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Gerry Laffy (born 4 January 1960) is a British singer and guitarist who has played in the bands
Girl A girl is a young female human, usually a child or an adolescent. While the term ''girl'' has other meanings, including ''young woman'',Dictionary.com, "Girl"'' Retrieved January 2, 2008. '' daughter'' or '' girlfriend'' regardless of age ...
,
The London Cowboys The London Cowboys were a British rock 'n' roll band who performed from 1980 to 1987. Formed by Steve Dior (vocals) and Barry Jones, formerly of The Idols, the band was somewhat of an enigma. Although these two remained constant and wrote t ...
,
Sheer Greed ''Sheer Greed'' is the first album of the British glam rock band Girl, released in January 1980 by Jet Records. The album was published during the explosion of the new wave of British heavy metal phenomenon and its sales took advantage of the ...
,
John Taylor John Taylor, Johnny Taylor or similar is the name of: Academics *John Taylor (Oxford), Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, 1486–1487 * John Taylor (classical scholar) (1704–1766), English classical scholar *John Taylor (English publisher) ...
, and
Ultravox Ultravox (earlier styled as Ultravox!) were a British new wave band, formed in London in April 1974 as Tiger Lily. Between 1980 and 1986, they scored seven Top Ten albums and seventeen Top 40 singles in the UK, the most successful of which wa ...
among others. Girl are still cited as an influence by many major artists twenty years later, even though they disbanded after only three years, allegedly due to their record company and mismanagement. In total Gerry Laffy has released 30 albums; he has played in venues as diverse as
Wembley Arena Wembley Arena () (originally the Empire Pool, currently known as OVO Energy, OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, Greater London, England. The 12,500-seat facility is Greater Lond ...
, Taipei
Hard Rock Cafe Hard Rock Cafe, Inc. is a chain of theme restaurant, theme bar-restaurants, memorabilia shops, casinos, hotels and museums founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll ...
, the
Reading Festival The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading, Berkshire, Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend ...
.


Musical career

In 1978, Laffy was a founding member of the band
Girl A girl is a young female human, usually a child or an adolescent. While the term ''girl'' has other meanings, including ''young woman'',Dictionary.com, "Girl"'' Retrieved January 2, 2008. '' daughter'' or '' girlfriend'' regardless of age ...
(along with Philip Lewis). Girl were first discovered by promoter Jon Lindsay, a partner of the former manager of
The Who The Who are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. Considered one of th ...
,
Kit Lambert Christopher Sebastian "Kit" Lambert (11 May 1935 – 7 April 1981) was an English record producer, record label owner and the manager of the Who. Biography Early life Kit Lambert was born on 11 May 1935, the son of composer Constant Lamb ...
. Lambert and Lindsay were seeking out bands to sign to Lambert's new record company during the fledgling Nu Romantics era. The band were first introduced to music publisher
Simon Napier-Bell Simon Robert Napier-Bell (born 22 April 1939) is an English record producer, music manager, author and journalist. At different times, he has managed artists as diverse as the Yardbirds, John's Children, Marc Bolan, Japan, London, Sinéad O'Co ...
of Nomis but eventually signed a recording deal with Jet Records. The band became famous after their now infamous three-night residency at the former
Marquee Club The Marquee Club was a music venue in London, England, that opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts. It was a small and relatively cheap club, in the heart of London's West End of London, West End. It was the location of the first ...
in Wardour St. and recorded three albums and put out two (''
Sheer Greed ''Sheer Greed'' is the first album of the British glam rock band Girl, released in January 1980 by Jet Records. The album was published during the explosion of the new wave of British heavy metal phenomenon and its sales took advantage of the ...
'' and '' Wasted Youth'') between 1980 and 1983. '' Killing Time'' was finally released in 1998, and two live albums and an anthology were released later. After Girl disintegrated, Laffy joined
The London Cowboys The London Cowboys were a British rock 'n' roll band who performed from 1980 to 1987. Formed by Steve Dior (vocals) and Barry Jones, formerly of The Idols, the band was somewhat of an enigma. Although these two remained constant and wrote t ...
, (with former members of The Idols,
Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they became culturally influential in popular music. The band initiated the punk movement in the United Ki ...
and
New York Dolls New York Dolls were an American rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground, the MC5, and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved ...
), which released two albums in 1985. He then played guitar on demos of
Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English pop rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. After several early changes, the band's line-up settled ...
's 1986 '' Notorious'' album. In 1990, Laffy founded GL Records and released the solo album ''Money & the Magic''. The song "Shoot 'Em Down" from this album was included on the European soundtrack to the film '' Highlander II: The Quickening''. Laffy formed
Sheer Greed ''Sheer Greed'' is the first album of the British glam rock band Girl, released in January 1980 by Jet Records. The album was published during the explosion of the new wave of British heavy metal phenomenon and its sales took advantage of the ...
with some of Girl's alumni, which put out two albums in 1992 and 1993. He followed up with a joint Gerry Laffy/Simon Laffy album called ''Lying With Angels'', then a guest appearance on the 1994 album ''Revelation'' from
Ultravox Ultravox (earlier styled as Ultravox!) were a British new wave band, formed in London in April 1974 as Tiger Lily. Between 1980 and 1986, they scored seven Top Ten albums and seventeen Top 40 singles in the UK, the most successful of which wa ...
. From mid-1997 to mid-2000, Laffy was lead guitarist in Terroristen,
John Taylor John Taylor, Johnny Taylor or similar is the name of: Academics *John Taylor (Oxford), Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, 1486–1487 * John Taylor (classical scholar) (1704–1766), English classical scholar *John Taylor (English publisher) ...
's band while on hiatus from Duran Duran. Terroristen recorded constantly and gigged all over the United States and Japan, also travelling to Taiwan and Germany. In 2001, he released a second solo album ''All Day Long''. In 2005, Gerry was a guest vocalist with ex-
Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer and songwriter who achieved global fame as the lead vocalist and pianist of the rock band Queen (band), Queen. Regarded as one of the gre ...
guitarist Chris Chesney on his album ''Diabolical Liberties''. In 2007, a third solo album – ''The Icebox Studio Sessions'' was released. Self performed, written and produced. In July 2009 Girl were approached to reform for a 30th Anniversary tour of Japan & UK in 2010. It is yet to be confirmed. 2013 saw Gerry Laffy solo albums No.4. Entitled 'Just A Little Blurred'and 'Wrecked But Not Crushed' BOTH self performed, written and produced. 'Just A Little Blurred' features an update of the Girl classic 'My Number' with guest Craig Bundy on bass.


Other ventures


Film

For fifteen years, from 1982 to 1997, Laffy worked as personal manager for film director
Russell Mulcahy Russell Mulcahy ( ; born 23 June 1953) is an Australian director of film, television, and music videos. He began his career directing music videos for artists like Elton John and Duran Duran, before making his feature directorial debut with the ...
. They formed the company LeBad Films together. Laffy also served as Mulcahy's personal assistant on his first three features ''
Razorback A feral pig is a pig, domestic pig which has gone feral, meaning it lives in the wild. The term feral pig has also been applied to wild boars, which can interbreed with domestic pigs. They are found mostly in the Americas and Australia. Razorb ...
'', '' Highlander'', and Duran Duran's ''
Arena An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...
''. He managed Mulcahy through the pinnacle of his career, including ten feature films and dozens of award-winning music videos (including
Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English pop rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. After several early changes, the band's line-up settled ...
,
Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...
,
The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
,
Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Piano Man" after his Signature song, signature 1973 song Piano Man (song), of the same name, Joel has ha ...
,
Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...
and
Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1967 by the singer and guitarist Peter Green (musician), Peter Green. Green named the band by combining the surnames of the drummer, Mick Fleetwood, and the bassis ...
) and commercials (including the
Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational corporation, multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. T ...
,
Smirnoff Smirnoff (; ) is a brand of vodka owned and produced by the British company Diageo. The Smirnoff brand began with a vodka distillery founded in Moscow by Pyotr Arsenievich Smirnov (1831–1898), but its modern incarnation traces back to the ...
,
Opel Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Gr ...
,
British Petroleum BP p.l.c. (formerly The British Petroleum Company p.l.c. and BP Amoco p.l.c.; stylised in all lowercase) is a British multinational oil and gas company headquartered in London, England. It is one of the oil and gas " supermajors" and one of ...
,
Universal Studios Universal Studios may refer to: * Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate ** Universal Pictures, an American film studio ** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex * Various theme parks operat ...
, and
Miller Brewing The Miller Brewing Company is an American brewery and beer company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was founded in 1855 by Frederick Miller. Molson Coors acquired the full global brand portfolio of Miller Brewing Company in 2016, and operates the ...
). In 1995, he established his own film production company Laffy Michaels Filmworks, which set up
John Carpenter John Howard Carpenter (born January 16, 1948) is an American filmmaker, composer, and actor. Most commonly associated with horror film, horror, action film, action, and science fiction film, science fiction films of the 1970s and 1980s, he is ...
's $20 million film ''
Vampires A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...
'', starring
James Woods James Howard Woods (born April 18, 1947) is an American actor. Known for fast-talking, intense roles on screen and stage, he has received numerous accolades, including three Emmy Awards, and a Golden Globe Award, as well as nominations for t ...
.


Art

Before his first band, Laffy started his career as a graphic artist at
London Weekend Television London Weekend Television (LWT; now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV (TV network), ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties at weekends, broadcasting from Fridays at 5.15 pm (7:00&nbs ...
. Since 2001, he has come full circle and is now a London-based artist with an international celebrity clientele for his quirky, funky pop art/
mixed media In visual art, mixed media describes work of art, artwork in which more than one Art medium, medium or material has been employed. Assemblages, collages, and sculpture are three common examples of art using different List of art media, media. M ...
canvases.


Discography

*1980 – Girl: ''
Sheer Greed ''Sheer Greed'' is the first album of the British glam rock band Girl, released in January 1980 by Jet Records. The album was published during the explosion of the new wave of British heavy metal phenomenon and its sales took advantage of the ...
'' *1982 – Girl: '' Wasted Youth'' *1998 – Girl: '' Killing Time'' (* finally released) *1999 – Girl: '' Live at the Marquee'' *1999 – Girl: '' Live at the Exposition Hall, Osaka, Japan'' *2002 – Girl: '' My Number: The Anthology'' *1985 – The London Cowboys: ''Dance Crazy'' *1985 – The London Cowboys: ''Live at the Milkweg Amsterdam'' *1990 – Gerry Laffy: ''Money & the Magic'' *1990 – ''Highlander II'' European Soundtrack: song: Gerry Laffy "Shoot 'Em Down" from ''Money & The Magic'' *1992 – Sheer Greed: ''
Sublime to the Ridiculous ''Sublime to the Ridiculous'' is the only studio album by the British hard rock band Sheer Greed, released in 1992 in Japan. Track listing # "First to Admit" # "Everybody Wants" # "Blue Favours" # "War Baby" # "No Way Out" # "Let Me Down Gentl ...
'' *1993 – Sheer Greed: '' Live in London'' (re-released 2012 as a limited edition signed twin album run) *1994 – Gerry & Simon Laffy: ''Lying with Angels'' *1994 – Ultravox: ''Revelation'' (CD) *1997 – John Taylor, ''Feelings Are Good'' (CD) *1998 – John Taylor Terroristen, ''5.30.98'' (EP) *1998 – Roxy Music Tribute album: ''Dream Home Heartaches'' (CD) *1999 – John Taylor, Meltdown (recorded in 1992) *1999 – John Taylor, ''Juicy Jeans Promo Sampler'' (EP) *1999 – John Taylor, ''The Japan Album'' (CD) *2000 – John Taylor, ''Japanese'' (EP) *2000 – John Taylor, ''Live Cuts'' (CD) *2001 – John Taylor, ''Techno for Two'' (CD) *2001 – Gerry Laffy: ''All Day Long'' *2005 – Chris Chesney & Gerry Laffy – ''Diabolical Liberties'' *2006 – Girl – Live Bootlegs – Tokyo 1980 *2006 – Girl – The Rare DVD Collection *2007 – Gerry Laffy – ''The Icebox Studio Sessions'' *2013 – Gerry Laffy – ''Just a Little Blurred'' + Free promo Girl – ''Live at The Greyhound'' (London) 1982 *2013 – Wrecked But Not Crushed + Free promo Girl Live at the Paris Theater (London) 1980 *2016 – Girl: Sheer Greed – Rock Candy re-release *2016 – Girl: Wasted Youth – Rock Candy re-release *2019 – Girl Sheer Greed – ''Live in Osaka'' – Cherry Red Records box set *2019 – Wasted Youth – 6 CD's including ''Wasted Youth'' and live releases – Cherry Red Records


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laffy, Gerry English male singers English rock guitarists Girl (band) members Living people Sheer Greed members 1960 births People from Hoxton English male guitarists