The Gun Club’s precursor band, the Creeping Ritual, formed in late 1979. Along with Pierce (lead vocals and guitar), the first lineup consisted of Brian Tristan (lead guitar); Don Snowden (bass), who was at the time a music critic for the Los Angeles Times ; and Brad Dunning (drums), now a prominent designer and writer. In April 1980, they changed their name to “The Gun Club” on a suggestion by singer Keith Morris , then Pierce’s roommate and also singer for Circle Jerks . Kid Congo commented that the early Gun Club incarnation were “too arty for rock people, far too rock for arty people, too cuckoo for the blues crowd and too American for punk”. Snowden and Dunning departed in June 1980, replaced by two ex-members of the Bags , Rob Ritter and Terry Graham, respectively. Ritter was temporarily replaced on bass by Anna Statman for two months in the fall of 1980. Kid Congo Powers then left, on amicable terms, to join the Cramps in November 1980 and was replaced by lead and slide guitarist Ward Dotson (ex-Der Stab) who had initially hoped to join the Cramps. During this period, the Gun Club often opened for X , the Bags, Circle Jerks and the Blasters .
Precursor band Creeping Ritual formed
Written by
in