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Jayne County

 
Artist: Jayne County
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Jayne County

Similar Artists:

The Mumps, Patti Smith, Television, The Ramones, The Dictators, Mink DeVille, Blondie

Influenced By:

New York Dolls

Followers:

G.G. Allin, Plasmatics

Worked With:

Henri Padovani

Formal Connection With:

Back Street Boys
  • Active: '70s, '80s, '90s, 2000s
  • Genres: Rock
  • Instrument: Vocals
  • Representative Albums: "Things Your Mother Never Told You," "The Best of Jayne/Wayne County and the Electric Chairs," "Rock 'N Roll Cleopatra"
  • Representative Songs: "Max's Kansas City 1976," "Flip Your Wig," "Cream in My Jeans"

Biography

Making his initial name as a prominent scenester during the heady days of the early-'70s New York punk club scene, Wayne County later gained additional renown as perhaps rock's most prominent transsexual performer, billing herself as Jayne County following her return to the U.S. from Berlin in 1980. Born Wayne Rogers in Dallas, GA (near Atlanta) in approximately 1947, Wayne County assumed his stage name for a production of the Jackie Curtis play Femme Fatale. County acted in several Andy Warhol-associated theater pieces and from there became the regular DJ at the legendary club Max's Kansas City. Starting in 1972, County performed (in drag) at the club as well, eventually writing and recording a celebratory theme song titled "Max's Kansas City" in 1976 with a backing group called the Back Street Boys. However, County found it difficult to find American labels interested in his trashy, campy, New York Dolls-influenced brand of rock & roll, so he relocated to London just as that city's punk movement was beginning to gather momentum. He found a home on the Safari label with a new band, the Electric Chairs, and issued his debut album -- also called The Electric Chairs -- in 1978. Further albums included Storm the Gates of Heaven and Things Your Mother Never Told You, both from 1979; afterwards, County retired to Berlin and emerged as Jayne County, returning to North America in 1980. A 1981 live album, Rock 'n' Roll Resurrection, was the first billed to Jayne County, and found her fronting a mostly new version of the Electric Chairs.

County was quiet for a while as a recording artist, returning only in 1986 with a self-produced album called Private Oyster (a similar, unauthorized version was later issued under the title Amerikan Cleopatra). Periodic releases followed in the 1990s, some featuring new songs, some featuring reworked versions of past material. In 1996, County published her autobiography, Man Enough to Be a Woman; in 1999, she issued a newly recorded version of her song "Fuck Off," retitled "Fuck Off 2000." ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
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 This article needs references that appear in reliable third-party publications. Primary sources or sources affiliated with the subject are generally not sufficient for a Wikipedia article. Please add more appropriate citations from reliable sources. (March 2008)
Jayne County at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival.

Jayne County (born Wayne Rogers in 1947), formerly known as Wayne County, is an American male-to-female transsexual performer, musician and actress whose career has spanned several decades.

Contents

Biography

Born in 1947 as Wayne Rogers, County left her hometown of Dallas, Georgia in 1968 to move to New York City, where she became a regular at the Stonewall Inn and took part in the historic riots. In 1969, County was asked by Warhol superstar and playwright Jackie Curtis to appear in her play Femme Fatale at the La Mama Theatre, which also starred Patti Smith. In her autobiography, County says of Curtis, "She was my biggest influence, the person who really got me started." After a successful run of Femme Fatale, County wrote her own play World - Birth Of A Nation which she also appeared in, bringing her to the attention of Andy Warhol, who cast her in his own theatrical production Pork. After a run in New York, the play, with the New York cast, was performed in London for a few months. Upon returning to New York, County appeared in another play, Island, by Tony Ingrassia, again with Patti Smith.

Then, in 1972 County got her first band, Queen Elizabeth together, one of the pioneering glam rock bands. Despite being signed to MainMan Management, David Bowie's management firm, no records were ever produced, although the company did spend over $200,000 to film the 1974 stage show "Wayne at the Trucks", no footage of which has ever been released (even in bootleg form). The show featured numerous costume changes and some of County's raunchiest material. The film remains (presumably) in Bowie's vaults, though eight live recordings from this show were released in audio form on the 2006 CD Wayne County At The Trucks on Munster Records. The show is claimed by County to be the major inspiration for Bowie's stage show for the tour supporting his Diamond Dogs album. [1] In particular, County maintains that the song "Queenage Baby" was a prototype for Bowie's song "Rebel Rebel", a claim which is supported by some rock critics. [2] [3]

In 1975, with her new band "The Backstreet Boys," Wayne County recorded three tracks for the compilation Max's Kansas City: New York New Wave, which also featured Suicide, Pere Ubu and The Fast. Wayne County and The Backstreet Boys played regularly at CBGBs and at Max's Kansas City, where County was also a DJ. In 1976, she appeared in the film The Blank Generation, directed by Amos Poe and Ivan Kral. The film, the recording and the shows were the beginnings of what came to be known as punk rock, and helped define this movement for a generation of youth.

In 1977, County left New York to return to London, where the English punk scene was just emerging. Here, she formed a new band called Wayne County & the Electric Chairs. County released the EP Electric Chairs 1977, plus a single on Illegal Records. This was followed by her most famous song, "Fuck Off" recorded as a single for Safari Records, with a European tour in support of the records. While in London, County met Derek Jarman who cast her as the character "Lounge Lizard" in the seminal punk film Jubilee, which also starred Adam Ant, Toyah Willcox, Ian Charleson and Jordan. After this The Electric Chairs recorded their first self-titled album, which featured "Eddie and Sheena", and an EP named Blatantly Offensive, which contained "Fuck Off" and "Toilet Love." After touring, they followed this up with another album Storm The Gates Of Heaven. The next album, released in 1979, was Things Your Mother Never Told You which featured several songs based on County's recent experiences in Germany. After it was released, the band broke up and County (along with guitarist Eliot Michaels) returned to the U.S. in 1979. It was at this time that she officially changed her stage name to "Jayne County" and began self-identifying as a woman. The final release by County on Safari Records, Rock and Roll Resurrection (In Concert), a live album recorded in Toronto on New Year's Eve of 1979, was under this new name.

In 1983, County returned to New York where she appeared in the theatrical production Les Girls with Holly Woodlawn and other performers. After this she returned to London for the premiere of City Of Lost Souls and stayed long enough to tour and record another album Private Oyster with Warren Heighway as manager. Her band included members of various UK based rock bands, including Manchester-based guitarists Stuart Clarke, Chris Lynch and Baz Creece on drums. Following widespread media attention she then returned again to the U.S.

In the 1990s many of the earlier recordings were released, such as the early Safari tracks on a CD called Rock & Roll Cleopatra. She recorded the album Goddess Of Wet Dreams in 1993, followed by Deviation in 1995. That same year she appeared in Wigstock: The Movie and released her autobiography Man Enough To Be A Woman.

Since Deviation, several new tracks have surfaced on various compilations and through Jayne's official website. Many of these tracks, both live and studio recordings, were collected on the Ratcage Records release So New York, including collaborations with Lisa Jackson and former Electric Chairs guitarist Eliot Michaels. A thunderous live show (recorded on Jayne's birthday) was released on the 2002 CD Wash Me In The Blood (Of Rock & Roll)- Live at Squeeze Box by Fang Records, and features a duet on "California Sun" by County and former nemesis "Handsome" Dick Manitoba of The Dictators.

Films

Books

  • Man Enough To Be A Woman, Jayne County with Rupert Smith, 1995, published by Serpents's Tail ISBN 1-85242-338-2

Discography

  • The Electric Chairs 1977 EP on Illegal Records 1977
  • The Electric Chairs on Safari Records 1978
  • Blatantly Offensive EP, Safari Records 1978
  • Storm The Gates Of Heaven, Safari Records 1978
  • Things Your Mother Never Told You, Safari Records 1979
  • Rock and Roll Resurrection (In Concert), Safari Records 1980
  • Rock and Roll Resurrection (In Concert), Attic Records Limited 1980
  • Private Oyster, Revolver Records 1987
  • Goddess Of Wet Dreams, ESP Records 1993
  • Deviation, Royalty Records 1995
  • Wash Me In The Blood (Of Rock & Roll)- Live at Squeeze Box, Fang Records 2002
  • So New York, Ratcage Records 2003
  • Wayne County At The Trucks, Munster Records 2006
  • Razor Clam, (single with She Wolves), Poptown Records 2007
  • California Uber Alles, (single with She Wolves), Poptown Records 2007

References

  1. ^ http://www.katrinafox.com/jaynecounty.htm
  2. ^ http://www.punkglobe.com/waynecountytrucksreview.html
  3. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:jvfqxqqdldde

See also

External links


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

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