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The Afghan Whigs started out during the Grunge revolution of the late
'80s and early '90s in Cincinnati, Ohio USA. The original band members
were vocalist+rhythm guitarist Greg Dulli, lead guitarist Rick McCollum,
bassist John Curley and drummer Steven Earle.
After releasing an independent album, 1988's "Big Top Halloween",
the group was signed to Seattle's famed Sub Pop Records, the first non-local
band to do so. While their sound was gritty and raw, like their labelmates,
the Whigs injected elements of Country, Blues and most strikingly, R&B
into their music.
Their second album, "Up In It", arrived in the spring of 1990.
The quartet continued to work hard and in early 1992 they delivered their
critically acclaimed "Congregation".
After two full-length releases and a slew of singles for Sub Pop, the
band moved to the big leagues with their breakthrough album, "Gentlemen".
The disc was issued by Elektra in October 1993 but failed to break the
band into the mainstream, though it spawned the Modern Rock top 20 hit
"Debonair" and the mior hit "Gentlemen".
Paul Buchignani was added to the line-up after Steve Earle's departure
and The Afghan Whigs unleashed "Black Love", its second major
label release, in March 1996, which peaked at #79 on The Billboard Top
200 chart. Even darker than its predecessors, "Black Love" took
the Whigs into corners and alleys, unraveling a noir drama, the striking
"Honkey's Ladder" proved their worth to fans, but did not manage
to break through to radio success as it barely stumbled into the top 30
of The Modern Rock Tracks. Upset with the efforts of their label, the
Whigs managed to break contract and head to Sony/Columbia.
In October 1998, The Afghan Whigs released their most upbeat and Pop album,
"1965". The musicianship and fierceness were still there; but
they were prefaced with a new, fun attitude. The band was also joined
by a new drummer, Michael Horrigan. Critics loved the album but it failed
to make it past #176 on The Billboard 200 chart.
Citing “geographic differences”, the band split up in 2001 after
a 14-year run.
"Unbreakable (A Retrospective 1990-2006)", is the first-ever
compilation from The Afghan Whigs, the set contains 18 essential songs,
includes two brand new tracks recorded in 2006: "I'm A Soldier"
and "Magazine".
The Afghan Whigs biography is an exclusive of 100xr.com
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