Sally Ann Timms[1] (born 29 November 1959) is an English singer and songwriter. Born inLeeds, England, she now lives in the Chicago area, where she works as aparalegal.[2] She is best known for her long career as co-lead singer for thepost-punk bandThe Mekons which she joined in 1985,[3][4][5] and who have been described as "arguably […] the longest-running of all bands that emerged in the Britishpunk explosion of 1977".[6]
Born inLeeds in 1959,[3][7] Timms recorded her first solo album,Hangahar (an experimental improvised film score), at the age of 19 withPete Shelley ofBuzzcocks in 1980.[3] Prior to joiningThe Mekons in 1986 she was in a band called the She Hees.[3][8] She has released several other solo albums,Someone's Rocking My Dreamboat in 1988,To the Land of Milk and Honey in 1995, and a country album,Cowboy Sally's Twilight Laments for Lost Buckaroos, forBloodshot Records in 1998. She gave herself the name "Cowboy Sally" after the character she played on TNT'sRudy and GoGo Show.[9][10][11] Her solo recordingIn the World of Him was released in 2004 on Touch and Go Records.[9][10][12][13]
Timms' musical style is often placed under the genre ofalternative country,[16] and she has often toured with other bands on Bloodshot Records.[17] She sang several songs on thePine Valley Cosmonauts'The Executioner's Last Songs albums, which raised funds for the Illinois Moratorium Against the Death Penalty, and participated in fellow MekonJon Langford's multi-media performance projectThe Executioner's Last Songs.[18] She co-wrote the songHorses, which was recorded by herself and Jon Langford onSongs of False Hope and High Values; byPalace Music, a.k.a.Bonnie Prince Billy.[19]
She was the voice of SARA fromCartoon Network's Toonami block, voicing the first incarnation of the character from 1999 to 2004 alongsideSteve Blum, the voice of TOM.[20] In 2006(?) Timms directed the first of the five Christmaspantos hosted by theHideout bar in Chicago, and performed in several of them.[16][21][22][23]
For many years Timms has lived in the Chicago, Illinois area, where she also works as a paralegal.[17] She was married to musician and comedianFred Armisen from 1998 to 2004.[24][25]
Timms joinedpost-punk band The Mekons in the mid-1980s. A documentary titledThe Revenge of the Mekons was released in 2014 by director Joe Angio.[26] The band's style has evolved to incorporate aspects ofcountry music,folk music,alternative rock and occasional experiments withdub.[27] They are known for their raucous live shows.[28] The band, still including Timms on vocals, continue to record and perform live, as of 2021.[citation needed]
Wee Hairy Beasties were a children's music group based in Chicago, composed ofJon Langford, Sally Timms,Kelly Hogan, andDevil in a Woodpile. They played their first gig together at theBrookfield Zoo near Chicago, and released two albums in 2006 and 2008. Timms performed under the moniker Monkey Double Dippey.[29][30]
Timms andJon Langford, the other Chicago-based member of the Mekons, continue to collaborate on various recording and performance projects, ever since they both moved to Chicago. As of 2022, they frequently perform as a duo, and as a trio with a second guitarist, often at Chicago'sHideout.[31][32]
^Melzer, Ashley (5 June 2012)."Interview: Kelly Hogan".eMusic.com. eMusic.com Inc. Archived fromthe original on 11 November 2013. Retrieved11 November 2013.
