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Talking Heads

David Byrne and fellow Rhode Island School of Design students
Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz formed a trio in 1974 called
The Artistics. After rejecting names such as The Portable Crushers
and The Vague Dots, the band opted for Talking Heads after seeing
the term in an issue of TV Guide.
Their debut gig took place at New York's CBGB's
club in 1975, supporting The Ramones. In 1976 they added Jerry
Harrison (guitar, keyboards, vocals), formerly of Jonathan
Richman's band The Modern Lovers. The group quickly drew a
following and was signed to Sire Records in 1977.
If any band defined the energy and angst of New
Wave, it was Talking Heads. David Byrne became a figurehead
for all those outsiders who despised hippies and heavies but
didn't have the front to cut it on the Bowery.
The Brian Eno-produced 1978 album More Songs About Buildings
and Food went Top 30 on both sides of the Atlantic. Working
with Eno until 1980, the band crafted dense, paranoid, near-dance
albums that encapsulated New Wave's nerdy, end-of-days panic. As
Huey Lewis later observed, it was suddenly hip to be square.

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David Byrne
Vocals, guitar
Jerry Harrison
Guitar, keyboards, vocals
Tina Weymouth
Bass, vocals
Chris Frantz
Drums
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