Biography
Speedealer came together in Lubbock, Texas, during 1994, initially operating under the name REO Speedealer. A cease-and-desist notice from REO Speedwagon forced the group to drop the first word and continue simply as Speedealer. Their debut, self-titled album appeared on Royalty Records in 1998. The next year the quartet—singer/guitarist Jeff Hirshberg, bassist Rodney Skelton, drummer Harden Harrison, and guitarist Eric Schmidt—issued the follow-up Here Comes Death on the same imprint. Bankruptcy soon struck Royalty Records, leaving the band without label support. To maintain visibility they performed 309 concerts throughout 1999, frequently sharing bills with Zeke, Fu Manchu, Neurosis, and GWAR. Eventually Palm Records A&R executive Michael Alago—who had earlier brought Metallica to Elektra and White Zombie to Geffen—signed them. Palm reissued Here Comes Death in 2000 and brought out Second Sight in 2002.
Albums
