Gary Myrick

All Music Guide:

Dallas-born singer/guitarist/songwriter Gary Myrick blended rootsy rock & roll with the energy and sensibility of new wave on several '80s albums and later made a surprising comeback in the late '90s. Myrick was playing around the Dallas/Fort Worth area with his own bands straight out of high school; in his early twenties, he moved to Austin to join a band called Kracker Jack, which featured two ex-members of Johnny Winter's band and whose guitarist (one Stevie Ray Vaughan) had recently quit. Myrick moved to California after a couple of years, and formed his own outfit called the Figures. They landed a deal with Epic and issued their debut album, Gary Myrick & the Figures, in 1980; it produced a minor cult hit in the single "She Talks in Stereo." The follow-up, Living in a Movie, was released in 1981, but after the supporting North American tour, Myrick decided to disband the Figures in pursuit of a different approach.

The solo EP Language appeared in 1983, after which Myrick hooked up with John Waite and contributed to his 1984 pop breakthrough No Brakes. After one more album, 1985's Stand for Love, Myrick chose to concentrate on a career as a session musician for a time. In 1991, Myrick joined former Clash bassist Paul Simonon and drummer Nigel Dixon (of the British rockabilly revival group Whirlwind) in a new band called Havana 3AM. Mixing Texas roots rock with punk flavor, the group recorded a self-titled debut and toured Europe, North America, and Japan. However, Simonon left to pursue an art career not long after, and sadly, Dixon passed away due to cancer. Myrick eventually regrouped the band with bassist Tom Felicetta and drummer Jamie Chez; this lineup issued the generally well-received Texas Glitter and Tombstone Tales in 1996. Myrick followed it five years later with the reflective, Tchad Blake-produced Waltz of the Scarecrow King.

Wikipedia:

Gary Myrick is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist.

Career [edit]

Born in Dallas, Texas, Gary Myrick played guitar and sang in Dallas and neighboring Fort Worth starting as a teenager. Eventually, he built a significant enough reputation to be asked to join Austin, Texas band Kracker Jack, replacing Stevie Ray Vaughan who had left to begin his solo career.

After relocating to Los Angeles, California, he formed Gary Myrick & the Figures, releasing a self-titled album in 1980 which included the minor hit "She Talks in Stereo." The band then released the LP Living In A Movie (1981), followed by the EP Language (1983), which featured the percussive single "Guitar, Talk, Love & Drums" and a minor MTV hit "Message is You." His combination of blues, rock and new wave won him airplay on modern rock radio stations in the United States and exposure on MTV throughout the 1980s. Two of his songs, "She Talks in Stereo" and "Time to Win," were used in the 1983 film Valley Girl.

Myrick took a break from his solo work to write four songs and play guitar on John Waite's No Brakes album, which included Waite's biggest solo hit "Missing You" and reached the top spot on the Billboard album chart in 1984. The following year came Myrick's LP Stand for Love with the single "When Angels Kiss" and a re-recording of "She Talks in Stereo." For the next few years, Myrick concentrated on work as a session and touring guitarist before joining his next group.

Paul Simonon (former bassist of The Clash), Nigel Dixon (former lead singer of Whirlwind) and Myrick united to form Havana 3AM. The band released a self-titled album in 1991, melding rockabilly, Latin and punk traditions. After Simonon left the band, Myrick began work on the next Havana 3AM album with Dixon. Dixon, however died of cancer in 1993. Myrick rebuilt Havana 3AM and completed the Texas Glitter and Tombstone Tales album in 1996.

Moving towards roots rock, Myrick switched to a stripped down, acoustic approach for his 2001 solo release, Waltz of the Scarecrow King. Reinvent the Gods, featuring a cover of The Rolling Stone's "As Tears Go By," was self-released in 2004.

Myrick continues to play solo but also performs as a session and touring guitarist. He has worked with Big Audio Dynamite, Jackson Browne, The Eagles, Steve Jones (former guitarist of the Sex Pistols), Wilson Pickett, Queen Ida, Bonnie Raitt, Todd Rundgren, Brian Wilson, Stevie Wonder and others. He has also done some work scoring films.

Gary Myrick and The Figures reunited in 2010 with their first concert in Hollywood, California at The Roxy on June 22 and then in Dallas, Texas at Trees on July 16. The band will be announcing more shows in the near future. They will be playing in Portland, OR on February 26, 2011 at The Aladdin Theater and February 27, 2011 at the Tractor Tavern is Seattle, WA.