The Chesterfield Kings

Infobox musical artist |
Name = The Chesterfield Kings


Landscape = yes
Img_capt =
Background = group_or_band
Origin = Rochester, New York, USA
Genre = Garage rock
Years_active = 1979–present
Label = Sundazed, Mirror, Wicked Cool
Associated_acts =
URL = [http://www.thechesterfieldkings.com www.thechesterfieldkings.com]
Current_members = Greg Prevost
Andy Babiuk
Paul Morabito
Mike Boise
Past_members = Orest Guran
Richard Cona
Doug Meech
Walt O'Brien
Paul Rocco
Brett Reynolds
Kris Hadlock
Jeff Okolowicz
Ted Okolowicz

The Chesterfield Kings are a rock band from Rochester, New York, who began as a retro-1960s garage band, and who have heavily mined the underside of 1960s music, including some borrowings from the 1960s Rolling Stones. Core members are former Distorted Level singer, underground music journalist and avid record collector Greg Prevost and Andy Babiuk (16 years old at the time of the band's founding);Piero Scaruffi, [http://www.scaruffi.com/vol4/chesterf.html Chesterfield Kings] , accessed 14 January 2006] others have come and gone. The band, named after a defunct brand of unfiltered cigarette, was instrumental in sparking the 1980s garage band revival that lead to such groups as the Unclaimed, Marshmallow Overcoat, The Fuzztones, Mystic Eyes, The Cynics, The Optic Nerve, the Secret Service, the Stomachmouths and many, many, others.

History

The early Kings were a late-1970s recreation of a mid-1960s garage band sound. Their self-released first single (Living Eye Records, LSD-1) was a cover of The Brogues' 1965 "I Ain't No Miracle Worker" b/w The Heard's 1967 "Exit 9". [The Brogues original "I Ain't No Miracle Worker" can be found on ""; some information about The Heard can be found at [http://www.break-a-way.de/pages/heard/story.htm The Heard Story] , accessed 14 January 2006] In a deliberate effort to create their own rare garage-band collectible singles, only 500 copies were pressed.

Their first broader public exposure came when a track on Greg Shaw's 1981 Bomp! Records compilation "Battle of the Garage" netted them a series of dates at the Peppermint Lounge in New York City. They continued with this 60s garage sound through the mid-1980s, releasing two albums—"Here are the Chesterfield Kings" (1982) was entirely covers, and "Stop!" (1985) introduced their first originals—then turned to a harder-edged rock sound for "Don't Open Till Doomsday" (1987), which Piero Scaruffi describes as "uninspired and confused", and "Berlin Wall of Sound" (1989), featuring the blues guitar work of new band member Paul Rocco, followed by an acoustic blues record "Drunk On Muddy Water" (1990).

Their "Let's Go Get Stoned" (1994) is a mix of slightly post-"Aftermath" Stones covers and worthy originals in the Stones' style. "Surfin' Rampage" (1997) showed that they were fully capable of pop harmonies; "Where the Action Is" (1999) was a return to garage band roots, a mix of covers and 1960s-styled originals.

"The Mindbending Sounds of the Chesterfield Kings" (2003) pays tribute to the more baroque side of the 1960s underground, evoking at times the sound of the Electric Prunes ("Transparent Life", "Disconnection"), and featuring appearances by Jorma Kaukonen on two tracks.

The Kings' full-length feature film "Where is the Chesterfield King?" (2000) is described on their web site as "A comedy/drama in the vein of The Bowery Boys, Batman, "The Monkees Show", "A Hard Day's Night", "Hawaiian Eye", and "The Munsters", with a little Three Stooges slapstick to boot…" [ [http://www.thechesterfieldkings.com/history1.htm The Chesterfield Kings: History] ]

As of 2006, the Chesterfield Kings are engaged in a lawsuit with Armand Schaubroeck, owner of House of Guitars, over nonpayment of royalties records released on Mirror Records from 1984 through 1997. Andy Babiuk and Greg Prevost are longtime employees at the House of Guitars. In the suit, they are represented by lawyer Paul Nunes, who has played keyboards on several of their albums. [Jeff Spevak, "Local Band is Suing Longtime Partner", "Rochester Democrat and Chronicle", January 10 2006. Accessed 14 January 2006.]

Line up

*Greg Prevost (lead vocals, multi-instrumentalist 1979–current) [ [http://www.thechesterfieldkings.com/band_greg1.htm Greg Prevost] , Chesterfield Kings' official site, accessed 5 December 2006]
*Andy Babiuk (bass, multi-instrumentalist 1979–current) [ [http://www.thechesterfieldkings.com/band_andy1.htm Andy Babiuk] , Chesterfield Kings' official site, accessed 5 December 2006]
*Orest Guran (organ, guitar, 1979–1986)Blair Buscareno, [http://members.aol.com/Shake6677/DFckings.html The Chesterfield Kings] , "Teen Scene" #59, 1999.]
*Richard Cona (lead guitar 1979–c.1987)
*Doug Meech (drummer 1979–c.1988)
*Walt O'Brien (guitar, organ, 1986-1987)
*Paul Rocco (guitar 1990-1995)
*Brett Reynolds (drums 1990-1995)
*Jeff Okolowicz (guitar 1995-1999) [http://videocrypt.com/VIDEO5.html According to videocrypt.com] , in the band at the time of the film "Where Is The Chesterfield King?" (this site says released 2001, IMDB says 2000).]
*Ted Okolowicz (guitar 1995-1999)
*Paul Morabito (guitar 1999–current) [ [http://www.thechesterfieldkings.com/band_paul1.htm Paul Morabito] , Chesterfield Kings' official site, accessed 5 December 2006]
*Mike Boise (drums, percussion 1995–current) [ [http://www.thechesterfieldkings.com/band_mike1.htm Mike Boise] , Chesterfield Kings' official site, accessed 5 December 2006]

Partial discography

Albums

* "Here are the Chesterfield Kings" (1982, Mirror Records MR-9, 14-song LP)
* "Stop!" (1985, Mirror Records MR-10, 12-song LP; also remastered 14-song LP and cassette MR-10R)
* "Don't Open Till Doomsday" (1987, Mirror Records MR-12, 14-song LP, 15-song cassette)
* "Night of The Living Eyes (1989, Mirror Records MR-13, 14-song LP/CD/cassette); early compilation of early singles and rarities.
* "Berlin Wall of Sound" (1989, Mirror Records MR-15, 15-song CD/cassette, 14-song LP)
* "Drunk On Muddy Water" (1990, Mirror Records MCD-16, 13-song limited edition CD)
* "Let's Go Get Stoned" (1994, Mirror Records MR-19); several sources inaccurately give the title as "Let's Get Stoned"; 14-song LP, CD, and cassette).
* "Surfin' Rampage" (1997, Mirror Records M-23, 32-song double LP and CD)
* "Trippin' Out" (1997, Impossible Records (Spain), 6-song 10-inch disc)
* "Where the Action Is" (1999, Sundazed LSD 13, 17-song CD) [http://www.scaruffi.com/vol4/chesterf.html Chesterfield Kings] ; not in official discography.]
* "The Mindbending Sounds of…" (Living Eye / Sundazed, 2003; 14-song CD, 12 song LP)
* "The Mindbending Sounds of…" (Wicked Cool Records, 2006; 14-song CD)
* "Psychedelic Sunrise…" (Wicked Cool Records, 2007; 12-song CD)
* "Psychedelic Sunrise…" (Wicked Cool Records, 2008; 12-song vinyl/16 song CD)

ingles

* "I Ain't No Miracle Worker" b/w "Exit 9" (1979, Living Eye Records, LSD-1; limited edition 500 copies)
* "You Can't Catch Me" b/w "I Won't Be There" (1981, Living Eye Records, LSD-2; limited edition 50 copies)
* "Hey Little Bird" b/w "I Can Only Give You Everything" (1982, Living Eye Records, LSD-3)
* "Barbara Ann" b/w "Girl Don't Tell Me"
* "I'm Going Home" b/w "A Dark Corner" (1983, Mirror Records)
* "She Told Me Lies" b/w "I've Got a Way With Girls" (1984, Mirror Records)
* "Baby Doll" b/w "I Cannot Find Her (acoustic version)" (1987, Mirror Records)
* "Next One In Line" b/w "Talk Talk" and "You Drive Me Nervous" (1991, Mirror Records, MIR45-4, 7-inch EP)
* "Hey Joe" b/w "Roadrunner" (as "The Paisley Zipper Band", 1994, Get Hip Recordings, GH-144) [ [http://www.thechesterfieldkings.com/discography_sub_d.htm Official discography: Rarities] ]
* "Misty Lane" b/w "Little Girl" (1997, Misty Lane records, Italian fanzine release)
* "Wrong From Right" b/w "So What" (1998, Living Eye Records, LSD-5)
* "Run Rudolph Run" (1998, Living Eye Records, LSD-FC98, fan club Christmas single)
* "Help You Ann" b/w Lyres "She Told Me Lies" (1999, Living Eye Records, LSD-6; a split single, with each band covering a song originally by the other)
* "She Pays The Rent" b/w Lyres "She Told Me Lies" (2000, Feathered Apple Records, FA-1300; a split single, with each band covering a song originally by the other)
* "Where Do We Go From Here" b/w "Louis, Go Home" (1999, Living Eye / Sundazed Records S-146; vocals by Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere and the Raiders)
* "Yes I Understand" b/w "Sometime At Night" (2001, Sundazed Records; vocals by Sal Valentino of The Beau Brummels) [ [http://www.thechesterfieldkings.com/discography_sub_b.htm Official discography: singles] for entire list, except as noted, accessed 14 January 2005.]

Bootlegs

* "Johnny Thunders and the Chesterfield Kings"
* "Fossils"
* "Kingsize Rock 'n' Roll"
* "Long Ago, Far Away (Paisley Zipper Band)"

Notes and References

* This article draws heavily on the [http://www.thechesterfieldkings.com Chesterfield Kings' official site] , especially the [http://www.thechesterfieldkings.com/history1.htm band history] .

External links

* [http://www.thechesterfieldkings.com Chesterfield Kings' official site] , uses Macromedia Flash
* [http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1808700652/details "Where is the Chesterfield King?"] on Yahoo! Movies.
* [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/thechesterfieldkings The Chesterfield Kings] at Rolling Stone
* [http://yebotv.com/play/9y03VkECpvU YeboTV.com (The Chesterfield Kings Concert)]
* [http://yebotv.com/play/MhihOD0WBvo YeboTV.com (The Chesterfield Kings Interview)]