Description

The Afghan Whigs played a brand of smart no-frills rock perfectly suited to benefit from an interest in the underground generated by the grunge bonanza. Led by tortured soul Greg Dulli, the Whigs infused their tough guitar-based sound with elements of country, roots rock, and, later, a 1970s R&B vibe. Since the band's break-up in 2001, Dulli has gone on to captain the heavily soul-influenced ensemble the Twilight Singers.

Biography

From Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, and original stalwarts of the Sub Pop Records empire, Afghan Whigs gained prominence as favoured proponents of grunge, although the traditional nature of much of their recorded output progressively belied this tag. Their Uptown Avondale EP, for example, was a collection of classic soul cover versions, while as early as 1990's Up In It, they were bastardizing country rock on tracks such as "Son Of The South".
The band was formed by Rick McCollum (b. 14 July 1965, Kentucky, USA; guitar), Steven Earle (b. 28 March 1966, Cincinnati, USA; drums) and John Curley (b. 15 March 1965, Trenton, New Jersey, USA; bass), alongside the distinctive vocals ("I think Camel cigarettes are a big influence on my voice') of frontman Greg Dulli (b. 11 May 1965, Ohio, USA; vocals/guitar). With his origins in Hamilton, a steel-town 30 miles outside Cincinnati, Dulli abandoned his film course in an attempt to pick up acting parts (apparently making it into the last 50 at the auditions for The Breakfast Club"s "weirdo"). He first met bass player Curley in jail, where they were being held overnight for, respectively, urinating in front of a police officer and drug-dealing. When Afghan Whigs provoked the interest of the major labels, Dulli insisted that he produce their records and direct their videos (in fact, before signing, Dulli had handled band management). Elektra Records agreed to his conditions, and to financing a movie project. Their major label debut, Gentlemen, concerned familiar Afghan Whigs subjects: alienation and the seedier side of life. One of the songs, "My Curse", was so personal that Dulli could not sing it himself - instead employing Marcy Mays of Scrawl. Marketing the album also became the subject of a College Music Journal seminar. Earle was subsequently replaced by Paul Buchignani.
In 1994, Dulli was part of the supergroup who recorded a soundtrack for Backbeat, the Stuart Sutcliffe biopic, singing as John Lennon. Other band members were Mike Mills (R.E.M.), Don Fleming (Gumball), Dave Grohl (Nirvana; Foo Fighters) and Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth). Dulli also covered Barry White's "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe" for the soundtrack to Beautiful Girls. Black Love confirmed the soul influence, and featured cover versions of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" and the Who's "Quadrophenia'. Decamping to New Orleans to record the major label follow-up, Dulli overcame his personal demons to produce a seamless fusion of his musical influences. 1965 featured new drummer Michael Horrigan and proved to be one of 1998"s outstanding releases, a sexually charged and funky collection of songs that earned the band an almost universal round of critical plaudits. In December, their lead singer was beaten up and temporarily left in a coma after a concert in Austin, Texas. In February 2001 Dulli announced the break-up of the Afghan Whigs. He now tours and records with the Twilight Singers.
DISCOGRAPHY: Big Top Halloween (Ultra Suede 1988)***, Up In It (Sub Pop 1990)***, Congregation (Sub Pop 1992)***, Gentlemen (Sub Pop/Elektra 1993)****, What Jail Is Like mini-album (Sub Pop/Elektra 1994)**, Black Love (Sub Pop/Elektra 1996)****, 1965 (Columbia 1998)****.

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