Biography Afghan Whigs

The Afghan Whigs were a soul-influenced American Grunge rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio. While they achieved moderate success in the 1990s -- Rolling Stone described the band as spending "the bulk of their career on the brink of stardom" -- they "never quite broke beyond a substantial legion of devotees enamored of their thinly veiled sleaze."
Band history
Greg Dulli (vocals, rhythm guitar), Rick McCollum (lead guitar), John Curley (bass), and Steve Earle (drums -- not to be confused with country musician Steve Earle) formed the band in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1986.
In 1988, they released their debut album Big Top Halloween on their own Ultrasuede label. The band signed to Sub Pop of Seattle in 1989. The Afghan Whigs were the first non-Northwestern U.S. band to record for the Sub Pop label.
In 1990, their first Sub Pop release Up in It was released. It featured a blistering pace and yowling, effects-heavy guitars on tracks like "White Trash Party". The album was followed by a limited edition single released by No.6 Records under the name "The Ornament". They added two guitarists who left soon after the release.
With the 1992 album Congregation and a limited covers EP, Uptown Avondale, the band adopted what would become their signature soul-influenced sound.
Soon The Afghan Whigs signed to a major label, Elektra Records, and in 1993 released another album, Gentlemen. Although the singles “Debonair” and “Gentlemen” were fairly popular, the album failed to launch the band into the mainstream.
Beside regular appearances on MTV's playlists, their track "Fountain and Fairfax" also appeared on the television series My So-Called Life in 1994.
Despite personnel problems interfering with recording and touring, 1996 saw the band release the noir-influenced Black Love (the album featured Paul Buchignani on drums in place of Steve Earle). Although the main subjects in previous releases were liquor-drenched obsession, secrets and misery, Black Love was a step into a more dark, even seedier and complex side of Dulli’s persona.
In 1996, Greg Dulli served as executive producer for the soundtrack for the Ted Demme film Beautiful Girls . The Afghan Whigs appeared in the film as a bar band and contributed two songs to the soundtrack: Frederick Knight’s "Be For Real" and Barry White's "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe".
In 1998, The Afghan Whigs released their sixth album, 1965, on Columbia Records (Michael Horrigan, former Love Cowboys bassist replaced Buchignani). It was the band's last full-length album of original material.
Despite reports that the band had started work on their seventh album, The Afghan Whigs announced their split in 2001, citing the strain of geographic distance between members as the reason.
In 2006, The Afghan Whigs temporarily reunited. Afghan Whigs Reunite | Pitchfork The 1965 lineup recorded two new tracks ("I’m A Soldier" and "Magazine") featured on their retrospective titled A Retrospective 1990–2006, released on June 5, 2007, through Rhino Records. news : Summer’s Kiss | The Afghan Whigs, Twilight Singers, Gutter Twins, Greg Dulli + More
Current projects
Greg Dulli is currently recording and performing with Mark Lanegan as The Gutter Twins
John Curley is the bassist of the Staggering Statistics
Rick McCollum is the guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for Moon Maan
Michael Horrigan is the bassist for Brendan Benson
Steve Earle is the songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of EARLE GREY
Discography
Studio albums
1988 Big Top Halloween (Ultrasuede)
1990 Up in It (Sub Pop)
1992 Congregation (Sub Pop)
1993 Gentlemen (Elektra Records)
1996 Black Love (Elektra Records) US #79
1998 1965 (Columbia Records) US #176
References
3. Gendron, Afghan Whigs' Gentlemen Continuum Publishing August 2008[1]
External links
Summer's Kiss - A Tribute to The Afghan Whigs
The Afghan Whigs Myspace Page
The Twilight Singers
Staggering Statistics
Moon Maan
The Afghan Whigs Allmusic entry
An Afghan Whigs Farewell Essay
Afghan Whigs at Rolling Stone
1990s music groups2000s music groupsAmerican alternative rock music groupsMusical groups from OhioSub Pop artists
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