Johnny Thunders Discography

Related Artists

Songs By

Walter Lure :: Bob Spickard :: Joey Ramone

Member Of

The Heartbreakers :: New York Dolls

Influenced By

Bo Diddley :: T. Rex :: The Rolling Stones :: Faces :: The Kinks :: Chuck Berry :: Yardbirds

Followers

C.C. DeVille :: The Zeros :: The Dragons :: Danny Sage :: Blankey Jet City :: Brian James :: Cheetah Chrome :: Mick Jones :: Andy McCoy :: Pat Smear :: Izzy Stradlin :: Haven :: Mick Mars :: Nikki Sixx :: Joan Jett :: Paul Westerberg :: Duff McKagan :: Steve Jones :: Johnny Ramone :: Slash NULL

Similar Artists

Replacements :: Sex Pistols :: Sylvain Sylvain :: The Damned :: The Dictators :: The Only Ones :: The Zeros :: Joe Perry :: Mick Ronson :: Steve Jones :: Ron Wood :: Joan Jett :: Suzi Quatro :: The Clash :: The Stooges :: Sid Vicious :: Richard Hell :: MC5 :: David Johansen :: Ramones

Johnny Thunders, born John Anthony Genzale, Jr. (July 15, 1952 - April 23, 1991), was an Italian American rock and roll/punk rock guitarist, singer and songwriter.
Though he disapproved of the term "punk rock", Thunders is widely recognized as a seminal influence on the genre, particularly for his penetrating guitar sound. IGN.com listed him as one of "Punk Rock`s 10 Mightiest Guitar Gods".
He came to prominence in the early `70s as a member of the New York Dolls, and afterwards became a familiar figure in the New York punk scene, both with The Heartbreakers and as a solo artist.
Thunders struggled with drug and alcohol addiction and died under mysterious circumstances.

EARLY LIFE
Genzale was born July 15, 1952, and raised in Jackson Heights, Queens, NY, in a second generation Roman Catholic Italian family. As a boy he played baseball but could not join the Little League as it required the presence of the youth`s father.
Under the name "Johnny Volume", Genzale began performing music at Quintano High School with "Johnny and the Jaywalkers".
In 1968 he started going to the Fillmore East on weekends and later a West Village bar on Bleecker Street, Nobodys. He got a job as a salesclerk at Da Nazz leather shop on Bleecker. It was on Bleecker Street that he met future Dolls Arthur Kane and Billy Murcia. He joined their band, "Actress", which eventually became the New York Dolls when David Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain joined in 1971. At this time John Genzale renamed himself Johnny Thunders, after a comic book of the same name.
They recorded two critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful albums, The New York Dolls and Too Much Too Soon. The band was managed, for a short time, by Malcolm McLaren and was an inspiration for the Sex Pistols.
In 1975 the original line-up for the Dolls broke up. Their early recordings are still in print today and continue to influence young bands with their trash/glam/punk attitude.

POST-NEW YORK DOLLS
He formed The Heartbreakers with Dolls drummer Jerry Nolan, and Television bassist Richard Hell. Ex-Demons guitarist Walter Lure was soon added. After Hell unsuccessfully tried to usurp Johnny`s place as lead singer, he left to form Richard Hell and the Voidoids. Hell was replaced by Billy Rath.
With Thunders leading the band, the Heartbreakers toured America and Britain, releasing one official album, L.A.M.F., in 1977. The group relocated to the UK, where their popularity was significantly greater than it was in the U.S., particularly among punk bands.
In late 1979 Thunders began performing in a band called Gang War. Other members included John Morgan, Ron Cooke, Philippe Marcade and former MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer. They recorded several demos and performed live several times before disbanding, with Zodiac Records releasing an EP in 1987. Bootlegs of their demos and live performances are circulating; One semi-official live/studio vinyl only LP was released on Zodiac in 1990, credited to Thunders and Kramer and titled Gang War.
Thunders recorded a number of solo albums beginning with So Alone in 1978. The notoriously drug-fueled recording sessions featured a core band of Thunders, bassist Phil Lynott, drummer Paul Cook, and guitarist Steve Jones, with guest appearances from Chrissie Hynde, Steve Marriott, Walter Lure, Billy Rath, and Peter Perrett of The Only Ones. After its release, Thunders and Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious played in the Living Dead for a

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