The Dickies

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The Dickies
Origin	San Fernando Valley, California, U.S.
Genre(s)	Punk rock^[1]
Years active	1977 - present
Website	thedickies.com
Members
Leonard Graves Phillips Stan Lee Greg Hanna Dylan Thomas Travis Johnson

The Dickies are a punk rock group formed in Los Angeles, California in 1977.

1 History
2 Singles
3 Albums
4 References
5 Audio samples
6 References
7 External links

[edit] History

The Dickies were among the first punk rock bands to emerge from Los Angeles. They were the first California punk band to appear on network television, and the first California punk band to be signed to a major record label.

The Dickies' style is campy and humorous, influenced by The Ramones, for whom they sometimes opened. The Dickies are popular in the United Kingdom, and had a Top 10 single with "Banana Splits (Tra La La Song)" in 1979. Many of their lyrics concern Southern California culture, rife with references and in-jokes; examples include songs like "Waterslide", "I'm A Cholo", "Manny, Moe, and Jack", and "(I'm Stuck in a Pagoda with) Tricia Toyota". They are also known for recording several fast-paced punk covers of classic rock songs, including the Moody Blues' "Nights in White Satin", Black Sabbath's "Paranoid", Barry McGuire's "Eve of Destruction", and the Human Beinz' "Nobody But Me".

Drug problems slowed the Dickies down considerably in the 1980s, but they have continued playing and recording sporadically to the present day. Guitarist/keyboardist/saxophonist Chuck Wagon (born Bob Davis) committed suicide after a break-up with his girlfriend in June 1981; the group has not used keyboards live since.

In 1988, the Dickies wrote and performed the theme music for the cult-favorite horror film Killer Klowns from Outer Space.

Many bands have covered tunes by the Dickies in tribute including the Rich White Males, who Leonard Graves Phillips has said on record "are the best punk band around today".