Gerard "Jerry" Nolan (May 7, 1946 – January 14, 1992) was an American rock drummer, best known for his work with the

New York Dolls New York Dolls were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved much commercial suc ...

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

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, 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 can ...

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 ...

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 William Haislip Squier (, born May 12, 1950) is an American rock musician and singer who had a string of arena rock and crossover hits in the early 1980s. His best-known songs include " The Stroke", " Lonely Is the Night", "My Kinda Lover", " I ...

'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 (''

'' and '' Too Much Too Soon''). After much internal fighting and a short stint under the helm of future

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...

manager

Malcolm McLaren Malcolm Robert Andrew McLaren (22 January 1946 – 8 April 2010) was an English impresario, visual artist, singer, songwriter, musician, clothes designer and boutique owner, notable for combining these activities in an inventive and provo ...

, Nolan left the Dolls together with

Johnny Thunders John Anthony Genzale (July 15, 1952 – April 23, 1991), known professionally as Johnny Thunders, was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He came to prominence in the early 1970s as a member of the New York Dolls. He later played wit ...

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 influent ...

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 advertising, ...

, 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. He ...

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 N ...

. 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 Steve Dior is a British musician, guitarist, vocalist and songwriter best known for being in bands such as The London Cowboys, Filthy Lucre and The Idols. Career In 1976, Dior and Barry Jones built the basis of The Idols after previously reh ...

and Barry Jones. The Idols with ex-Chelsea bassist Simon Vitesse recorded four demos in London for Track Records 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. Nolan also filled in on drums for Sid Vicious' ill-fated New York City solo performances in September 1978 along with

Arthur Kane Arthur Harold Kane Jr. (February 3, 1949 – July 13, 2004) was a musician best known as the bass guitarist for the pioneering glam rock band the New York Dolls. Kane was a founding member of the Dolls in 1971 and remained an integral part of the ...

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,

, 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 Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

, 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 confusi ...

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 Life support comprises the treatments and techniques performed in an emergency in order to support life after the failure of one or more vital organs. Healthcare providers and emergency medical technicians are generally certified to perform basic ...

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 Curt Weiss (born 10 December 1959 in Brooklyn, New York), is an American writer, television producer, and, under the name Lewis King, musician. His writing has appeared in ''Classic Drummer'' magazine, and as author of the 2017 book ''Stranded ...

, was formerly Lewis King, drummer for

Beat Rodeo Beat Rodeo (also known as The Beat Rodeo) was a country rock band from New York City during the 1980s. Career Following the breakup of the Minneapolis-based Suicide Commandos (in which he played bass), Steve Almaas moved to New York, turned to gui ...

and the Rockats.

Discography

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