The JIM CARROLL Band, a New Wave / Punk rock group, was formed by Jim Carroll (Musical & Lyrical Artist-more information below) in 1978, after encouragement from fellow artist - Patti Smith. The band was formerly called - Amsterdam, based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The musicians were: Steve Linsley (bass), Wayne Woods (drums), Brian Linsley and Terrell Winn (guitars). Their 1980 debut album, "Catholic Boy", featured contributions from Allen Lanier and Bobby Keys. The song, People Who Died, was covered by John Cale on his Antártida soundtrack. Later albums were Dry Dreams (1982) and I Write Your Name (1983), both with contributions from Lenny Kaye
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It's generally imagined that the highest praise one can bestow on a rock songwriter is to say their words read like poetry, but the truth is no more than a handful of notable poets have distinguished themselves as rock songwriters (supposedly a less demanding form), and several have displayed a embarrassing lack of understanding of the popular song form. Jim Carroll is one of the very few authors who convincingly brought his work from the printed word to the rock & roll stage, growing into a passionate and commanding rock singer as well as a tough, intelligent songwriter, and his first album, Catholic Boy, best captures his strengths. Carroll's memoir The Basketball Diaries made clear he had an uncanny knack for capturing the dark and gritty rhythms of the New York streets, while his poetry collections such as Living at the Movies recorded the edgy grace of his verse, and Carroll was able to merge both of those qualities on his songs for Catholic Boy. Of course, this being rock & roll, it's the gritty stuff that's stands out best, especially the unrelenting "People Who Died" and the pained and bitter title cut. But Carroll is also able to find something beautiful as well as troubling in the demimonde he chronicles on "Wicked Gravity" and "Day and Night," and if he's a better writer than a singer, he brings his songs across with a passion and dramatic intensity that more than compensates for his narrow range, and the lean, guitar-led attack of his band makes a good backdrop for these songs. On Catholic Boy, Carroll doesn't come off as a poet slumming in pop music, but like a born rock & roller baring his soul, and that's a lot more than you can say for anything Allen Ginsberg put on vinyl. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide JIM CARROLL - Born on August 8, 1951, in New York, NY; son of Thomas J. & Agnes (Coyle) Carroll; married Rosemary Klemfuss (divorced); children: Aaron & Cassandra. Education: Attended Wagner College & Columbia University. To rock audiences, Jim Carroll's crowning achievement was the near-hit "People Who Died," a brutally emotional punk record saluting the victims of the New York drug culture.
In truth, however, Carroll's artistic legacy was considerably more complex and far-ranging -- an acclaimed diarist, poet, actor and spoken-word performer, his formative years even served as the subject of the film The Basketball Diaries.The product of a working-class background, Carroll was born and raised in New York City. A highly-touted basketball prospect, Jack Kerouac's On the Road inspired him to begin keeping a journal at the age of 12; later published in 1978 as "the Basketball Diaries", his early writings vividly chronicled his teenage addiction to heroin, which led him into a life of crime and hustling. By the time he was 16, Carrol was a published poet; 1973's "Living at the Movies" further established his reputation as a prodigy and funded a move to Northern California, where he was finally able to shed his drug habit.Inspired by the success of his friend Patti Smith, who also married a background in poetry with a career in rock music, Carroll began writing songs; in 1978, backed by the San Francisco band Amsterdam (comprised of guitarists Terrell Winn and Brian Linsley, bassist Steve Linsley and drummer Wayne Woods), he cut a handful of demos, and was signed to Rolling Stones Records. Produced by label head Earl McGrath, the Jim Carroll Band's debut album "Catholic Boy" appeared in 1980; the subject of significant critical acclaim, it featured "People Who Died," the group's definitive moment.After a move back to New York and the replacement of Terrell Winn and Brian Linsley by Paul Sanchez and John Tiven, the Carroll Band returned in 1982 with "Dry Dreams", followed by 1984's "I Write Your Name", which received lackluster reviews. With his three record contract fulfilled, Carroll dismissed the group members and resumed his prose and poetry work. After an appearance in the 1985 film Tuff Turf, he published "the Book of Nods" in 1986 & "Forced Entries: The Downtown Diaries 1971-1973" a year later.During the remainder of the eighties, Carroll balanced his poetry and prose material while writing tracks for other artists such as Blue Oyster Cult: Club Ninja & Boz Scaggs: Other Roads.He also made appearances on John Giorno's show segment Dial-A-Poem of spoken word albums.As the 1990s dawned, Carroll was frequently approached to return to music; but he was firmly dedicated to his spoken-word work; His first solo album was "Praying Mantis "(1991), a collection of spoken-word performances, not new songs. While he occasionally performed as a musician, his primary focus remained his literary pursuits.Notably, Carroll was one of the first poet-rockers to break down the barriers between poetry and spoken-word and mainstream rock music. He's participated in various readings since the mid-eighties but his 1994 performance on MTV'sUnplugged was most moving with his personal scape of his now-legendary poem 8 Fragments for Kurt Cobain was a mesmerizing tribute.In 1993 he published Fear of Dreaming: The Selected Poems of Jim Carroll. In 1995, both The Basketball Diaries and the short story Curtis' Charm were adapted into films; he also contributed lyrics and vocals to Rancid's multi-platinum release And Out Come the Wolves (1995). A year later Carroll also contributed to the benefit release Home Alive: The Art of Self-Defense and in 1997, Carroll was one of a number of high-profile writers, musicians and actors who contributed to the Kerouac tribute album kicksjoydarkness, where, backed by Sonic Youth's Lee Renaldo, Patti Smith guitarist Lenny Kaye and Anton Sanko, he read: Woman. 1998 was a monumental year for Carroll. He released a brand new collection of poetry in his new book "Void of Course" as well as returning to rock in his own cathartic way with the release of his first album in nearly 15 years, "Pools of Mercury". This combined his classic wounded poetry with song, noting his collaborations with Sanko and Kaye. In 1999, a comprehensive tribute release entitled Put Your Tongue to the Rail: The Philly Compilation for Catholic Childrean showcasing 25 local artists from Philadelphia empowered by the work of Carroll. Two years later, Carroll issued the "Runaway EP", which featured live cuts of material from Pools of Mercury and an eclectic cover of Del Shannon's pop hit of the EP's namesake. There was also talk of collaborating with The Doors' Ray Manzarek for a possible record. (above) People Who Died : Promotional Video filmed @ CBGB's for the Movie - the Basketball Diaries {on MTV's 120 Minutes} (above) Wicked Gravity (above) Lorraine (above) Tension (above) Day & Night (above) It's Too Late People Who Died - performed with Lenny Kaye @ Lenny's Birthday Celebration (in December of '97)
