About Me
The subject of this page is the original line-up of the Royal Court of China, a rock n' roll band that formed in the mid-1980's in Nashville, Tennessee. This coincided with the emergence of a golden era in Nashville rock and with the ascendance of alternative music and college radio in the Southeast. With REM and Jason and the Scorchers leading the charge, cities like Athens, Atlanta and Nashville proved to be hotbeds of original rock n' roll talent. Along with the Scorchers and bands like Walk the West, the Georgia Satellites, Raging Fire and Jet Black Factory, the Royal Court of China rose to the forefront of Nashville's mid-1980's scene. The band formed when journeyman singer/guitarist Joe Blanton, a veteran of such early Nashville rock bands as the Ratz, and drummer Chris Mekow began playing together as The Enemy in 1984. The band became a popular local draw, but fractured in the summer of 1985. In need of a lead guitarist and bassist, Mekow brought old jam buddies Robert Logue and Oscar Rice into the fold. The resulting overhaul in the band's sound led to a new direction and a name change. The new line-up cut its teeth with opening slots for 10,000 Maniacs, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Meat Puppets in the fall of 1985 and re-christened itself "The Royal Court of China" at the dawn of 1986. By year's end, the band was packing clubs all around the area and had a slew of major labels coming to call. In December of that year, the band agreed to a deal with David Anderle of A&M Records. 1987 was spent recording their debut album self-produced record for A&M, and touring with the likes of the Kinks, REO Speedwagon and the Hooters. It was while touring in Florida with the Hooters that the band's equipment trailer was stolen with most of their amps, guitars, drums, lights, etc. After a December show in Atlanta, the band took several weeks off to replace equipment. But this would prove to be the original line-up's last concert; as so often happens with rock n' roll bands, tensions were developing within the band and communication skills were poor. In the spring Logue and Rice left to devote full time to their alt-folk acoustic band The Shakers, while Blanton and Mekow formed another line-up and moved to Los Angeles. The second line-up recorded a more metallic album called "Geared and Primed" and toured with Joan Jett, Cheap Trick and others. (This line-up has been playing together again of late, and has a MySpace page devoted primarily to its music). In 1992 the Royal Court of China had broken up and Blanton and Mekow had drifted back home to Nashville. Predictably, the original members found themselves booking shows and reunited for the last six months of that year. During this time, they managed to enter the studio with members of the original Elvis Presley band, including Scotty Moore, DJ Fontana, Floyd Cramer and the Jordanairres.
It was the first time that cast had assembled to play together in over 30 years. Fittingly, the musicians recorded "Santa Claus Is Back in Town"; this Elvis Christmas classic was the last song the original RCC line-up had played together at that December show in Atlanta years before. Today, singer Joe Blanton lives outside Tallahassee, Florida and fronts a band called Door No. 2; drummer Chris Mekow lives between Nashville, Tennessee and Charleston, South Carolina. He and Blanton recently played a reunion show of the band's Mach 2 Geared and Primed line-up in Nashville. Guitarist Oscar Rice lives in Nashville and recently released an acoustic album under the moniker "Hendersonville Song Company"; bassist/mandolinist Robert Logue also lives in Nashville and devotes time to his serigraph poster/pin-up company Cypocryphy.com. He and Rice are currently working on an acoustic project...This profile was edited with Thomas' myspace editor™ V2.5
