Gerard "Jerry" Nolan (May 7, 1946 – January 14, 1992) was an American rock drummer, best known for his work with the
New York Dolls and
The Heartbreakers
The Heartbreakers, sometimes referred to as Johnny Thunders' Heartbreakers, were an American punk rock band formed in New York City in 1975. The band spearheaded the first wave of punk rock.
History
Johnny Thunders (vocals/guitar) and Jerry ...
.
Career
![New York Dolls - TopPop 1973 02](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/New_York_Dolls_-_TopPop_1973_02.png)
A native of
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordered by Greenpoint to the north; Bedford–Stuyvesant to the south; Bushwick and East Williamsburg to the east; and the East River to the west. As of the 2020 United ...
, Nolan joined the New York Dolls in the autumn of 1972 to replace
Billy Murcia
Billy Murcia (October 9, 1951 – November 6, 1972) was the original drummer for the New York Dolls.Jacobson, Mark"The Icon: Doll Face" ''New York (magazine)'', September 23, 2002. Accessed May 28, 2009. "Then came the sad pictures: Johnny and ...
, who had died of
asphyxiation
Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects primarily the tissues and organs. There are many circumstances that ca ...
as a result of a failed attempt to revive him from a drug overdose while on tour in England, early in the band's career. The Dolls got a record deal with
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 ...
in 1973. Nolan was also a childhood friend of
Kiss
A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
drummer
Peter Criss
George Peter John Criscuola (born December 20, 1945), better known by his stage name Peter Criss, is a retired American musician, best known as a co-founder, original drummer, and vocalist of the hard rock band Kiss. Criss established The Ca ...
, who also auditioned for the Dolls at the same time. He previously played with
Wayne (Jayne) County's "Queen Elizabeth",
Billy Squier's "Kicks" and was the only male member of
Suzi Quatro
Susan Kay Quatro (born June 3, 1950) is an American singer, bass guitarist, songwriter, and actress. In the 1970s, she scored a string of hit singles that found greater success in Europe and Australia than in her homeland, reaching No. 1 in th ...
's Detroit-based band Cradle. Jerry was drumming for the power trio "Shaker", a New York band that frequently opened for the Dolls, when he was recruited to replace Billy. Nolan played on the Dolls' first two albums (''
New York Dolls'' and ''
Too Much Too Soon'').
After much internal fighting and a short stint under the helm of future
Sex Pistols manager
Malcolm McLaren, Nolan left the Dolls together with
Johnny Thunders in the spring of 1975. The two then placed a call to bassist
Richard Hell
Richard Lester Meyers (born October 2, 1949), better known by his stage name Richard Hell, is an American singer, songwriter, bass guitarist and writer.
Hell was in several important early punk rock bands, including Neon Boys, Television and ...
, formerly of the
Neon Boys
The Neon Boys were a short lived New York City proto-punk band, composed of Tom Verlaine, Richard Hell and Billy Ficca. The trio later went on to form the influential rock band Television in 1973; Richard Hell also went on to form the influenti ...
and
Television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
, to form The Heartbreakers. Soon,
Walter Lure
Walter Lure (born Walter C. Luhr Jr., April 22, 1949 – August 21, 2020) was an American rock guitarist and singer. He was a member of the rock group The Heartbreakers.
Biography
Lure was born in Queens and raised in Floral Park, Long Island. H ...
was brought into the fold and Hell was replaced by
Billy Rath
The Heartbreakers, sometimes referred to as Johnny Thunders' Heartbreakers, were an American punk rock band formed in New York City in 1975. The band spearheaded the first wave of punk rock.
History
Johnny Thunders (vocals/guitar) and Jerry ...
. In 1976, The Heartbreakers were invited to tour with the Sex Pistols on their infamous "Anarchy in the U.K." tour which also included support from
The Clash
The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the w ...
and
The Damned. Soon after the tour, The Heartbreakers took up permanent residence in London and played many shows throughout 1976–1977. Nolan quit the band soon after they released their only studio album, ''
L.A.M.F.'' in October 1977 because he felt the album was poorly mixed. Nolan still continued to play with The Heartbreakers, but as a "hired drummer" until the end of 1977.
In early 1978, Nolan joined The Idols led by
Steve Dior and Barry Jones. The Idols with ex-Chelsea bassist Simon Vitesse recorded four demos in London for
Track Records
Track Record (a.k.a. Track Records) was founded in 1966 in London by Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp, then managers of the rock group The Who. It was one of the first British-owned independent record labels in the United Kingdom. The most succe ...
and then toured America later in the year with Arthur Kane on bass. The Idols also released a single including "You" b/w "The Girl That I Love" in 1978 on
Ork Records William Terry Ork (born William Terry Collins) was an American band manager and record producer for the new wave/ punk music scene in New York City in the mid 1970s. Ork is associated with the success of the club CBGB as manager for punk band Telev ...
. Nolan also filled in on drums for Sid Vicious' ill-fated New York City solo performances in September 1978 along with
Arthur Kane and Steve Dior also backing up Vicious.
Mick Jones from The Clash also joined Vicious' backing band filling in on guitar on the last live date. The live recordings from these shows can be found on ''
Sid Sings''. The Idols continued to play shows up and down the east coast but broke up in 1979, the last line up consisting of Jerry Nolan,
Steve Dior, Barry Jones, Arthur Kane and Walter Lure. Nolan later joined back with Steve Dior and Barry Jones in their next band, The London Cowboys in the early 80s which also included
Glen Matlock
Glen Matlock (born 27 August 1956) is an English musician, best known for being the bass guitarist in the original line-up of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols. He is credited as a songwriter on 10 of the 12 songs on the Sex Pistols' only albu ...
from The Sex Pistols. Jerry didn't play drums on
The London Cowboys
The London Cowboys were a rock'n'roll band who performed from 1980 to 1987. Formed by Steve Dior (vocals) and Barry Jones, formerly of The Idols, the band was somewhat of an enigma. Although these two remained constant and wrote the material, ...
two albums ''Animal Pleasure'' (1982) and ''Tall in the Saddle'' (1984), but he did play drums on their live album ''On Stage'' (1986).
While touring with Johnny Thunders in 1982, Nolan met Charlotte (Lotten) Nedeby, whom he soon married. Nolan took up residence in
Sweden, off and on, through the 1980s. In Sweden playing drums and singing lead vocals he recorded a solo single with the Teneriffa Cowboys of an unreleased Heartbreakers' song, "Take a Chance With Me" and a new song, "Pretty Baby" released in 1982 on Tandan Records. Other songs recorded with the Teneriffa Cowboys throughout 1982–1983 include
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...
's "Havana Moon" which was released on ''Sword – The Best in Scandinavian Rock'' album in 1985 on Sword/Tandan Records and "Countdown Love" which was released on a posthumous split single with Johnny Thunders in 1997 on Sucksex Records. The other co-singer and guitarist of Teneriffa Cowboys, Michael Thimrén (who also occasionally played with Johnny Thunders from 1983–1988) contributed the songs "Lickin' My Boots" and "Notorious Liar" along with other unreleased songs from the 1982–1983 period. Also in 1983, Nolan recorded a single with the Swedish band Pilsner playing drums and singing lead vocals on "I Refuse (To Live in the U.S.A.)" and "Sleep With You". He was also a member of the short-lived Ugly Americans with fellow ex-Doll
Sylvain Sylvain
Sylvain Mizrahi (February 14, 1951 – January 13, 2021), known professionally as Sylvain Sylvain, was an American rock guitarist, most notable for being a member of the New York Dolls.
Early years
Sylvain was born in Cairo, Egypt, to a Jewish ...
. Collaboration with Johnny Thunders continued periodically, until Thunders' death in 1991.
Nolan outlived his long-time friend by only a few months. During that period he was working on a recording project with singer/songwriter/guitar Greg Allen and bassist Chicago Vin Earnshaw.
[Nina Antonia. "Johnny Thunders – In Cold Blood". Cherry Red Records. November 1, 2000)] In late 1991, while Nolan was being treated for
bacterial meningitis
Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, and neck stiffness. Other symptoms include confusion or ...
and
bacterial pneumonia
Bacterial pneumonia is a type of pneumonia caused by bacterial infection.
Types
Gram-positive
'' Streptococcus pneumoniae'' () is the most common bacterial cause of pneumonia in all age groups except newborn infants. ''Streptococcus pneumonia ...
at
St. Vincent's Hospital in New York, he suffered a stroke and went into a coma from which he never recovered. He spent his final weeks on a
life support system and died on January 14, 1992. He was buried at Mount Saint Mary's Cemetery in
Flushing, New York
Flushing is a neighborhood in the north-central portion of the New York City borough of Queens. The neighborhood is the fourth-largest central business district in New York City. Downtown Flushing is a major commercial and retail area, and the i ...
.
A biography titled ''Stranded in the Jungle: Jerry Nolan's Wild Ride - A tale of drugs, fashion, the New York Dolls, and Punk Rock'', was released in 2017, from
Hal Leonard Corporation
Hal Leonard LLC (formerly Hal Leonard Corporation) is an American music publishing and distribution company founded in Winona, Minnesota, by Harold "Hal" Edstrom, his brother, Everett "Leonard" Edstrom, and fellow musician Roger Busdicker. Curre ...
's Backbeat imprint. Author
Curt Weiss, was formerly Lewis King, drummer for
Beat Rodeo and the
Rockats.
Discography
New York Dolls
*''
New York Dolls'' – (1973)
*''
Too Much Too Soon'' – (1974)
*''
Red Patent Leather'' – (1984)
The Heartbreakers
*''
L.A.M.F.'' – (1977)
*''Heartbreaker Live at Max's'' – 1979
*''D.T.K. – Live at the Speakeasy'' – (1982)
The Idols
*"You" / "Girl That I Love" – (1979 – single)
Sid Vicious
*''
Sid Sings'' – (1979)
*''
The Idols with Sid Vicious'' – (1993)
Jerry Nolan (with The Teneriffa Cowboys)
*"Take A Chance With Me" b/w "Pretty Baby" – (1982)
*"Havana Moon" (Chuck Berry) released on "Sword – The Best in Scandinavian Rock" – (1985)
*"Countdown Love" released on posthumous split single with Johnny Thunders – (1997)
Jerry Nolan (with Pilsner)
*"I Refuse b/w "Sleep With You" – (1983)
London Cowboys
*"On Stage" – (1986)
Jerry Nolan and the Profilers
*''Jerry Nolan and the Profilers'' – (1991)
Jerry Nolan Band
*''Live at Great Gildersleeves October 07, 1983''
Released on Retro Records - U.K. (2012)
References
External links
My Life As A Doll– downloadable Village Voice article by Jerry Nolan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nolan, Jerry
New York Dolls members
American punk rock drummers
American male drummers
1946 births
1992 deaths
Musicians from Brooklyn
20th-century American drummers
The Heartbreakers (punk rock band) members
20th-century American male musicians
People from Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Protopunk musicians