Cristina "Cris" Bonacci (born 15 October 1964) is an Australian-born producer, songwriter, and musician. She was the lead guitarist in the British
heavy metal band
Girlschool
Girlschool are a British rock band that formed in the new wave of British heavy metal scene in 1978. Frequently associated with contemporaries Motörhead, they are the longest-running all-female rock band, still active after more than 40 ye ...
(1984 to 1992, 2004) and has also provided session guitar work for other artists.
Career
Cris Bonacci was born at
Myrtleford
Myrtleford is a town in northeast Victoria, Australia, 280 km (170 miles) northeast of Melbourne and 46 km (29 miles) southeast of Wangaratta. Myrtleford is part of the Alpine Shire local government area and in 2016 the town had a po ...
in north-eastern
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
and grew up on a country farm close to
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
where her family had moved when she was "11 or 12" years old. She started playing the guitar soon after coming to Melbourne following her fascination with the instrument. Her introductions to music included her father's guitar playing and her uncle's membership of a band, as well as hearing
flamenco
Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...
guitar from her family's Spanish neighbours. She describes her own guitar style as "pretty much" self taught, aided by a few occasional guitar lessons (which included some
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
), but her main musical training came from listening to classic rock albums and practising to them. In 1985, she declared that her main influences came from rock guitarists
Jimi Hendrix and
Jeff Beck, along with early
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...
's albums.
Bonacci played in numerous bands in her native Australia, but never staying with one unit for more than a couple of years. She joined a rock group, Vixen, on lead guitar alongside Wendy Hemmings on drums (ex-Screeming Heep), Glenda Hunt on bass guitar and Robyn Youlten on lead vocals and lead guitar (ex-Screeming Heep).
Bonacci and Sally Zylstra formed
Sweet Jayne, in early 1975 in Melbourne with Robyn Clark on drums and Sally Zylstra on bass guitar.
They advertised for a lead singer and found Chris Scheri who also played the flute.
This band developed a sizeable local following in Melbourne and recorded several demos and an EP between 1977 and 1983.
Their self-titled EP was issued in January 1980 and had five tracks, "Ambiguous Girl", "Omniscience", "Some People", "State of Mind" and "Crushed and Crazy".
Australian musicologist,
Ian McFarlane, opined that it "highlighted Bonacci's crunching guitar riffs offset by Scheri's melodic vocals and lilting flute lines."
Soon after Brendan O'Shea replaced Zylstra on bass guitar and John Zaffarese replaced Clark on drums.
In October 1981 this line-up issued a single, "Icarus", with Fab Versace replacing Zaffarese on drums before being replaced in turn by Billy George in 1982.
The group disbanded in January 1983.
After Sweet Jayne, Bonacci went to the United Kingdom to work as session musician after being invited by
Mike Oldfield
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...
.
In London, Bonacci joined the all-female hard rock outfit She as lead guitarist. She included lead vocalist Jackie "Jacqui" Bodimead and former
Rock Goddess
Rock Goddess are an English all-female heavy metal band formed in Wandsworth, South London, in 1977 by sisters Jody Turner and Julie Turner.
The band were initially active during the new wave of British heavy metal musical movement, releasing ...
bassist Tracey Lamb, whom Bonacci would later team up with in
Girlschool
Girlschool are a British rock band that formed in the new wave of British heavy metal scene in 1978. Frequently associated with contemporaries Motörhead, they are the longest-running all-female rock band, still active after more than 40 ye ...
. In fact, the all-female
heavy metal outfit Girlschool was short of a lead guitarist after
Kelly Johnson's departure and, on hearing Bonacci, they invited both her and keyboard player Bodimead to join the band. Both agreed and, during her time with Girlschool (1984 to 1992), Bonacci recorded the albums ''
Running Wild'', ''
Nightmare at Maple Cross'', ''
Take a Bite
''Take a Bite'' is the seventh studio album by British heavy metal band, Girlschool, released by GWR Records in 1988. It is the first album to feature Tracey Lamb on bass, replacing Gil Weston-Jones.
Overview
''Take a Bite'' was recorded at ...
'' and ''
Girlschool
Girlschool are a British rock band that formed in the new wave of British heavy metal scene in 1978. Frequently associated with contemporaries Motörhead, they are the longest-running all-female rock band, still active after more than 40 ye ...
'', touring extensively all over the world.
In a period of inactivity for Girlschool in 1990, she joined up with British rock singer
Toyah Willcox
Toyah Ann Willcox (born 18 May 1958) is an English musician, actress, and TV presenter. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Willcox has had eight top 40 singles, released over 20 albums, written two books, appeared in over 40 stage plays an ...
, performing on
GMTV to promote Willcox' album ''
Ophelia's Shadow''. In the years 1991 and 1992, Bonacci and Willcox (and Bonacci's bandmates in Girlschool Enid Williams and Kim McAuliffe) formed the short-lived band She Devils, which made two short tours around Europe. After the She Devils project, Bonacci finally left Girlschool and joined
Marc Almond
Peter Mark Sinclair "Marc" Almond, (born 9 July 1957) is an English singer. Almond first began performing and recording in the synthpop/ new wave duo Soft Cell where he became known for his distinctive soulful voice and androgynous image. ...
's touring band. In December 2004, however, Bonacci re-joined Girlschool for a one-off gig at the London Garage alongside original guitarist Kelly Johnson and current guitarist Jackie Chambers. She also played at the tribute gig for Kelly Johnson on 20 August 2007 in London. After leaving Girlschool, she worked also as a session guitarist and became a member of
Jonathan Ross' house band for the British TV show ''
Saturday Zoo'', where she backed international artists such as
Suzanne Vega, and
k.d. lang
Kathryn Dawn Lang (born November 2, 1961), known by her stage name k.d. lang, is a Canadian pop and country singer-songwriter and occasional actress. Lang has won Juno Awards and Grammy Awards for her musical performances. Hits include the s ...
.
Bonacci wrote lyrics, music and produced for a variety of artists. She wrote mostly for the bands she was a member of, but she has also written for and produced other artists, such as
All Saints and
Samantha Fox
Samantha Karen Fox (born 15 April 1966) is an English pop singer and former glamour model from East London. She rose to public attention aged 16, when her mother entered her photographs in an amateur modelling contest run by ''The Sunday Peopl ...
. In 2003, Bonacci wrote and produced the song "Look Up" which was released on the dance compilation CD ''Fashion Lounge: Id Models'', published in the US by Water Music Records.
She also co-produced and engineered Dawne Adams' album ''Assume Nothing'' in 2004. She is currently affiliated with Electracult, a band she formed with Michelle Mullen in January 2005. Electracult released their first full-length release ''Electracult Me'' on 15 April 2008, on Renaissance Records. Since 2000, much of her focus has been on software training. In June, 2015, Bonacci was interviewed extensively about her musical career on the ''Australian Rock Show'' podcast.
Equipment
Her equipment in the 80s consisted of
Gibson Les Paul guitars exclusively and
Marshall
Marshall may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria
Canada
* Marshall, Saskatchewan
* The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia
Liberia
* Marshall, Liberia
Marshall Islands
* Marshall Islands, an i ...
100 amps.
Discography
;With Sweet Jayne
*''Some People'' (7" self-produced EP; 1979)
*''State of Mind'' (7" self-produced EP; 1979)
*''Crushed and Crazy'' (7" self-produced EP; 1979)
*"Icarus" (7" single; 1981)
;With Girlschool
*''
Running Wild'' (1985)
*''
Nightmare at Maple Cross'' (1986)
*''
Take a Bite
''Take a Bite'' is the seventh studio album by British heavy metal band, Girlschool, released by GWR Records in 1988. It is the first album to feature Tracey Lamb on bass, replacing Gil Weston-Jones.
Overview
''Take a Bite'' was recorded at ...
'' (1988)
*''
Girlschool
Girlschool are a British rock band that formed in the new wave of British heavy metal scene in 1978. Frequently associated with contemporaries Motörhead, they are the longest-running all-female rock band, still active after more than 40 ye ...
'' (1992)
;With
Mark Shreeve
*''Legion'' (1985)
;With
Marc Almond
Peter Mark Sinclair "Marc" Almond, (born 9 July 1957) is an English singer. Almond first began performing and recording in the synthpop/ new wave duo Soft Cell where he became known for his distinctive soulful voice and androgynous image. ...
*''Twelve Years of Tears'' (1993)
*"What Makes a Man a Man" (1993)
;With
Samantha Fox
Samantha Karen Fox (born 15 April 1966) is an English pop singer and former glamour model from East London. She rose to public attention aged 16, when her mother entered her photographs in an amateur modelling contest run by ''The Sunday Peopl ...
*''
21st Century Fox'' (1998)
;With
All Saints
*''
Saints & Sinners'' (2000)
;With Electracult
*''Electracult EP ''(2005)
*''Electracult Me'' (2008)
As producer
*''21st Century Fox'' (1998)
*''Fashion Lounge: Id Models'' (2003)
*''Assume Nothing'' (2004)
*''Electracult Me'' (2008)
DVD releases
*''
Play Dirty Live'' (1984)
*''Twelve Years of Tears – Live at the Royal Albert Hall 1992'' (2007)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonacci, Cris
Australian women guitarists
Australian people of Italian descent
Girlschool members
Lead guitarists
Living people
Musicians from Melbourne
1964 births
Women in metal