Chris Connelly (musician)

Chris Connelly (born 11 November 1964) is a Scottish musician and author[3] who became famous for his industrial music work of the late 1980s and early 1990s, particularly his involvement with the Revolting Cocks and Ministry. He has since established himself as an alternative singer-songwriter, and continues to release solo albums, as well as perform on collaborations.

Chris Connelly
Connelly in 2008
Connelly in 2008
Background information
Born (1964-11-11) 11 November 1964
OriginEdinburgh, Scotland
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • singer-songwriter
  • author
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • guitar
LabelsUnderground, Inc.
Websitechrisconnelly.com

Early years

Connelly was born in Bruntsfield, Scotland to Michael and Sadie (née King) Connelly near the city centre of Edinburgh. Connelly's father died in a swimming accident early in his life,[4] causing Chris to focus on artistic interests outside the home to help fill the void. Connelly's Scottish ancestry includes Irish descent through the Connellys and Murphys, who originally came from Ireland to Scotland. His mother's side, the Kings and the McCullochs, were from the Highlands and migrated to Glasgow in search of work.[5]

Music career

Connelly began his music career in 1980 with the formation of Finitribe.[6] Through subsequent years he fronted or was heavily involved with numerous notable industrial, dance, and new wave acts. In 2008, Connelly published a memoir of his early years in the music industry, Concrete, Bulletproof, Invisible, and Fried: My Life As A Revolting Cock (ISBN 0946719950). It describes his professional debut in Finitribe, meeting Al Jourgensen in London, his involvement with the Revolting Cocks, Ministry, PTP, Acid Horse, Murder, Inc., and Pigface, and the development of his solo career.

In contrast to his industrial roots, Connelly explores various genres in his solo works. In 2013, he started two more industrial projects: Cocksure, with Jason C. Novak (Czar, Acumen Nation, and DJ? Acucrack), and Bells into Machines, with Paul Barker (Ministry, Revolting Cocks, and Lard), as well as the resurrection of the Cocks sans Al Jourgensen and with Richard 23 of Front 242 in 2016.

Personal life

Connelly is now based in Chicago and manages Reckless Records, a record store in Wicker Park.[7] He also is a vocal instructor at Oak Park School of Rock.[8]

Band affiliations

Solo discography
  • Whiplash Boychild (1991)
  • Phenobarb Bambalam (1992)
  • Shipwreck (1994)
  • Songs for Swinging Junkies with William Tucker (1994)
  • The Ultimate Seaside Companion with The Bells (1997)
  • Blonde Exodus with The Bells (2001)
  • Largo with Bill Rieflin (2000)
  • Private Education (2002)
  • Initials C.C., a collection of rarities and Connelly's personal favorites (2002)
  • Night of Your Life (2004)
  • The Episodes (2007)
  • Forgiveness & Exile (2008)
  • Pentland Firth Howl (2009)
  • How This Ends (2010)
  • Artificial Madness (2011)[10]
  • Day of Knowledge (2012)
  • Decibels From Heart (2015)
  • Art + Gender (2017)
  • The Tide stripped Bare (limited release-2018)
  • Bloodhounds (limited release-2018)
  • Sleeping Partner (2019)
  • Graveyard Sex (2020)
  • The Birthday Poems (2021)

Guest appearances

Music compilation appearances
  • "Desperado" on Welcome to Our Nightmare: a Tribute to Alice Cooper (1993)
  • "A Mutual Friend" on Whore: Various Artists Play Wire (1996)
  • "Hard Hearted Alice" on Mutations – A Tribute To Alice Cooper (2002)
  • "What's Left But Solid Gold?" on ...It Just Is (2005)
  • "Don't Make Me Go" on Cash From Chaos – A Tribute to the Man in Black, Johnny Cash (2005)
  • "Looking for a River" on Whispers From the Offing (A Tribute to Kevin Coyne) (2007)

Bibliography
  • Confessions of the Highest Bidder: Poems and Songwords, 1982-1996 (1999) KB Publishing
  • Concrete, Bulletproof, Invisible and Fried (2007) SAF Publishing[11]
  • Ed Royal (2010) Shipwrecked Industries

Spoken word

References
  1. Jeffries, David. "Chris Connelly". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  2. Berlatsky, Noah. "The Allure of the Obsolete". Splice Today. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  3. "Chris Connelly Interview". Art Interviews.com. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  4. "Michael Connelly b. 1928 d. 1971 Edinburgh Comonwealth Pool Accident". Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  5. "Feature article in Fall Issue #5". Celtic Family Magazine. October 2014. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  6. "The Tapeworm presents... TTW#46 - Chris Connelly - The Collapse of Ether". The Tapeworm. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  7. "Article in the Chicago Reader". Chris Connelly. 2 September 2006. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  8. "Oak Park School of Rock". Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  9. "Sons of the Silent Age: Interview With Chris Connelly". UR Chicago. 4 January 2013. Archived from the original on 15 October 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  10. "Musician Chris Connelly relives the underground industrial rock of the 1980s". Wbez.org. 5 March 2012. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  11. "Chris Connelly interview (03/2008)". Metal Storm. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  12. "New Town Nocturnes, by Connelly, Chris & Michael Begg". Midheaven Mailorder. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
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