Big Chief was an American

funk rock Funk rock is a fusion genre that mixes elements of funk and Rock music, rock. James Brown and others declared that Little Richard and his mid-1950s road band, The Upsetters (American band), the Upsetters, were the first to put the funk in the ...

band from

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

History

Big Chief was founded in 1989 by several veterans of the Michigan

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...

scene, including Barry Henssler, who had been a member of Necros. They began attracting

major label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and t ...

attention even before releasing any songs.Big Chief
at

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

After the release of their debut seven-inch record, "Brake Torque",

Sub Pop Sub Pop is an independent record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana (band), Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the gru ...

offered to put out another seven-inch single. After several more single releases, the group compiled them on ''Drive It Off'', released on Get Hip Recordings in 1991. Later that year, the group released its debut album, ''Face'', in Germany; Sub Pop issued the album for the American market in mid-1992. In 1993, Sub Pop released their sophomore album, '' Mack Avenue Skullgame'', after which the group switched to major label

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

, who released the group's third and final LP, '' Platinum Jive'', in 1994. The group disbanded in 1996, though it kept up a fanzine, called ''Motorbooty'', until the end of the decade; ''Motorbooty'' featured illustrations by guitarist Mark Dancey. Bassist Mark O'Brien became a member of

Numbers A number is a mathematical object used to count, measure, and label. The most basic examples are the natural numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and so forth. Numbers can be represented in language with number words. More universally, individual numbers can ...

; vocalist Barry Henssler worked in Chicago clubs as DJ Chamberweed; and Phil Durr played with the groups Five Horse Johnson, Giant Brain, Luder, and Variac. On January 11, 2019, Phill Durr died of a heart attack at age 53 while visiting family in Germany.

Members

*Barry Henssler - vocals *Thornetta Davis - vocals *Mike Danner - drums *Matt O'Brien - bass *Mark Dancey - guitar *Phil Dürr - guitar

Discography

*''Drive It Off'' ( Get Hip Recordings, 1991) *''Face'' (

, 1992) *'' Mack Avenue Skullgame'' (Sub Pop, 1993) *'' Platinum Jive'' (

, 1994)

References

American funk musical groups Rock music groups from Michigan Sub Pop artists 1989 establishments in Michigan Musical groups from Ann Arbor, Michigan {{US-rock-band-stub