the Windbreakers

Originating from Mississippi, the power-pop outfit known as the Windbreakers centered around the pair of vocalists and guitarists Tim Lee and Bobby Sutliff. Their initial release came in 1982 via the seven-inch EP Meet the Windbreakers on the independent Big Monkey imprint. Producer Mitch Easter lent his expertise to the subsequent Any Monkey with a Typewriter in 1983, which included a contribution from the Bongos' Richard Barone. The band's first full-length effort, Terminal, arrived two years afterward and featured production and performance input from the Rain Parade on a rendition of Television's "Glory." Lee joined forces with Rain Parade's Matt Piucci in 1986 for the side endeavor Gone Fishin'. Following their 1986 reunion to record Run alongside Easter and Randy Everett, the Windbreakers called it quits, though the 1987 release A Different Sort... came out under the group moniker despite being largely Lee's solo work. After individual solo endeavors, they reconvened in 1989 for the self-produced At Home with Bobby and Tim, with Electric Landlady following in 1991. Separate paths ensued, allowing both Lee and Sutliff to focus on solo material. Paisley Pop Records put out the comprehensive anthology Time Machine (1982-2002) in 2003. On August 30, 2022, Bobby Sutliff passed away during cancer treatment.