The Professionals are an English punk rock band active from 1979 to early 1982 and again from 2015. They were formed by ex-

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 ...

members Steve Jones and

Paul Cook Paul Thomas Cook (born 20 July 1956) is an English drummer and member of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols. He was also called "Cookie" by his friends on the punk music scene. Early life and career Cook was raised in Hammersmith and atte ...

after that band's demise.

Career

The Professionals were formed in 1979 by guitarist Steve Jones and drummer

, both formerly of the

. In the previous year,

Johnny Rotten John Joseph Lydon (; born 31 January 1956), also known by his former stage name Johnny Rotten, is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of the late-1970s punk band the Sex Pistols, which lasted from 1975 until 1978, and agai ...

had left the Sex Pistols, and both Cook and Jones had sung lead for the late Sex Pistols recordings "

Silly Thing Silly may refer to: Places * Silly, Belgium, a town * Silly Department, a department or commune of Sissili Province in southern Burkina Faso Music * Silly (band), an East German rock group from the 1970s * The Sillies, an American punk roc ...

" and "Lonely Boy". For these recordings,

Lightning Raiders Lightning Raiders were an English pub rock band, with Johnny Hodge being the most prominent member of the group. During their lifetime, they released two singles, an EP, and recorded an album that was not released until 2013. Career The Ligh ...

bassist Andy Allan was employed as a

session musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...

. After the Sex Pistols officially split and broke ties with manager Malcolm McLaren, this line-up was resurrected as the Professionals, and signed to

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a worldwid ...

, the same label as the Sex Pistols. In July 1980, the Professionals released their first single, "Just Another Dream", which also included a video promo. This was followed by a second single "1-2-3" in October, which reached No. 43 in the

UK Singles Charts The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top- ...

. Shortly after the second single's release, Cook and Jones had plans to debut a self-titled LP during that same year. But there were some legal problems, as Allan had no

recording contract A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist (or group), where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote. Artists ...

with Virgin. He sued the record company, claiming he had never been credited nor paid by them. Consequently, Virgin's

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

''Cash Cows'', which featured the Professionals' track "Kick Down the Doors", was withdrawn and the album was shelved. After Allan left the band, he was replaced by ex-

Subway Sect Subway Sect were one of the first British punk bands. Although their commercial success was limited by the small amount of recorded material they released, they have been credited as highly influential on the Postcard Records scene and the in ...

bassist Paul Myers, with Ray McVeigh also joining the band as a second guitarist. The new line-up of the Professionals later re-recorded previous material so that Allan would not be owed any further royalties. The Professionals were first managed by Dave Hill, who had managed

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 with ...

and was managing

the Pretenders Pretenders are an English–American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Fa ...

. They recorded radio sessions for

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

Radio 1 Radio 1 or Radio One most commonly refers to: *BBC Radio 1, a music radio station from the BBC ** BBC Radio 1Xtra, a digital radio station broadcasting black music *CBC Radio One, a talk radio station operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporatio ...

, which aired on 10 November 1980, to promote the release of "Join the Professionals" that same month. Due to difficulties in finding a producer (

Mick Glossop Mick Glossop is an English record producer and recording engineer. In 2009, he was awarded a Visiting Professorship at Leeds College of Music. Glossop was initially known for recording and producing for new wave and punk bands such as Magazine ...

was eventually picked), the release of the single was repeatedly delayed up to June 1981. Hill left afterwards to focus on the Pretenders, and John Curd was chosen as a replacement. They then recorded further sessions with BBC, this time for ''The Evening Show'' with

Mike Read Michael David Kenneth Read (born 1 March 1947) is an English radio disc jockey, writer, journalist and television presenter. Read has been a broadcaster since 1976, best known for having been a DJ with BBC Radio 1, and television host for musi ...

on 15 December. The group brought in producer

Nigel Gray Nigel Gray (1947 – 30 July 2016) was an English record producer. His album credits include '' Outlandos d'Amour'' (1978), '' Reggatta de Blanc'' (1979), and '' Zenyatta Mondatta'' (1980) for the Police, '' Kaleidoscope'' (1980) and '' Juju'' (19 ...

to help record their full-length album; the result was '' I Didn't See It Coming'', released in November 1981. The album was supported by UK and U.S. tour dates, and the release of a single for the song "The Magnificent". But the band's American tour was cut short when Cook, Myers, and McVeigh were injured in a car accident. The Professionals returned to America in the spring of 1982 after a hiatus for recovery, but Jones' and Myers' drug problems further hampered the band's prospects. Later that year, "Join the Professionals" was featured in the movie ''

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains ''Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains'' is a 1982 teen musical drama film about three teenage girls, played by Diane Lane, Laura Dern and Marin Kanter, who start a punk band. The film also features acting roles by real-life punk musicians ...

'' along with three other Cook/Jones compositions, "Conned Again", "La La La", and "Don't Blow It All the Way".

2015 reunion

In celebration of the release of a three-disc set (''The Complete Professionals'') by

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

on 16 October 2015, the Professionals, with Tom Spencer filling in for Steve Jones, reunited for a concert 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 ...

. This reunion also included a warm-up gig at the Fleece in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

three days prior to the main show. The band returned to the capital in June 2016 for a co-headline performance with the

Rich Kids Rich Kids were a short-lived new wave band from London, founded in 1977 by Glen Matlock following his departure from the Sex Pistols. The band also included future Ultravox member Midge Ure and Rusty Egan, who both later founded Visage toge ...

at the Islington Academy.

New lineup, album and touring

In March 2017 the band announced via their official Facebook page that the lineup of founding member Paul Cook along with Paul Myers and Tom Spencer would be releasing the first new music under the Professionals name in 35 years. Although Steve Jones isn't officially listed as a member of this new incarnation of the group, the band confirmed it is with his full blessing and that he is featured on the album alongside other guests including

Marco Pirroni Marco Francesco Andrea Pirroni (born 27 April 1959, London, England) frequently credited simply as Marco, is a British guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He has worked with Adam Ant, Sinéad O'Connor, Siouxsie and the Banshees and man ...

and

Billy Duffy William Henry Duffy (born 12 May 1961) is an English rock musician, best known as the guitarist of the band The Cult. Early life Duffy was born and grew up in Manchester. He has Irish and Jewish heritage and ancestry. He began playing the g ...

. 2018 saw some UK live appearances of the band, like the

Rebellion Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

and

Isle of Wight Festival The Isle of Wight Festival is a British music festival which takes place annually in Newport on the Isle of Wight, England. It was originally a counterculture event held from 1968 to 1970. The 1970 event was by far the largest of these early ...

s. Chris McCormack ( 3 Colours Red) took on guitar duties. Also during this year, original bass player Paul Myers had to step aside for health reasons. Toshi JC Ogawa, the band's tech guy, stepped in as bass player. They supported

Billy Idol William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), known professionally as Billy Idol, is a British-American singer, songwriter, and musician. He first achieved fame in the 1970s emerging from the London punk rock scene as the lead singer o ...

on his English dates.

Legacy

best-of A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

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 ...

was eventually released in 2005, containing material from their one album, four singles, and the album's-worth of

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

s recorded with Andy Allan. Ten years later, the compilation was expanded further with the release of ''The Complete Professionals'', which features all of their studio tracks, alternate recordings, and radio sessions. Their song "Join the Professionals" was covered by the

Epoxies The Epoxies were an American new wave band from Portland, Oregon, formed in 2000. Heavily influenced by new wave, the band jokingly described themselves as robot garage rock. Members included FM Static on synthesizers, guitarist Viz Spectrum, ...

Discography

Studio albums

*1980 – '' The Professionals'' (

) (unreleased because of a legal dispute with bassist Andy Allan over unpaid royalties, released in 1990 by Limited Edition Records, in 1997 and 2001 by Virgin Records) *1981 – '' I Didn't See It Coming'' (Virgin Records, November 1981) (re-released on CD with bonus tracks by EMI, June 2001) *2017 - ''What in the World'' (Automaton Records, October 2017) *2021 - ''SNAFU''

Live album

*2020 - ''Live In London'' (JTP Records, March 2020) (recorded live at Highbury Garage in London, October 2017)

Singles

*1980 – "Just Another Dream" b/w "Action Man" (Virgin Records, July 1980) *1980 – "1-2-3" b/w " Baby, I Don't Care" and "

White Light/White Heat ''White Light/White Heat'' is the second studio album by American rock band the Velvet Underground. Released on January 30, 1968, on Verve Records, it was the band's last studio recording with multi-instrumentalist and founding member John Cal ...

" (Virgin Records, October 1980) - UK No. 43 *1981 – "Join the Professionals" b/w "Has Anybody Got an Alibi" (Virgin Records, June 1981) *1981 – "The Magnificent" b/w "Just Another Dream" (Virgin Records, October 1981).

EPs

*2020 - "Kingdom Come"/"Reality"/"1, 2, 3 (TV Session)"/"Rewind (TV Session)" (JTP Records, January 2020) *2020 - "Curl Up And Cry"/"Fade Away"/"Going, Going, Gone (TV Session)"/"Kick Down The Doors (TV Session)" (JTP Records, February 2020) *2020 - "Twenty 20 Vision"/"One That Got Away"/"Join The Professionals (Live)"/"Good Man Down (TV Session)" (JTP Records, March 2020)

Compilations

*1980 – "Kick Down the Doors" featured on the compilation ''Cash Cows'' (Virgin Records, October 1980) (Later releases omitted the song after Andy Allan's lawsuit against Virgin.) *1981 – "Little Boys in Blue" featured on the ''Sounds Freebie No. 2'' split single promo (''Sounds'' magazine, October 1981) (b/w "I’ll Rip Your Spine Out" by Gillan) *1981 - "1-2-3" featured on the compilation ''Suburban Music'' (Virgin Records, 1981) *1993 - "1-2-3" and "Join The Professionals" featured on the compilation ''After The Anarchy'' (Conoisseur Collection, 1993) *2001 - "1-2-3" featured on the compilation ''Cash From Chaos'' (EMI, 2001) *2002 - "Baby I Don't Care" featured on the compilation ''All Covered In Punk'' (EMI, March 2002) *2002 - "Join The Professionals" featured on the compilation ''24 Carat Punk'' (EMI, 2002) *2005 – ''The Best of The Professionals'' (Captain Oi!, October 2005) *2013 - "Baby I Don't Care" featured on the compilation ''Massive Hits! Punk Rock'' (EMI, 2013) *2013 - "1-2-3" featured on the compilation ''New Gold Dreams - Post Punk & New Romantic '79 - '83'' (Virgin Records, 2013) *2015 – ''The Complete Professionals'' (

, October 2015) *2016 - "Baby I Don't Care" featured on the compilation ''Massive Hits! Punk Rock'' (EMI, 2016) *2016 - "Baby I Don't Care" featured on the compilation ''Punk Hits'' (Universal Music Group, 2016) *2016 – "Just Another Dream" featured on the compilation ''Classic Punk'' (Spectrum Music, 2016) *2017 - "Crescendo" featured on the compilation ''Punk. 40 Years Of Subversive Culture'' (Spectrum Music, 2017) *2017 - "Good Man Down" featured on the compilation ''Classic Rock Compilation 65'' (Classic Rock, October 2017) *2018 - "Just Another Dream"and "1-2-3" featured on the compilation ''Punk & New Wave - The Ultimate Collection'' (Universal Music Group, March 2018)

Personnel

;Current *

−

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 ...

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...

(1979–1982, 2015–present) * Tom Spencer −

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 ...

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

(2015–present) * Chris McCormack - guitar, backing vocals (2017–present) * Toshi JC Ogawa − bass, backing vocals (2018–present) ;Former * Steve Jones −

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...

, vocals (1979–1982) *Andy Allan − bass, backing vocals (1979–1980) *Paul Myers -

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 ...

, backing vocals (1980–1982, 2015–2018) *Ray McVeigh −

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

, backing vocals (1980–1982, 2015–2016)

References

External links

The Professionals' Official websiteKick Down the Doors - Cook 'n' Jones website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Professionals, The English punk rock groups Musical groups established in 1979 Sex Pistols Musical groups disestablished in 1982 Musical groups reestablished in 2015