The Afghan Whigs

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The Afghan Whigs were a soul-influenced American rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio. PopMatters described the band as "beyond simple genre categorization, and though lauded by the music press, never got their just due."^[1]

[edit] Band history

Greg Dulli (vocals, rhythm guitar), Rick McCollum (lead guitar), John Curley (bass), and Steve Earle (drums - not to be confused with country musician Steve Earle) formed the band in Cincinnati in 1986. In 1988, they released their debut album Big Top Halloween on their own Ultrasuede label. The band signed to Sub Pop of Seattle in 1989. The Afghan Whigs were the first non-Northwestern U.S. band to record for the Sub Pop label.^{[citation needed]} In 1990, their first Sub Pop release Up in It was released. The album was followed by a limited edition single released by No.6 Records under the name 'The Ornament'. They added two guitarists who left soon after the release.

With the 1992 album Congregation and a limited covers EP, Uptown Avondale, the band adopted what would become their signature soul-influenced sound. The Afghan Whigs soon signed to a major label, Elektra Records, and in 1993 released another album, Gentlemen. Although the singles “Debonair” and “Gentlemen” were fairly popular, the album failed to launch the band into the mainstream.

Beside regular appearances on MTV's playlists, their track "Fountain and Fairfax" also appeared on the television series My So-Called Life in 1994.

Despite personnel problems interfering with recording and touring, 1996 saw the band release the noir-influenced Black Love (the album featured Paul Buchignani on drums in place of Steve Earle). Although the main subjects in previous releases were liquor-drenched obsession, secrets and misery, Black Love was a step into a more dark, even seedier and complex side of Dulli’s persona.^{[citation needed]}

In 1996, Dulli served as executive producer for the soundtrack for the Ted Demme film Beautiful Girls . The Afghan Whigs appeared in the film as a bar band and contributed two songs to the soundtrack: Frederick Knight’s "Be For Real" and Barry White's "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe".

In 1998, The Afghan Whigs released their sixth album, 1965, on Columbia Records (Michael Horrigan, former Love Cowboys bassist replaced Buchignani). It was the band's last full-length album of original material.

Despite reports that the band had started work on their seventh album, The Afghan Whigs announced their split in 2001, citing the strain of geographic distance between members as the reason.

In 2006, The Afghan Whigs temporarily reunited.^[2] The 1965 lineup recorded two new tracks ("I’m A Soldier" and "Magazine") featured on their retrospective titled Unbreakable: A Retrospective 1990–2006, released on June 5, 2007, through Rhino Records.^[3]

On June 23, 2009 an Afghan Whigs tribute album was released, featuring contributions from Mark Lanegan, Joseph Arthur and 11 other artists influenced by the band.^[4]

[edit] Current projects

• Dulli is currently recording and performing with Mark Lanegan as The Gutter Twins
• Dulli continues to record and tour with his evolving collective The Twilight Singers and as a solo artist
• Curley is the bassist of the Staggering Statistics
• McCollum is the guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for Moon Maan
• Horrigan is the bassist for Brendan Benson
• Earle is the songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of Earle Grey

[edit] Discography

[edit] Studio albums

• 1988 Big Top Halloween (Ultrasuede)
• 1990 Up in It (Sub Pop)
• 1992 Congregation (Sub Pop)
• 1993 Gentlemen (Elektra Records)
• 1996 Black Love (Elektra Records) US #79
• 1998 1965 (Columbia Records) US #176

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Summer's Kiss - A Tribute to The Afghan Whigs
• The Afghan Whigs Myspace Page
• The Twilight Singers
• Staggering Statistics
• Moon Maan
• The Afghan Whigs Allmusic entry
• An Afghan Whigs Farewell Essay
• Afghan Whigs at Rolling Stone