Was (Not Was)

Was (Not Was)
Origin	Detroit, Michigan, United States
Genres	Dance-pop, post-disco, dance-rock, college rock
Years active	1979–1992, 2004–present
Labels	ZE Records, Geffen, Chrysalis Records, Fontana Records
Associated acts	Orquestra Was
Website	World Wide Was
Members	David Weiss Don Fagenson "Sweet Pea" Atkinson Harry Bowens Donald Ray Mitchell Randy Jacobs James Gadson David McMurray Jamie Muhoberac
Past members	Bruce Nazarian

Was (Not Was) discography
Studio albums	5
Compilation albums	4
Singles	19

Was (Not Was) is an American eclectic pop group founded by David Weiss (a.k.a. David Was) and Don Fagenson (a.k.a. Don Was). They gained popularity in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Weiss and Fagenson were childhood friends who grew up together in suburban Detroit. Partly due to Fagenson's poverty they decided to form Was (Not Was) in 1979. The name of the band was derived from Fagenson's then-infant son Tony, who was just beginning to talk and enjoyed contradicting words such as "Blue" with "Not Blue". Their first recording was "Wheel Me Out", a 12-inch dance record for the avant-garde ZE Records. David's mother Elizabeth Elkin Weiss, an actress and radio pioneer in their native Detroit, provided the outré vocals. The track was later included on the 2000 compilation album Disco Not Disco.

Their first album Was (Not Was) (1981) was an amalgam of rock, disco, Weiss's beat poetry, Reagan-era political-social commentary, and jazz. On vocals they recruited Harry Bowens and "Sweet Pea" Atkinson, who proved to be distinctive, soulful front men who frequently found themselves singing absurdist and satirical songs alongside tender ballads. The MC5's Wayne Kramer, The Knack's Doug Fieger, and Mingus trumpeter Marcus Belgrave were among the guest players.

In 1982, the group played on Don't Walk Away, a solo album for lead singer "Sweet Pea" Atkinson.

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