Jayne County
County at the première of Squeezebox! at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival
Background information
Born (1947-07-13) July 13, 1947
Dallas, Georgia, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
  • actress
  • DJ
  • Artist
  • Cat carer
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • harmonica
  • percussion
Labels
  • Safari
  • Attic
  • Revolver
  • Jungle
  • ESP
  • Royalty
  • Reble Rec
  • Fang
  • Get Back
  • Ratcage
  • Munster
  • Poptown
  • Captain Trip
  • Captain Oi!
Websitewww.jaynecounty.com

Jayne County (born Wayne Rogers, July 13, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and record producer whose career has spanned six decades. Under the name Wayne County (inspired by Wayne County, Michigan), she was the vocalist of influential proto-punk band Wayne County & the Electric Chairs who became known for their campy and foul-mouthed ballads, glam punk inspired songs, and image which was heavily influenced by Jackie Curtis[2] and the Theatre of the Ridiculous.[3] County in particular was known for her outrageous and unpredictable stage antics as well as possessing a distinctive singing voice. She went on to become rock's first openly transgender singer, and adopted the stage name Jayne County.

County's music has encompassed a number of styles over the course of her career, including glam punk, punk rock, blues rock, and boogie-woogie.[1] County did not think her birth name Wayne Vernoy Rogers "sounded very glamorous" and decided to adopt the name of the county in which Detroit was located because she admired bands from that city "like Iggy [Pop] and all those people."[4] Though she has never been a commercial success, she has been an influence on a number of musicians including David Bowie, the Ramones, Patti Smith, Pete Burns and Lou Reed,[5] and many of County's songs have become well-known, including "Man Enough to Be a Woman", "Fuck Off", "Stuck on You," and "Night Time". Pianist Jools Holland's first studio outing was with County on her single "Fuck Off". She also appeared as an actress at Andy Warhol's Factory and had a brief association with David Bowie during the 1970s. County played Lounge Lizard in the second punk rock film, Derek Jarman's Jubilee, and the band performed "Paranoia Paradise",[6] which also appeared on the Jubilee Soundtrack album, released by Polydor UK in 1978. Wayne County and the Electric Chairs were supported by The Police during their 1977 tour of Holland,[7] later recruiting Police guitarist Henry Padovani on rhythm guitar.[8]

Early years

County was born as Wayne Rogers in 1947 to working-class parents. She was gender-nonconforming from a young age, wearing makeup at school.[9] County left her hometown of Dallas, Georgia in 1968 to move to[10] New York City, where she became a regular at the Stonewall Inn and took part in the historic riots.[11] In 1969, County was asked by Warhol superstar and playwright Jackie Curtis to appear in her play Femme Fatale. The play had a successful run at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club and starred Patti Smith. In her autobiography, County says of Curtis, "She was my biggest influence, the person who really got me started."[12]

Career

1970–1979

After appearing in Femme Fatale, County wrote the play World – Birth of a Nation (The Castration of Man). The play was directed by Tony Ingrassia and promoted as a "homosexual fantasy." The play was set in a hospital and related to castration of the male sex. County played both Florence Nitingale and her sister Ethel Nitingale, and the play also featured Cherry Vanilla who played a nurse named Tilly Tons.[13]

After seeing County in the play, Warhol cast her in his own theatrical production of Pork, which was adapted and directed by Tony Ingrassia.[14] After a run in New York, the play was performed in London with the same New York cast. Upon returning to New York, County appeared in another play, Island by Tony Ingrassia, again with Patti Smith.[15]

In 1972 County formed Queen Elizabeth, one of the pioneering proto-punk bands. County was signed to MainMan Artistes, David Bowie's management firm, but no records were ever produced.[16] The company spent over $200,000 to film the 1974 stage show, "Wayne at the Trucks", but footage has never been released. The show featured numerous costume changes and some of County's raunchiest material. Eight songs from the show were released on the 2006 album "Wayne County at the Trucks", on Munster Records. County claims the show was the inspiration for Bowie's Diamond Dogs tour.[17] In particular, County maintains that the song "Queenage Baby" was a prototype for Bowie's song "Rebel Rebel", a claim which is supported by some rock critics.[18][19]

In 1974, County formed Wayne County and the Backstreet Boys, which recorded three tracks for Max's Kansas City: New York New Wave, a compilation that also featured Suicide, Pere Ubu, Cherry Vanilla and The Fast. Wayne County and The Backstreet Boys played regularly at CBGB and Max's Kansas City, where County was also a DJ. In 1976, she appeared in the film The Blank Generation, directed by Amos Poe and Ivan Kral. The film, the recording and the shows were the beginnings of what came to be known as punk rock, and helped define the movement.[20]

In 1977 County moved to London, where the English punk scene was just emerging, and formed Wayne County & the Electric Chairs. County released the EP Electric Chairs 1977, plus a single on Illegal Records. This was followed by "Fuck Off", recorded as a single for Safari Records and supported with a European tour. While in London, County met Derek Jarman, who cast her as Lounge Lizard in the seminal punk film Jubilee, which also starred Adam Ant, Toyah Willcox, Ian Charleson, Little Nell and Jordan.[21] County and band are also featured in The Punk Rock Movie, by Don Letts, containing part of a 1977 performance at The Roxy club in London.

In 1978, the Wayne County song "Fucked by the Devil," was recorded by Jimi LaLumia and The Psychotic Frogs, and released on their EP Typically Tasteless. It instantly sold 10,000 copies. Later on LaLumia would work with County in a managerial position.[22]

Shortly after this, Wayne County and The Electric Chairs recorded their first, eponymous album, as well as another EP, "Blatantly Offensive", which contained "Fuck Off" and "Toilet Love." After their touring in support of these releases was done, they recorded "Storm the Gates of Heaven". Their next album, released in 1979, was "Things Your Mother Never Told You", which featured several songs based on County's experiences in Germany. The album was produced by David Cunningham.[23] After it was released, the band broke up and County, along with guitarist Eliot Michael, returned to the U.S.

When County moved to Berlin in 1979, she changed her stage name to Jayne County,[24] publicly identifying as a woman for the first time. County's 1980 release of "Rock and Roll Resurrection" (In Concert) on Attic Records was under this name. With Eliot Michael on guitar, Peter Jordan on bass, and Sammy Minelli on drums, the first live show under County's new name in Toronto sparked erroneous rumors of a sex-change operation.[21]

1980–present

In 1983 County returned to New York where she appeared in the theatrical production Les Girls with Holly Woodlawn. Shortly thereafter she returned to London for the première of the German film City of Lost Souls, released on February 5, 1983, in which she played Leila and staying long enough to record a new album. Warren Heighway befriended County in Manchester and became her UK manager. He put a band together to record County's debut studio album Private Oyster. The band members came from various rock bands from the Manchester area: Guitarist Richard Stuart Clarke, bassist Mark Pearson and drummer Bazz Creece. The album was recorded at Pennine Studios in Oldham and released on Revolver Records in 1986.[25] To promote the album in the UK around this time County mainly used backing tapes.

1989 saw County release the mini album Betty Grables Legs and the single "Time Machine" on Jungle Records, recorded at Station House Studios New Brighton with Mark Pearson on bass, Paul Wainwright on guitar and Kevin O'Brien on drums. Shows with this line-up put County back on the live circuit. Following widespread media attention, she returned to the U.S. where her manager for America, Jimi LaLumia, secured the future release of the album Goddess of Wet Dreams on the ESP DISK label; this became County's first U.S. release. Lalumia then secured a deal for County with the NY based label Royalty Records; Royalty released the UK based County compilation Rock & Roll Cleopatra, and the subsequent studio album Deviation. Royalty would later launch County's first and only major U.S. tour in support of the releases, while in Manchester Warren Heighway booked studio time and shows around the UK.

From 1990 onwards many of County's earlier recordings were re-released, including the early Safari tracks, on a CD titled Rock & Roll Cleopatra. She recorded the album Goddess of Wet Dreams at Twilight Studios in Salford in 1993, followed by Deviation recorded at The Cutting Rooms in Crumpsall Manchester in the autumn of 1994. Later that year, she appeared in Wigstock: The Movie and released her autobiography Man Enough to Be a Woman published by Serpent's Tail.[12] A launch party was held at The Rock Garden Covent Garden London on June 13, 1995, to promote both the book and the Deviation album.

From 1989 to 1997 Jayne County & The Electric Chairs consisted of County on vocals, Mark Pearson on bass, Paul Wainwright on guitar, and Colin Rocks on drums. This lineup recorded and toured both the UK and Europe during this time, with Warren Heighway acting as agent and Manchester Management for his "Trace Element Corporation" until his death on July 19, 2005.

Since that time several new tracks have surfaced on various compilations and through County's official website. Many of these tracks, both live and studio recordings, were collected on the Ratcage Records release So New York, including collaborations with Lisa Jackson and former Electric Chairs guitarist Eliot Michael. A live show, recorded on County's birthday, was released on the 2002 CD Wash Me in the Blood (of Rock & Roll) – Live at Squeeze Box by Fang Records.[26] The CD features a duet on "California Sun" by County and former nemesis "Handsome" Dick Manitoba of The Dictators. In 2005, Man Enough to Be a Woman, a live DVD, was released on Cherry Red Films recorded at Holidays in the Sun punk festival at Blackpool Winter Gardens on August 11, 1996.

After leaving New York City, County settled in the Atlanta area where she has a band called the Electrick Queers with guitarist Jet Terror, bassist Gary Yoxen, and drummer Rob Kirkland. In 2014 Safari Records released a CD/DVD of Live at Rockpalast from 1978.[27] On July 22, 2015, Jayne County & the Electrick Queers headlined ARMageddon, to benefit Blast-Off Burlesque's Trey Chic.[28]

On 23 September 2017, County released an EP by Jayne County and The JC5 titled Here Come the JC5.[29]

In 2018, County debuted a retrospective show of visual art at Participant, Inc, a gallery in New York City.[30] Comprising five decades of work, Paranoia Paradise included paintings, drawings, collages, and photography.[31]

Jayne County's autobiography was republished by Serpent's Tail in May 2021.[32]

Works

Filmography

Year Title Director(s)
1975 Night Lunch Ivan Kral and Amos Poe
1976 The Blank Generation Ivan Kral and Amos Poe
1977 Punk in London Wolfgang Büld
1977 The Punk Rock Movie Don Letts
1978 Jubilee Derek Jarman
1982 Stadt der verlorenen Seelen (City of Lost Souls) Rosa von Praunheim
1995 Wigstock: The Movie Barry Shils
1999 Born to Lose: The Last Rock and Roll Movie Lech Kowalski
2001 Freaks, Glam Gods and Rock Stars Tim Ryan
2003 End of the Century Jim Fields and Michael Gramaglia
2007 King of Punk Kenneth van Schooten
2008 Squeezebox! Steven Saporito and Zach Shaffer
2009 Burning Down the House: The Story of CBGB Mandy Stein
2010 Beautiful Darling James Rasin
2012 Jobriath A.D. Kieran Turner

Discography

Albums
YearTitleLabel
1978The Electric ChairsSafari
1978Storm the Gates of HeavenSafari
1979Things Your Mother Never Told YouSafari
1980Rock and Roll Resurrection (In Concert)Safari/Attic Records Li
1982Best of Jayne/Wayne County and the Electric ChairsSafari
1986Private OysterRevolver
1989Betty Grable's LegsJungle
1993Goddess of Wet DreamsESP
1993Rock ' n ' Roll Cleopatra - CompilationRPM Records
1995DeviationRoyalty
1995Let Your Backbone Slip! - CompilationRPM Records
2002Wash Me in the Blood (of Rock & Roll)- Live at Squeeze BoxFang
2003So New YorkRatcage
2006Wayne County at the TrucksMunster
2011Safari Years Box - 3 CD Captain Trip Records
2016Goddess of Wet Dreams - The Legacy EditionMVD
2016Amerikan Cleopatra/Private Oyster - The Legacy EditionMVD
2020The Safari Years - 4 CD Box SetCaptain Oi!
Extended plays
YearTitleLabel
1976Max's Kansas City 1976Ram Stereo 1213
1977The Electric ChairsIllegal
1978Blatantly OffensiveSafari
1995(If You Don't Wanna Fuck Me Baby) Fuck Off!!Royalty Records (12-inch EP)
2017Here Come The JC5Adrastea Music
Singles
YearTitleOther artistsLabel
1981Twist and Shout / BoysJimi LaLumia & The Psychotic Frogs, also featuring Johnny Thunders and Cherry VanillaBeat This
1986San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair)Heighway Robbery Wreckords
1988Time Machine / Take a DetourJungle Records
2004Man! I Feel Like A WomanPure Power Records
2007Razor ClamShe WolvesPoptown Records
2007California Uber AllesShe WolvesPoptown Records
2013Hail Satan!Sharon NeedlesIndependent
2017Leave My Pussy AloneJimi LaLumiaLaLumia Tunes
2018IGenderTyLaLumia Tunes
2020I Don't Fit in Anywherewith Am TaylorCleopatra Records
2021 Imma Gonna Go to Hell When I Die with the Electrick Queers Independent

Biography

  • County, Jayne; Smith, Rupert (1996). Man Enough to Be a Woman: The Autobiography of Jayne County. Serpent's Tail. ISBN 1-85242-338-2.
    • Republished 2021, Serpent's Tail. ISBN 9781788166539

References

  1. 1 2 "Wayne County – Singles". Punk77.co.uk. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
  2. ↑ "WHY WAS TRANSGENDER PUNK ICON JAYNE COUNTY BANNED FROM FACEBOOK?". Dangerous Minds. April 23, 2014. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  3. ↑ Little, Michael H (March 4, 2021). "Graded on a Curve: Jayne/Wayne County and the Electric Chairs, The Best of Jayne/Wayne County and the Electric Chairs". the Vinyl District. Archived from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  4. ↑ Steve Zehentner. Jayne County, The Lower East Side Biography Project, excerpt from 28 minute biography. Vimeo. Event occurs at 00:15.
  5. ↑ Philip Auslander (2006). Performing Glam Rock: Gender and Theatricality in Popular Music. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 0472068687. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  6. ↑ Paul Marko (January 16, 2001). "JJ Johnson: Drummer Electric Chairs". Punk77.co.uk. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
  7. ↑ Sutcliffe, Phil & Fielder, Hugh (1981). L'Historia Bandido. London and New York: Proteus Books. ISBN 0-906071-66-6. Pages 42 and 54.
  8. ↑ Padovani, Henry (2009). Secret Police Man. Pen Press. pp. 90–97. ISBN 978-1-907172-83-0.
  9. ↑ "'We got shot at' – the outrageous life of Jayne County, the first trans rock'n'roller". the Guardian. May 18, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  10. ↑ Bernadicou, August. "Jayne County". August Nation. The LGBTQ History Project. Archived from the original on July 14, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  11. ↑ "Why was transgender punk idon Jayne County banned from Facebook?". Dangerousminds.net. April 23, 2014. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
  12. 1 2 County, Jayne; Smith, Rupert (1995). Man Enough to Be a Woman. Serpents's Tail. ISBN 1-85242-338-2.
  13. ↑ "World – Birth of a Nation". Jaynecounty.com. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  14. ↑ Lalumia, Jimi. "Wayne County At The Trucks". Punkglobe.com.
  15. ↑ McNeil, Legs; McCain, Gillian (1996). Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk. Grove/Atlantic. ISBN 9780802192769. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
  16. ↑ Bernadicou, August. "Jayne County". The LGBTQ History Project. The LGBTQ History Project Inc. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  17. ↑ Fox, Katrina (August 24, 2006). "Complete and Utter County". SX News. Archived from the original on September 5, 2006.
  18. ↑ "Punk Globe Magazine Online". Punkglobe.com. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  19. ↑ Thompson, Dave. "Wayne County At The Trucks- Review". AllMusic.
  20. ↑ Finney, Ross (2012). "A Blank Generation: Richard Hell and American Punk Rock" (PDF). Americanstudies.nd.edu. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
  21. 1 2 Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus. ISBN 9780857125958. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  22. ↑ Scavieli, Tony (2017). "Jimi LaLumia & The Psychotic Frogs' Impact On The 70's Punk Scene". Archived from the original on July 30, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  23. ↑ Thompson, Dave. "Jayne County & the Electric Chairs: Things Your Mother Never Told You". AllMusic. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  24. ↑ Summers, Claude J. (2004). The Queer Encyclopedia of Music, Dance, & Musical Theater. Cleis. ISBN 9781573441988. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
  25. ↑ Thompson, Dave (2000). Alternative Rock. Miller Freeman. ISBN 9780879306076. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
  26. ↑ Mason, Stewart. "Wash me in the blood of rock and roll". AllMusic. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  27. ↑ Nichols, JamesMichael (August 10, 2014). "After Dark: Jayne County, Transgender Musician And Nightlife Icon". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
  28. ↑ Williams, Jonathan (July 21, 2015). "Jayne County & the Electrick Queers bring ARMageddon to the Earl". Clatl.com. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  29. ↑ "NEWS 2016 - 2018". Jaynecounty.com. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
  30. ↑ Fialho, Alex (February 19, 2018). "Interviews: Jayne County". Artforum.com. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  31. ↑ "The Outrageous Art of Transgender Punk Rock Star Jayne County". Hyperallergic.com. February 21, 2018. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  32. ↑ "Man Enough to Be a Woman". Serpent's Tail. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
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