Ivan Julian (born June 26, 1955) is a guitarist, singer-songwriter, and founding member of

Richard Hell and the Voidoids Richard Hell and the Voidoids were an American punk rock band, formed in New York City in 1976 and fronted by Richard Hell, a former member of the Neon Boys, Television (band), Television and the Heartbreakers. History Kentucky-born Richard H ...

and Lovelies. He has also performed with

The Isley Brothers The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American soul group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of the brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decades, ...

The Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...

Matthew Sweet Sidney Matthew Sweet (born October 6, 1964) is an American alternative rock/power pop singer-songwriter and musician who was part of the burgeoning music scene in Athens, Georgia, during the 1980s before gaining commercial success in the 1990 ...

The Bongos The Bongos are a power pop band from Hoboken, New Jersey, that emerged from the New York City arts scene, primarily active in the 1980s, led by Richard Barone. With their unique musical style, they were major progenitors of the Hoboken indie-pop ...

, Richard Barone, and

Shriekback Shriekback are an English rock band formed in 1981 in Kentish Town by Barry Andrews, formerly of XTC and the League of Gentlemen (keyboards/synthesizers/vocals), and Dave Allen, formerly of Gang of Four (bass guitar), with Carl Marsh, formerl ...

, Jeremy Toback.

Biography

Early life and career

Julian was inspired after seeing

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

play and the freedom of expression that he represented. Julian apparently went home and burned his Chuck Taylor shoes in his backyard - a symbolic gesture against conformity. The child of a Navy officer, Julian spent his formative years moving a great deal, spending time in

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

and

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

before the family settled in Washington D.C. He enjoyed spending time alone and was an avid reader of books by

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...

and Ovid. He also enjoyed putting his own thoughts in writing. When he was 13, Julian sang in a

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...

cover band, which led him to pick up the guitar at 14. Prior to this, he also studied bassoon and saxophone. He spent his high school years as a part-time student in a college program studying music theory. And then at the age of 17, Julian toured the United Kingdom, Switzerland and the former Yugoslavia as a member of

The Foundations The Foundations were a British soul band who were primarily active between 1967 and 1970. The group's background was West Indian, White British and Sri Lankan. Their 1967 debut single " Baby Now That I've Found You" reached number one in the ...

, known for hits like "Build Me Up Buttercup" and "Baby Now That I Found You”.

The Voidoids, Blank Generation

In 1976 Julian returned to the U.S. to New York, where he was a founding member of the seminal

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 ...

/ New Wave group

. Soon after the band recorded an EP that was heralded by the Village Voice as one of the best records of the year. Later that year they were signed to Sire/Warner Brothers, and with the band and

Richard Gottehrer Richard Gottehrer (born June 12, 1940) is an American songwriter, record producer and record label executive. His career began as a Brill Building songwriter in the 1960s. His first number one record as a songwriter and producer was " My Boyfr ...

producing came the '' Blank Generation'' LP. This album set a new standard for a whole generation of guitar players. Two of Julian's songs (co-written with

Richard Hell Richard Lester Meyers (born October 2, 1949), better known by his stage name Richard Hell, is an American singer, songwriter, bass guitarist and writer. Hell was in several important early punk rock bands, including Neon Boys, Television (band), ...

), "Liars Beware" and "Betrayal Takes Two" appear on side one. The reviewers gave the album high accolades and singled out the guitar work praising its merit. The album stands the test of time and today is still considered among the quintessential records of that period.

The Outsets (1980–85)

Julian formed The Outsets just after the breakup of

in 1980. He remembered seeing Vinny DeNunzio of

The Feelies The Feelies are an American rock band from Haledon, New Jersey. They formed in 1976 and disbanded in 1992 after having released four albums. The band reunited in 2008, and released new albums in 2011 and 2017. Although not commercially suc ...

playing with Richard Lloyd's band and being impressed. As it turned out, Vinny was ready for a change, so they started holding auditions for bass and the other guitar. When the word got out, Fred Smith (Television, Blondie), Ted Niceley (producer,

Fugazi Fugazi (; ) is an American post-hardcore band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1986. The band consists of guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally, and drummer Brendan Canty. They were noted for their style-transc ...

and Girls vs. Boys), and Tommy Keene were among those that came to play. Niceley and Keene had both played in (the) Razz, a D.C. band whose members were friends with Julian. Eventually the positions were filled by Bob Albertson on bass and Simon Chardiet on guitar. Soon after the band went into rehearsals and prepared for live dates at CBGB's and

Max's Kansas City Max's Kansas City was a nightclub and restaurant at 213 Park Avenue South in New York City, which became a gathering spot for musicians, poets, artists, and politicians in the 1960s and 1970s. It was opened by Mickey Ruskin (1933–1983) in Dece ...

. At this point there were more venues opening up such as the Mudd Club, Danceteria catering to a new minimal, percussive style of music and Ivan wanted to be part of it. The plan as always was to venture out with fresh ideas and to new places, so the first gig was booked at Tier 3, a performance space in

Soho SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street, Houston Street", is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, art installations such as The Wall ...

. After several months the band was signed to Contender Records and released their first single, "I'm Searchin' For You" b/w "Fever". Much has been made of the misprint on the label that incorrectly list the publishing rights for the B side. As a result, the record company corrected the mistake after the first pressing which has made it somewhat of a collectors item. The songs on ''The Punk/Funk Voodoo Collection'' were recorded in the basement studio of Giorgio Gomelsky, Yardbirds producer and early manager of 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 ...

. He persuaded Ivan Julian and the band to explore sounds outside of the boundaries of American pop music, most notably

Fela Kuti Fela Aníkúlápó Kútì (born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; 15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997) was a Nigerians, Nigerian musician and political activist. He is regarded as the principal innovator of Afrobeat, a Nigerian music genre t ...

. The music and the lyrics resound with the rough and tumble immediacy of East Village New York in the early 1980s. Included as Bonus Tracks are remastered versions of The Outsets first single originally released as a 45 on Contender records.

Garland Jeffreys Garland Jeffreys (born June 29, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter in rock and roll, reggae, blues, and soul music. Career Jeffreys is from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, of African American and Puerto Rican heritage. He majored in art histo ...

approached Ivan and offered to produce The Outsets forthcoming EP "The Ice Man", which also involved Bob Clearmountain as engineer. During this time he also recorded with Tomas Donker from Defunkt,

Afrika Bambaataa Lance Taylor (born April 17, 1957), also known as Afrika Bambaataa (), is a retired American DJ, rapper, and record producer. He is notable for releasing a series of genre-defining electro tracks in the 1980s that influenced the development of ...

and

Bernie Worrell George Bernard Worrell, Jr. (April 19, 1944 – June 24, 2016) was an American Keyboard instrument, keyboardist and record producer best known as a founding member of the Parliament-Funkadelic collective. In later years, he also worked with ...

of Parliament/Funkadelic fame. Originally released in the U.S. on Plexus Records playing keyboards on the bonus tracks is Marsha Sardy who also played with The Julian.

1988: Lovelies

Julian formed a group called Lovelies which included his then-wife, former Bush Tetras vocalist Cynthia Sley in 1988.Grant, Steven & Robbins, Ira
Bush Tetras/Floor Kiss/Lovelies/Outsets
, ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

''; retrieved 2012-02-18Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Alternative & Indie Discography'', Canongate; , p. 105 ''Mad Orphan'' (an early version of the band was called The Mad Orphans) is their one and only release.George-Warren, Holly; Romanowski, Patricia; Pareles, Jon (2001) ''The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll'', Simon & Schuster; , p. 134 This release is characterized by percussive downtown NYC post-punk.

The Clash, Shriekback, Matthew Sweet and producer

When

were at

Electric Lady Studios Electric Lady Studios is a recording studio in Greenwich Village, New York City. It was commissioned by rock musician Jimi Hendrix in 1968 and designed by architect John Storyk and audio engineer Eddie Kramer. It was completed by 1970. Hendrix ...

recording their ''

Sandinista! ''Sandinista!'' is the fourth studio album by the English rock band the Clash. It was released on 12 December 1980 as a triple album containing 36 tracks, with 6 songs on each side. It crosses various genres including funk, reggae, jazz, gospe ...

'' LP, Mick Jones and

Joe Strummer John Graham Mellor (21 August 1952 – 22 December 2002), known professionally as Joe Strummer, was a British musician. He was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist, and lead vocalist of punk rock band the Clash, formed in 1976. The Clash' ...

wanted Julian to join them in the studio but he was touring with his band, The Outsets. Upon his return he recorded with them and helped them develop their single "

The Call Up "The Call Up" is a song by English punk rock group the Clash. It was released as the first single from the band's fourth album, ''Sandinista!''. The single was released in November 1980, in advance of the release of ''Sandinista!'', with "Stop t ...

". Julian joined the touring lineup of The English band

for two tours of North America and Europe. Shriekback was founded by bassist Dave Allen from members of his band

Gang of Four The Gang of Four () was a Maoist political faction composed of four Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials. They came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) and were later charged with a series of treasonous crimes due to th ...

with Barry Andrews, formerly of

XTC XTC were an English rock band formed in Swindon in 1972. Fronted by songwriters Andy Partridge (vocals, guitars) and Colin Moulding (vocals, bass), the band gained popularity during the rise of punk and new wave in the 1970s, later playing ...

. Julian's thoughts on being compared to Hendrix? "I never wanted to emulate him because he is someone that can't be touched, but I am honoured that people would say that about me." With his influences being such notable figures as

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz Saxophone, saxophonist, bandleader, and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of beb ...

Albert Ayler Albert Ayler (; July 13, 1936 – November 25, 1970) was an American avant-garde jazz saxophonist and composer. After early experience playing rhythm and blues and bebop, Ayler began recording music during the free jazz era of the 1960s. Ho ...

and

Charlie Christian Charles Henry Christian (July 29, 1916 – March 2, 1942) was an American swing and jazz guitarist. He was among the first electric guitarists and was a key figure in the development of bebop and cool jazz. He gained national exposure as ...

it is no wonder that he has developed a distinct style all his own. Julian states, "There is a piece of their soul in every note they play." During most of the nineties Julian recorded and toured the world with

as lead guitarist earning him three Gold Record Awards. He continues to write and produce music at his analog tape/digital recording studio, NY HED where he has produced the last 2 The Fleshtones LP's, and mastered

Five Dollar Priest 5 (five) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number, and cardinal number, following 4 and preceding 6, and is a prime number. Humans, and many other animals, have 5 digits on their limbs. Mathematics 5 is a Fermat pri ...

among others.

Recovery from cancer

After Julian was diagnosed with Stage III gastrointestinal cancer in 2015, a two-day benefit concert was staged for him at City Winery in New York. The musicians who performed included Debbie Harry, Thurston Moore, and Matthew Sweet. Declared cancer-free in 2016, Julian played a comeback show at Bell House in Brooklyn

In March 2020, it was announced that his cancer had returned and a GoFundMe was started to cover 75k in medical bills.

References

External links

* Ivan Julian Website
Official Site
* Ivan Julian Official Myspace
Official Myspace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Julian, Ivan 1955 births Living people American punk rock guitarists American rock guitarists American rhythm and blues guitarists American male guitarists African-American guitarists Protopunk musicians Richard Hell and the Voidoids members 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians African-American rock musicians 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American musicians