Goner Records is an

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small and medium-sized enterprise, small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels ...

and

record store A record shop or record store is a retail outlet that sells recorded music. Per the name, in the late 19th century and the early 20th century, record shops only sold gramophone records. But over the course of the 20th century, record shops sol ...

co-owned by Eric Friedl of

The Oblivians The Oblivians are an American garage punk trio that has existed since 1993. In the 1990s, their blues-infused brand of bravado, crudely recorded music made them one of the most popular and prominent bands within the underground garage rock scen ...

and Zac Ives and based in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

. It is known for releasing albums by

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock music that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is ...

, and more recently

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...

and synth-oriented bands, such as the King Khan & BBQ Show, Nots, Low Life, and the late

Jay Reatard James Lee Lindsey Jr. (May 1, 1980 – January 13, 2010), known professionally as Jay Reatard, was an American musician from Memphis, Tennessee. He was signed to Matador Records. He released recordings as a solo artist and as a member of the Rea ...

. The label also hosts Gonerfest, an annual Memphis music festival.

Record label

The Goner Records label was started in 1993 by Eric Friedl. While attending the second Garage Shock festival, Friedl saw a performance by

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese

garage punk A garage is a covered structure built for the purpose of parking, storing, protecting, maintaining, and/or repairing vehicles. Specific applications include: *Garage (residential), a building or part of a building for storing one or more vehicl ...

band

Guitar Wolf Guitar Wolf (Japanese language, Japanese: Wikt:ギ, ギ Wikt:タ, タ Wikt:ー, ー Wikt:ウ, ウ Wikt:ル, ル Wikt:フ, フ) is a Japanese garage rock power trio founded in Tokyo in 1987. They coined the phrase "jet rock 'n' roll", which they ...

, becoming a fan. After Guitar Wolf's performance, Friedl approached the band, receiving some demo cassettes in exchange for agreeing to set up some further Guitar Wolf shows in Memphis. Based on the supplied demos, Friedl decided to release Guitar Wolf's first album, '' Wolf Rock!'', calling the band in Japan for permission. Friedl followed this first release with a number of releases by his own band, the Oblivians. Since its inception, a growing number of bands have released albums through Goner, including LPs by the Bad Times, the Oblivians,

King Louie Bankston Louis Paul Bankston (December 18, 1972 – February 12, 2022), better known as King Louie, was an American rock and roll musician from New Orleans. Associated early on with garage rock, he abandoned the genre in 1998 and focused on Louisiana swa ...

, The King Khan & BBQ Show, Digital Leather, Box Elders, Harlan T. Bobo,

The Reigning Sound Reigning Sound was an American rock and roll band originally based in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. As of 2019, along with fronting Reigning Sound, Greg Cartwright also reformed his past band Greg Oblivian and the Tip Tops. In 2020, he al ...

, Nots, and The Leather Uppers. Goner has also had a hand in releasing a multitude of 7" singles.

Record store

In 2004, Friedl and business partner Zac Ives (frontman of the band The Final Solutions) purchased a record store to accompany the Goner Records label. The Goner Records store is located at 2152 Young Avenue, in Memphis, Tenn., at the former location of Legba Records, an independent music store formerly operated by

Reigning Sound Reigning Sound was an American rock and roll band originally based in Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis, Tennessee, United States. As of 2019, along with fronting Reigning Sound, Greg Cartwright also reformed his past band Greg Oblivian and the Tip T ...

frontman

Greg Cartwright Gregory Johnathon 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 Reco ...

. The store itself sells music in a variety of formats including LP, CD, 45 and 78. The store also contains a 25 cent trip through the "Elvis Impersonator Shrine."

Goner Fest

In 2004, Friedl founded Goner Fest, which has become a yearly event in Memphis for showcasing Goner-related bands. The first Goner Fest was held in January 2005 and consisted of three nights of live music performed mostly at the local Buccaneer Tavern. The second Goner Fest was held just nine months later. The third Goner fest took place in 2006 at the Hi-Tone, a venue famous for housing

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

's kung fu dojo in the 1970s. Goner Records hosted Goner Fest Six September 24–27, 2009 in Memphis, which featured bands such as Cheater Slicks,

Compulsive Gamblers Compulsive Gamblers were an American garage rock group formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1990 by Greg Cartwright and Jack Yarber, both future members of the Oblivians. History First incarnation Originally known as "The Painkillers", the band ...

and Reatards.

Discography

* Oblivians,

Impala The impala or rooibok (''Aepyceros melampus'', lit. 'black-footed high-horn' in Ancient Greek) is a medium-sized antelope found in eastern and southern Africa. The only extant member of the genus '' Aepyceros'', and tribe Aepycerotini, it ...

, ''Impala/Oblivians split CS'' (0Gone) *

, '' Wolf Rock! LP'' (1Goner) * Oblivians, ''Call The Shots 7"'' (2Gone) * King Louie The 69th & The Harahan Crack Combo, ''Little Girl 7"'' (3Gone) * Royal Pendletons, ''Smokin' 7"'' (4Gone) * Magnitude 3, ''Melvin 7"'' (5Gone) * Johnny Vomit & The Dry Heaves, ''Johnny Vomit & The Dry Heaves 7"'' (6Gone) * John Schooley And His One Man Band, ''Pretty Baby 7"'' (7Gone) * Reatards, ''Get Real Stupid 7"'' (8Gone) *

Gasoline Gasoline ( North American English) or petrol ( Commonwealth English) is a petrochemical product characterized as a transparent, yellowish, and flammable liquid normally used as a fuel for spark-ignited internal combustion engines. When for ...

, ''Let's Go Harley 7"'' (9Gone) * Reatards, '' Teenage Hate LP/CD'' (10Gone) * Bad Times, ''Bad Times LP'' (11Gone) * Oblivians, ''On The Go LP'' (12Gone) * Reatards, ''Live LP'' (13Gone) * ''The Goner Records Cookbook'' (14Gone) - not record but a cookbook * The King Khan & BBQ Show, ''The King Khan & BBQ Show LP'' (15Gone) * King Louie One Man Band, ''Chinese Crawfish LP/CD'' (16Gone) *

Dutch Masters Dutch Golden Age painting is the painting of the Dutch Golden Age, a period in Dutch history roughly spanning the 17th century, during and after the later part of the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648) for Dutch independence. The new Dutch Republi ...

, ''Dutch Masters 7"'' (17Gone) * Johnny Vomit & The Dry Heaves, ''Thanks For The Ride! 7"'' (18Gone) * Harlan T. Bobo, ''Too Much Love LP/CD'' (19Gone) * Knaughty Knights, ''Death Has Come Over Me 7"'' (20Gone) *

, ''Live At Goner Records 6.26.05 LP/CD'' (21Gone) * The Leather Uppers, ''Bright Lights LP/CD'' (22Gone) *

, ''Hammer I Miss You 7"'' (23Gone) * Cococoma, ''6 1/4-125 7"'' (24Gone) * Hipshakes, ''Not Oblivians 7"'' (25Gone) * The Leather Uppers, ''Ok, Don't Say Hi LP'' (27Gone) * Boston Chinks, ''Johnson Smith Company 7"'' (28Gone) *

The Oscars The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

, ''Oscars 7"'' (29Gone) * Digital Leather, ''She Had A Cameltoe 7"'' (30Gone) *

, ''I Know a Place 7"'', (31Gone) * Final Solutions, ''Songs by Solutions LP/CD'', (32Gone) * Harlan T. Bobo, ''I'm Your Man LP/CD'', (33Gone) * HEAD, ''Spend the Night Alone/Killed by Death 7"'', (34Gone) * Carbonas, ''s/t LP/CD'', (35Gone) * Cococoma, ''s/t LP/CD'', (36Gone) * Ross Johnson, ''Make It Stop! CD'', (37Gone) * Crowbar, ''Slade vs the Monkeys Booklet'', (38Gone) * Digital Leather, "Sorcerer" LP/CD (39Gone) * Barbaras. "Summertime Road" 7" (40Gone) *

Eddy Current Suppression Ring Eddy Current Suppression Ring (sometimes seen as ECSR) are an Australian rock music, rock band formed in 2003. By 2004 their line-up was Daniel Young Danny Current on drums, his brother Michael Young Eddy Current on lead guitar and keyboards ...

, "Primary Colours" LP/CD (41Gone) *

Ty Segall Ty Garrett Segall (born June 8, 1987) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his solo career, during which he has released seventeen studio albums alongside various EPs, singles, and col ...

"Lemons" LP/CD *

"Melted" LP/CD

References

External links