Oh-OK was an American musical group from

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, formed in 1981 with singer/lyricist

Linda Hopper Linda Elizabeth Hopper is the vocalist for the Atlanta, Georgia-based rock group Magnapop. Her pop punk/power pop vocal style helped to define the band's sound and she has co-written their minor hit singles " Slowly, Slowly" and " Open the Door" ...

, bassist/vocalist/lyricist

Lynda Stipe Lynda L. Stipe (born September 30, 1962) is an American singer and bass guitarist. She is best recognized for her involvement in the bands Oh-OK, Hetch Hetchy and Flash to Bang Time. She is the younger sister of R.E.M.'s lead singer Michael Stip ...

, and drummer David Pierce. Other members later included drummer David McNair and guitarist

Matthew Sweet Sidney Matthew Sweet (born October 6, 1964) is an American alternative rock/power pop singer-songwriter and musician who was part of the burgeoning music scene in Athens, Georgia, during the 1980s before gaining commercial success in the 1990 ...

. The trio began practicing together at parties in the college community in the spring of 1981. Their first club performance break came when Stipe's brother,

Michael Stipe John Michael Stipe (; born January 4, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter and artist, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of alternative rock band R.E.M. He is known for his vocal quality, poetic lyrics and unique stage presence. Poss ...

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternati ...

, needed an opening band for a show at the

40 Watt Club The 40 Watt Club is a music venue in Athens, Georgia. Along with CBGB, the Whisky a Go Go, and selected others, it was instrumental in launching American punk rock and new wave music. The 40 Watt Club was the primary performance space for numero ...

.Kellman, Andy " Oh-OK Biography,

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, retrieved 2010-02-06

History

Oh-OK was an Athens, Georgia band that formed in 1981. The group's unusual sound combined with Hopper and Stipe's non-linear lyrics, percolating bass melody lines by Stipe and the dance-oriented drumming of Pierce, created a unique stripped-down pop sound that was critically praised by

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

of the ''

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the creat ...

''. With only five songs and barely a month old, the trio toured New York and New Jersey in the summer of 1981 with fellow Athens band Pylon. On that tour, the band played at the venerable New York club

Danceteria Danceteria was a nightclub that operated in New York City from 1979 until 1986 and in the Hamptons until 1995. The club operated in various locations over the years, a total of three in New York City and four in the Hamptons. The most famous locat ...

to a sold-out show. By the fall of 1981 Oh-Ok was invited to record with Atlanta record label

DB Records DB Records (stylized as DB RECS) was a record label owned by Danny Beard, active from 1978 to 1997. The label was operated out of the Wax'n'Facts record store in the Atlanta, Georgia neighborhood of Little Five Points. Through the 1980s, the ...

. The band's ''Wow Mini Album'', a 3-song 45 rpm record, which included "Lilting", a 59-second pop-dance song, gave them national and international radio play on many alternative and college stations. After touring to support the record, Pierce left the band and David McNair joined the lineup as a drummer. After several temporary lineup changes, the band incorporated a guitar sound with the addition of Matthew Sweet. His songwriting, performing and recording skills pushed the band into traditional rock music territory with the band's EP ''Furthermore What''. While playing and touring with Oh-OK, Sweet and former drummer Pierce formed the short-lived pop duo

The Buzz of Delight The Buzz of Delight was an American band consisting of Matthew Sweet and David Pierce, which was active from 1983–1985. Background Matthew Sweet grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska. He was musical from an early age, and as a teenager made 4-track casset ...

producing a 45 rpm single "Christmas" and an EP ''Sound Castles'' on DB Records. Sweet was rapidly signed to Capitol Records and embarked on a successful solo career. Pierce began a successful career as Funk Music DJ and Disco Revival nightclub promoter Romeo Cologne. Hopper made a name for herself fronting

Magnapop Magnapop is an American rock band based in Atlanta, Georgia. Formed in 1989, the band has consistently included songwriting duo Linda Hopper as vocalist and Ruthie Morris on guitar. Magnapop first achieved recognition in the Benelux countries of ...

, with McNair joining her on drums. Stipe became the lead singer of Hetch Hetchy under the name Lynda L. Limner; she went on to play in Flash to Bang Time.Zeigler, Todd (2004)
Local band bangs out tunes
, redandblack.com, January 15, 2004, retrieved 2010-02-06 In 2002, a compilation of their recordings—'' The Complete Recordings''—was released by

Collector's Choice Music Collectors' Choice Music (CCM) is an Itasca, Illinois, company originally primarily in two businesses, but since 2010 only in the second. CCM was best known for reissuing albums originally recorded in LP record form as compact discs. , its catalog ...

,Goodman, Abbey (2002)
In Stores Now And Coming Soon: LPs By Ani DiFranco, BT, The Pattern, Run-DMC, Sahara Hotnights, Ivy & More
, MTV.com, September 10, 2002, retrieved 2010-02-06 with liner notes by

. The band reunited without Pierce for a concert at the 40 Watt Club as part of the 2006 Athens Popfest.

Discography

*''Wow Mini Album'' 7", 1982 (

DB63) *''Furthermore What'' 12", 1983 (DB Records DB69) *"Random", appearing on the various artists LP compilation ''Squares Blot Out the Sun'', 1990 (DB Records DB69) *'' The Complete Recordings''

Compact disc The compact disc (CD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then rele ...

, 2002 (Collector's Choice Music 293)

References

External links

Online Athens profile
with Linda Hopper and Lynda Stipe, '' Perfect Sound Forever''
Profile from a Magnapop page
{{Matthew Sweet Magnapop Musical groups disestablished in 1984 Musical groups established in 1981 Musical groups from Athens, Georgia Michael Stipe American musical trios Musical quartets American experimental rock groups Indie rock musical groups from Georgia (U.S. state) Matthew Sweet

History

Discography

See also

References

External links