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Gene October

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Gene October [1] is a British singer and songwriter who was a formative figure in London's punk rock movement in the late 1970s.[2]

Music career

In 1976, October was involved in the creation of The Roxy when he suggested to the management of Chaguaramas, a central London nightclub, that they convert it into a centre for the new punk rock scene to coalesce.[3] Later, he briefly managed a club named Revolution No.9 and was employed as an A&R man for Miles Copeland III's IRS Records.

October was the singer/frontman of the original London band Chelsea, which formed in late 1976, also featuring William Broad on guitar and Tony James on bass.[4] The band's repertoire at this time consisted primarily of cover versions of 1960s songs by the Beatles and Rolling Stones, but they broke up after only a few weeks and a handful of live performances due to a clash of personalities. Broad, James, and drummer John Towe left October onstage during a live gig, eventually forming Generation X.[5] In early 1977, October assembled a new line-up of Chelsea, which released numerous records and sustained many personnel changes.

From the mid-1980s to the 1990s, he was a solo artist, releasing two singles and a 1995 album titled Life and Struggle.[3] Since 1999, he has intermittently recorded and toured with Chelsea, including their 40th anniversary tour in 2016.[6]

October also acted in two films produced and directed by Derek Jarman. In Jubilee, he played the character Happy Days, and in Caravaggio, he appeared as a fruit-eating model.

Solo artist discography

Albums

  • Life and Struggle (Receiver Records, 1995)

Singles

  • "Suffering in the Land" (Illegal Records, 1983)
  • "Don't Quit" (Slipped Discs, 1984)

References

  1. ^ "Gene October discography". RateYourMusic. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  2. ^ 'Gene October - a fighter who's in it for the long haul', Mid Sussex Times, 12 May 2016.
  3. ^ a b "The Chelsea Punk Band Home". Chelseapunkband.com. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  4. ^ Dancing with Myself, Billy Idol, Simon & Schuster, 2014
  5. ^ Interview with Tony James, 'Generation X Anthology', April 2012.
  6. ^ "REVIEW: Gene October – a fighter who's in it for the long haul". Midsussextimes.co.uk. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
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