The Waitresses
| The Waitresses | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Akron, Ohio, United States |
| Genres | New wave, post-punk |
| Years active | 1977–1984 |
| Labels | Clone Records, ZE Records, Antilles Records, Polydor Records, Omnivore Recordings |
| Past members |
Chris Butler Patty Donahue Billy Ficca Dan Klayman Mars Williams Dave Hofstra Ariel Warner Tracy Wormworth Holly Beth Vincent |
The Waitresses were an experimental post-punk band from Akron, Ohio, known for their singles "I Know What Boys Like" and "Christmas Wrapping". They released two albums, Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful and Bruiseology, and one EP, I Could Rule the World If I Could Only Get the Parts.
The group was led by guitarist/songwriter Chris Butler with lead vocals performed by Patty Donahue.
The Waitresses were formed by Butler (ex-the Numbers Band) in 1977 as a side project, while he was still a member of Tin Huey. He wrote and recorded "I Know What Boys Like" that year, with guest vocals by friend Donahue (as "Patty Darling") and saxophone from Tin Huey member Ralph Carney, although the song remained unreleased at the time. A debut single, In "Short Stack" (featuring the songs "Slide" and "Clones"), recorded solely by Butler, was issued by Clone Records in 1978. Both tracks from the single, plus another early song, "The Comb", appeared that year on The Akron Compilation, issued by Stiff Records.
Butler relocated to New York City and shopped "I Know What Boys Like". The song landed him a deal with ZE Records (an affiliate of Antilles Records), who released the single in 1980. It was an underground hit, but did not chart.
With the deal in place, Butler put together an actual band lineup for the Waitresses, also featuring lead vocalist Donahue, jazz saxophonist Mars Williams, former Television drummer Billy Ficca, keyboardist Dan Klayman, bassist Dave Hofstra and backing vocalist Ariel Warner. The Waitresses played their debut concert on New Year's Eve 1980.
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