Bruce Connole

Bruce Connole (born November 6, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was the lead singer for the Jetzons and several other bands based in the Southwest United States.

Biography Bruce Connole was born in Chicago, Illinois, and moved to Arizona when he was only 3 years old, and lived there for most of his life. As a young teen, he ran away from home many times, which made it difficult to complete high school. During his sophomore year he dropped out of East High School in Phoenix. Of his heroin addiction, Connole commented, "Instead of having a lot of little problems, you have one big one. But it was always a handicap. It never made me play or write any better."

After decades of cyclical drug use, Connole eventually reached a point of steady sobriety on his birthday of 1990 (November 6). He said quitting dope "was about as courageous as running out of a burning house. I just got to the point where I was really desperate and I wasn't dead.'"

Connole is also a computer programmer. He got his start in the field by creating the website for his band, the Revenants and using home-computer recording to demo his new material. Later he worked for sonicbox.com, a company in Silicon Valley which developed a technology that allowed listeners to access high quality internet audio. His computer job allowed him to perform and write music when he wanted to, and not because he had to pay his bills.

Bands

Billy Clone and The Same In 1978, Bruce Connole and Mike Corte, both were old highschool friends, started playing together in a garage at first, and at some point the band "Billy Clone and The Same" formed. Billy Clone and the Same was a punk rock band based in Phoenix, Arizona. The band consisted of Mike Corte (vocals), Bruce Connole (guitar), Damon Doiron (bass), and Darrell Gleason (drums). Mike played the Gibson Flying V guitar, Damon played the Fender Precision Bass, and Bruce played the Fender Stratocaster. In 1980, the band released an EP called X&Y with Moon Dog Records. Later the same year, the band broke up when lead singer, Mike Corte, died of a heroin overdose. In 2000, The Arizona Republic listed Billy Clone and The Same as No. 38 in their list of The Top 100 Best Valley Rock Bands. In 1982, the Jetzons released the EP Made in America, produced by Mike Condello and recorded at Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles and Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, CA as well as Pantheon Studios in Scottsdale, AZ. The record was released on Pan American Records.

In the 1980s the city of Tempe, Arizona's musicscene was seeing a surge of many bands who were influenced by Connole, eventually coming into international prominence with the signing of many local bands to major record labels, including multi-platinum recording artist the Gin Blossoms in the early 1990s, fronted by guitarist Doug Hopkins, formerly of the Moral Majority, 1981 and later the Psalms during the early 1980s, before establishing the Gin Blossoms. The Jetzons are considered to have helped establish this music scene and The Gin Blossoms acknowledge the Jetzons as a direct influence.

Though the Jetzons was his most successful act, Connole has expressed negative feelings about the group. He is not a fan of the band's most popular track "You" which he wrote along with keyboardist Brad Buxer. The Los Angeles version of the Jetzons broke up in 1986. However, in regards to the "Ice Cap Zone theme," and its similarity with the song "Hard Times," current available public records from the US Performance Rights Societies ASCAP and BMI show Buxer is listed as an ASCAP affiliated songwriter, and Connole as a BMI affiliated songwriter. ASCAP does not list Buxer as an author of the song "Hard Times." BMI lists Connole as the sole writer of "Hard Times."

The Strand The Strand was an alternative rock band named for the Roxy Music song, "Do The Strand." They made their debut in 1987 at The Mason Jar, a nightclub and music venue in Phoenix, Arizona. The Strand was a trio which included Connole (guitar and vocals), Damon Doiron (bass) and Alan Ross Willey (drums). Connole had been struggling with heroin addiction and had moved to California when Doiron called to ask him to return to Arizona to form a new band. In 1986, they self-released the album, The Strand. Connole's addictive cycle eventually broke up the band.

The Pearl Chuckers During 1999–2000, Connole put together and performed with The Pearl Chuckers, a bluegrass side project, which consisted of artists Connole (banjo and vocals), Richard Taylor (guitar and vocals) who was later replaced by Amos Cox; Bobby Domings (drums) who was later replaced by Joe Jacques; and Ruth Wilson (bass), who was later replaced by Paul Schneider (bass).

Suicide Kings/The Revenants The Suicide Kings are a 50s and 60s-style honky tonk/alternative-country band which has been composed of different band members over the years: Bruce Connole (lead vocals and guitar), Richard Taylor (guitar and lap steel guitar), Mike Wolfe (guitar) John Rauhouse (steel guitar), Bobby Domings (drums), Chris Olson (drums), Al Penzone (drums), Vince Ramirez (drums), Brad Buxer (keyboards), Paul Schneider (bass) and Scott Kalkbrenner (bass). The same year, they released Jukebox Cantina Combo Platter with Hayden's Ferry Records.

In 2006, The Suicide Kings re-formed.

In 2008, The Suicide Kings released a self-titled album on Blue Plate Music, a subsidiary of John Prine's Nashville label Oh Boy Records. In 2003, Bruce Connole (and Busted Hearts) won the award of "Best Stage Shoes" from the Phoenix New Times for his black and white wingtips. In 2003, Busted Hearts opened for Connole's favorite bluegrass musician, Ralph Stanley. In 2006, the band released the album Sin, Sorrow, and Salvation with Fundamental Records.

Solo work Connole has also produced solo albums. In 2010 Fervor Records released his album Hillbilly Heroin, and in 2014, they released his album, The Narrow Road.

Legacy Additionally, Connole and former Jetzons bandmate Brad Buxer performed with Stevie Wonder on The Woman in Red soundtrack from 1984.

Connole's catalog of songs and recordings from 1982 to 2018 are controlled by independent record label Fervor Records.

Discography + Artist Title Format Record label Cat# Release date Billy Clone & The Same X & Y|12', vinyl Moon Dog Records 1979

Pan American Records 1982 12", EP Jetzons JTZ431 1982 The Complete Jetzons| Fervor Records 2008 The Lost Masters|6xFile, AAC, EP, Comp, 256 Fervor Records 2013 Stevie Wonder The Woman In Red (Soundtrack)| Motown Records 1984 Various Jukebox Cantina Combo Platter|CD, Comp Hayden's Ferry Records 9981 1998 The Strand The Strand| Self-Released 1986 Cryptics Kill Me|cassette Machine Publishing 1991 Cryptics Darker Side of You|Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single, Stereo Epiphany Records 1992

Suicide Kings| Rattle Records 1997 Suicide Kings|7" Vinyl Ramco Records EP2011 2017 Suicide Kings'' Album Blue Plate Music BPM600 September 26, 2008