Biography
In the 1980s, blues-rock vocalist Top Jimmy emerged as one of the more intriguing cult figures in rock music. Although groups like X and Van Halen praised his talents, his fame remained confined to Los Angeles, turning him into a regional icon. James Koncek entered the world in 1954 in Louisville, Kentucky, and spent his formative years in Southern California before moving to Hollywood in pursuit of a musical path. During the latter part of the 1970s, his fiery blues approach helped him gain recognition within the rising punk movement there, aided by his longstanding friendship with X’s guitarist Billy Zoom. His standing among punks further increased as he provided complimentary burritos from his La Brea taco stand, Top Taco, to broke performers. A notorious hard-living reputation soon attached itself to him and extended to his outfit Top Jimmy & the Rhythm Pigs, known for consuming large quantities of alcohol while playing. Even with such excesses, he cultivated a strong local audience in the late 1970s and early 1980s, yet no recordings appeared from him at that time.
The ensemble ranked among Los Angeles’ essential live attractions, blending their own material with renditions from Jimi Hendrix, Merle Haggard, Bob Dylan, Otis Rush, and Howlin’ Wolf, often featuring onstage appearances by notable figures including Tom Waits, David Lee Roth, Maria McKee, along with associates from X and the Blasters. Worldwide rock audiences first learned of Jimmy through Van Halen’s homage on their blockbuster 1984 release, a track fittingly called “Top Jimmy,” which prompted the 1987 debut album from the Rhythm Pigs titled Pigus Drunkus Maximus. The band disbanded soon after that record came out, prompting Jimmy’s move to Las Vegas for rehabilitation efforts. Little surfaced from the singer afterward, limited to short contributions on various collections such as 1989’s Only 39,999,999 Behind Thriller and 1990’s L.A. Ya Ya. His condition worsened over the 1990s, though he managed to produce a second album, The Good Times Are Killing Me, released in 1998. The record’s name foreshadowed events, as liver failure claimed his life in Las Vegas on May 17, 2001, when he was 46 years old.
The ensemble ranked among Los Angeles’ essential live attractions, blending their own material with renditions from Jimi Hendrix, Merle Haggard, Bob Dylan, Otis Rush, and Howlin’ Wolf, often featuring onstage appearances by notable figures including Tom Waits, David Lee Roth, Maria McKee, along with associates from X and the Blasters. Worldwide rock audiences first learned of Jimmy through Van Halen’s homage on their blockbuster 1984 release, a track fittingly called “Top Jimmy,” which prompted the 1987 debut album from the Rhythm Pigs titled Pigus Drunkus Maximus. The band disbanded soon after that record came out, prompting Jimmy’s move to Las Vegas for rehabilitation efforts. Little surfaced from the singer afterward, limited to short contributions on various collections such as 1989’s Only 39,999,999 Behind Thriller and 1990’s L.A. Ya Ya. His condition worsened over the 1990s, though he managed to produce a second album, The Good Times Are Killing Me, released in 1998. The record’s name foreshadowed events, as liver failure claimed his life in Las Vegas on May 17, 2001, when he was 46 years old.
Albums
