Child's Play

Distinguishing this ensemble from a prior act sharing the name that issued the 1979 LP This Is Skoolies, the Child's Play under discussion operated as a long-haired hard rock and heavy metal quartet that cultivated a modest local audience on the Baltimore rock circuit across the 1980s and 1990s. During the late 1980s the group, featuring lead singer and rhythm guitarist Brian Jack, lead guitarist Nicky Kay, bassist Idzi, and drummer John Allen who occasionally supplied lead vocals, began establishing recognition throughout Baltimore and Washington, DC. That regional momentum produced a 1989 deal with Chrysalis, after which the band recorded its debut album Rat Race with producer Howard Benson for release the following year. Although the effort performed strongly in Baltimore and DC, it did not deliver the nationwide exposure the musicians had anticipated.