Jayne County & the Electric Chairs | |
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 Jayne County, 2012 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | London, United Kingdom |
| Genres | Punk rock,glam punk |
| Years active | 1977-1979 |
| Past members |
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Wayne County & the Electric Chairs was an American-Britishrock band that was part of the first wave ofpunk bands from the 1970s. The band was headed byGeorgia-born singerJayne County (aka Wayne County) and became known for theircampy, foul-mouthedballads,glam punk inspired songs and image which was heavily influenced byJackie Curtis and theTheatre of the Ridiculous.[1]
Jayne County, then known as Wayne County, originally began performing inNew York with a band calledQueen Elizabeth. This was followed by Wayne County and The Backstreet Boys[2] as documented onRhino'sDIY: Blank Generation compilation album with an early single: "Max's Kansas City 1976." Upon moving toLondon with Greg Van Cook, a member of the Backstreet Boys, she recruited a new drummer and bassist to form "The Electric Chairs"; a band comprising Van Cook (guitar),Val Haller (bass) andChris Dust (drums).
Jools Holland had his first studio session with the group in 1976.
None of County's albums were ever released in her native United States except for three songs on the very early punk compilationMax's Kansas City.
Wayne County and the Electric Chairs were supported bythe Police during their 1977 tour of Holland.[3] Dust, aHungarian, wasdeported following the band's return to the UK when the authorities found that hisvisa had expired over a year before.[4] He was replaced by John "JJ" Johnson, and the band recorded their first albumThe Electric Chairs. In order to recreate the sound of the album live the band recruited Police guitarist,Henry Padovani on rhythm guitar.[4]
This new five-piece line-up toured extensively, but County ultimately fired Greg Van Cook due to his rampantdrug abuse and replaced him with Eliot Michael, another former member of the Backstreet Boys.[4] ProducerMartin Birch exerted a great deal of creative control over the band's second albumStorm the Gates of Heaven and Padovani later commented in his memoir that the album "wasn't bad but it wasn't the Chairs as we wanted it to be."[5] The band's third albumThings Your Mother Never Told You was produced byDavid Cunningham.[5] After a few more tours, Wayne County & the Electric Chairs split in two, with Eliot Michael following County in her solo career. Padovani, Haller, and Johnson recorded a final single: "So Many Ways" asThe Electric Chairs before management problems forced them to disband completely.[6]
County played "Lounge Lizard" inDerek Jarman's 1978 filmJubilee, performing "Paranoia Paradise" with the Electric Chairs.[6] This track appeared on theJubilee soundtrack album released byPolydor UK in 1978. County is featured in the 2013 filmCBGB. The Wayne County and the Electric Chairs track "Out of Control" appears on theCBGB film soundtrack
The bootlegged 'live' appearance of Wayne County & the Electric Chairs in 1978 on the German TV showRockpalast was released as a DVD/CD double pack byRepertoire Records UK in December 2014. The concert took place while the band were touring their second albumStorm the Gates of Heaven".
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