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New release from: SMASHED GLADYS – Bump in the Night (Single) (April 12, 2021)
Born from the embers of the vibrant Toronto punk scene, SMASHED GLADYS formed in 1984 and then headed to New York City. SMASHED GLADYS were headed by vocalist Sally Cato and were snapped up by Elektra Records, becoming part of the legendary glam/hair metal scene.
Cato sadly passed away in 2020 and Golden Robot Records wants to honour her by bringing you new material in which they were recording as demos for their 3rd album, newly remixed and remastered. First up is the single “Bump In The Night” which will be released on April 12th.
A classic 12-bar boogie rock ‘n’ roll song, “Bump in the Night” is a twist on the horror movie trope in the vein of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Singer Sally Cato is looking for a partner to celebrate the bumps in the night, and the guitar-driven band is there for the party. SMASHED GLADYS, a Canadian transplant to NYC, helped create the Cat Club scene of legend and this song brings that scene to the fore.
Born from the embers of the vibrant Toronto punk scene, Smashed Gladys helped to craft a legendary period of New York City rock.
Lead singer Sally Cato started as a singer in the art-rock band The Concordes, while guitarist Bart Lewis did a brief stint with Canada’s most dangerous band, The Viletones, before departing for NYC.
Soon after relocating to Gotham, Sally & Bart met songwriter Tommy Boyce, who (along with his partner Mickey Hart) had coined most of The Monkees songs. Under Boyce’s guidance, the group began rehearsing at a well-known studio in midtown Manhattan.
SG started playing venues in and around the NYC area, during which time they met Gene Simmons. Simmons offered them a production/management deal.
The band’s original 4 members were:
Sally Cato – Vocals
Bart Lewis – guitar
Matt Stellutto – drums
Ken Fox (Toronto’s Raving Mojo’s, Jason and the Scorchers and The Fleshtones) – bass
Along with the addition of Hilly Micheals, drummer from the Ian Hunter band – SG went into the studio and recorded close to an album’s worth of material produced by Simmons.
Four of the songs from those sessions are being released now, for the first time ever, on the Golden Robot release, Raw. Simmons captured the personality and raw grittiness of the band perfectly and by the end of 1984, SG were in the UK recording their first album, Smashed Gladys, with Mark Dearnley at the producer’s helm.
Smashed Gladys returned to the states and began touring and doing opening slots with The Dead Boys, Van Zant, Nazareth, Ace Frehley, Cheap Trick, Poison, Rick Derringer, Blue Oyster Cult, Crocus and others.
It was during this feverish period that they established the infamous Wednesday night series at The Cat Club. The night became a launching pad for several bands and grew to become a showcase venue, late-night hang, and playing party stage for artists such as David Bowie, Duran Duran, Mick Jagger and several others.
Selling out venues in Manhattan and the surrounding tri-state area, Smashed Gladys caught the attention of Elektra Records A&R rep Micheal Alago. In 1986 they were signed by Elektra VP, Howard Thompson.
The band played a signing gig to a packed house at one of the first venues they played in NYC – CBGB’s. Elektra picked up the rights to the first record and then sent the band into the studio to work on their next record, Social Intercourse, recorded in NYC with Rick Browdie and in L.A with Michael Wagner doing additional tracking and mixing.
While making the record, they met the artist working in the adjacent studio, Ozzy Osbourne, who made a guest background vocal appearance on the song “Cast of Nasties.” Osbourne had warned the band that some of the titles and subject matter on the record might get them in trouble in certain markets and banned altogether from retailers such as Walmart. He was right, and touring in certain Midwestern states became dangerous at times forcing the band to bring along new members … Mr Smith & Wesson.
SG was making demos for their third record when they received offers from producers John Paul Jones and Mick Ronson. They went with Mick Ronson and began pre-production, but Ronson fell ill. The Band was then picked up by Teddy Slatus, Johnny Winter’s manager and label. Tragically, SG’s third bass player, Mark Sliker, then died from a drug overdose. Following the trials and tribulations, Sally left the music business and returned to being a graphic artist.
On May 19, 2020, Sally Cato passed away.
The Raw album is a collection of some of the works that were initially the demos for the third record, which have been remixed by the band’s first producer, Mark Dearnley, whose credits include a wide range from AC/DC to Paul McCartney. The album rounds out with an additional 4 songs from the Gene Simmons sessions due out in 2021 on Golden Robot Records.
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