Jobriath
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jobriath was the stage name of Bruce Wayne Campbell (December 14, 1946 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - August 3, 1983), who was a glam rock singer from 1973 to 1974.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Signed to Elektra Records for a reported $500,000, he was advanced by his manager Jerry Brandt as the great American glam singer. A huge marketing campaign ensued, with Jobriath's naked torso on buses, in music magazines, and on a 43 x 41 billboard in Times Square. Jobriath is credited as the first mass-marketed pop star, and the first to be openly gay. On both counts, it was thought to be too much. Jobriath's first LP (self-titled) was well-reviewed, but commercially was not a huge success. The public seemed less frightened than puzzled by the performer who sang of sexual themes, posed as an alien (not unlike David Bowie, Klaus Nomi or Zolar X), sang in a range of styles and voices, and name-checked everyone from Jesus to Marlene Dietrich.
Losing interest in the act, Brandt canceled their much-talked-of stage show. A second LP, Creatures of the Street (songs from the same extensive sessions) was released, but to little interest. Glam itself was fading, and by mid-1974, had all but died. Jobriath and his band embarked on a brief American concert tour, and the act folded. Other members of the band included Jim Gregory, Steve Love, Greg Diamond, and Hayden Wayne. Over the next decade, he became known as one of the industry's most expensive blunders. He did, however, retain a cult of admirers, particularly among British pop stars like Morrissey, Mark Stewart of The Pop Group, Siouxsie Sioux, Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys, and Gary Numan.
Jobriath himself sought to distance himself from his solo career, taking a new name, Cole Berlin, and adopting a new style - cabaret. He played the rest of his life in local diners and at parties. Under contract to Brandt for 10 years, he could not record music, but worked privately on a series of musicals, including the fabled "Popstar." By the time the contract was up, Jobriath was dying of AIDS, which eventually took his life in August 1983. In November 2004, Morrissey oversaw Jobriath's first CD re-issue. Morrissey had previously tried to hire Jobriath as his supporting act for the Your Arsenal tour, not realizing that the singer had died.[citation needed]
Both studio albums were finally given an official CD release in Japan in late 2007. Both remastered in mini-vinyl replicas.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio albums
| Year | Title | Label |
| 1973 | Jobriath | Elektra |
| 1974 | Creatures of the Street | Elektra |
[edit] Compilations
| Year | Title | Label |
| 2004 | Lonely Planet Boy | Sanctuary |
