from the A&M Records studios in Hollywood. [4] [5]

Jimmy began playing out in 1979, with makeshift bands often billed as "Top Jimmy and the All-Drunk All-Stars". [1] [2] The film The Decline of Western Civilization was shot around that time, and Jimmy is seen and heard while receiving a tattoo from John Doe of X. At some point, while still working at Top Taco, he got a job as a part-time roadie for X in that band's early days. [1] At the end of a soundcheck, Jimmy sang a version of "Roadhouse Blues" by the Doors.[ citation needed ] That got the attention of the band and Doors member Ray Manzarek, who was then X's producer. In 1980, backed by the surviving members of The Doors, including Manzarek, Jimmy sang "Roadhouse Blues" at a special event. That was the publication party for the Jim Morrison biography, No One Here Gets Out Alive , at the Whisky a Go Go. [1] Jimmy also performed the song in X concerts as an encore. One such occasion came in 1981, with Manzarek playing too, at L.A.'s Greek Theatre. [2]

Chris Morris described Jimmy's voice as "big, deep, raw, and thoroughly unmannered." [1] He'd previously compared the "leather-voiced shouter" to Howlin' Wolf in Make The Music Go Bang!, a chronicle of the early L.A. punk scene. [4] A 1984 article had described Jimmy as a cross between Wolf and Sir John Falstaff. [6]

Formation of band / heyday

Top Jimmy & The Rhythm Pigs began to form around 1980. They played at numerous area clubs but their gigs at one place in particular gained attention. Starting around August 1981, they had a residency playing "Blue Mondays" every Monday night at the Cathay de Grande nightclub at the corner of Argyle and Selma in Hollywood, California. They became an important part of the Los Angeles rock scene. [1]

Live, the lineup usually consisted of:

Top Jimmy & The Rhythm Pigs concerts often featured guest appearances by such artists as Tom Waits and Stevie Ray Vaughan. [5] According to the Waits biography Lowside of the Road, Waits was influenced by the L.A. roots-rock scene but particularly loved the Pigs. He also formed a personal connection with Jimmy. [7]

Also joining at various times were Albert Collins, Bonnie Bramlett, and Percy Mayfield. In addition, the club included members of the aforementioned scene stalwarts, most notably X and The Blasters. [6]

Chris Morris described the "Blue Mondays" as "an infernal scene" that drew a hard-drinking crowd, and the band matched the audience's consumption. Fisticuffs were common, especially with the short-tempered Carlos Guitarlos. Yet the shows were mainly about dancing and having a good time. [1]

Another admirer and Cathay guest star was David Lee Roth of Van Halen. [4] Thanks to Roth, the band and its frontman in particular were saluted in the song "Top Jimmy" on the album 1984. Roth frequented the Zero Zero club, where Jimmy tended bar. [5] According to Jimmy, he and Roth had discussed working on an album of country tunes together, but that idea appears never to have gone anywhere. [6]

Dissolution

The residency at the Cathay ended when proprietor Michael Brennan shut down the club in 1985. Top Jimmy & The Rhythm Pigs remained visible for a time at another L.A. club, Raji's. [1] They also continued to play dates at other spots in the area, such as the Palomino Club, as seen in the fall of 1987. [3]

By that time, Steve Berlin was long gone. Gil T. had joined Dave Alvin's band in 1986. The "increasingly erratic" Carlos Guitarlos left for the Bay Area in 1988. [1]

The band never went beyond local-hero status for several reasons: internal volatility, absence of discipline, no new material, and substance abuse. [4] [1]

Album: Pigus Drunkus Maximus

This, the band's first and only record, was recorded in 1981 but released in 1987 -- after the group had begun to crumble. It got its belated issue on Down There Records, a label run by another L.A. musician, Steve Wynn. The album also bore the logo of Restless Records, then a division of Enigma Records. [1] It was available on vinyl and cassette but never on CD.

D.J. Bonebrake of X and Tony Morales contributed drum parts, so Joey Morales played harmonica. Gene Taylor added piano. Steve Berlin was producer. Colorful liner notes came from Chris Morris.

The back cover said, "The album you hold in your hands contains songs either written by or associated with Merle Haggard, Otis Rush, Johnny Paycheck, Bob Dylan, The Coasters, Jimi Hendrix and Howlin' Wolf." Of the 11 tracks, the only three originals were contributed by Carlos Guitarlos: "Dance with Your Baby", "Hole in My Pocket", and the instrumental "Backroom Blues". [1]

In its writeup, Trouser Press cited the LP's "enthusiastic sweaty abandon." [8]

Subsequent recordings by Top Jimmy

Long Distance Call by a group billed as "The Top Jimmy Lineup" came out in 1994. It was produced by John Doe. The bass player was John Bazz of The Blasters. [9]

The Good Times Are Killing Me came out in 1997 on a small independent label called T.O.N. Records. It was credited just to Top Jimmy. [1] John Bazz and Evan Johns were among the musicians credited.

Jimmy contributed vocals to "Mr. Satellite Man" on Phil Alvin's 1994 solo album County Fair 2000. [10] He also performed T-Bone Walker's "Mean Old World" on the compilation album L.A. Ya Ya. [11]

Legacy

Koncek died on May 17, 2001 (aged 45-46), in Las Vegas, Nevada, from liver failure. [5] Chris Morris wrote the obituary that appeared in L.A. Weekly. [12]

Morris kept the memory of Top Jimmy and the Rhythm Pigs alive in another history of the L.A. punk scene, Under the Big Black Sun (2016). [13] A follow-up book, More Fun in the New World (2019), went even deeper: three chapters were devoted expressly to Jimmy. The entry from Morris again compared him in voice and persona to Howlin' Wolf. John Doe and Billy Zoom also provided a wealth of anecdotes. Yet another contributor, Maria McKee, said in her chapter that when Jimmy asked her to sing with him on stage when she was just 16, it was a major turning point in her life. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">X (American band)</span> American punk rock band

X is an American punk rock band formed in Los Angeles. The original members are vocalist Exene Cervenka, vocalist-bassist John Doe, guitarist Billy Zoom and drummer D. J. Bonebrake. The band released seven studio albums from 1980 to 1993. After a period of inactivity during the mid-to-late 1990s, X reunited in the early 2000s and continues to tour as of 2023.

In the United States, California is commonly associated with the film, music, and arts industries; there are numerous world-famous Californian musicians. New genres of music, such as surf rock and third wave ska, have their origins in California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ray Manzarek</span> American keyboardist (1939–2013)

Raymond Daniel Manzarek Jr. was an American keyboardist. He is best known as a member of the rock band the Doors, co-founding the group in 1965 with fellow UCLA Film School student Jim Morrison. Manzarek is credited for his innovative playing and abilities on organ-style keyboard instruments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exene Cervenka</span> American singer (born 1956)

Exene Cervenka is an American singer, artist, and poet. She is best known for her work as a singer in the California punk rock band X.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Doe (musician)</span> American singer, songwriter, actor, poet, guitarist and bass player

John Nommensen Duchac, known professionally as John Doe, is an American singer, songwriter, actor, poet, guitarist and bass player. Doe co-founded LA punk band X, of which he is still an active member. His musical performances and compositions span rock, punk, country and folk music genres. As an actor, he has dozens of television appearances and several movies to his credit, including the role of Jeff Parker in the television series Roswell.

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

The Blasters are an American rock band formed in 1979 in Downey, California, by brothers Phil Alvin and Dave Alvin (guitar), with bass guitarist John Bazz and drummer Bill Bateman. Their self-described "American Music" is a blend of rockabilly, early rock and roll, punk rock, mountain music, and rhythm and blues and country.

The Cathay de Grande was a Chinese restaurant and later a Hollywood nightclub of the same name that featured mostly punk rock bands but also other styles of underground/alternative rock in the 1980s.

Raji's was a rock and roll nightclub in central Hollywood, open in the 1980s and early 1990s. It was located in the Hastings Hotel building, 6160 Hollywood Blvd. The space had previously been occupied by a Greek restaurant called The King's Palace.

<i>Flipside</i> (fanzine) Fanzine based in Pasadena

Flipside, known as Los Angeles Flipside Fanzine, was a punk zine published in Whittier and Pasadena, California, from 1977 to 2002. The magazine was associated with its own record label, Flipside Records, releasing vinyl records and compact discs beginning in 1978.

Charles Edward Weiss was an American songwriter and vocalist. A fixture on the Los Angeles scene, Weiss was known for an eclectic mix of blues, beat poetry, and rock and roll. His music included strains of every rhythmic style from nursery rhymes to zydeco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Flesh Eaters</span> American punk band

The Flesh Eaters are an American punk rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California, United States, in 1977. They are the most prominent of the bands which have showcased the compositions and singing of their founder, punk poet Chris Desjardins, best known as Chris D. While Desjardins is the group's only continual member, the Flesh Eaters' lineup has drawn from some of the most famous bands of the L.A. punk scene, such as the Plugz, X, the Blasters, and Los Lobos.

Chris D. is an American punk poet, singer, writer, rock critic, producer, and filmmaker. He is best known as the lead singer and founder of the early and long-running Los Angeles punk/death rock band the Flesh Eaters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julie Christensen</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1956)

Julie Christensen is an American singer and songwriter. Noted for its versatility, Christensen's music has been praised by critics. As a solo artist, Christensen has released nine albums as of 2023.

The Alley Cats are a Los Angeles, California-based punk rock trio formed in 1977. The original line-up, featuring Randy Stodola, Dianne Chai and John McCarthy (drums), was a fixture of the early L.A. punk rock scene. Signed to Dangerhouse Records alongside other seminal California-based punk bands including the Bags, Black Randy and the Metro Squad, and X, they released their first single "Nothing Means Nothing Anymore" backed with "Give Me a Little Pain" on March 30, 1978. They are among the six bands featured on the 1979 compilation album Yes L.A. and appear in the 1982 film Urgh! A Music War.

<i>Under the Big Black Sun</i> (book)

Under The Big Black Sun: A Personal History of L.A. Punk is a book by John Doe of the American punk rock band X and co-author Tom DeSavia. The book examines the evolution of Los Angeles punk rock between 1977-1982, covering the years between the emergence of punk as an underground phenomenon and ending as some of the musicians in the scene crossed over to mainstream success. The book featured guest chapters by Exene Cervenka ; along with Jane Wiedlin and Charlotte Caffey of The Go-Go's, Mike Watt of Minutemen, and Henry Rollins of Black Flag. Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong penned a foreword for the book.

John Bazz is an American bass guitarist known for his long service in The Blasters. Bazz's credits also include work with various other notable musicians, including Charlie Musselwhite, Marc Ford, Mike Eldred, Top Jimmy, Ryan Bingham, and Lynwood Slim.

Bill Bateman is an American drummer best known for his long service in the Blasters. He has also played for the Flesh Eaters, the Red Devils, and the Cramps.

Chris Morris is a music writer based in Los Angeles, California. He is known for his coverage of L.A.'s independent scene in the 1970s and 1980s, which made him "a central voice in Left Coast music journalism." He has also written well-received books on Los Lobos and Bob Dylan.

Carlos Guitarlos is an American guitarist. He first gained attention in Top Jimmy & The Rhythm Pigs. The Encyclopedia of Popular Music remarked of Guitarlos that his career in music "has taken in cult stardom in Los Angeles, alcoholism, homelessness, and an unexpected return to recording in the new millennium."

<i>Alphabetland</i> 2020 studio album by X

Alphabetland is the eighth studio album by American punk rock band X. Released digitally in April 2020, it is their first studio release in 27 years and the first with their original line-up in the past 35 years. X released the album with no prior announcement to coincide with the 40th anniversary of their debut album Los Angeles and credited songwriting to all four members for the first time in their career. The release has received positive reviews from critics.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 More Fun in the New World: The Unmaking and Legacy of L.A. Punk, John Doe and Tom DeSavia, Hachette Books, 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 We Got The Neutron Bomb: The Untold Story of L.A. Punk, Mark Spitz & Brendan Mullen, Three Rivers Press, 2001.
  3. 1 2 Hochman, Steve (October 30, 1987). "Top Jimmy: He's the Head Pig and Proud of It". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Make The Music Go Bang!: The Early L.A. Punk Scene, Don Snowden, ed., St. Martin's Griffin, 1997.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Cromelin, Richard (May 19, 2001). "Top Jimmy; Bluesman, Band Rocked City Clubs". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-01-27.
  6. 1 2 3 "Top Jimmy Is For Real". Los Angeles Times. February 5, 1984. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
  7. ↑ Lowside of the Road: A Life of Tom Waits, Barney Hoskyns, Crown/Arechetype, 2009.
  8. ↑ "Top Jimmy and the Rhythm Pigs". Trouserpress.com.
  9. ↑ "Artists". Baddaddy.com.
  10. ↑ "County Fair 2000 - Phil Alvin | Album". AllMusic .
  11. ↑ "L.A. Ya Ya - Various Artists | Album". AllMusic .
  12. ↑ Morris, Chris (May 23, 2001). "Top Jimmy, 1954-2001". L.A. Weekly. Retrieved 2020-01-27.
  13. ↑ Under the Big Black Sun: A Personal History of L.A. Punk, John Doe and Tom DeSavia, Hachette Books, 2016
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.