Biography
Prior to Transister’s formation, its eventual members already shared both personal ties and extensive industry experience. Gary Clark, who had fronted the ’80s pop outfit Danny Wilson, arrived with the chart success of the ballad “Mary’s Prayer” already behind him. Following the group’s dissolution, Clark contributed engineering, production, and songwriting to established acts that included Heart, Julia Fordham, and Lauren Christy. He also issued a solo album that earned critical favor among Britain’s music cognoscenti. Eric Pressly, for his part, had composed material for Stevie Nicks and Tina Turner while serving as Cher’s musical director on numerous live dates.
Clark and Pressly’s initial joint effort came with the band King L, which secured a contract from Virgin in the early ’90s. While the label prepared King L’s release, Clark began work on a follow-up solo project; on a sudden impulse he chose instead to explore a fresh collaborative venture. Keeley Hawkes, a singer-songwriter who had previously engaged Pressly’s writing talents for her own EMI album in 1993, joined the sessions. The immediate results proved sufficiently promising that the trio committed to forming a permanent group, Transister.
Pressly soon returned to his native Los Angeles carrying a demo recording. After prestigious college station KCRW broadcast several tracks, listener enthusiasm proved overwhelming. Within days multiple major labels entered a bidding contest, and Transister ultimately elected to sign with Virgin International and, domestically, Interscope. The band issued a lone full-length self-titled album and mounted a European tour, augmenting its lineup for the road with drummer Sami Tormanen and keyboardist Jeremey Yeremian.
Although the record achieved only modest sales that prompted Virgin to drop the act, its songs have continued to appear on motion-picture soundtracks such as Jawbreaker, Wild Things, and Charlie’s Angels. In the ensuing years the members pursued separate endeavors. Pressly remains based in Los Angeles, where his songwriting and mixing abilities stay in steady demand. Clark has functioned as co-writer and producer on nearly every track of Natalie Imbruglia’s album White Lilies Island.
Clark and Pressly’s initial joint effort came with the band King L, which secured a contract from Virgin in the early ’90s. While the label prepared King L’s release, Clark began work on a follow-up solo project; on a sudden impulse he chose instead to explore a fresh collaborative venture. Keeley Hawkes, a singer-songwriter who had previously engaged Pressly’s writing talents for her own EMI album in 1993, joined the sessions. The immediate results proved sufficiently promising that the trio committed to forming a permanent group, Transister.
Pressly soon returned to his native Los Angeles carrying a demo recording. After prestigious college station KCRW broadcast several tracks, listener enthusiasm proved overwhelming. Within days multiple major labels entered a bidding contest, and Transister ultimately elected to sign with Virgin International and, domestically, Interscope. The band issued a lone full-length self-titled album and mounted a European tour, augmenting its lineup for the road with drummer Sami Tormanen and keyboardist Jeremey Yeremian.
Although the record achieved only modest sales that prompted Virgin to drop the act, its songs have continued to appear on motion-picture soundtracks such as Jawbreaker, Wild Things, and Charlie’s Angels. In the ensuing years the members pursued separate endeavors. Pressly remains based in Los Angeles, where his songwriting and mixing abilities stay in steady demand. Clark has functioned as co-writer and producer on nearly every track of Natalie Imbruglia’s album White Lilies Island.