The Linemen were an American

Alternative Country Alternative country, or alternative country rock (sometimes alt-country, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative), is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that differ significantly in style ...

band originating from

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, formed in 1991. The group's members were Kevin Royal Johnson (

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

), Jonathan Gregg (lead vocals,

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

pedal steel The pedal steel guitar is a console-type of steel guitar with pedals and knee levers that change the pitch of certain strings to enable playing more varied and complex music than any previous steel guitar design. Like all steel guitars, it can p ...

), Bill Williams (guitars, vocals), Antoine Sanfuentes (

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

), and Scott McKnight ( bass, vocals). Kevin Johnson and the Linemen released four albums on the SAM Records label before taking a hiatus in 2001. In 2013, the band announced a return as simply The Linemen, and their fifth full-length album, ''Close the Place Down'', was released on the SAM Records label in October 2016. The band's final performance was at Swamp Stomp in Kingston, RI on July 21, 2018. The band's name is a nod to the

Jimmy Webb Jimmy Layne Webb (born August 15, 1946) is an American songwriter, composer, and singer. He has written numerous platinum-selling songs, including " Up, Up and Away", "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "MacArthur Park", "Wichita Lineman", "Worst ...

song “

Wichita Lineman "Wichita Lineman" is a song written by the American songwriter Jimmy Webb in 1968. It was first recorded by the American country music artist Glen Campbell with backing from members of The Wrecking Crew and was widely covered by other artists. ...

.”

History

Kevin Johnson and the Linemen (1991–2001)

Kevin Johnson and the Linemen formed in 1991 with Eric Brace, Antoine Sanfuentes, and Bill Williams. New members Tony Flagg (

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

) and Scott McKnight (

) replaced Brace and Williams in 1994, and added were additional musicians James Key (

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

) and Dave Giegerich (

dobro Dobro is an American brand of resonator guitars, currently owned by Gibson and manufactured by its subsidiary Epiphone. The term "dobro" is also used as a generic term for any wood-bodied, single-cone resonator guitar. The Dobro was originally ...

steel guitar A steel guitar ( haw, kīkākila) is any guitar played while moving a steel bar or similar hard object against plucked strings. The bar itself is called a "steel" and is the source of the name "steel guitar". The instrument differs from a conve ...

). Kevin Johnson and the Linemen's first album, ''Memphis for Breakfast'', was recorded at

Ardent Studios Ardent Studios is an American recording studio located in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. History Ardent Studios was founded by John Fry and were initially a studio in his family's garage, where he recorded his first 45s for the Arden ...

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

, and was produced by

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

-nominated

John Alagia John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, later known for his work with Dave Matthews,

Liz Phair Elizabeth Clark Phair (born April 17, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Phair was raised primarily in the Chicago area. After graduating from Oberlin College in 1990, she attempted to start a musical career ...

and

John Mayer John Clayton Mayer ( ; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Born and raised in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Mayer attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but left and moved to Atlanta in 1997 with ...

. The band's second album, ''The Rest of Your Life'', was again produced by Alagia, with album art was designed by Jeff Nelson, co-founder of

Dischord Records Dischord Records is a Washington, D.C.-based independent record label specializing in punk rock. The label is co-owned by Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson, who founded Dischord in 1980 to release ''Minor Disturbance'' by their band The Teen Idle ...

and drummer for

Minor Threat Minor Threat was an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1980 in Washington, D.C. by vocalist Ian MacKaye and drummer Jeff Nelson. MacKaye and Nelson had played in several other bands together, and recruited bassist Brian Baker and guitaris ...

. The Linemen's third album, ''Parole Music'', was produced by Boston singer-songwriter Charlie Chesterman, formerly of Scruffy the Cat, and featured guest vocalist Barbara Brousal. The liner notes for The Linemen's fourth album ''Sunday Driver'', were written by noted crime author

George P. Pelecanos George P. Pelecanos (born February 18, 1957) is an American author. Many of his 20 books are in the genre of detective fiction and set primarily in his hometown of Washington, D.C. He is also a film and television producer and a television writ ...

. In 2001 Johnson took a hiatus from music in order to start a rare book business in Baltimore.

The Linemen (2013–2018)

In 2013 the band reformed under the name The Linemen, adding Jonathan Gregg as a second lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and pedal steel guitarist, along with band alumni Scott McKnight (bass), Bill Williams (guitar,

slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos tha ...

), and Antoine Sanfuentes (drums). In the fall of 2016 they released their first album with the new lineup, ''Close the Place Down'', recorded by Andrew Taub at Brooklyn Recording and mixed by John Alagia at

Village Recorder The Village (also known as Village Recorders, or the Village Recorder) is a recording studio located at 1616 Butler Avenue in West Los Angeles, California. History The building was built by the Freemasons in 1922 and was originally a Masonic t ...

West Los Angeles West Los Angeles is an area within the city of Los Angeles, California. The residential and commercial neighborhood is divided by the Interstate 405 freeway, and each side is sometimes treated as a distinct neighborhood, mapped differently by di ...

. Songs on the album were written by Kevin Johnson and Jonathan Gregg individually or co-written by Johnson and Gregg, and two songs were co-written by Johnson with Williams and McKnight, respectively. Three songs from Gregg's previous band, The Lonesome Debonaires, were also included. Gregg credits his

Gretsch 6120 The Gretsch 6120 is a hollow body electric guitar with f-holes, manufactured by Gretsch and first appearing in the mid-1950s with the endorsement of Chet Atkins. It was quickly adopted by rockabilly artists Eddie Cochran, Duane Eddy, and later b ...

with his sonic approach to this album and how the songs evolved, while his influences encompass roots styles such as bluegrass and

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

as well as rock legends such as

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

and

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in ...

. Reviewers compared the album to the likes of

The Jayhawks The Jayhawks are an American alternative country and country rock band that emerged from the Twin Cities music scene in the mid-1980s. Led by vocalists/guitarists/songwriters Gary Louris and Mark Olson (musician), Mark Olson, their country rock ...

Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American musician who was the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in 1976. He previously led the band Mudcrutch, was a member of the lat ...

Ryan Adams David Ryan Adams (born November 5, 1974) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, artist, and poet. He has released 23 albums, as well as three studio albums as a former member of alt-country band Whiskeytown. In 2000, Adams left ...

, and

Wilco Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently dur ...

. The record release show for ''Close the Place Down'' was held at The Bowery Electric in New York City on November 13, 2016. ;Principal Members 1991-2018 *Kevin Royal Johnson —

(1991-2001, 2013–2018) *Jonathan Gregg — secondary lead vocals,

pedal steel guitar The pedal steel guitar is a Console steel guitar, console-type of steel guitar with pedals and knee levers that change the pitch of certain strings to enable playing more varied and complex music than any previous steel guitar design. Like all s ...

(2013–2018) *Scott McKnight —

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

(1994-2001, 2013–2018) *Bill Williams —

(1991-1994, 2013–2018) *Antoine Sanfuentes —

(1991-2001, 2013–2018) ;Other Members 1991-2001 *Eric Brace (bass, vocals)— (1991-1994) *Tony Flagg (bass) — (1994-2001) *Dave Giegerich (dobro, steel guitar) — (1994-2001) *James Key (mandolin)— (1994-2001) *Dave Chappell (guitar)— (1994-2001) *Mookie Siegel (keyboards)— (1994-2001) *Jeff Travis (bass)— (1994) *Evan Pollack (drums)— (1994-2001)

Discography

* ''Memphis for Breakfast'' (1991), SAM Records * ''The Rest of Your Life'' (1994), SAM Records * ''Parole Music'' (1997), SAM Records * ''Sunday Driver'' (2000), SAM Records * Various Artists ''Americana Motel'' (2001), compilation on Bay Gumbo Music * ''Close the Place Down'' (2016), SAM Records

References

External links

* http://www.thelinemen.bandcamp.com/ * https://www.facebook.com/thelinemen/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Linemen, The Musical groups established in 1991 Musical groups from Washington, D.C. American alternative country groups