Gary Twinn | |
|---|---|
 Gary Twinn (2015) | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1956-12-07)7 December 1956 (age 68) West Ham, London, England |
| Genres | Glam rock,punk rock,rock 'n' roll,rockabilly,new wave,alternative country |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, harmonica |
| Years active | 1974–present |
Gary Twinn (born 7 December 1956) is an English singer-songwriter, musician, TV host and editorial writer, currently frontingpunk rocksupergroupThe International Swingers, which also featuresClem Burke,Glen Matlock andJames Stevenson.
Twinn's family emigrated to Australia in 1969, where (while attendingRossmoyne Senior High School,Perth) he formed the glam/punk bandSupernaut, with fellow Brit-immigrant students Chris and Joe Burnham.[1] Influenced byT. Rex,David Bowie,The New York Dolls andIggy Pop, they quickly gained popularity and notoriety for their wild stage antics, clothes and controversial lyrics. When asked his impressions of Australia during aWings tour Paul McCartney mentioned Supernaut and the media immediately took note.[2] The group's first single "I Like It Both Ways" was banned by radio and soared to the no. 1 chart position, thanks to TV performances onCountdown andBandstand, forcing radio to reverse its position.[3] Other hits followed, a gold album and a second, critically acclaimed but commercially poor, LP that more closely resembled the band's original style.[4]
In 1980, Twinn had already decided to relocate back to London, where he formedTwenty Flight Rockers with ex-Generation X drummerMark Laff, joined by guitarist Ian McKean[5][6] and Jeff Vine on bass.[7] Drawing influences fromEddie Cochran,Elvis Presley,Gene Vincent andJohnny Kidd, the new band adopted a black biker leather clad look and a focus on pure roll 'n' roll blended with apunk rock attitude. The group toured clubs in London, and were subsequently invited to play the BBC'sJanice Long show. In 1985, Twenty Flight Rockers released the single "Tower Block Rock" (ranked No. 31 for Best Single onRockerilla Magazine)[8] with ABC Records, and in 1986 the single "Johnny 7" withWEA Records.[9] Subsequently,Bernie Rhodes (the former manager ofThe Clash) was hired to manage them.[10] He decided for the band to sign withEpic Records, and he had McKean replaced byThe Rockats guitaristDanny B. Harvey.[11][12] Twenty Flight Rockers recorded a series of sessions (compiled by Twinn and Harvey) as well as an entire studio album entitledRide.[13][14][15][16] "Black Leather Jacket" was released as a single promo,[17] with the album due to follow in mid 1988. However, Epic was bought out bySony, who then dropped the band from the label. Disappointed by political mismanagement from record companies, Twenty Flight Rockers broke up.[18][19][20]
After the demise of Twenty Flight Rockers, Bernard Rhodes suggested that Gary record with ex-Sex Pistols bassistGlen Matlock and guitaristSteve New under the moniker Rhode-Twinn. In 1990, a single, "Bike Boy", was released on Rhodes' own Sacred record label.[21]
Twinn and Matlock stayed in touch and began writing and recording withThe Damned drummerRat Scabies andGeneration X guitaristBob "Derwood" Andrews in 1996. Andrews named the band Dead Horse and a US tour was arranged. However, almost immediately Glen rejoined the Sex Pistols, and the group was disbanded.
Twinn reunited with guitarist Danny B. Harvey, forming arockabilly duo named The Honeydippers (withClem Burke joining on drums andJohn Carlucci on stand up bass).[22][23][24] The duo recorded some sessions (Honeydipper Stomp)[25] as well as standard studio album calledBig E Boogie.[26] The LPs were then followed by the 1997 Christmas album12 Days of Christmas.[27] Their song, "Rock, Santa, Rock", was featured in the 2001 filmI Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.[28]
In 1998, Twinn teamed with Derwood and formed analternative country band, Speedtwinn, along with Mario Barmosca and Dale S. Daniel.[29] With a range of influences fromT. Rex toJohnny Cash, Speedtwinn played a blend ofAmerican roots andBritish rock and roll. Gary Twinn and Bob "Derwood" Andrews wrote and recorded the self-produced albumCalifornia.[30]
The band Supernaut reformed in 2007 for a successful AustralianCountdown tour. When approached in 2011 to repeat this, Twinn instead opted to invite his close pals Clem Burke,James Stevenson and Glen Matlock to form a band with the sole intention of playing Australian dates. Naming themselvesThe International Swingers the group played a Los Angeles warm up show in November 2011 and flew directly to Australia for shows in Melbourne, Geelong, Sydney and Adelaide. During rehearsals and the Australian tour they got along well and The International Swingers continued.[31][32][33][34] In 2012 – 2014 the band performed tours in California and in 2013 a sold out show in London.[35] Initially they played a set of the greatest hits of all the bands they've been in,[36] but soon they began writing new songs for The International Swingers,[37] like "FBI" (included in the soundtrack of the filmHomefront),[38]
ViaPledgeMusic, the band raised the money to record their first full-length self-titled album,The International Swingers (originally under the working titleWhatever Works Now). The album was recorded at Studio 606 in LA which is owned by theFoo Fighters. It was then mixed byPeter Walsh who has worked withSimple Minds,Pulp and most recentlyScott Walker.[39]