The New York Dolls

New York Dolls
New York Dolls on TopPop in 1973 Left to right: Johnny Thunders, Sylvain Sylvain, Jerry Nolan, Arthur Kane, David Johansen
Background information
Origin	New York City, United States
Genres	Hard rock, proto-punk, glam rock
Years active	1971–1977, 2004–2011
Labels	Mercury, Roadrunner, Atco, 429
Past members	David Johansen Sylvain Sylvain Johnny Thunders Arthur Kane Billy Murcia Rick Rivets Jerry Nolan Peter Jordan Blackie Lawless Chris Robison Tony Machine Bobby Blaine Steve Conte Gary Powell Sami Yaffa Brian Koonin Frank Infante Jason Hill Jason Sutter Aaron Lee Tasjan John Conte Kenny Aaronson Earl Slick Brian Delaney Claton Pitcher

The New York Dolls were an American hard rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although their original line-up fell apart quickly, the band's first two albums—New York Dolls (1973) and Too Much Too Soon (1974)—became among the most popular cult records in rock. The line-up at this time comprised vocalist David Johansen, guitarist Johnny Thunders, bassist Arthur Kane, guitarist and pianist Sylvain Sylvain, and drummer Jerry Nolan; the latter two had replaced Rick Rivets and Billy Murcia, respectively, in 1972. On stage, they donned an androgynous wardrobe, wearing high heels, eccentric hats, and satin. Nolan described the group in 1974 as "the Dead End Kids of today".

According to the Encyclopedia of Popular Music (1995), the New York Dolls predated the punk and glam metal movements, and were "one of the most influential rock bands of the last 20 years". They influenced rock groups such as the Sex Pistols, Kiss, the Ramones, Guns N' Roses, the Damned, and The Smiths, whose frontman Morrissey organized a reunion show for the New York Dolls' surviving members in 2004. After reuniting, they recorded and released three more albums—One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This (2006), Cause I Sez So (2009), and Dancing Backward in High Heels (2011).