Punky Meadows

Infobox musical artist
Name = Punky Meadows


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Birth_name = Edwin Lionel Meadows
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Born = birth date and age|1950|2|6|df=y
Washington, D.C., United States
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Instrument = Guitar, Vocals
Genre = Hard rock, Heavy metal, rock, Glam rock
Occupation = Musician, Businessman
Years_active = 1964–present
Label = Casablanca
Associated_acts = Angel, English Setters, Cherry People.
URL =
Notable_instruments =

Punky Meadows (born Edwin Lionel Meadows on February 6, 1950) is an American guitarist known for his glam image as a member of the band Angel.

Background and Early Career

Punky Meadows grew up in Washington, D.C., the oldest of four boys, in the Barnaby Terrace neighborhood which produced guitar legends Danny Gatton, Roy Clark, and Link Wray. He attended Draper Elementary and Hart Junior High Schools, the latter where he started playing guitar in his first band, the Intrudershttp://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/display.php?id=23880 Interview with Punky Meadows in the Washington City Paper] .

Later he formed the English Setters, a Beatles-sounding band that opened for the Yardbirds, Neil Diamond, and the Young Rascals, all while he was still in high school. In 1967, The English Setters changed their sound and changed their name to the Cherry People, and were later signed to a record deal by Heritage Records. Meadows himself says that the record company promoted them as a "poor man's Monkees". They toured briefly in 1968, appearing at Caesar's Palace and on American Bandstand.

Angel

After Cherry People disbanded, Meadows and Mickie Jones formed Daddy Warbux, later Bux, which released one albumhttp://www.rocknrollhell.com/angel/ Rock N Roll Hell Angel entry] . Angel formed after the two met Gregg Giuffria and then Barry Brandt and Frank Dimino, choosing the name "Angel" after the song by Jimi Hendrix, of whom Meadows was a fan.

Angel released studio albums from 1975 to 1979 and the live album Live Without a Net in 1980, and disbanded not long thereafter after not achieving mass critical or popular success. Meadows, however, both during his tenure with the band and thereafter was invited to join Kiss, Aerosmith, and the New York Dolls, all of which he turned down.

The band possessed a strong glam image that was said to be the antithesis of Kiss's, while Meadows himself became the most strongly associated with the glam persona, so much so that Frank Zappa ridiculed his trademark pout and hair in the song "Punky's Whips" [http://www.lyricsfreak.com/f/frank+zappa/punkys+whips_20056575.html Lyrics to "Punky's Whips" by Frank Zappa] . Meadows, however, was "flattered" and eventually ended up onstage during a Zappa concert in his Angel costume.

While the band had (and still has) a number of fan sites, a fan of Meadows has a site devoted exclusively to him called the "Punky Meadows Shrine" [http://www.chaoticworks.com/meadows/ The Punky Meadows Shrine] .

Life After Angel

Meadows has retired from the music business and currently owns and runs a tanning salon in Oakton, VA

Discography

The Intruders 1964-1965

The English Setters 1965-1967

"Tragedy b/w If She's All Right" (March 1966)

"Someday You'll See b/w It Shouldn't Happen to a Dog" (July 1966)

"Wake Up b/w She's in Love" (January 1967)

The Cherry People 1967-1972

Albums and Singles

"The Cherry People" (1968)

"And Suddenly b/w Imagination" (1968)

"I'm The One Who Loves You b/w Gotta Get Back (To the Good Life)" (1968)

"Sea and Me b/w Come on Over" (1972)

=BUX 1972-1974=

"We Came to Play" (Recorded in 1974, Released in 1976)

=Angel 1974-1981=

"Angel" (1975)

"Helluva Band" (1976)

"On Earth As It Is In Heaven" (1977)

"White Hot" (1978)

"Sinful" (1979)

"Live Without a Net" (1980)

"Can You Feel It (1989)

An Anthology (1992)

In the Beginning (1999) Plays lead guitar on "Hero" and "Set Me Free"

(2000)

(2006)

(2006)

References

Links

* [http://www.chaoticworks.com/meadows/ The Punky Meadows Shrine]
* [http://www.nndb.com/people/666/000125291/ Punky Meadows' entry in NNDB]
* [http://www.myspace.com/AngelOfficialSite Angel Official MySpace Site]
* [http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/music/artist/credits/0,,591684,00.html Punky Meadows' entry at Artist Direct]
* [http://www.angelrocks.com/vintage/punky.html Punky Meadows Photo Gallery on Angel Fan Site]
* [http://thispublicaddress.com/tPA4/archives/2007/07/punky.html Photos from archive of Punky photographer]
* [http://www.lyricsfreak.com/f/frank+zappa/punkys+whips_20056575.html Lyrics to "Punky's Whips" by Frank Zappa]