DEAD KENNEDYS
US punk band which formed a crucial part of the burgeoning American hardcore punk scene in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Moving to San Francisco after a succession of menial jobs and a half-hearted attempt to pursue an acting career, vocalist Jello Biafra (real name Eric Boucher), answered an advert placed in a music paper by guitarist East Bay Ray. The two were joined by bassist Klaus Fluoride, drummer Bruce Slesinger (aka Ted) and a second guitarist known to posterity simply as 6025. The latter departed in March 1979 whilst Slesinger was replaced in mid-1981 by D.H. Peligro.
In 1978 the full impact of British punk had yet to be felt in America, mainly because the sheer size of the country was such an obstacle for groups with limited financial backing. The Damned had toured in early 77 and The Sex Pistols followed at the end of the year only to implode after a gig at the San Francisco Winterland - with Biafra apparently a witness to the spectacle. Fired by this experience and that of a visit to Britain at the height of punk in 1977, Biafra determined to help create an equivalent American scene.
A final compilation of Dead Kennedys material - "Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death" (June 1987) - was released and is a good summary of some of the band's early recordings as offering several miscellaneous oddities. The Dead Kennedys had been a crucial stimulant to the US punk scene in its infancy; that scene has had important reverberations down to the present day and for the that reason alone the DKs' place in musical history is assured.
|
