The Godfathers are an English rock band from

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England, with strong influences from R&B and

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

Career

The Godfathers were formed by Peter and Chris Coyne (vocals and bass, respectively) after the demise of The Sid Presley Experience in 1985, joined by Mike Gibson (guitar),

Kris Dollimore Kris Dollimore (born 2 January 1966) is an English rock guitarist, who is best known for being a founding member of the Godfathers as well as a member of the Damned and Del Amitri. He also performs and records as a solo artist. Biography Kr ...

(guitar) and George Mazur (drums). Peter Coyne had briefly worked as a music journalist from 1980–82 for ''

ZigZag A zigzag is a pattern made up of small corners at variable angles, though constant within the zigzag, tracing a path between two parallel lines; it can be described as both jagged and fairly regular. In geometry, this pattern is described as a ...

'' and ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the ''NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in ''Re ...

''. Fellow TSPE member, and later Godfather, Del Bartle, went on to form The Unholy Trinity with drummer Kevin Murphy. After

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

releases produced by

Vic Maile Vic Maile (1943 – 11 July 1989) was a British record producer. After starting his career as sound engineer with Pye mobile studios for the Animals on their song "We Gotta Get Out of This Place", Maile worked with some of the biggest names in th ...

, and collected on their debut

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

, '' Hit by Hit'', they signed to

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

in 1987. Extensive

tours Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 ...

of the UK, Europe and the United States followed. Single and title track of their first album "

Birth, School, Work, Death ''Birth, School, Work, Death'' is the second studio album by the alternative rock band the Godfathers, released in February 1988 by Epic. It peaked at number 80 in the UK Albums Chart in February 1988. ''Birth, School, Work, Death'' was reiss ...

" made the U.S. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...

in 1988 after

college radio Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively created or produced ...

and

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

airplay Airplay is how frequently a song is being played through broadcasting on radio stations. A song which is being played several times every day (spins) would have a significant amount of airplay. Music which became very popular on jukeboxes, in n ...

but the band were less commercially successful in the UK. Albums ''

More Songs About Love and Hate ''More Songs About Love and Hate'' is the third studio album by alternative rock band the Godfathers, released in May 1989 by Epic Records. It reached number 49 on the UK Albums Chart. The UK album cover shows Richard Burton and Elizabeth Tay ...

'' (1989) and ''

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'' (1991) followed, with Chris Burrows replacing Kris Dollimore on guitar in time for the latter, after which the Godfathers left Epic and released a live album and two studio albums on German label Intercord in the early to mid-1990s. The band ceased activity in 2000. In 2003, Peter Coyne and Kris Dollimore played briefly in a band called the Germans with

Rat Scabies Christopher John Millar (born 30 July 1955), known by his stage name Rat Scabies, is a musician best known as the drummer for English punk rock band the Damned. Career Millar was born in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey. He played drums with Tor ...

, formerly of the Damned.

Reformation

In 2008, the band reformed with its original line-up. In March 2009, the band announced a change with Del Bartle returning to replace Kris Dollimore. Grant Nicholas later replaced George Mazur on drums, and Mike Gibson also left the band. In 2010, a live album, ''Shot Live at the 100 Club'', was released as a CD/DVD set on

Secret Records ''Secret Records limited '' is a British independent record label based in London founded in 1980. The label specialize in a number of genres including blues, reggae, rock, rock 'n' roll, psychedelic, soul and punk. The label's roster includes ...

. 2011 saw the band release two download-only singles "Back Into the Future" and "The Outsider". "Primitive Man" followed the next year and all were included on their comeback album ''

Jukebox Fury ''Jukebox Fury'' is the seventh studio album by English rock band the Godfathers, released through their own Godfathers Recordings label on 4 March 2013. It is the band's first studio album since they reunited in 2008 and comes eighteen years afte ...

'', released in 2013. Promotion for the album included a month-long UK tour supporting

the Stranglers The Stranglers are an English rock band who emerged via the punk rock scene. Scoring 23 UK top 40 singles and 19 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are one of the longest-surviving bands to have origina ...

and drummer Dave Twigg stepping in for recently departed Grant Nicholas. 2014 saw another fresh line-up change, with two new guitarists, Mauro Venegas and Steve Crittall, replacing Del Bartle, and Tim James replacing (the recently returned) Grant Nicholas on drums. A new double-sided single, "Till My Heart Stops Beating" / "Rewind Time" was released in June 2015, and the band undertook several European and UK tours, also celebrating their 30th anniversary with a headline show at the

100 Club The 100 Club is a music venue located at 100 Oxford Street, London, England, where it has been hosting live music since 24 October 1942. It was originally called the Feldman Swing Club, but changed its name when the father of the current owner ...

where they played 30 songs – one for each year – over the course of two sets. In 2016, Chris Coyne left the band and was replaced by Darren Birch, formerly of Gunfire Dance, and touring bassist for both

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 ...

and Brian James (ex-the Damned). The new line-up recorded a new album, '' A Big Bad Beautiful Noise'', in Birmingham that summer, which was released in February 2017, preceded by a single, "You Don't Love Me". Reviews hailed the album as the band's best in many years, with ''

Vive Le Rock ''Vive Le Rock'' is the third solo album by Adam Ant, released in September 1985. Production Producer Tony Visconti, famous for his 1970s work with Ant's heroes Marc Bolan and David Bowie, commented on his work with Ant on ''Vive Le Rock'': ...

'' claiming it was "up there with the Godfathers' '80s classics". During the ''A Big Bad Beautiful Noise'' 2017 tour through Europe, Mauro Venegas left the band and was replaced by guitarist Alex McBain. In 2019, Peter Coyne announced he had parted ways with the previous Godfathers line-up, stating that he can "no longer work, tour or perform with Steve, Tim, Alex and Darren." With a new line-up consisting of bassist Jon Priestley, guitarists Richie Simpson and Wayne Vermaak, and drummer Billy Duncanson, the Godfathers released the double A-side single "I'm Not Your Slave"/"Wild and Free" on 17 June 2020, followed by the album '' Alpha Beta Gamma Delta'' in September 2022.

Discography

Studio albums

*'' Hit by Hit'' (1986, Corporate Image) – UK Indie No. 3 *''

'' (1988, Epic) – UK No. 80 *''

'' (1989, Epic) - UK No. 49 *''

'' (1991, Epic) *''

The Godfathers The Godfathers are an English rock band from London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River ...

'' (aka ''The Orange Album'') (1993, Intercord) *''Afterlife'' (1995, Intercord) *''

'' (2013, Godfathers Recordings) *'' A Big Bad Beautiful Noise'' (2017, Godfathers Recordings) *'' Alpha Beta Gamma Delta'' (2022, Godfathers Recordings)

Live albums

*''Dope, Rock 'n' Roll and Fucking in the Streets'' (1992, Corporate Image) *''Shot Live at the 100 Club'' (2011, Secret Records Limited) – includes live DVD *''This Is War! The Godfathers Live!'' (2019, Godfathers Recordings)

Compilation albums and reissues

*''Birth, School, Work, Death: The Best of the Godfathers'' (1996, Epic) *''Birth, School, Work, Death: Hits, Rarities and Gems'' (2007, CMG) *''Hit By Hit'' CD edition(2008, Corporate Image) *''Birth, School, Work, Death'' xpanded edition(2011, Lemon Recordings) *''More Songs About Love and Hate'' xpanded edition(2011, Lemon Recordings) *''The Godfathers'' (aka ''The Orange Album'') CD edition(2013, Godfathers Recordings)

Extended plays

Singles

Other appearances

*"Cause I Said So" appeared on the soundtrack to the 1988 film '' Permanent Record''. *"It's So Hard" appeared on the 7" compilation ''Sounds – Waves 2'', which was given away with ''

Sounds In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

'' magazine's March 1988 issue.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Godfathers, The Musical groups from London English rock music groups English alternative rock groups Musical groups established in 1985 Epic Records artists