Junkyard Band
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| Junkyard | |
|---|---|
| Origin |  Washington, D.C., USA |
| Genre(s) | Go-go |
| Label(s) | DefJam |
Junkyard Band is one of the most successful Go go bands, performing consistently since the 1970's. They created such smash Go Go hits as Sardines and Ruff it Off. They were once the band of Heavy One, one of the greatest drummers in Go Go history, who now is deceased.
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[edit] Biography
Junkyard Band In 1980, a group of kids ages 8 to 11 living in a government housing project in Washington, D.C., were inspired to play music upon continually seeing performances of go-go bands in their neighborhood. Not having resources to buy traditional instruments, the kids scoured the "hood" to find what resources the could that would emulate real instruments. The resources they found obviously turned out to be junk - hubcaps, plastic buckets, crates, cans and old pots & pans. The group performed regularly in their housing project named Barry Farm; and after just a few performances they group was dubbed the name, "Junkyard Band." In the early ‘80s (and at an early age for the members) Junkyard began performing on a regular basis as go-go music was increasing in popularity and the kids had perfected the craft of performing. The band played at go-go concerts, schools, recreation centers, for civic organizations, fundraisers and government agencies. The band also performed on the streets of Washington, D.C., which is its claim to fame. Junkyard undoubtedly became a tourist attraction which led to the band's appearances in a TV commercial and two movies - "D.C. Cab" with Mr. T and "Tougher Than Leather" with Run-DMC. The band's popularity led to a recording contract with Russell Simmons' DefJam Records.
[edit] Record Label
Under DefJam, the band released its national hit single "Sardines". As young kids, Junkyard Band toured half the United States and regularly played major venues along the east coast including the Richmond Coliseum, John F. Kennedy Center, Capital Center and the world famous Apollo Theater. (Not amateur night but a show with LL Cool J) During this extensive performing and touring, the group matured from a novelty act to professional musicians. Along with the maturation came another level of performance with the band doing club dates on a regular basis and complementing the bill of national acts like Guy, Salt-N-Pepa, Tupac, Roots, Beastie Boys, Slayer and the like.
[edit] Musical Success
Since its inception, Junkyard Band has been a mainstay on the go-go music scene and has had enormous club success with its singles "Rippa Medley", "Ruff-it-Off", "Word" and "Loose Booty". With these hits and more to come, Junkyard continually creates music of the Go-Go genre and patiently awaits the nation's acceptance.
