Brent Harold Liles (September 7, 1963 – January 18, 2007) was an American musician who was the bassist for
Social Distortion
Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. The band currently consists of Mike Ness (lead vocals, lead guitar), Jonny Wickersham (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Brent Harding (bass, backing voca ...
from 1981–1984 and later was the bassist for
Agent Orange from 1988 – 1992.
Early life
Liles was born on September 7, 1963, and was an only child. His father died in a
plane crash
An aviation accident is defined by the Convention on International Civil Aviation Annex 13 as an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft, which takes place from the time any person boards the aircraft with the ''intention of fl ...
when Brent was 8 years old. He continued to live with his mother and was a standout tennis player at
Troy High School in Fullerton, California, and
salutatorian
Salutatorian is an academic title given in the United States, Armenia, and the Philippines to the second-highest-ranked graduate of the entire graduating class of a specific discipline. Only the valedictorian is ranked higher. This honor is tradi ...
of his high school graduating class in 1981. Prior to joining Social Distortion, Liles had seriously considered a career as a professional tennis player. He was also an extra in the movie
Bachelor Party
A bachelor party (in the United States and sometimes in Canada), also known as a stag weekend, stag do or stag party (in the United Kingdom, Commonwealth countries, and Ireland), or a buck's night (in Australia), is a party held/arranged by th ...
.
Career
He appeared on Social Distortion's 1983 classic debut ''
Mommy's Little Monster'' before leaving the band on New Year's Day 1984, with the band's drummer
Derek O'Brien. The two would once again be bandmates from 1989 to the early 1990s with Agent Orange. The Palm/Liles/O'Brien lineup of Agent Orange can be heard on the album ''Real Live Sound''. It was Liles who originally came up with the idea of Agent Orange recording their little-known and never released album, ''Living in Total Darkness''. This was a re-recording of the songs on their 1981 album ''
Living in Darkness'' with some newer material mixed in. This recording was made on Christmas of 1988, which is somewhat interesting because ''Mommy's Little Monster'' was coincidentally recorded on Christmas Eve of 1982. Liles also briefly played guitar for the band
Easter
Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...
and
Chaotic Stature. Brent also played bass for a band in 1984 to 1986 called
The Harlots, who were managed by
Monk Rock, Brent's manager from his
Social Distortion
Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. The band currently consists of Mike Ness (lead vocals, lead guitar), Jonny Wickersham (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Brent Harding (bass, backing voca ...
days.
The Harlots put out a 12 E.P. around March 1985 which was entitled ''Roger Roomper's Really Catchy Tunes''.
He also appeared in the 1984 documentary ''
Another State of Mind''. His songwriting credits include "Mass Hysteria" with Social Distortion and "Broken Dreams" with Agent Orange. during his time with Social Distortion, he was known for playing a Rickenbacker 4001 bass as his primary instrument.
Liles had been out of the musical scene since the mid-1990s, operating a convalescent home in
Placentia, California
Placentia () is a city in northern Orange County, California. The population was 51,233 during the 2020 census, up from 46,488 in the 2000 census. This includes the community of Atwood, which is included in the city of Placentia, and is loca ...
. He died on January 18, 2007, after being hit by a truck while cycling. A
Social Distortion
Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. The band currently consists of Mike Ness (lead vocals, lead guitar), Jonny Wickersham (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Brent Harding (bass, backing voca ...
benefit concert was held for his family at the Galaxy Theater in
Santa Ana, California on March 8, 2007. He is survived by his mother Carol Liles and daughter Maddie Liles.
Liles was the fourth member of Social Distortion to die. Other deceased Social Distortion members include
Dennis Danell in 2000 (brain aneurysm),
Randy Carr in 2002 (
Cushing's Syndrome
Cushing's syndrome is a collection of signs and symptoms due to prolonged exposure to glucocorticoids such as cortisol. Signs and symptoms may include high blood pressure, abdominal obesity but with thin arms and legs, reddish stretch marks, a ...
), and original bassist
Mark Garrett (unknown cause).
Additionally, former producer and organist on
Mommy's Little Monster Chaz Ramirez died in 1993 after sustaining a broken neck and head injuries in a warehouse fall. With the 2018 death of
Charlie Quintana
Gonzalo Quintana III (January 29, 1962 – March 12, 2018), also known as Charlie Quintana or Chalo, was an American rock and punk drummer. He is best known as a founding member of the band The Plugz and as the drummer for the punk rock band Soci ...
, five members of Social Distortion have died.
Discography
With Social Distortion
*''
Mainliner: Wreckage from the Past'' (bass, backing vocals)
*''
Mommy's Little Monster'' bass
With Agent Orange
*''Real Live Sound'' (bass)
With The Harlots
*''Roger Roomper's Really Catchy Tunes'' (bass)
References
5. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_4tG81rw5xU&t=248s
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liles, Brent
1963 births
2007 deaths
American punk rock bass guitarists
American male bass guitarists
Social Distortion members
Cycling road incident deaths
Road incident deaths in California
20th-century American musicians
American male guitarists
Agent Orange (band) members
20th-century American guitarists
20th-century bass guitarists
20th-century American male musicians