The Jam |
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Wed. September 01.1999 3:04 AM EDT |
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The Jam's and Stiff Little Fingers' Bruce Foxtonby Frank Tortorici |
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The Jam, featuring Bruce Foxton (right), were named after the impromptu gigging the bandmembers did before officially forming. ( ) |
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Bassist/singer Bruce Foxton was an integral part of the Jam, the British
band that helped revolutionize rock in the late '70s with its intelligent
brand of punk. He has spent recent years as a member of the Irish band
Stiff Little
Foxton was born 44 years ago today in Woking, England. He joined the Jam in 1974, two years after the group's leader Paul Weller and guitarist Steve Brooks first came together as a folk duo in Woking. The two had formed the Jam in 1973 with drummer Rick Buckler and guitarist Dave Waller; Foxton replaced the departing Waller and Brooks, making the Jam a trio. The Jam were one of the key bands in London's mid-'70s punk-rock movement. In addition to their melding of punk with elements of the '60s British Invasion, the Jam became known in Britain for the mid-'60s mod style of their clothes and haircuts. The Jam's debut LP, In the City (1977), and its title track were hits in England. The Sex Pistols appropriated a riff from the song for their "Holiday in the Sun." After press attacks on the same year's This Is the Modern World, Weller considered breaking up the band. But in 1979, the Jam returned with All Mod Cons, after having three UK hits: "News of the World" (RealAudio excerpt), a take on the Kinks' "David Watts," and "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight." That same year's concept LP, Setting Sons, dealt with class struggles and spawned the British hit "Eton Rifles," as well as the single "Heatwave." The Jam had their most popular LP with 1980's Sound Affects and the #1 hit "Start!," yet never managed to become a success in the U.S. After 1982's The Gift, the Jam split. Foxton signed with Arista Records as a solo act in 1983 and released Touch Sensitive and the single "Freak." Soon, however, Foxton decided he wanted to be part of a band again and spent time in many, including 100 Men, Built Like Stone, Sharp and the Rhythm Sisters. In 1991 singer/guitarist Jake Burns called Foxton and asked him to replace the departing bassist in his band, Stiff Little Fingers. Formed in 1977, Stiff Little Fingers (named after the Vibrators song) were lyrically and musically similar to the Jam. SLF had split and re-formed, with a few temporary lineups along the way, before Foxton joined. The original incarnation of SLF was known for such politically minded songs as "Suspect Device" and "Alternative Ulster." SLF's Flags and Emblems (1991) included "Beirut Moon," which was banned in Britain because it criticized the British government for not acting to free hostage John McCarthy in Lebanon. Get a Life was issued in the UK in 1994 and in the U.S. the next year. It received attention from fans of such bands as Bad Religion, Therapy and Rancid, who had cited SLF as a big influence. Foxton and Stiff Little Fingers toured behind Tinderbox, which includes "You Never Hear the One That Hits You," in 1997. Their most recent LP, this year's Hope Street (including "Bulletproof"), was issued with a best-of collection in the UK and with a live album in the States. SLF did a brief supporting tour of the U.S. Other birthdays: Tommy Evans (Drifters), 72; Archie Bell, 55; Greg Errico (Sly & the Family Stone), 53; Barry Gibb (Bee Gees), 52; Gloria Estefan, 42; D.J. Spigg Nice (Lost Boyz), 29; and Conway Twitty, 1933-1993. |
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