Gary Twinn

Gary Twinn
Gary Twinn (2015)
Background information
Born	(1956-12-07) December 7, 1956 (age 60) West Ham, London, England
Genres	Glam rock, punk rock, rock 'n' roll, rockabilly, new wave, alternative country
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, harmonica
Years active	1974 – present
Associated acts	Supernaut, Twenty Flight Rockers, Rhode-Twinn, Knock-Out Drops, Dead Horse, The Honeydippers, Speedtwinn, The International Swingers

Gary Twinn (born December 7, 1956, West Ham, London, England) is a British singer/songwriter, musician, TV host and editorial writer, currently fronting punk rock supergroup The International Swingers, which also features Clem Burke, Glen Matlock and James Stevenson.

Twinn's family emigrated to Australia in 1969, where (while attending Rossmoyne Senior High School, Perth) he formed the glam/punk band Supernaut, with fellow Brit-immigrant students Chris and Joe Burnham. Influenced by T. Rex, David Bowie, The New York Dolls and Iggy Pop, they quickly gained popularity and notoriety for their wild stage antics, clothes and controversial lyrics. When asked his impressions of Australia during a Wings tour Paul McCartney mentioned Supernaut and the media immediately took note. The group's first single "I Like It Both Ways" was banned by radio and soared to the no. 1 chart position, thanks to TV performances on Countdown and Bandstand, forcing radio to reverse its position. Other hits followed, a gold album and a second, critically acclaimed but commercially poor, LP that more closely resembled the band's original style.

In 1980 Twinn had already decided to relocate back to London, where he formed Twenty Flight Rockers with ex-Generation X drummer Mark Laff, joined by guitarist Ian McKean and Jeff Vine on bass. Drawing influences from Eddie Cochran, Elvis Presley, Gene Vincent and Johnny Kidd, the new band adopted a black biker leather clad look and a focus on pure roll 'n' roll blended with a punk rock attitude. The group toured clubs in London, and were subsequently invited to play the BBC's Janice Long show. In 1985, Twenty Flight Rockers released the single "Tower Block Rock" (ranked #31 for Best Single on Rockerilla Magazine) with ABC Records, and in 1986 the single "Johnny 7" with WEA Records. Subsequently, Bernie Rhodes (the former manager of The Clash) was hired to manage them. He decided for the band to sign with Epic Records, and he had McKean replaced by The Rockats guitarist Danny B. Harvey. Twenty Flight Rockers recorded a series of sessions (compiled by Twinn and Harvey) as well as an entire studio album entitled Ride. "Black Leather Jacket" was released as a single promo, with the album due to follow in mid 1988. However, Epic was bought out by Sony, who then dropped the band from the label. Disappointed by political mismanagement from record companies, Twenty Flight Rockers broke up.