The dB's

The dB's were a power pop group of the late 1970s and 1980s.

Related Topics:
Power pop - 1970s - 1980s

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The bandmembers were Peter Holsapple, Chris Stamey, Will Rigby and Gene Holder, all of whom were from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The group was formed in New York City.

Related Topics:
Peter Holsapple - Chris Stamey - Winston-Salem, North Carolina - New York City

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Stamey played bass with Alex Chilton in New York during 1977, and with Television guitarist Richard Lloyd recorded "(I Thought) You Wanted to Know" that year. A single of this song, backed with "If and When" (on which Rigby and Holder played), appeared in 1978, credited to Chris Stamey and the dB's. Holsapple joined the group in October 1978.

Related Topics:
Alex Chilton - Television - Richard Lloyd

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They released their first album, Stands for deciBels, in 1981, to critical acclaim but negligible sales. Their sound was a modernized version of earlier power pop, with precise arrangements and highly accomplished instrumental work. Stamey and Holsapple were the band's songwriters, and while Holsapple was skilled in the composing of fairly straightforward tunes such as "Big Brown Eyes" and "Bad Reputation," Stamey's songs, which include "Espionage" and "Tearjerkin'," tended to be somewhat more experimental. They released a second album in 1982, Repercussion, which built upon the strengths of the first album, and also released singles such as "Judy."

Related Topics:
1981 - 1982

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Stamey left the group after the second album, and pursued a career as a solo artist and producer. The group then recorded a third album, Like This, released in 1984, which was less experimental, although just as accomplished as the first two efforts (which have since been reissued together on one compact disc).

Related Topics:
1984 - Compact disc

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The final CD released while the dB's were together was The Sound of Music in 1987. Again under Holsapple's direction, this is perhaps the band's most traditional pop album.

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Two CDs were released after the dB's broke up. Ride the Wild Tom-Tom collected demos, early recordings and singles, and Paris Avenue was a posthumous album by the final lineup.

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Since the group's demise, Holsapple has worked as a session musician, issued one solo album, and was a member of the Continental Drifters. Chris Stamey has released solo records and is a record producer. Will Rigby is a respected drummer, playing for Steve Earle and others, and Gene Holder has continued to record and produce.

Related Topics:
Continental Drifters - Record - Steve Earle

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Although the dB's enjoyed only a limited popularity, their recordings were held in high esteem by critics. Robert Christgau, reviewing their first album, said "This is pop at its tensest--the precise harmonies, broken rhythms, and Byrdsy zoom effects are drawn so tight they make the expertly rendered romantic ups and downs of the songs sound intense and earned." However, their later recordings were felt by some critics to compare poorly to their first three albums. Christgau again, on The Sound of Music: "Yeah, it rocks, but when a pop group leaves it at that they're no better than their latest song, and when their sole remaining songwriter is still dissecting serial monogamy as he says bye to thirty, chances are his latest song doesn't even interest him all that much."

Related Topics:
Robert Christgau - Byrds

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The band reunited in 2005, and has been recording a new album.

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