The Waitresses were an American new wave band from

Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County, Ohio, Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 C ...

, best known for their singles " I Know What Boys Like" and "

Christmas Wrapping "Christmas Wrapping" is a Christmas song by the American new wave band the Waitresses. First released on ZE Records' 1981 compilation album '' A Christmas Record,'' it later appeared on the band's 1982 EP '' I Could Rule the World If I Could ...

." They released 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, ''

Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful? ''Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful?'' is the debut album of new wave band the Waitresses, originally released in 1982 by Polydor, licensed from ZE Records. The album peaked at No. 41 in the ''Billboard'' 200 chart and included the earlier single " I K ...

'' and ''

Bruiseology ''Bruiseology'' is the second and final studio album by the American band the Waitresses, released in 1983. The album was recorded amidst personnel conflict; the band disbanded a year later. Chris Butler intended for the album's lyrics and themes ...

'', and two EPs, '' I Could Rule the World If I Could Only Get the Parts'' and ''Make the Weather''. The group was led by guitarist-songwriter Chris Butler with lead

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 ...

performed by

Patty Donahue Patricia Jean Donahue (March 29, 1956 – December 9, 1996) was the lead singer of the 1980s new wave group the Waitresses. She is best known for the band’s singles " I Know What Boys Like" and "Christmas Wrapping". Early life Patricia Jean ...

. Source states The Waitresses were based in Kent, Ohio, rather than Akron.

History

The Waitresses were formed by Butler (formerly of

the Numbers Band The Numbers Band (a.k.a. 15-60-75) are an American blues rock and experimental rock band formed in Kent, Ohio, United States in 1969. They are part of the "Akron Sound" that sprang forth from their home state. Career The original personnel w ...

) in 1978 as a side project while he was still a member of

Tin Huey Tin Huey is an American experimental rock and new wave band from Akron, Ohio, United States, that formed in 1972 and disbanded in 1982. History Original lineups Initially named Rags, the band started with Mark Price (then known as Wesley the Sta ...

. He wrote and recorded "I Know What Boys Like" that year, with guest vocals by friend Donahue (as "Patty Darling") and saxophone from Tin Huey member

Ralph Carney Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms ...

, although the song remained unreleased at the time. A debut single, ''In "Short Stack"'' (featuring the songs "Slide" and "Clones"), recorded solely by Butler, was issued by Clone Records in 1978. Both tracks from the single, plus another early song, "The Comb," appeared that year on ''The Akron Compilation'', issued by

Stiff Records Stiff Records is a British independent record label formed in London, England, by Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera. Originally active from 1976 to 1986, the label was reactivated in 2007. Established at the outset of the punk rock boom, Stiff ...

. Butler moved to

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 ...

and shopped "I Know What Boys Like." The song landed him a deal with

ZE Records ZE Records was originally a New York-based record label, started in 1978 in music, 1978 by Michael Zilkha and Michel Esteban. It was reestablished by Esteban in 2003. History Michael Zilkha (b. 1954) is a British-born Oxford University, Oxford ...

(an affiliate of

Antilles Records Antilles Records was a record label founded as a division of Island Records. It began as a jazz label, recording Joanne Brackeen, Biréli Lagrène, and Phil Woods, though its catalogue did expand to include eclectic musicians like Brian Eno and Ro ...

), who released the single in 1980. It was an underground hit, but did not chart. "The self-made single, 'I Know What Boys Like', has been a New York club favorite for ''a couple of years now''..." (emphasis added). With the deal in place, Butler put together an actual band lineup for the Waitresses, featuring lead vocalist Donahue, jazz saxophonist

Mars Williams Mars Williams (born May 29, 1955) is an American jazz and rock saxophonist. Exposed to big band and dixieland jazz by his trumpet-playing father, Williams played classical clarinet for ten years, then migrated to saxophone in his last year of hi ...

, former

Television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

drummer

Billy Ficca William Joseph Ficca (born February 15, 1950, in Delaware) is an American drummer who was a founding member of the rock groups Television and The Waitresses. Career Italian origins, Ficca was a childhood friend of Tom Verlaine (aka Tom Mill ...

, keyboardist Dan Klayman, bassist Dave Hofstra and backing vocalist Ariel Warner. The Waitresses played their debut concert on New Year's Eve 1980. The Waitresses released their debut album, ''

'' on January 11, 1982, on the

Polydor Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

label, licensed from ZE. "I Know What Boys Like" was included on the album and when the song was re-released as a single in 1982, it peaked at No. 62 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, No. 23 on ''

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 Tracks Classic Vinyl is a Sirius XM Radio channel focusing on classic rock music mostly from the late-1960s to the mid-1970s, with the channel's name meant to indicate that it consists of music that first appeared on vinyl records. This encompasses musi ...

chart, No. 14 on the Australian Singles Chart (Kent Music Report), and also charted in the UK. During the recording sessions for the album, which peaked at No. 41 in the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, Warner resigned from the band due to stage fright and Hofstra quit before its release to be replaced by

Tracy Wormworth Tracy Ann Wormworth (born December 15, 1958) is an American bass guitarist. Wormworth is a member of the B-52s. She has recorded and toured with the band since the Cosmic Tour of 1990. She played on their sixth studio album, 1992's '' Good Stuf ...

. A Christmas song by the band, "

," had originally been released on the ZE Records album '' A Christmas Record'' in 1981 and became a No. 45 hit in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

in 1982. The song was subsequently covered by the

Spice Girls The Spice Girls are a British girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Melanie Brown, also known as Mel B ("Scary Spice"); Melanie Chisholm, or Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"); Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"); Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"); and Vict ...

in 1998, as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

of their single "

Goodbye Goodbye, Good bye, or Good-bye is a parting phrase and may refer to: Film * ''Goodbye'' (1918 film), a British drama directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Goodbye'' (1995 film) (''Tot Ziens!''), a Dutch film directed by Heddy Honigmann * ''Goodbye'' ...

" and on the television show ''

Glee Glee means delight, a form of happiness. Glee may also refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...

'' sung by the character Brittany for their 2011 Christmas special. The Waitresses recorded the

theme song Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at so ...

to the

television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, e ...

Square Pegs ''Square Pegs'' is an American sitcom that aired on CBS during the 1982–1983 season. The series follows Patty Greene (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Lauren Hutchinson ( Amy Linker), two awkward teenage girls desperate to fit in at Weemawee High S ...

'', starring

Sarah Jessica Parker Sarah Jessica Parker (born March 25, 1965) is an American actress and television producer. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including six Golden Globe Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards. ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 1 ...

and

Amy Linker Amy is a female given name, sometimes short for Amanda, Amelia, Amélie, or Amita. In French, the name is spelled ''" Aimée"''. People A–E * Amy Acker (born 1976), American actress * Amy Vera Ackman, also known as Mother Giovanni (1886 ...

, which aired during the 1982–1983 season, and the band appeared as themselves in the pilot episode. The song was issued by Polydor as a single in 1982, and was included (along with "Christmas Wrapping") on the EP ''I Could Rule the World If I Could Only Get the Parts'' that same year. The band's second album, ''Bruiseology'', was released by Polydor in May 1983 followed by the ''Make the Weather'' EP in 1984. In the summer of 1984, Donahue left the band and was replaced by

Holly Beth Vincent Holly Beth Vincent (born Holly Beth Cernuto in 1956) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. In her youth Vincent sang and played drums and guitar in several bands and took part in the Los Angeles punk scen ...

, formerly of

Holly and the Italians Holly Beth Vincent (born Holly Beth Cernuto in 1956) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. In her youth Vincent sang and played drums and guitar in several bands and took part in the Los Angeles punk scen ...

, but Vincent herself left after just two weeks and Donahue returned. The Waitresses split up in December 1984.

Post-breakup

Donahue died of lung cancer at the age of 40 on December 9, 1996. Butler later worked as a producer, and played with numerous bands and artists including Half Cleveland, Purple K'nif and Richard Lloyd. Ficca played in Gods and Monsters and returned to his former group Television when they reunited in 1991. Williams played with

the Psychedelic Furs The Psychedelic Furs are a post-punk band founded in London in February 1977. Led by lead vocalist Richard Butler and his brother Tim Butler on bass guitar, the Psychedelic Furs are one of the many acts spawned from the British post-punk scene ...

NRG Ensemble NRG Ensemble was an American free jazz ensemble founded in the late 1970s by saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist Hal Russell.Margasak, PeterThe Undiminished Power of Hal Russell's NRG Ensemble''at Chicago Reader'' The group's personnel was somewhat f ...

Liquid Soul Liquid Soul is a jazz, hip-hop, funk, Freestyle rap, freestyle fusion ensemble formed in 1993 from Chicago, Illinois which helped pioneer the acid jazz movement in the United States in the 90s. Coined ''"Beyond Acid Jazz"'' by founder Mars Willia ...

Hal Russell Hal Russell (born Harold Russell Luttenbacher, August 28, 1926 – September 5, 1992) was an American free jazz composer, band leader and multi-instrumentalist who performed mainly on saxophone and drums but occasionally on trumpet or vibrapho ...

and

Ken Vandermark Ken Vandermark (born September 22, 1964) is an American composer, saxophonist, and clarinetist. A fixture on the Chicago-area music scene since the 1990s, Vandermark has earned wide critical praise for his playing and his multilayered composi ...

. Wormworth has played bass for

the B-52's The B-52's, also styled as The B-52s, are an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, keyboards, synth bass), Cindy Wilson (vocals, p ...

since 1992. '' King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents the Waitresses'', a live album recorded in 1982 at

My Father's Place My Father's Place was a music venue in Roslyn, New York. It first opened in 1971, and according to ''The New York Times'', "created a scene that would influence music for decades to come." In the nearly sixteen years the club was open before it ...

Roslyn, New York Roslyn ( ) is a village in the Town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. It is the Greater Roslyn area's anchor community. The population was 2,770 at the 2010 census. History Ro ...

, was issued in 1997 by

King Biscuit Flower Hour The ''King Biscuit Flower Hour'' was an American syndicated radio show presented by the D.I.R. Radio Network that featured concert performances by various rock music recording artists. History The program was broadcast on Sunday nights from 19 ...

. Polydor issued two compilation albums, '' The Best of the Waitresses'' (1990) and '' 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of The Waitresses'' (2003). In 2013,

Omnivore Recordings Omnivore Recordings is an independent record label founded in 2010. It specializes in historical releases, reissues and previously unissued vintage recordings, as well as select releases of new music, on CD, vinyl and digital formats. Omnivore Re ...

released the compilation ''Just Desserts: The Complete Waitresses'', collecting virtually all of the band's recordings for Polydor, while

issued a digital collection of their ZE releases, ''Deluxe Special: Ze Complete Recordings''.

Personnel

* Chris Butler –

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 ...

, backing vocals (1978–1984) *

– lead vocals (1980–1983, 1984, died 1996) *

David Hofstra David Carl "Dave" Hofstra (born May 21, 1953, Leavenworth, Kansas) is an American jazz double-bassist. He also plays bass guitar and tuba. Hofstra was an autodidact on bass. He worked with Robin Holcomb, John Zorn, Joel Forrester, and in the lat ...

–

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 ...

(1980–1982) *

–

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 ...

(1980–1984) * Dan Klayman –

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 ...

, organ (1980–1984) * Ariel Warner – backing vocals (1980–1982) *

–

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

reed Reed or Reeds may refer to: Science, technology, biology, and medicine * Reed bird (disambiguation) * Reed pen, writing implement in use since ancient times * Reed (plant), one of several tall, grass-like wetland plants of the order Poales * ...

instruments (1980–1984) *

– bass guitar, backing vocals (1982–1984) *

– lead vocals (1983–1984)

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Singles

Live albums

Compilation albums

References

External links

Unofficial Biography of The Waitresses

The Waitresses at Trouser Press

How They Made Their Mark in History
{{DEFAULTSORT:Waitresses, The American new wave musical groups American post-punk music groups Musical groups from Akron, Ohio Musical groups from Kent, Ohio Polydor Records artists ZE Records artists Omnivore Recordings artists Musical groups established in 1977 Musical groups disestablished in 1984 1977 establishments in Ohio 1984 disestablishments in Ohio Musical groups from Ohio Female-fronted musical groups