Kevin Paul Mooney (born 5 May 1962) is an English-Irish bassist and guitarist who has worked with

Adam Ant Stuart Leslie Goddard, better known as Adam Ant (born 3 November 1954), is an English singer, musician, and actor. He gained popularity as the lead singer of new wave group Adam and the Ants and later as a solo artist, scoring 10 UK top ten ...

Sinéad O'Connor Shuhada Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor on 8 December 1966; ) is an Irish singer-songwriter. Her debut album, ''The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and charted internationally. Her second album, ''I Do Not Want What ...

, and others.

Career

Born in the

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

area of

London London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, Mooney began his musical career in 1977 with the English-Irish punk band The European Cowards, in collaboration with John Keogh and rebel rouser John Herlihy. He was then enlisted as the bass player for

Adam and the Ants Adam and the Ants were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. The group existed in two incarnations, both fronted by Adam Ant, over the period 1977 to 1982. The first, founded in May 1977 and known simply as The Ants until November of t ...

, between 1980 and 1981, appearing on the album ''

Kings of the Wild Frontier ''Kings of the Wild Frontier'' is the second album by English new wave band Adam and the Ants. It was released on 7 November 1980 by CBS Records in the UK and Epic records internationally. The album was the UK number 1 selling album in 1981 (a ...

''. After leaving the band because of personal conflict and creative differences, he formed the band Wide Boy Awake with best friend John Keogh, Harley Price and Horace Carter Allan. Wide Boy Awake released two EPs in the UK, including songs "Chicken Outlaw", "Billy Hyena", "Bona Venture" and "Slang Teacher", some of which appear on 1980s various-artists compilations. The band were managed by Mooney's then-wife

Pamela Rooke Pamela Rooke (23 June 1955 – 3 April 2022), also known as Jordan and Jordan Mooney, was an English model and actress known for her work with Vivienne Westwood and the SEX boutique in the Kings Road area of London in the mid-1970s, and for a ...

. "Billy Hyena" was accompanied by a music video directed by

Derek Jarman Michael Derek Elworthy Jarman (31 January 1942 – 19 February 1994) was an English artist, film maker, costume designer, stage designer, writer, gardener and gay rights activist. Biography Jarman was born at the Royal Victoria Nursing Home ...

. Wide Boy Awake disbanded soon after without releasing a full album. During this period, Mooney guested on Sinéad O'Connor's album ''

The Lion and the Cobra ''The Lion and the Cobra'' is the debut album by Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor, released on 4 November 1987 by Ensign and Chrysalis Records. O'Connor recorded the album while in the later stages of pregnancy with her first child. The title of ...

'', writing and playing guitar on one track "Just Call Me Joe", featuring Leslie Winer on backup vocals. Next, Mooney formed the band Max (not to be confused with the Japanese vocal group MAX) with Leslie Winer, a former associate of

William S. Burroughs William Seward Burroughs II (; February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997) was an American writer and visual artist, widely considered a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodern author who influenced popular cultur ...

, plus John Keogh, Kumar Desai, and John Wright. The band recorded an unreleased album, featuring guitar work by Mooney's former Adam and the Ants bandmate,

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 ...

. Mooney formed a new version of Max, which released a drug induced soft rock middle-of-the-road album called ''Silence Running'', produced by

Trevor Horn Trevor Charles Horn (born 15 July 1949) is an English music producer, label and recording studio owner, musician and composer. He is best known for his production work in the 1980s, and for being one half of the new wave band The Buggles (wit ...

, but the band dissolved in the wake of money problems and drug-related deaths. Mooney relocated to Florida and then to Boston with Winer but returned to the UK briefly in 2001. He now resides in Berlin. Mooney worked with Leslie Winer as part of the electronic group "C" on the albums ''Witch'' and ''Spider''. In the early 2000s, Mooney formed another band, the Lavender Pill Mob, led by Gary Asquith, a former member of Rema Rema,

Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...

and

Renegade Soundwave Renegade Soundwave (sometimes shortened to RSW) was an electronic music group. Formed in London in 1986, the group originally consisted of Gary Asquith, Carl Bonnie and Danny Briottet. Their debut LP '' Soundclash'' was released in 1990 on Mu ...

, with Harley Price and

Lee Jason Simeone Lee Jason Simeone (born 20 March 1980 in Rochford, Essex, England) is an English musician, who joined the independent record label Le Coq Musique in 2008. Other artists of the label include Kevin Mooney of Adam and the Ants, Gary Asquith of ...

. This group recorded two albums (''The Lavender Pill Mob'' and ''Mike's Bikes'') released independently; the second album featured guest vocals by

on one song, "Black Pirates" (a reworking of "Chicken Outlaw").

References

External links

The Lavender Pill Mob
on Myspace {{DEFAULTSORT:Mooney, Kevin 1962 births Living people People from Greenwich English bass guitarists English male guitarists Male bass guitarists British rock bass guitarists Irish songwriters Adam and the Ants members