Gringos Locos

Gringos Locos assembled in Finland during the mid-80s as a five-piece lineup consisting of Richard Johnson on vocals, Ben Granfelt and Muddy on guitars, Pete Asiala on bass, and Miri Miettinen on drums. The group drew its primary influence from the southern boogie associated with Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Georgia Satellites, and its first album appeared on Phonogram Records in 1987 to widespread astonishment over the convincing replication of the style by musicians so far from its source. That release generated considerable attention in the USA, leading Lynyrd Skynyrd producer Tom Dowd to propose helming the follow-up. Released through a new deal with Atlantic Records, Punch Drunk supplied additional proof of the band’s knack for rendering an imported idiom in accessible yet high-energy form.