DB's
| The dBs | |
|---|---|
| Origin | New York, New York, United States |
| Genres | Power pop, jangle pop |
| Years active | 1978–1988, 2005–present |
| Labels | Albion Bearsville I.R.S. Rhino Monkey Hill Bar/None |
| Associated acts | Alex Chilton, Richard Lloyd, the Individuals, R.E.M., Hootie and the Blowfish, Continental Drifters, Steve Earle |
| Website | www.thedbs.com |
| Members |
Peter Holsapple Chris Stamey Will Rigby Gene Holder |
| Past members | Rick Wagner, Jeff Beninato, Harold Kelt, Eric Peterson |
The dB's are an American power pop and jangle pop group, who first came to prominence in the early 1980s.
The band members are Peter Holsapple, Chris Stamey, Will Rigby, and Gene Holder. Although the members are all from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the group was formed in New York City in 1978. In 2012, the band completed its first new studio album in 25 years and its first in 30 years with the original lineup.
During 1977, Stamey played bass with Alex Chilton in New York, and recorded "(I Thought) You Wanted to Know" with Television guitarist Richard Lloyd. A single of the latter song, backed with "If and When" (on which Rigby and Holder played), was issued in 1978, credited to Chris Stamey and the dB's.
Holsapple joined the group in October 1978 after moving to New York City from North Carolina. Their second single, "Black and White", was issued by Shake Records in 1980.
British label Albion Records released their first album, Stands for Decibels, in January 1981, to critical acclaim but negligible sales.
According to Trouser Press, the group drew from 1960s pop and psychedelia as well as 1970s pop groups like Big Star, but the songs by composers Stamey and Holsapple were too distinctive to merely copy their sources of inspiration. While Holsapple was skilled in the composing of fairly conventional tunes such as "Big Brown Eyes" and "Bad Reputation," Stamey's songs, such as "Espionage" and "Tearjerkin'," tended to be somewhat more experimental and quirky.
They released a second album on Albion in October 1981, Repercussion, and also released singles such as "Judy." These two albums were later reissued on one compact disc.
...
Wikipedia