Concrete Blonde

Emerging from the Los Angeles post-punk club scene that had earlier spawned groups such as X, Wall of Voodoo, and the Go-Go's, Concrete Blonde nevertheless waited until 1987 before releasing its debut album. Singer, songwriter, and bassist Johnette Napolitano teamed with guitarist Jim Mankey to launch the project, first operating under the name Dream 6 and issuing an EP. Major labels showed interest but recoiled at the pair’s insistence on full creative autonomy, so the group remained unsigned until 1987, when it joined I.R.S. Records and adopted the name Concrete Blonde on the recommendation of labelmate Michael Stipe. The self-titled debut displayed the imprint of the Pretenders, while 1989’s Free delivered a more cohesive showcase for Napolitano’s maturing songcraft and earned college-radio attention with “God Is a Bullet.” The somber, richly layered Bloodletting proved more fully realized than its two predecessors and expanded the band’s reach through the unlikely Top 20 single “Joey,” a narrative of a romance destroyed by alcoholism. Mexican Moon revealed Napolitano’s growing attraction to Hispanic music and culture, yet commercial momentum had slipped since Bloodletting, leading her to disband the act. A reunion from 2001 to 2004 produced two further albums—Group Therapy in 2002 and Mojave in 2004, the latter introducing drummer Gabriel Ramirez-Quezada. In June 2006 Napolitano announced what appeared to be the final dissolution of Concrete Blonde.