Revisiting Pete Frame's "New York New Wave" Family Tree!

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Anyone familiar with Trouser Press magazine is no doubt already familiar with the comprehensive rock & roll family trees that rock journalist Pete Frame put together.  The first one I ever saw was one that traced the lineage of members of Adam & The Ants, Bow Wow Wow, Siouxsie & The Banshees, et al.

As a young music nerd-in-training, being able to see each musician's path from band to band was endlessly interesting, especially when you consider that Adam's entire band had been poached by manager Malcolm McLaren in January 1980 and rechristened Bow Wow Wow.  A lesser man might have thrown in the towel, but Adam not only reformed the band from scratch, but saw the band's new album, Kings Of The Wild Frontier, hit #1 on the pop charts on the one-year anniversary of McLaren luring his band away.

Classic shot of Debbie Harry, NYC, by Bob Gruen

Of course, Frame's "New York New Wave" family tree is endlessly entertaining, as it reveals how Debbie Harry (formerly of the seventies hippie band Wind In The Willows) and Chris Stein (ex-Magic Tramps) first came together via NY band the Stilettos in '73-74.

Billy Murcia, New York Dolls

Meanwhile, a young New York Dolls get the chance to open for Rod Stewart in London, but ultimately leads to the drug-related drowning death of drummer Billy Murcia in London.  The band held auditions and decided on Jerry Nolan, thereby solidifying the classic line-up.

The real gem, though, is discovering Blondie line-up #2 (Oct '74 - Aug '75) that includes both Ivan Kral (future Patti Smith Group guitarist) and bassist Fred Smith (who would go on to join Television).

Of course, the real moment of complete nerd-dom is seeing the punk lineage of the studio band assembled for John Waite's debut solo album, Ignition.  Said band included Kral, Bruce Brody (Patti Smith line-up #5), and Frankie LaRocka (drummer in David Johansen's band, post NY Dolls).