A kind of proto-punk supergroup initially comprised of
New York Dolls alums
Johnny Thunders and
Jerry Nolan along with onetime Television bassist
Richard Hell,
the Heartbreakers formed in 1975. After just one performance as a trio, the band added guitarist
Walter Lure; their status as cult heroes grew quickly, but by the following year Hell exited to form
the Voidoids, to be replaced by bassist
Billy Rath.
The Heartbreakers soon relocated to London (reportedly to investigate the British National Health Service's methodone program), where they supported
the Sex Pistols on their aborted December 1976 tour. After bowing with the single "Chinese Rocks," the Heartbreakers recorded their debut LP, L.A.M.F., but drummer Nolan was reportedly so distressed by the record's paper-thin sound that he quit the group in disgust, later returning to fulfill prior commitments. They subsequently moved back to New York, announcing their break-up in November 1977; an endless series of farewell performances followed, most of them featuring drummer Ty Stix. The group continued to resurface infrequently for years to come, and a 1984 gig was recorded and released under the name Live at the Lyceum Ballroom; that same year also marked the release of L.A.M.F. Revisited, Thunders' remix of the original LP. In late 1990, the original
Heartbreakers line-up reunited in New York, but any hopes of a permanent resurrection were dashed by
Thunders' drug-related death on April 23, 1991. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
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