David Johansen Biography
9 January 1950, Staten Island, New York, USA. Johansen gained recognition in the early 70s as lead singer of the New York Dolls. A R&B/rock group taking inspiration from the likes of the Rolling Stones, the New York Dolls' street attitude and outrageous sense of dress thrust them into the glitter/glam scene, although their music had little in common with others of that nature. Johansen joined his first band, the Vagabond Missionaries, in high school. At the age of 17 he moved to Manhattan, New York, and briefly worked with a band called Fast Eddie And The Electric Japs. The New York Dolls came together in late 1971 and quickly built a devoted audience at New York clubs such as the Mercer Arts Center and Max's Kansas City. They recorded two albums for Mercury Records and held on until late 1976. After their demise they became an inspiration to numerous artists, from the newly forming punk bands such as the Sex Pistols, to Kiss, to the Smiths.
Johansen launched a solo career in 1978, recording for Blue Sky Records. Less flamboyant than the New York Dolls' records, this was a solid rock effort stressing Johansen's lyrical acumen. He released three other rock/R&B-orientated solo albums for Blue Sky and one for Passport Records before shifting career directions once again. In 1983 Johansen began booking small cabaret concert dates under the name Buster Poindexter, performing a slick, tightly arranged set of vintage R&B numbers, show tunes, and jump blues. Dressing in a formal tuxedo and playing the lounge lizard, Buster Poindexter built a following of his own, until Johansen the rocker literally ceased to exist; he completely gave up his rock act to pursue the new image full-time. He recorded albums as Buster Poindexter, including Buster Poindexter (1987) and Buster Goes Berserk (1989), the first yielding a chart and club hit in a cover version of Arrow's 1984 soca dance tune, "Hot Hot Hot'. He was still popular as Poindexter in the 90s, touring with a 10-piece band and packing clubs, his repertoire now including Caribbean-flavoured music, salsa (1997"s Spanish Rocket Ship) torch songs and blues, as well as early R&B. He also launched an acting career in the late 80s, appearing in movies including Scrooged and Married To The Mob. Johansen's venture into blues also bore fruit with his band the Harry Smiths, releasing two fine albums in the new millennium.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
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