"Bad Girl" is a song by the American garage rock band the Zakary Thaks, written by the whole group—Chris Gerniottis, Pete Stinson, Stan Moore, Rex Gregory, and John Lopez—and was first released for the band's debut single on J-Beck Records in July 1966 (''see''

1966 in music List of notable events in music that took place in the year 1966. Specific locations * 1966 in British music * 1966 in Norwegian music Specific genres *1966 in country music * 1966 in jazz Events * January 8 – '' Shindig!'' is broadcast f ...

). The song was an immensely successful regional hit in Texas, precipitating "Bad Girl"'s national release on

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it i ...

later in the year. Since its initial distribution, the tune has received further recognition for its appearance on several compilation albums.

Background

Forming in early 1966, the Zakary Thaks rose to prominence in Corpus Christi, Texas, becoming a popular fixture, and rival to fellow group the Bad Seeds, while performing in the music venue known as the Carousel Club. The band members collectively adopted their moniker for sounding distinctively British, thereby symbolizing the group's alignment with the British Invasion, particularly

the Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhyt ...

the Yardbirds The Yardbirds are an English rock band, formed in London in 1963. The band's core lineup featured vocalist and harmonica player Keith Relf, drummer Jim McCarty, rhythm guitarist and later bassist Chris Dreja and bassist/producer Paul Samwell ...

, and

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

. The Zakary Thaks' R&B-influenced musical stance and assortment of original material appealed to

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

and Bad Seeds manager Carl Becker, who signed the band to his

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

J-Beck. Entering Jimmy Nicholls’ (who owned the local Pharaoh Records label, releasing material by several other Texas musical acts) studio in

McAllen, Texas McAllen is the largest city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States, and the 22nd-most populous city in Texas. It is located at the southern tip of the state in the Rio Grande Valley, on the Mexico–United States border. The city limits extend ...

along with the Bad Seeds, the Zakary Thaks recorded "Bad Girl", for all intents and purposes as a live number on a basic two-track tape. All five members collaborated to pen the song, which was coupled with their compelling

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of the Kinks' " I Need You". For lead vocalist Chris Gerniottis, "Bad Girl" was "like the one true picture of what the Zakary Thaks were as a group". Indeed, the composition reflects upon the group's adolescent sound inspired by early-Kinks music, though Gerniottis's bluesy vocals are remarkably mature given that he was only 15-years-old at the time of the song's recording. Musically, "Bad Girl" is also highlighted by Stan Moore's frantic

drumming Drumming may refer to: * the act of playing the drums or other percussion instruments * Drummer, a musician who plays a drum, drum kit, or drums * ''Drumming'' (Reich), a musical composition written by Steve Reich in 1971 for percussion ensemble ...

, and

lead guitarist Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...

John Lopez's double-time guitar break, assembling one of the best examples of the musical genre of garage rock. Upon release, "Bad Girl" propelled to number one regionally in Texas. The success of the single prompted

to national distribute the song in October 1966. It began a string of high-quality singles, including the follow-up "Face to Face", that were immensely popular in Texas, but unheralded throughout the rest of the United States. In 1979, "Bad Girl" was finally recognized as a quintessential garage rock composition as a result of its inclusion on '' Pebbles, Volume 2''. Other compilation albums that the song appears on includes ''J-Beck Story, Volume 2'' and the 1998 expanded box-set of '' Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968'', along with the Zakary Thaks compilations ''Texas Band'', ''Face to Face'', ''Passage to India'', ''Form the Habit'', and '' It's the End: The Definitive Collection''.

Personnel

*Chris Gerniottis - lead vocals *Pete Stinson - rhythm guitar *Stan Moore - drums *Rex Gregory -

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

*John Lopez -

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featu ...

References

{{authority control 1966 songs Mercury Records singles