Biography
-
Years Active
1971 – 2011 (40 years)
-
Founded In
New York, New York, United States
-
Members
- Arthur Kane (1971 – 2004)
- Blackie Lawless (1975 – 1975)
- Brian Delaney (2005 – 2011)
- David Johansen
- Gary Powell (2004 – 2004)
The New York Dolls were a rock group formed in New York City in 1971, now famous as a proto-punk band. Though they found limited success during their initial run, the New York Dolls prefigured much of what was to come in the punk rock era, particularly among other NYC bands such as the Ramones. And, even later; the Dolls' over-the-top crossdressing and sexual tone influenced the look of many glam metal groups, especially that of early Mötley Crüe and Poison, and their shambling and sloppy but highly energetic playing style set the tone for many later rock n roll bands.
Their self-titled album was an underground sensation, particularly with smooth 70s easy listening ruling the airwaves back then. Chrissie Hynde once commented that every punk band ("And I knew them all") had both New York Dolls albums, illustrating the Dolls' influence. Still, the original line-up experienced many problems, particularly with the mainstream record industry that didn't know what to do with the wild group. Upon their break-up, frontman David Johansen had a moderately successful solo career.
In 2004, the three surviving members reunited for some sporadic touring. In 2006, now down to two surviving members, the band released a new album, 'One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This'. Two albums followed after this: 'Cause I Sez So', in 2009, followed up by a revamped lineup for 2011's 'Dancing Backward in High Heels'.
Sylvain Sylvain died on January 13, 2021. He was 69 years old.
Final lineup
* David Johansen - vocals, harmonica (1971-1977, 2004-2011)
* Sylvain Sylvain - guitar, bass, piano (1971-1977, 2004-2011; died 2021)
* Claton Pitcher - guitar (2011)
* Kenny Aaronson - bass (2021)
* Brian Delaney - drums (2005-2011)
Past members
* Johnny Thunders (deceased) - guitar, vocals (1971-1975)
* Rick Rivets - guitar (1971)
* Arthur Kane (deceased) - bass guitar (1971-1975, 2004)
* Billy Murcia (deceased) - drums (1971-1972)
* Jerry Nolan (deceased) - drums (1972-1976)
* Blackie Lawless - guitar (1975)
* Peter Jordan - bass (1975-1977)
* Chris Robison - keyboards (1975-1977)
* Tony Machine - drums (1976-1977)
* Gary Powell - drums (2004)
* Steve Conte - guitar (2004-2010)
* Sami Yaffa - bass (2005-2010)
* Frank Infante - guitar (2010-2011)
* Brian Koonin - keyboards (2005-2006)
* Earl Slick – guitar (2011)
* Jason Hill – bass (2010–2011)
Artist descriptions on Last.fm are editable by everyone. Feel free to contribute!
All user-contributed text on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply.
