Greg Cartwright, also known by his stage name Greg Oblivian (born March 18, 1972), is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist from Memphis, Tennessee. From 2001 to 2022 he fronted Reigning Sound which was signed to

Merge Records Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as an outlet for music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expanded ...

. After moving away from Memphis in the mid-2000s, he has since lived with his family in

Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...

. Cartwright is also a founding member of the Memphis '90s garage bands The Compulsive Gamblers, The Oblivians and

Greg Oblivian & the Tip Tops Greg Cartwright, also known by his stage name Greg Oblivian (born March 18, 1972), is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist from Memphis, Tennessee. From 2001 to 2022 he fronted Reigning Sound which was signed to Merge Records. After mo ...

. , Cartwright has reformed his past band Greg Oblivian & the Tip Tops and is playing shows. Aside from also playing occasional solo performances (including one that led to his solo record "Live at Circle A"), Cartwright also plays in The Parting Gifts, a band also featuring Lindsay "CoCo" Hames of

The Ettes The Ettes is a garage rock revival band consisting of Lindsay "Coco" Hames, Maria "Poni" Silver, and Jeremy "Jem" Cohen. The band formed in 2004 in Los Angeles, California and is currently based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The Ettes release ...

and Patrick Keeler of

The Raconteurs The Raconteurs (, also known as The Saboteurs in Australia) is an American rock band from Detroit, Michigan, formed in 2005. The band consists of Jack White (vocals, guitar), Brendan Benson (vocals, guitar), Jack Lawrence (bass guitar), and ...

and

The Greenhornes The Greenhornes were an American garage rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio, formed in 1996 by vocalist/guitarist Craig Fox, bass guitarist Jack Lawrence and drummer Patrick Keeler. They released their debut album '' Gun For You'' in 1999, follo ...

, and a guest appearance from

Dan Auerbach Daniel Quine Auerbach (; born May 14, 1979) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer, best known as the guitarist and vocalist of The Black Keys, a blues rock band from Akron, Ohio. As a member of the group, Auerbach has ...

of the Black Keys. The band's debut album, "Strychnine Dandelion," was released in September 2010 on In the Red Records. Cartwright has also played in a handful of other bands, including guitarist in The Detroit Cobras and as drummer for '68 Comeback. He has also collaborated with

The Deadly Snakes The Deadly Snakes were a Canadian indie rock band influenced by garage rock, folk rock, and early R&B. History Formed in Toronto in 1996, the band's final line-up consisted of André Ethier on vocals and guitars, Matthew Carlson on guitar, tr ...

, contributing to their album ''I'm Not Your Soldier Anymore''. In 2007, he wrote songs and co-produced ''Dangerous Game'', a

comeback Comeback, The Comeback or Come Back may refer to: General * Comeback (publicity), a return to prominence by a well-known person * Comeback (retort), a witty response to an insult or criticism * Comeback (sports), an event where an athlete or team ...

album by

Mary Weiss Mary Weiss (born December 28, 1948) is an American pop music vocalist, best known as the lead singer of the Shangri-Las in the 1960s. She then vanished from the music scene for decades, returning in 2007 to record her first solo album with Norto ...

of The Shangri-Las.

Early years

Born in 1972, Cartwright was raised in Frayser, Memphis – a neighborhood located on the north side of Memphis. His last two years of high school were spent in the suburbs after his family relocated outside of the city. His father was a factory worker, employed by the Firestone tire company in Memphis. With his parents' busy work schedule, Cartwright spent his summer vacations and weekends at his grandmother's Memphis home. This is where he was first introduced to musical instruments. At six years old, Cartwright already owned a portable record player, and was introduced to

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm ...

music by his father's record collection, which included a huge catalog of

British Invasion The British Invasion was a cultural phenomenon of the mid-1960s, when rock and pop music acts from the United Kingdom and other aspects of British culture became popular in the United States and significant to the rising "counterculture" o ...

albums and other '50s and '60s rock bands. Around this time he also inherited his aunt and uncle's 45rpm collections, which according to Cartwright, included a lot of "oddball Memphis stuff you wouldn't hear on the radio." After becoming exposed to music, Cartwright began writing songs and forming bands as early as seventh grade. By his teens, Cartwright was becoming drawn to other, more abrasive and on-the-fringe genres of music. He also began going to punk rock shows at the Antenna Club, a now defunct Memphis music venue. At the Antenna is where he first saw a

Tav Falco's Panther Burns Tav Falco's Panther Burns, sometimes shortened to (The) Panther Burns, is a rock band originally from Memphis, Tennessee, United States, led by Tav Falco. They are best known for having been part of a set of bands emerging in the late 1970s an ...

show when he was 16 years old. Panther Burns is fronted by

Tav Falco Gustavo Antonio "Tav" Falco is an American-born musician, performance artist, filmmaker, actor, author, photographer, and dancer. Falco has fronted the rock band Tav Falco's Panther Burns since 1979, and founded a parallel solo career that inc ...

, a '50s-style Memphis rocker who blends

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the ...

with

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western musical styles such as country with that of rhythm and b ...

and

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became ...

– a mix that most touring punk bands were not playing in the 1980s. That show nudged him in the direction that would ultimately lead him toward the garage-punk, soul and country sound he is known for. Cartwright recalled that Tav Falco show in a 2009 interview with Turn it Down Interviews:

"It instantly clicked with me," Cartwright said. "Although it was chaotic, there was definitely a wild, almost punk element about Tav Falco & Panther Burns. Tav was into all the kind of stuff that really turned me on. That was Tav's thing – blues, rockabilly, country, odd R&B. Suddenly I thought I’ve been wasting my time trying to like
hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier p ...
and here's this thing that was in my own backyard that I was totally unaware of. From there on I started looking for more bands like that. Then you get into
The Cramps The Cramps were an American rock band formed in 1976 and active until 2006. Their lineup rotated frequently during their existence, with the husband-and-wife duo of singer Lux Interior and guitarist Poison Ivy the only ever-present members. ...
and all of these other things that kind of ride that line, that are really good, gritty rock'n'roll, but are also on the outside of culture, like punk. So that was a real eye opener. I continued to hunt records in thrift stores and junk shops."

After that show, Cartwright would begin heavily collecting rare garage, country, soul and

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

records – and also formed a few high school bands. It was at that point his style began to take shape. Shortly after finishing high school he would meet

Jack Yarber Jack Yarber (born March 15, 1967), also known by his stage name Jack Oblivian, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist based in Memphis, Tennessee. He was a founding member of the garage bands The Compulsive Gamblers, and The Oblivi ...

and form his first notable band, The Compulsive Gamblers. Cartwright and Yarber would also form The Oblivians in 1993, along with another Memphis musician,

Eric Friedl Eric Friedl, also known by his stage name, Eric Oblivian, is a musician and the founder and owner of Goner Records, an independent music label and record store located in Memphis, Tennessee. He was a founding member of the Memphis garage-rock ...

, who now owns

Goner Records Goner Records is an independent record label and record store co-owned by Eric Friedl of The Oblivians and Zac Ives and based in Memphis, Tennessee. It is known for releasing albums by punk, garage rock, and more recently post-punk and synth-orie ...

Compulsive Gamblers

Cartwright started taking his music more seriously in the late '80s when he formed the Memphis garage-rock outfit "The Painkillers." Fellow Memphis native Jack Yarber was the other key figure in the band. After the addition of keyboardist Philip "Flipper" Tubb, drummer Rod "Bushrod" Thomas, and fiddler Greg Easterly, the new lineup was rechristened "The Compulsive Gamblers" and work began on their first four-song EP, Joker, which was recorded in 1991 in a friend's kitchen. The album was released a year later, and was followed by two further vinyl singles, "Church Goin'" and "Goodtime Gamblers." By 1995, after the relocation of Thomas and Easterly to

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, the band was finding it difficult to stay together and was forced to split up. Their recordings were compiled on CD under the title Gambling Days are Over, released in 1995 by

Sympathy for the Record Industry Sympathy for the Record Industry (also known as Sympathy Records or Sympathy 4 the R.I.) is a mainly independent garage rock and punk label formed in 1988 by Long Gone John. The first Sympathy release was the Lazy Cowgirls' ''Radio Cowgirl'' ...

. During the summer and fall of 2009 The Compulsive Gamblers played two reunion shows in Memphis, TN. One show was an Antenna Club Reunion Show (a tribute to the defunct Memphis rock venue). The other show was at GonerFest 6, an annual punk rock festival hosted by Goner Records.

Oblivians

Cartwright's next band, again with Yarber, and with the addition of

, was the garage-rock outfit, The Oblivians. Formed in 1993 out of the ashes of the Compulsive Gamblers, the Oblivians took a more primitive, punk-influenced approach to rock and roll. Each member served as singer, guitarist, and drummer, switching between instruments and vocal duties during performances. In 1995 the band released its first album, ''

Soul Food Soul food is an ethnic cuisine traditionally prepared and eaten by African Americans, originating in the Southern United States.Soul Food originated with the foods that were given to enslaved Black people by their white owners on Souther ...

''. This was followed in 1996 by Sympathy Sessions, a compilation album featuring a collection of songs recorded with Doug Easley for the record label

. The Oblivians released their second album, '' Popular Favorites'', in 1996, and their third and final album, '' ...Play Nine Songs with Mr. Quintron'', in 1997. In 2009, The Oblivians reunited for a European tour with The Gories. The bands kicked off the tour in their hometowns, Memphis and Detroit, they also played at the VICE Garage Fest in Lawrence Kansas in Oct 2010.

Greg Oblivian and the Tip Tops

During the breakup of the Oblivians in 1997, Cartwright released 1997's "Head Shop" LP under the

moniker A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

. The album, which featured Cartwright's wife Esther on drums and guest spots by

, is a lo-fi record that featured the first, more mellow version of The Oblivians fan-favorite "Bad Man." The song "Twice as Deep" is featured in the cult zombie film Wild Zero.

Reformation of the Gamblers

In 1999, Cartwright and Yarber reformed the Compulsive Gamblers, this time as a three piece, with Rod Thomas on drums. In this incarnation they released the 1999 album Bluff City. With the addition of keyboardist Brendan Lee Spengler and bassist Jeff Meier, the group released the studio album Crystal Gazing Luck Amazing and the live album Live & Deadly: Memphis-Chicago before again disbanding. The band also reunited for two shows in Memphis, TN during the summer and fall of 2009.

Reigning Sound

While still a member of the Oblivians, Cartwright had begun to amass a number of songs he deemed too moody or melancholy to be released under the Oblivians moniker. These songs would eventually become the basis for his next band, Reigning Sound, a more R&B-focused act. The original version of the band consisted of Cartwright, Alex Greene (guitar/keyboards, vocals), Jeremy Scott (bass, vocals), and Greg Roberson (drums). With Reigning Sound, Cartwright released the 2001 album, Break Up, Break Down and the 2002 album Time Bomb High School. In 2004, Reigning Sound released Too Much Guitar, an album recorded live at Cartwright's Memphis record store Legba Records, which harkened back to Cartwright's earlier, harsher Oblivians sound. 2005 saw the release of three non-studio albums. There were two live albums: "Live at Maxwells" (Spoonful) and "Live at Goner Records" (Goner). The other release was an outtakes compilation, Home For Orphans (Sympathy) – which has two slower, moodier versions of tracks from Too Much Guitar. In 2007 he co-produced and wrote nine out of 14 songs for "Dangerous Game" – an album by Mary Weiss of the '60s girl-group the Shangri-Las. It was released by Norton Records. Reigning Sound released ''Love and Curses'' (In the Red Records) on August 10, 2009. This was the first studio album featuring the new lineup of members, and was mainly recorded in Asheville, NC. In 2010 Reigning Sound contributed a cover of "Mind Over Matter" for the Daddy Rockin Strong: A Tribute to Nolan Strong & The Diablos (The Wind Records / Norton Records). Cartwright, a Nolan Strong fan, previously covered "I Want to Be Your Happiness," another Strong cover, on The Compulsive Gamblers "Crystal, Gazing, Luck, Amazing" LP. Cartwright, along with CoCo Hames of

, collaborated and formed The Parting Gifts. The band shares songwriting duties and recorded an album, "Strychnine Dandelion" (In the Red Recordings). The band's debut single, "Walking Thru The Sleepy City," a Rolling Stones cover, was released in October 2010 by Norton Records. In a June 8, 2022 message on the group's Facebook page, Cartwright formally announced the end of Reigning Sound. He wrote, "It was my intention with ''A Little More Time'' to come full circle, reunite the original lineup of the band, and finish where we started. I thought we could support the album with some touring and go out on a high note, but Covid has proven to be a long-lasting concern and more difficult to navigate than anyone could have anticipated. Rather than compromise ourselves or our fans, I have decided this is the right time to dissolve the band."

Solo performances

Cartwright began playing periodic solo performances at venues around 2003. A 2006 performance at the Circle A, a small club in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

, was recorded and released by Dusty Medical Records in 2009 as Greg Cartwright: "Live at the Circle A". The album, like many of his performances, features songs from each of Cartwright's bands, and some cover songs. The album came about by chance after Cartwright was already in Milwaukee recording an album for The Goodnight Loving. The vinyl album, which is also available for digital download came accompanied with a free vinyl 7-inch, featuring The Goodnight Loving acting as Cartwright's backing band.

Producer

Cartwright has acted as producer for a number of bands since his solo career began. He has produced albums by

Mr. Airplane Man Mr. Airplane Man is an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. Background and history Margaret Garrett and Tara McManus met each other when they were both 10 years old. The two became childhood friends, but later separated, attending se ...

, Porch Ghouls, The Cuts,

Detroit Cobras Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

The Horrors The Horrors are an English rock band formed in Southend-on-Sea in 2005, consisting of lead vocalist Faris Badwan, guitarist Joshua Hayward, keyboardist and synthesizer player Tom Furse, bassist Rhys Webb, and drummer and percussionist Joe Spu ...

, Goodnight Loving, and Andre Williams.

Legba Records

For a time, Cartwright was the owner of Legba Records, an independent music store in the Cooper-Young District of Memphis. Legba Records served as a makeshift studio for the recording of the Reigning Sound's album, Too Much Guitar. When Cartwright relocated to Asheville, North Carolina, Legba Records changed hands and became a

store, home to the independent record label of former Oblivians bandmate Eric Friedl.

Discography

As the Compulsive Gamblers

Singles * Joker 7" (Boiler Room, 1992, cat.no.?) * Church Goin' 7" (Lemon Peel Records, 1992, LP001 – LP002) * Goodtime Gamblers 7" (Boiler Room, 1995, BR 002) Albums * '' Gambling Days are Over'' CD (Sympathy for the Record Industry, 1995, SFTRI 372) * '' Bluff City'' LP/CD (Sympathy for the Record Industry, 1999, SFTRI 570) * '' Crystal Gazing Luck Amazing'' LP/CD (Sympathy for the Record Industry, 2000, SFTRI 572) * '' Live & Deadly: Memphis-Chicago'' 2xLP/CD (Sympathy for the Record Industry, 2003, SFTRI 698) * (Appear on one song on): Andre Williams Is The Black Godfather LP/CD (In The Red, 2000, ITR 065)

As the Oblivians

Singles * Call The Shots 7" (Goner Records, 1993, 2Gone) * Sunday You Need Love 7" (Crypt, 1994, CR-044) * Now for the Hard Of Hearing From ... "Blow Their Cool" 7" (Estrus, 1994, ES 756) * Static Party 7" (In The Red, 1994, ITR 018) * Go!Pill-Popper! 7" (Drug Racer, 1996, 001) * Strong Come On 7" (Crypt, 1996, CR-053) * Kick Your Ass 7" (Sympathy for the Record Industry, 1996, SFTRI 412) Splits * Split CS with Impala (Goner Records/Power Of Bob, 1993, 0Gone/POB 103) * Split 7" with Two Bo's Maniacs (Hate Records, 1997, hate 7) * Split 7" with the Crime Kaisers (Active Detective, 1998, active detective record #1) EP's * ''Never Enough'' 10" (Sympathy for the Record Industry, 1994, SFTRI 304) * ''Six of the Best'' 10" (Sympathy for the Record Industry, 1996, SFTRI 383) * '' Walter Daniels Plays With Monsieur Jeffrey Evans & The Oblivians at Melissa's Garage'' 10" (Undone, 1995, UDR-0008-10) Albums * ''

'' LP/CD (Crypt, 1995, CR-055) * ''Live in Atlanta 8.19.94'' LP (Negro Records, 1995, negro records 001) * '' Sympathy Sessions'' CD (Sympathy for the Record Industry, 1996, SFTRI 406) * '' Popular Favorites'' LP/CD (Crypt, 1996, CR-065) * '' ...Play Nine Songs with Mr. Quintron'' LP/CD (Crypt, 1997, CR-082) * ''17 Cum Shots'' LP (Bootleg, 1997, cat.no.?) * '' Best of the Worst: 93–97'' 2xLP/CD (Sympathy for the Record Industry, 1999, SFTRI 584) * ''On The Go'' LP (Goner Records, 2003, 12Gone) * ''Barristers 95'' ive(In the Red, 2009, ITR 182) * Desperation LP/CD (In The Red, 2013, ITR 238)

As Greg Oblivian and the Tip Tops

Singles * Pretty Baby 7" (Sympathy for the Record Industry, 1998, SFTRI 534) Albums * ''Head Shop'' LP/CD (Sympathy for the Record Industry, 1998, SFTRI 513)

As Greg Cartwright and the Young Seniors

Singles * Moola Man 7" (Ghost Highway Recordings, 2010, GHR-07)

As Reigning Sound

Singles * Two Sides To Every Man 7" (Sympathy for the Record Industry, 2001, SFTRI 656) * If Christmas Won't Bring You Home 7" (Norton Records, 2004, 45–121) * I'll Cry 7" (

Slovenly Recordings Slovenly Recordings is an independent record label founded by Pete Menchetti in 2002. The label is based in Reno, Nevada, and has offices in Pennsylvania, Berlin, and Tokyo. History In 2002 Pete Menchetti formed Slovenly Recordings after the di ...

, 2005, 702–50) * Reigning Sound in Memphis 7" (Norton Records, 2006, 45–128) Splits * Split 7" with the Henchmen (Norton Records, 2003, 9642) Albums * '' Break Up, Break Down'' LP/CD (Sympathy for the Record Industry, 2001, SFTRI 654) * '' Time Bomb High School'' LP (In The Red, 2002, ITR 084) * '' Too Much Guitar'' LP/CD (In The Red, 2004, ITR 107) * '' Home For Orphans'' LP/CD (Sympathy for the Record Industry, 2005, SFTRI 736) * ''Live at Maxwell's LP'' (Spoonful Records, 2005, LP-SR-005) * ''Live at Goner Records 6.26.05'' LP/CD (Goner Records, 2005, 21Gone) * '' Love and Curses'' LP/CD (In The Red, 2009, ITR 155) * ''Abdication ... For Your Love'' EP (Scion, 2011) * ''Shattered'' LP/CD (Merge, 2014) * ''A Little More Time With Reigning Sound'' LP/CD (Merge, 2021) * ''Memphis In June'' LP (Merge, 2022)

Compilations

* ''Root Damage 2xLP/2xCD'' (Sympathy for the Record Industry, 2003, SFTRI 713) track: ''As Long As You Come Home'' * ''Revolver Sampler Winter 2003 CD'' (Revolver, 2003, cat.no.?) track: ''Straight Shooter'' * ''Broad Daylight Soundtrack CD'' (Guerrilla Monster Films, 2003, #12300) track: ''Medication'' * ''Superfuzz CD'' (Lowfly Records, 2005, LF 061) track: ''I'll Cry'' * ''Static Disaster The U.K.: In The Red Records Sampler CD'' (In The Red, 2005, ITR 1313) track: ''Drowning'' * '' Daddy Rockin Strong: A Tribute to Nolan Strong & The Diablos'' (The Wind /

Norton Records Norton Records, is an independent record label founded by musicians Miriam Linna and Billy Miller in 1986. The label concentrates on rock, rockabilly, primitive music, punk, garage rock and early rhythm and blues.

with Deadly Snakes

'Albums' * ''I'm Not Your Soldier Anymore'' (In The Red, 2001, ITR 77)

References

* Bonomo, Joe. "How To Be Powerful And Triumphant And Lonely All At The Same Time: The Many Changes of Greg Cartwright" The Normal School "www.thenormalschool.com" Accessed June 21, 2015 * Tupica, Rich. "Turn it Down Greg Cartwright Interview Turn it Down Interviews. "turnit-down.blogspot.com" Accessed February 19, 2010. * Cheatham, Chad. Talking with Greg Cartwright of Reigning Sound The Crutch. "www.thecrutch.ne" Accessed May 19, 2007. * Christmas, Shane Jesse. "An Interview with Eric Oblivian" "www.furious.com," August 2000. Retrieved May 18, 2007. * Demming, Mark. The Compulsive Gamblers: Biography CMT. "www.cmt.com". Retrieved May 19, 2007. * Mills, Fred. It's Reigning Sound! Metro Times. "www.metrotimes.com". July 21, 2004. Retrieved May 19, 2007. * Pope, Hunter. What They Need Mountain Xpress. Vol. 12 / Iss. 4 on August 24, 2005. "www.mountainx.com". Retrieved May 19, 2007. * Tupica, Rich. Reigning Sound's Carol Schumacher Interview Turn it Down. "turnit-down.blogspot.com". June 19, 2006. Retrieved May 20, 2007. *Koch, Bob. "www.isthmus.com" Accessed February 11, 2010 *Mehr, Bob. Greg Cartwright solo show story "www.gomemphis.com". Retrieved February 11, 2010 *Mills, Fred. Ettes story "www.blurt-online". Retrieved February 11, 2010 *Blurt-Online. Ettes interview "www.blurt-online" Accessed July 3, 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Cartwright, Greg American rock musicians Living people 1972 births Garage rock musicians Musicians from Memphis, Tennessee