Sonny Vincent (born July 7, 1952,
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, United States) is an American Rock musician. He has been active in music since the 60s and in particular the mid-1970s, when he was part of the
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
punk rock scene with his original band, Testors.
Vincent is currently active in music, film, multi-media art, and writing.
His pedigree includes mid-70s Testors' performances at
C.B.G.B.
CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in Manhattan's East Village, Manhattan, East Village. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for ''country music, Country' ...
and
Max's Kansas City
Max's Kansas City was a nightclub and restaurant at 213 Park Avenue South in New York City, which became a gathering spot for musicians, poets, artists and politicians in the 1960s and 1970s. It was opened by Mickey Ruskin (1933–1983) in Decembe ...
. Always active in his own bands, Vincent also spent time touring and recording for 9 years as Maureen "Moe" Tucker and
Sterling Morrison
Holmes Sterling Morrison Jr. (August 29, 1942 – August 30, 1995) was an American guitarist, best known as one of the founding members of the rock group the Velvet Underground, usually playing electric guitar, occasionally bass guitar, and ...
's guitar player (both of the
Velvet Underground
Weave details visible on a purple-colored velvet fabric
Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabri ...
.) Members of Vincent's bands include a vast range of players/characters, from the drummer of the Stooges,
Scott Asheton
Scott Randolph Asheton (August 16, 1949 – March 15, 2014) was an American musician, best known as the drummer for the rock band the Stooges.
Asheton was born in Washington, D.C. and moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan with his family at the age of ...
, to
Charles Manson
Charles Milles Manson (; November 12, 1934November 19, 2017) was an American criminal and musician who led the Manson Family, a cult based in California, in the late 1960s. Some of the members committed a series of nine murders at four loca ...
's one-time guitar player, Ernie Knapp.
Early life and career
Sonny Vincent was born in New York City and had difficult relationships with his foster parents, teachers, and other adult authority figures.
His earliest bands were formed in the mid and late 60s. Most notably 'Distance','Fury' and 'Liquid Diamonds'.These earliest bands were formative later recognized as 'Hard Rock' and 'Proto Punk' The first official recordings were with 'Liquid Diamonds' recorded in the Vietnam era in 1969 when he was home on leave from Paris Island while in the USMC. The- 'Distance','Fury','Liquid Diamonds' recordings have since come out on Vinyl and Digital on Hozac Records though their 'Archival' branch of releases.
Vincent formed Testors in 1975 with
Gene Sinigalliano (guitar) and Gregory R (drums). Later line-ups included Surrealist Ron Pieniak (Rex Pharaoh) on bass, Jeff Couganour (Jeff West) on drums, and Kenneth Huebner (Kenneth Brighton) on bass. Testors played New York clubs such as
Max's Kansas City
Max's Kansas City was a nightclub and restaurant at 213 Park Avenue South in New York City, which became a gathering spot for musicians, poets, artists and politicians in the 1960s and 1970s. It was opened by Mickey Ruskin (1933–1983) in Decembe ...
, and
CBGB
CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in Manhattan's East Village. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for '' Country'', '' BlueGrass'', and '' Blues'', Kri ...
and Philadelphia's
Hot Club with groups such as: Mink DeVille,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks were an influential American no wave band, based in New York City, who formed part of the city's no wave movement.
Background
Lydia Lunch met saxophonist James Chance at CBGB and moved into his two-room apartment. ...
,
The Cramps
The Cramps were an American rock band formed in 1976 and active until 2006. Their lineup rotated frequently during their existence, with the husband-and-wife duo of singer Lux Interior and guitarist Poison Ivy the only ever-present members. T ...
, and
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...
. They also toured nationwide with the
Dead Boys
The Dead Boys are an American punk rock band from Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The band was among the first wave of punk, and regarded by many as one of the rowdiest and most violent groups of the era. They were formed by vocalist Stiv B ...
. Testors released a 7" single in 1976, "Together" b/w "Time Is Mine."
In 1981, Testors disbanded and Vincent moved to
Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
.
In 1982, he formed
Sonny Vincent and the Extreme with Michael (now Hannah) Phillips (guitar), Jeff Rogers (drums) and Mort Bauman (bass guitar).
The group toured the U.S. and released another single, "SVE", with the songs, "Wingdale," "Top Dog," and "Phantom". In 1983, while still living in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Vincent became involved with film-making and multimedia arts.
The group made a film titled ''Mannequin World'' on the streets of Minneapolis. In 1984-1985, Vincent was involved in a performance art project that saw him banned from the grounds of the
Minneapolis College of Art and Design
The Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) is a private college specializing in the visual arts and located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. MCAD currently enrolls approximately 800 students. MCAD is one of just a few major art schools to offer ...
.
After the Extreme disbanded, Vincent went on to form other groups, such as Model Prisoners 1987-1989 (with a line-up including,
Bob Stinson
Robert Neil Stinson (December 17, 1959 – February 18, 1995) was an American musician best known as a founding member and lead guitarist of the American rock band The Replacements.
Biography
Early life
Bob Stinson was born on December 17 ...
from the Replacements, Mike Henderson, and Jim Michels)
and Shotgun Rationale 1989-1990, which had a revolving line-up that included, Mort Bauman, Mike Henderson, Stinson,
Cheetah Chrome
Eugene Richard O'Connor (born February 18, 1955), better known by his stage name Cheetah Chrome, is an American musician who achieved fame as a guitarist for Rocket from the Tombs and the punk rock band Dead Boys.
Career Rocket From the Tombs
...
of the Dead Boys, and Greg Norton of Hüsker Dü.
During the early 1990s, Vincent and drummer Jeff Rogers relocated from Minneapolis to Los Angeles where they formed a band for a short time with Ernie Knapp on bass.
Late career
In the early 1990s, Vincent moved to the Netherlands. He formed a group, The Dons, with two Dutch musicians.
Other line-ups during this period were Sonny Vincent and His Rat Race Choir, which included Scott Asheton, Cheetah Chrome, and
Captain Sensible
Raymond Ian Burns (born 24 April 1954), known by the stage name Captain Sensible, is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist.
Captain Sensible co-founded the punk rock band The Damned (band), the Damned, originally playing bass before switc ...
.
In addition to releasing over 20 albums under his own name, Vincent toured and recorded for nine years with
Maureen "Moe" Tucker of
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. The original line-up consisted of singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. MacLise w ...
. During this time, although Vincent continued to record his own albums and tour his own show, he dedicated many years to Tucker. He recorded several albums with her and did many tours across the United States and Europe as her guitar player. Although the line-ups Tucker used often changed, Vincent and John Sluggett were permanent members. Having two original members of the Velvet Underground (Tucker and Morrison) and members of Testors (Vincent) and Half Japanese (Sluggett) brought new life to the band. Victor DeLorenzo of the Violent Femmes also briefly joined the band.
After touring with Moe Tucker became less frequent, Vincent recorded a new album, ''Pure Filth'', with drummer Scott Asheton of the Stooges and Captain Sensible of the Damned. After this release Vincent and Asheton, along with Steve Baise of the Devil Dogs, toured the United States and Europe playing songs from the album and from Vincent's catalog.
Vincent has continued touring and playing his music for audiences in Europe and the United States.
In 2012 Vincent formed Sonny Vincent and the Bad Reactions. The band toured the United States during the summer and recorded three songs, released by
tREND iS dEAD! records
Trend Is Dead! Records (stylized tREND iS dEAD! records) is an independent record label in Normal, Illinois. The label was founded in 1995 and released titles on cassette and vinyl before switching to compact discs.
Trend Is Dead! is recognized ...
on 7" vinyl.
2012 also saw Hozac records initiate the "Archive" branch of its label. The first release in this category was by Vincent's "Proto-Punk" band, Fury, recorded in 1972. In January 2020 Hozac records released a full length LP compiling unreleased tracks from three of Vincent's pre-Testors bands, Distance (1969–71), Fury (1972), and Liquid Diamonds (1973–75), as well as one of the earliest Testors demos from 1976.
Discography
Below is a partial listing of releases by Sonny Vincent. Vocals and guitar by Sonny Vincent and in all cases the words and music are written by him.
*Note - excepting in two cases where the release is listed as 'split' with another artist.
* 1980 Testors - ''Time is Mine/Together'' - 7" Drive In Music (USA)
* 1982 Sonny Vincent and The Extreme - ''SVE'' - 7" Flexi-EP
* 1985 Model Prisoners - ''Lesson In Life'' - 7" - Charm Records (USA)
* 1989 Shotgun Rationale - ''Who Do They Think They Are'' - LP Nomad Communications (UK)/EFA Producer: Maureen Tucker (Velvet Underground)
* 1991 Shotgun Rationale - ''s/t'' - 7" EP - Dog Meat Records (Australia)
* 1992 Shotgun Rationale - ''Beyond Rebellion'' - CD - D.D.R. Records (Germany)/RTD
* 1992 Sonny Vincent - ''Recordings 1979-91'' - LP - Vince Lombardy Highschool Records (Germany)/EFA
* 1993 Shotgun Rationale - ''Roller Coaster'' - LP/CD - Vince Lombardy Highschool Records (Germany)/EFA;
* 1994 The Dons - ''Gunsmoke'' - 7" - Vince Lombardy Highschool Records (Germany)
* 1994 The Dons - ''Naked'' - CD - Voices Music (Germany)
* 1995 Shotgun Rationale - ''Cocked'' - CD - Subway Records (Germany)
* 1995 Sonny Vincent - ''Original Punk Rock Recordings, New York, 1976-77'' - 10" - Incognito Records (Germany)
* 1997 Sonny Vincent - ''Good Dogs Die Young'' - CD - Noiseworks Records (Germany)
* 1997 Sonny Vincent and his Rat Race Choir - ''Pure Filth'' - CD - Overdose Records (Switzerland)
* 1997 Sonny Vincent - 7" - Flight 13 Records (Germany)
* 1997 Sonny Vincent - ''Electric K.O. Live In France'' - 7" EP - Nest Of Vipers Records (France)
* 1998 Sonny Vincent - ''Lucky Seven Inch Record'' - 7" EP - Incognito Records (Germany)
* 1998 Sonny Vincent and his Rat Race Choir - ''Pure Filth'' - 10" - Safety Pin Records (Spain)
* 1998 Sonny Vincent - ''Hard In Detroit'' - LP - Nest Of Vipers (France)
* 1998 Sonny Vincent - ''Parallax In Wonderland'' - CD - empty Records (Germany)
* 1998 Sonny Vincent/Else Admire - ''Breadless Art'' - Split 7" - Incognito Records (Germany)
* 1998 Sonny Vincent - ''Songs To Kick Your Ass By'' - 7" EP - Nest Of Vipers (France)
* 2000 Sonny Vincent - ''Parallax In Wonderland'' - CD - Devil Doll Records (US release)
* 2000 Sonny Vincent - ''Parallax In Wonderland'' - LP (European vinyl only release) - Munster Records (Spain)
* 2000 Sonny Vincent - ''Original Punk Rock Recordings, New York, 1976-77 Part Two'', 10" - Incognito Records (Germany)
* 2000 Sonny Vincent – ''Resistor'' – 7" - NDN Records (Texas, USA)
* 2000 Testors featuring Sonny Vincent – ''New York City Punk Rock 1979'' – LP (vinyl) - Rave Up Records (Italy)
* 2000 Sonny Vincent and The Safety Pins – ''Power Ride'' – EP - Munster Records (Spain)
* 2001 Sonny Vincent – ''Hell's Kitchen'' – CD/LP - Munster Records (Spain)
* 2003 Sonny Vincent (With Ex-Safety Pins) / STEVIE & THE SECRETS Split 10" Vinyl Record- Munster Records (Spain)
* 2003 Sonny Vincent – ''The Good, the Bad, the Ugly'' – CD/LP - Empty Records (Germany), Munster Records (Spain), Acetate Records (USA)
* 2003 Testors featuring Sonny Vincent – ''Complete Recordings 1976-79'' – 2CD/doubleLP - Swami Records (USA)
* 2003 Sonny Vincent/
Jimmy Page
James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Page is prolific in creating guitar riffs. His style involves various alternative ...
– ''A Good Day for Rock/Wailing Sounds'' – saw-blade shaped 7"-
Empty Records
Empty may refer to:
Music Albums
* ''Empty'' (God Lives Underwater album) or the title song, 1995
* ''Empty'' (Nils Frahm album), 2020
* ''Empty'' (Tait album) or the title song, 2001
Songs
* "Empty" (The Click Five song), 2007
* ...
(Germany)
* 2003 Sonny Vincent – ''My Guitar b/w Funny Now (she blew it)'' – 7" - Flapping Jet Records (USA)
* 2005 Sonny Vincent – ''Soul Mates'' – CD - Disturbed/
Cargo Records (Germany)
* 2006 Sonny Vincent – ''P.I.N.S.'' – 2CD - NDN Records (USA)
* 2007 Sonny Vincent – ''Switchblade Summer'' – CD - Nest Of Vipers Records (France)
* 2008 Sonny Vincent - ''Testors Live'' – Vinyl LP - Incognito Records (Germany)
* 2009 Sonny Vincent – ''Semper Fidelis'' – LP - Rockin' Bones Records (Italy) 3-LP set
* 2009 Sonny Vincent – ''Semper Fidelis'' – CD - PukeandvomitRecords (USA)
* 2009 Sonny Vincent – ''Sonny Vincent With Members Of Rocket From The Crypt''–CD+LP-We Deliver The Guts/Cargo Records(Germany)
* 2010 Model Prisoners Featuring:Sonny Vincent And Bob Stinson – ''Cow Milking Music'' – LP incl CD-Disturbed Records Distro Cargo
* 2010 Sonny Vincent – ''Sonny Vincent With Members Of Rocket From The Crypt'' – ''Complete Studio Recordings And Exclusive Live Performances''–CD-We Deliver The Guts/Cargo Records(Germany)
* 2010 Testors – ''Two Sides Of Death'' – Vinyl 7" 45 record - Windian Records (USA) *Two exclusive tracks
* 2011 Testors - ''Live Recordings 1976-'79'' - LP - Yeah Right! (Canada)
* 2011 Sonny Vincent – ''Bizarro Hymns'' – LP and CD package - Still Unbeatable Records (Germany)
* 2012 Testors – ''Time Is Mine" "Together" (This) Time Is Mine"'' – Vinyl 7" 45 record - Windian Records (USA) *one exclusive bonus track.
* 2012 Sonny Vincent and The Bad Reactions – ''Sonny Vincent and The Bad Reactions'' – 7" -
tREND iS dEAD! records
Trend Is Dead! Records (stylized tREND iS dEAD! records) is an independent record label in Normal, Illinois. The label was founded in 1995 and released titles on cassette and vinyl before switching to compact discs.
Trend Is Dead! is recognized ...
(USA)
* 2012 FURY – ''FLYING'' "100 Proof" – Vinyl 7" 45 record - HOZAC Records (USA)
* 2013 Totally F**ked Vinyl 7" 45 record - ‘Opps Baby’ records- (USA)
* 2013 Sonny Vincent James Brown's Evil Son – Vinyl 7" 45 BOXED HAND PAINTED - OX Fanzine release/Joachim Hiller(Germany)
* 2013 Sonny Vincent ULTRAMAFIC – Vinyl LP RECYCLED AND RESTORED VINTAGE COVERS/Handpainted - NB Records/Stefan Lorchner (Germany)
* 2013 Sonny Vincent – ''A Testament To The Spirit Of Music'' – CD and Fanzine - Episode Sounds (Japan)
* 2014 Sonny Vincent – ''Cyanide Consomme'' – VINYL LP and CD - Big Neck Records (USA)
* 2014 TESTORS/Sonny Vincent – ''Complete Recordings 1976-1979'' – re-release- Double VINYL and Double CD - Alien Snatch Records (Germany)
* 2014 Sonny Vincent and Spite – ''Spiteful'' featuring Rat Scabies, Glen Matlock and Steve Mackay – released on vinyl and CD formats - Ultramafic Records USA and Still Unbeatable Records Germany
* 2015 Sonny Vincent and Rocket From the Crypt - ''Vintage Piss'' - Swami Records (USA)
* 2020 'Diamond Distance & Liquid Fury- Sonny Vincent: Primitive 1969-76- Hozac Records Archival Releases
* 2021 Sonny Vincent - ''Snake Pit Therapy'' - Svart Records (Finland)
____________
Below is a listing of the Moe Tucker albums Sonny played guitar on-
________
With
Maureen Tucker
Maureen Ann "Moe" Tucker (born August 26, 1944) is an American musician and singer-songwriter who was the drummer for the New York City-based rock band the Velvet Underground. After they disbanded in the early 1970s, she left the music industry ...
of the
Velvet Underground
Weave details visible on a purple-colored velvet fabric
Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabri ...
:
* 1991 ''I Spent A Week There The Other Night'' - LP - New Rose Records (France)
* 1991 ''Fired Up'' - 10 inch single - New Rose (France)
* 1992 ''Oh No They're Recording This Show'' - Live Album
* 1994 ''Dogs Under Stress'' - LP/CD - Sky/Ichiban Records (USA)
Compilations featuring Sonny Vincent songs:
* ''Found In The Subway'' and ''People's Republic Of Rock'n'Roll'' - Subway Records, Germany
* ''Unexpected Flying Objects'' - Flying Revolverblatt Anniversary 10", Germany
* 1998 ''Moderne Menschen Kaufen Modern'' – CD - Noiseworks Records / The Orchard
* 2000 ''A Fistful of Rock'n'Roll Vol. 6'' - CD - Tee Pee Records
* 2000 ''Munster Records Goes HiFi'' - CD - Munster Records (Spain)
* 2001 ''Again... This one's for Johnny'' - CD - Munster Records (Spain)
* 2003 ''Swami Sound System Vol. 1: 2003 Sales Conference'' – CD - Swami Records (USA)
* 2005 '' A Tribute to Mr. Rock'' -Chuck Berry Tribute Album- 'Carol' performed by Sonny Vincent - Vinyl 12" LP - Bronco Records (Spain)
* 2005 ''TODOS SOMOS RAMONES'' -RAMONES TRIBUTE ALBUM- Sonny performs- 'I Just Want To Have Something To Do' -CD- rwyrcds (ARGENTINA)
* 2007 ''Greetings From Los Angeles - Eight Years of Acetate Records'' - CD - Acetate Records (USA)
* 2007 ''Sick Of Being Sick Vol. 1'' Sonny's song 'Aztec Runaway' Appears on this Vinyl 12" LP on Primitive Records (Italy)
References
Further reading
External links
Sonny Vincent's website*
Italian magazine article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vincent, Sonny
1953 births
Living people
American punk rock musicians
American male singers
Songwriters from New York (state)
Singers from New York City
Musicians from Minneapolis
Songwriters from Minnesota
Singers from Minnesota
American male songwriters