Tony Fox Sales (born September 26, 1951) is an American
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
musician and composer. Normally on bass guitar, Sales and his brother,
Hunt Sales
Hunt Sales (born March 2, 1954) is an American rock drummer, who has played with Todd Rundgren, Iggy Pop and Tin Machine with David Bowie. He has often worked with his brother Tony Sales, a bass guitarist.
Personal life
Hunt Sales is a son o ...
, have worked with
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, multimedia artist, sound engineer and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the band Ut ...
,
Iggy Pop
James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of ...
, and in
Tin Machine
Tin Machine were a British–American rock band formed in 1988, and fronted by English singer-songwriter David Bowie. The band consisted of Bowie on lead vocals, saxophone and guitar; Reeves Gabrels on guitar and vocals; Tony Fox Sales on ba ...
with
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
.
Early life and career
Born in
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
, a son of 1950s/'60s TV comedian
Soupy Sales
Milton Supman (January 8, 1926 – October 22, 2009), known professionally as Soupy Sales, was an American comedian, actor, radio-television personality, and jazz aficionado. He was best known for his local and network children's television serie ...
(January 8, 1926 - October 22, 2009) and Barbara Fox (June 23, 1931 – May 28, 2017), Tony grew up in
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...
, with his younger brother,
Hunt Sales
Hunt Sales (born March 2, 1954) is an American rock drummer, who has played with Todd Rundgren, Iggy Pop and Tin Machine with David Bowie. He has often worked with his brother Tony Sales, a bass guitarist.
Personal life
Hunt Sales is a son o ...
(born 1954).
His first
musical group
Musical is the adjective of music.
Musical may also refer to:
* Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance
* Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the na ...
was Tony and the Tigers, with Hunt as
drummer
A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one mem ...
. The band also included Jon Pousette-Dart, son of artist
Richard Pousette-Dart
Richard Warren Pousette-Dart (June 8, 1916 – October 25, 1992) was an American abstract expressionist artist most recognized as a founder of the New York School of painting.Kimmelman, Michae"Richard Pousette-Dart, 76, Dies; An Early Abstract E ...
and later the leader of the
Pousette-Dart Band
The Pousette-Dart Band oo-sette(also known as PDB) was an American soft rock group active in the 1970s and early 1980s. Conceived in 1973 as a string band from Cambridge, Massachusetts, PDB comprised Jon Pousette-Dart, John Troy and John Cur ...
. In 1966 the band appeared on the
TV show
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed bet ...
I've Got a Secret
''I've Got a Secret'' is an American panel game show produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman for CBS television. Created by comedy writers Allan Sherman and Howard Merrill, it was a derivative of Goodson-Todman's own panel show, ''What's My Line ...
hosted by
Steve Allen
Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen (December 26, 1921 – October 30, 2000) was an American television personality, radio personality, musician, composer, actor, comedian, and writer. In 1954, he achieved national fame as the co-cre ...
, and performed two
song
A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...
s, "I'll Be On My Way" and "When The Party's Over," vintage clips of which are featured on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
.
Tony and The Tigers
released the song "Turn It on Girl," which was a minor local
hit
Hit means to strike someone or something.
Hit or HIT may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities
* Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super''
* Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...
in Detroit, and appeared twice on the show ''
Hullabaloo'': December 20, 1965, hosted by
Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian. As his contributions to comedy and charity made him a global figure in popular culture, pop culture ...
, and April 4, 1966, hosted by their father, Soupy Sales. The band also opened for
The Animals
The Animals (also billed as Eric Burdon and the Animals) are an English rock band, formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in the early 1960s. The band moved to London upon finding fame in 1964. The Animals were known for their gritty, bluesy sound and ...
at
Steel Pier in Atlantic City in 1967.
Tony and Hunt went on to work with
Chequered Past
Chequered Past was a British-American Rock music, rock Supergroup (music), supergroup led by actor/singer Michael Des Barres and featuring members of Blondie (band), Blondie, the Sex Pistols and Tin Machine. They formed in 1982 and released one, ...
, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Todd Rundgren,
Bob Welch,
Andy Fraser
Andrew McIan Fraser (3 July 1952 – 16 March 2015) was a British musician and songwriter, best known as the bassist and co-composer for the rock band Free, which he helped found in 1968 when he was 15. He also founded the rock band Sharks ...
of
Free,
Harry Dean Stanton
Harry Dean Stanton (July 14, 1926 – September 15, 2017) was an American actor, musician, and singer.
In a career that spanned more than six decades, Stanton played supporting roles in films including '' Cool Hand Luke'' (1967), ''Kelly's Heroe ...
and The Cheap Dates, The Hunt Sales Memorial, Tin Machine (with Bowie), and others from 1989 to 1994.
Career
In 1970, the Sales brothers joined
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, multimedia artist, sound engineer and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the band Ut ...
in the newly formed group, Runt, and
recorded two
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 ...
s.
They recorded 2 tracks for the
Iggy Pop
James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of ...
/
James Williamson album ''
Kill City
''Kill City'' is a studio album by American musicians Iggy Pop and James Williamson (musician), James Williamson, both formerly of the rock band The Stooges (band), the Stooges. It was recorded as a demo in 1975 but released in altered form in No ...
'' in 1975 and provided the
rhythm section for Pop's album ''
Lust for Life'' (1977), which was
produced by
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
, who also played
keyboards
Keyboard may refer to:
Text input
* Keyboard, part of a typewriter
* Computer keyboard
** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping
** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware
Music
* Musi ...
. The brothers joined Pop on his subsequent
tour
Tour or Tours may refer to:
Travel
* Tourism, travel for pleasure
* Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service
* Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus
* Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed ...
, recorded as ''
TV Eye Live 1977
''TV Eye Live 1977'' (or ''TV Eye'') is a live album by American musician Iggy Pop originally released in 1978. Iggy took a $90,000 advance ($419,807 in 2023) from RCA Records to finish his contract with a live album. According to AllMusic, t ...
'' and released in 1978.
He and
Anulka Dziubinska
Anulka Maria Dziubinska (born 14 December 1950) is an English actress and model. She was featured as ''Playboy'' magazine's Playmate of the Month in May 1973.
After her Playmate appearance, Dziubinska became an actress of film and television, p ...
were married on August 20, 1978, in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. He and his brother, Hunt, did some recordings together which were stored away after Tony had a car accident in 1979 so severe that he was all but dead for several minutes before being revived. He was consequently in a coma for over eight months but eventually recovered from his injuries and went back into music.
Sales and
Taryn Power
Taryn Stephanie Power (September 13, 1953 – June 26, 2020) was an American actress.
Biography
Early life
Taryn was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1953, to actors Tyrone Power and Linda Christian.Deutsch, Linda (Associated Press)(2 Janua ...
, daughter of the late
movie star
A movie star (also known as a film star or cinema star) is an actor or actress who is famous for their starring, or leading, roles in movies. The term is used for performers who are marketable stars as they become popular household names and w ...
Tyrone Power
Tyrone Edmund Power III (May 5, 1914 – November 15, 1958) was an American actor. From the 1930s to the 1950s, Power appeared in dozens of films, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads. His better-known films include ''Jesse James'', ' ...
and actress
Linda Christian
Linda Christian (born Blanca Rosa Henrietta Stella Welter Vorhauer; November 13, 1923 – July 22, 2011) was a Mexican film actress, who appeared in Mexican and Hollywood films. Her career reached its peak in the 1940s and 1950s. She played Mara ...
, had two children, Anthony Tyrone "Tony" Sales (born September 4, 1982) and Valentina Fox Sales (born September 10, 1983).
In 1982, Sales joined a band named
Chequered Past
Chequered Past was a British-American Rock music, rock Supergroup (music), supergroup led by actor/singer Michael Des Barres and featuring members of Blondie (band), Blondie, the Sex Pistols and Tin Machine. They formed in 1982 and released one, ...
, which included singer/actor
Michael Des Barres
Michael Philip Des Barres (born 24 January 1948), the 26th Marquis Des Barres, is an English actor and rock singer. He appeared as Murdoc in the original '' MacGyver'', Nicholas Helman, Murdoc's mentor, on the new reboot of '' MacGyver'' (2016 ...
(later of
Power Station
A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid.
Many p ...
), ex-
Sex Pistols guitarist
Steve Jones, and
Blondie’s bass player
Nigel Harrison
Nigel Harrison (born 24 April 1951) is an English musician. Harrison spent several years as the bassist of the American rock band Blondie during the 1970s and 1980s.
Life & career
Harrison grew up in Princes Risborough, a small town in the ...
and drummer
Clem Burke
Clement Burke (born Clement Anthony Bozewski; November 24, 1954) is an American musician who is best known as the drummer for the band Blondie from 1975, shortly after the band formed, throughout the band's entire career. He also played drums f ...
. According to Des Barres, the choice of name was not an idle one. "All the members have been through a lot," he told the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' at his house in
Hollywood, including the fact that Sales had fully recovered from a debilitating auto accident. After an album released by Chequered Past in 1984 flopped the band broke up shortly afterward.
Sales joined
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
,
Reeves Gabrels
Reeves Gabrels (born June 4, 1956) is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. A member and guitarist of British band the Cure since 2012, Gabrels worked with David Bowie from 1987 to 1999, and was a member of the band Tin Machine. ...
and Hunt Sales in
Tin Machine
Tin Machine were a British–American rock band formed in 1988, and fronted by English singer-songwriter David Bowie. The band consisted of Bowie on lead vocals, saxophone and guitar; Reeves Gabrels on guitar and vocals; Tony Fox Sales on ba ...
in 1988. The ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' said of the band's first album, "Tin Machine sounds as if it was made by people working together, not by a producer with a computer." On November 23, 1991, Tin Machine appeared on ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
'', which was hosted by then child actor
Macaulay Culkin
Macaulay Macaulay Culkin Culkin (born Macaulay Carson Culkin; ) is an American actor. Often regarded as one of the most successful child actors of the 1990s, he was placed 2nd on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Kid-Stars". Culkin rose to prom ...
. Tin Machine recorded three albums and did two tours before it broke up in 1992. Bowie later stated that his memories of Tony and Hunt Sales' contribution to ''Lust for Life'' led him to invite them to join Tin Machine.
[Buckley, David (1999). "''Strange Fascination: David Bowie - The Definitive Story''". ]Virgin Books
Virgin Books is a British book publisher 90% owned by the publishing group Random House, and 10% owned by Virgin Group, the company originally set up by Richard Branson as a record company.
History
Virgin established its book publishing arm ...
. p. 451. .
Throughout the 1990s, Sales recorded and produced and was a member of the short-lived all-star band The Cheap Dates, which included actor
Harry Dean Stanton
Harry Dean Stanton (July 14, 1926 – September 15, 2017) was an American actor, musician, and singer.
In a career that spanned more than six decades, Stanton played supporting roles in films including '' Cool Hand Luke'' (1967), ''Kelly's Heroe ...
,
Jeff "Skunk" Baxter
Jeffrey Allen "Skunk" Baxter (born December 13, 1948) is an American guitarist, known for his stints in the rock bands Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers during the 1970s and Spirit in the 1980s. More recently, he has worked as a defense consu ...
and
Slim Jim Phantom
James McDonnell (born March 21, 1961), known by the stage name Slim Jim Phantom, is the drummer for Stray Cats. Alongside bandmates Brian Setzer and Lee Rocker, he spearheaded the neo-rockabilly movement of the early 1980s.
Phantom currentl ...
.
Sales and Hunt's recordings from the late 1970s were released in
2008 by
Perseverance Records
Perseverance Records is a record label which releases film scores on CD and online. Releases are usually accompanied by extensive booklets. Extras, such as audio interviews with composers, are also sometimes included.
Discography
*
*''No Pass ...
as a
solo album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...
, ''
Hired Guns''. An
e-book
An ebook (short for electronic book), also known as an e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Alt ...
about them, ''Quintessentially Soul Brothers: The Sales Brothers In Their Own Words'' by Stephanie Lynne Thorburn, was published in 2009.
Instruments
Since the middle of the eighties Sales has used a
Vigier Passion Bass.
Discography
With Todd Rundgren
*''
Runt
In a group of animals (usually a litter of animals born in multiple births), a runt is a member which is significantly smaller or weaker than the others. Owing to its small size, a runt in a litter faces obvious disadvantage, including difficulti ...
'' (1970)
*''
Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren'' (1971)
* ''
Something/Anything?
''Something/Anything?'' is the third album by American musician Todd Rundgren, released in February 1972. It was his first double album, and was recorded in late 1971 in Los Angeles, New York City and Bearsville Studios, Woodstock. Three quart ...
'' (1972)
And with Andy Fraser of the band Free, "Till the Night is Gone"
With Iggy Pop
*''
Kill City
''Kill City'' is a studio album by American musicians Iggy Pop and James Williamson (musician), James Williamson, both formerly of the rock band The Stooges (band), the Stooges. It was recorded as a demo in 1975 but released in altered form in No ...
'' (recorded 1975, released 1977)
*''Sister Midnight'' (recorded 1977, released 1999)
*''
Lust for Life'' (1977)
*''
TV Eye Live 1977
''TV Eye Live 1977'' (or ''TV Eye'') is a live album by American musician Iggy Pop originally released in 1978. Iggy took a $90,000 advance ($419,807 in 2023) from RCA Records to finish his contract with a live album. According to AllMusic, t ...
'' (1978)
With Tin Machine
*''
Tin Machine
Tin Machine were a British–American rock band formed in 1988, and fronted by English singer-songwriter David Bowie. The band consisted of Bowie on lead vocals, saxophone and guitar; Reeves Gabrels on guitar and vocals; Tony Fox Sales on ba ...
'' (1989)
*''
Tin Machine II
''Tin Machine II'' is the second and final studio album by Anglo-American rock group Tin Machine, released on 2September 1991 through Victory Music in association with London Records. The band, composed of English singer-songwriter David Bowie ...
'' (1991)
*''
Tin Machine Live: Oy Vey, Baby'' (1992)
Solo
*''Hired Guns'' (2008)
References
External links
*
*
Sales Brothers HomepageTony Sales' bassesSales Brothers eBook biography, retrieved 6/1/2012
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sales, Tony
1951 births
Living people
Musicians from Cleveland
Jewish American musicians
Tin Machine members
Jewish rock musicians
Guitarists from Los Angeles
Guitarists from Detroit
Guitarists from Ohio
Utopia (American band) members
20th-century American bass guitarists
21st-century American Jews