The Jetzons were an American new wave band from

Tempe, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Vale of Tempe , image_skyline = Tempeskyline3.jpg , imagesize = 260px , image_caption = Tempe skyline as s ...

. The band comprised guitarist Bruce Connole, keyboardist

Brad Buxer Bradley Buxer is an American keyboardist and composer, known for his many collaborations with the American musician Michael Jackson. In addition to recording with Jackson, Buxer was also the musical director for Jackson's tours for many years. Pr ...

, bassist Damon Doiron and drummer Steve Golladay. After the band separated, Buxer became the musical director for

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

. An unreleased Jetzons song, "Hard Times", was rewritten for use in the 1994 video game ''

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a 1994 platform game developed and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis, Genesis. Like previous ''Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic'' games, players traverse side-scrolling levels while collecting Rings (Sonic the Hedgehog), rings and defeating en ...

.''

History

The Jetzons formed in 1981 after the demise of punk group Billy Clone & the Same, which disbanded due to the heroin overdose and death of bandleader Mike Corte. Former Billy Clone guitarist Bruce Connole and bassist Damon Doiron performed briefly as the Burning Flamingos before adding keyboardist

and drummer Steve Golladay to form the Jetzons.Mohawks and Mullets
/ref>Reformed and Re-Formed
/ref> After moving to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

in 1982, the Jetzons released the EP ''Made in America''. Tracks were recorded at

Cherokee Studios Cherokee Studios is a recording studio facility in Hollywood founded in 1972 by members of 1960s pop band The Robbs. Cherokee has been the location of many notable recordings by such artists as Steely Dan, David Bowie, Journey, The Cars, Fore ...

in Los Angeles and Warner Bros. Studios in

Burbank, CA Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the most populous county in th ...

as well as Pantheon Studios in Scottsdale, AZ.The Jetzons at Discogs
/ref> The record was released on Pan American Records. Though the EP was well received by its fanbase and critics, Connole's own heroin addiction made him difficult to work with and uncooperative, stalling any progress at recording a follow-up and making touring outside of the Los Angeles area impossible. The group played its final performance in July 1983, though they would not formally disband. By 1986, Connole had officially quit the band and returned to Tempe, and the subsequent formation of the country-inflected The Strand by Connole and Doiron signaled the demise of the Jetzons.Playing with the King of Hearts
/ref> The band's last public performance was a reunion show interrupted by a power outage New Year's Eve in 1991. They returned to all play together again one last time the next night. In 2008, the independent label Fervor Records reissued ''Made in United States'' as ''The Complete Jetzons''The Complete Jetzons
/ref> and included several previously unreleased tracks. ''The Complete Jetzons'' was followed in 2013 by a further collection entitled ''The Lost Masters'', which was also issued by Fervor.The Lost Masters
/ref> In 2020, Fervor Records would issue a vinyl single release of "Hard Times" from ''The Complete Jetzons'', in collaboration with President Gator. 250 copies were pressed in "Sonic Blue" vinyl, with artwork evocative of "IceCap Zone" from ''

'', referencing the music of that stage which would be based on the previously unreleased track.The Jetzons Releases "Hard Times" on Vinyl... Using Sonic 3 Artwork - The Sonic Stadium
/ref>

Influence

The band was at the forefront of establishing the Tempe music scene that would soon come to national prominence by the signing of many area bands to major record labels.Danny Zelisko Q&A
Life After Death
/ref> They were also a very popular live band, known for their mixture of covers and originals.
/ref> Robin Wilson, singer of

Gin Blossoms Gin Blossoms is an American alternative rock band formed in 1987 in Tempe, Arizona. They rose to prominence following the 1992 release of their first major label album, ''New Miserable Experience'', and the first single released from that album ...

, said: “I remember when I first joined the band, someone said, "That's Robin. He's in a local group called the Gin Blossoms -- they're almost as good as the Jetzons." Man, I remember hearing that and, at the time, just to be considered in the same breath as those guys was better than selling a million records. That's how important they were.”

Following the Jetzons

After the Jetzons breakup, keyboardist

worked with Mathew Wilder,

the Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top ...

Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive director. He was the founder and front man of the Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he was also chi ...

, and

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, sou ...

, and was musical director for

for over 18 years.Brad Buxer Discography at Discogs
/ref>Brad Buxer discusses Michael Jackson's "Who Is It" video
/ref> On September 12, 2008, independent record label Fervor Records released several previously unreleased Jetzons songs. One song, "Hard Times", closely resembles the theme for the level "IceCap Zone" in the 1994 video game ''

'', for which Buxer composed music. According to Buxer and other sources, Jackson was also involved in composing for the game, though ''Sonic'' publisher Sega denied this. Guitarist and lead vocalist Bruce Connole has led a long list of bands including the Strand, the Cryptics,AZ Local:Cryptics
/ref> The Pearl Chuckers,Bruce's Lament
/ref> and the Busted Hearts.iBluegrass
/ref> In the late 90s, Connole reunited with Buxer for the band The Suicide Kings, which has also used the name the Revenants at times to avoid legal issues.
/ref> Bassist Damon Doiron has continued playing music, including a short-lived stint in 1985 as lead vocalist in Doug Hopkin's band Algebra Ranch, as well as participating with Connole in the Strand in the late 80s. More recently, he has played in the pop band the Jennys.

Discography

EPs

Singles

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jetzons, The American new wave musical groups Musical groups from Tempe, Arizona Rock music groups from Arizona Sonic the Hedgehog