BRUCE JOYNER

Born 1956, in a small town from the South, in Georgia, he lived in that place of plantations, white people asides black people.
Bruce used to listen the songs of the workers in the plantations, and Hank Williams, Fats Domino, Elvis Presley, Chubby Checker.

In 1979, one of his first public shows have been at Joe's Cellar : he wanted to play there since he knew Ray Charles played there.

Bruce, when a child suffered several injuries, that gave him that unforgettable appearance :

"It seems that when Bruce was four, a neighbor girl told him some chloride crystals were rock candy. Severely injured, he had to have his vocal chords scraped and learn to speak all over again. His throat was permanently scarred. After that accident Joyner began singing along to records, to help him control his vocal chords. But often the sound would 'flip out, like a tape machine gone screwy' Bruce remembered."
"When he was six, he lost an eye, and later he was involved in a wreck that left him partially paralyzed."

His first recordings have been as The Stroke Band , with Don Fleming, in the years 1978 / 1979.

Then he moved to Los Angeles :

1980 - 1982 is the Unknowns period. Initially on Bomp, they signed with Sire, that released their first record Dream Sequence ,before getting back to Bomp for their second record.

After Bruce left, Mark Neill and Dave Boyle continued the band.

By the end of 1982, Bruce Joyner decided to split to work on giving people a more easy approach to his music and formed the Plantations (recording period 1983-1986), ending with the great LP Swimming with friends .
In 1983, he began collaboration with Tom Byars, producing his band Out Of The Fire recordings, with first EP and LP.

Then Bruce Joyner issued records (on french label New Rose ) under his name, backed by musicians from Out Of The Fire and Tom Byars producing Hot Georgia Nights in 1987, to Sir Real in 1992, and with the Tinglers, and also with re-formed Unknowns :
In 1990, Bruce returned in Georgia, and the Unknowns get together again, recorded a new LP (Souther Decay) issued by New Rose in 1991.

Four full albums and some singles have been released in France between 1987 and 1993. He also toured a lot in France at that time. His last recording (under his name) have been in 1993 : {Preludes and Nocturnes} (produced by Peter Buck from R.EM.)

2002 : After some health problems, Bruce is back : "I get back playing a lot of clubs and recording once again". With Tom Byars, they re-activated Out of the Fire , a band they actually had in 1984.
Summer 2002 will see them recording 15 to 20 tracks in New York with Don Fleming.

(to be continued, precised, bands tree to come, ... any help welcome )