Channel 3, also known as CH3, is an American punk rock band from

Cerritos, California Cerritos (Spanish for "Little hills") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and is one of several cities that constitute the Gateway Cities of southeast Los Angeles County. It was incorporated on April 24, 1956. As of 20 ...

History

Channel 3 was formed in 1980 by Mike Magrann (vocals, guitar), Kimm Gardner (guitar), Larry Kelly (bass), and Mike Burton (drums), in the suburban community of Cerritos,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

. Their first release was a self-titled EP on California label

Posh Boy Records Posh Boy Records is a Hollywood, California-based record label owned by the American-born, British-educated Robbie "Posh Boy" Fields, a sometime high school substitute teacher and former copy boy at the ''Los Angeles Times'' who took an interest ...

in 1981. "Manzanar", a track from that EP, was played heavily by UK

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

. In 1982, Jack DeBaun become their new drummer and their release ''Fear of Life'' was retitled ''I’ve Got A Gun'' in the UK with some differences in the track-listing. Their next release, ''After The Lights Go Out'', failed to recapture the interest that accompanied their first UK single. Jay Lansford, a former member of The Simpletones, Stepmothers, and The Wigglers who produced CH3's two Posh Boy albums, joined the band in 1984. Their 1985 album for

Enigma Records Enigma Records (also known as Enigma Entertainment Corporation) was a popular rock and alternative American record label in the 1980s. History Enigma Records launched as a division of Greenworld Distribution, an independent music importer/d ...

(with

Dusty Watson Dustin "Dusty" Watson is an American drummer who has played in a number of notable bands, as well as backed up famous solo artists. Earning a scholarship to Stan Kenton Band Clinics and joining the Musicians Union at age 17 allowed Dusty to bec ...

on drums), ''Last Time I Drank...'' revealed that the band had navigated the transition to a more straightforward rock format. Lansford and Magrann co-wrote all the original songs on the album.

Discography

LPs

*''Fear of Life'' (1982, Posh Boy Records) *''After the Lights Go Out'' (1983, Posh Boy Records) *''Last Time I Drank...'' (1985, Enigma Records) *''Rejected'' (1989, Lone Wolf Records, Fringe Product Records) *''CH3'' (2002, Dr. Strange Records) *''One More For All My True Friends'' (2008, TKO Records) *''Put 'Em Up'' (2017)

Singles & EP

*''CH 3'' (1981, 12", Posh Boy) *''I've Got A Gun'' (1982, 7", No Future Records) *''I'll Take My Chances / How Come?'' (1983, 7", Posh Boy Records) *''Airborne'' (1984, 12", Enigma Records) *''Indian Summer / Separate Peace'' (1991, 7", Posh Boy Records) *''One More For All My True Friends'' (2007, 7", Suburbia Records) *''Land of the Free'' (2012, 7", Hostage Records) *''History'' (2014, 7", Hostage Records)

Compilations

*''I've Got a Gun'' (1982, No Future Records) *''The Skinhead Years'' (1989, Posh Boy Records) *''To Whom It May Concern: The 1981 Demos'' (2009, TKO Records) *''A Home for the Homeless'' (2015, Wanda Records)

Members

* Mike Magrann (vocals, guitar) * Kimm Gardener (guitar) * Larry Kelly (bass) * Mike Burton (drums) * Jack Debaun (drums) * Jay Lansford (bass, guitar) * Mike Dimkich (bass) * Mat Young (drums) * Jeff Kaminsky (drums) *

(drums) * Ron Wood (drums) * Larry Lerma (bass) * Anthony Thompson (bass) * Mitch McNally (bass) * Alf Silva (drums) * Matthew Woodruff (drums) * Nick Manning (drums)

References

External links

Article by Alex OggRazorcake interview with CH3Official Website
{{Authority control Punk rock groups from California Cerritos, California Musical groups from Los Angeles Musical groups established in 1980 Musical quartets People from Cerritos, California Enigma Records artists