Havana 3 A.M. took its moniker from a little-known Pérez Prado album and brought together ex-Clash bassist Paul Simonon, guitarist Gary Myrick (ex-Figures), and lead singer Nigel Dixon from Whirlwind. Simonon’s presence generated immediate curiosity around the band’s first album, which IRS Records released in spring 1991. The record fused roots rock and punk, earned mostly favorable notices, and scored modest radio play with “Reach the Rock,” prompting the group to tour widely in support. Afterward Simonon departed to concentrate on art, and Dixon died of cancer. Myrick later reformed the band by recruiting bassist Tom Felicetta and drummer Jamie Chez, issuing Texas Glitter & Tombstone Tales in 1996. That remained the only additional Havana 3 A.M. release, as Myrick resumed his solo work with 2001’s Waltz of the Scarecrow King, produced in part by noted engineer Tchad Blake.
