Tony Fox Sales (born September 26, 1951) is an American rock 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, 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, 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,

(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. The band also included Jon Pousette-Dart, son of artist Richard Pousette-Dart 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 repetit ...

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 sharing and 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 Google, and is the second mo ...

. 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, 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, 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 Heroes ...

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

in the newly formed group, Runt, and recorded two

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 ...

s. They recorded 2 tracks for the Iggy Pop/ 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

, who also played keyboards. 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'' 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 List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. 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 wh ...

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, 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 ...

), 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 U ...

'' 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

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

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 ...

'' 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 (streaming service), Peacock. ...

'', 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

, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter 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 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

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 difficult ...

'' (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

*''

'' (recorded 1975, released 1977) *''Sister Midnight'' (recorded 1977, released 1999) *'' Lust for Life'' (1977) *'' TV Eye Live 1977'' (1978)

With Tin Machine

*''

'' (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