Chris Constantinou
Encyclopedia
Chris Constantinou is an English
musician
. Famous for being the bass guitarist and backing vocalist for Adam Ant. He is now the lead singer and bassist of the band, The Wolfmen
.
in London
and at the age of three he moved to Plymouth
. He went to Plymouth College
before a brief spell at Plymouth Art College. He performed with school and garage bands supporting 1970s artists such as King Crimson
, Snafu
, and Sassafras
. His professional career started when he joined Diz Watson, the renowned exponent of New Orleans/Professor Longhair-style piano and barrel house blues, as bass player. In 1977, he formed the rock band Drill
. Acting as co-writer and bassist, they first signed to Ebony Records before moving to RCA Records
for a string of singles, several of which were produced by Chas Chandler
.
as bass guitarist and backing vocalist from his UK top 5 single Puss In Boots. Under the pseudonym Chris De Niro, he became an integral part of the mid-80s Ant line up, highlights including the top 20 single Apollo 9 and the Vive Le Rock
album, both of which were produced by Tony Visconti
. Chris was part of every Adam Ant TV appearance, video and tour until 1986, which included Top Of The Pops
, Saturday Night Live
, American Bandstand
and, on stage, Radio City Music Hall
and 1985’s Live Aid
concert at Wembley Stadium
.
. The videos for these singles were directed by award-winning British film maker Paul Hills. He later featured the band’s Meditation Man single in his 2003 movie The Poet (Dougray Scott
/Laura Elena Harring).
for which he handles lead vocals, co-writing, bass and various other instruments. It sees him reunite with another former Ant, songwriter/guitarist Marco Pirroni
, to blend a sound described by Mojo magazine as “exuberant filth... Chris and Marco do growing old disgracefully with style.”
Constantinou played on The Slits' EP, Revenge of the Killer Slits in 2006 and is currently co-writing some tracks for Sinéad O'Connor's new album, which is expected to be released in 2011.
He then joined forces with Bow Wow Wow
’s Annabella Lwin
. Together they formed a band, fronted by Annabella with Chris as co-writer, bassist and backing vocalist. They built a substantial following hit singles like Do What You Do (Sony, 1994), a dancefloor hit thanks to remixes from Farley & Heller and Junior Vasquez
. The project was produced by Steve Lironi (Fun Lovin’ Criminals, Happy Mondays).
With Annabella Lwin
With The Slits
With The Wolfmen
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
. Famous for being the bass guitarist and backing vocalist for Adam Ant. He is now the lead singer and bassist of the band, The Wolfmen
The Wolfmen
The Wolfmen are a rock music band formed in 2004 and centres around Marco Pirroni and Chris Constantinou...
.
Childhood and early bands
He was born at Charing Cross HospitalCharing Cross Hospital
Charing Cross Hospital is a general, acute hospital located in London, United Kingdom and established in 1818. It is located several miles to the west of the city centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham....
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and at the age of three he moved to Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
. He went to Plymouth College
Plymouth College
Plymouth College is a co-educational independent school in Plymouth, Devon, England, for day and boarding pupils from the ages of 11 to 18...
before a brief spell at Plymouth Art College. He performed with school and garage bands supporting 1970s artists such as King Crimson
King Crimson
King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
, Snafu
Snafu
Snafu may refer to:* SNAFU, an acronym* Snafu , an English rhythm and blues band of the 1970s* Snafu, a 1970 album by East Of Eden* Snafu , a 1981 Intellivision video game title published by Mattel Electronics...
, and Sassafras
Sassafras
Sassafras is a genus of three extant and one extinct species of deciduous trees in the family Lauraceae, native to eastern North America and eastern Asia.-Overview:...
. His professional career started when he joined Diz Watson, the renowned exponent of New Orleans/Professor Longhair-style piano and barrel house blues, as bass player. In 1977, he formed the rock band Drill
Drill
A drill or drill motor is a tool fitted with a cutting tool attachment or driving tool attachment, usually a drill bit or driver bit, used for drilling holes in various materials or fastening various materials together with the use of fasteners. The attachment is gripped by a chuck at one end of...
. Acting as co-writer and bassist, they first signed to Ebony Records before moving to RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
for a string of singles, several of which were produced by Chas Chandler
Chas Chandler
Bryan James "Chas" Chandler was an English musician, record producer and manager of several successful music acts....
.
1980s: Chris De Niro era
In 1982 Chris joined Adam AntAdam Ant
Adam Ant is an English musician who gained popularity as the lead singer of New Wave/post-punk group Adam and the Ants and later as a solo artist, scoring ten UK top ten hits between 1980 and 1983, including three No.1s...
as bass guitarist and backing vocalist from his UK top 5 single Puss In Boots. Under the pseudonym Chris De Niro, he became an integral part of the mid-80s Ant line up, highlights including the top 20 single Apollo 9 and the Vive Le Rock
Vive Le Rock
Vive Le Rock is the third solo album by Adam Ant, released in 1985.This album at first received only minor attention in the United States, peaking only at #131. In the United Kingdom, it peaked at #42...
album, both of which were produced by Tony Visconti
Tony Visconti
Anthony Edward Visconti is an American record producer and sometimes a musician or singer.Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers; his lengthiest involvement with any artist is with David Bowie: intermittently from Bowie's 1969 album Space Oddity to 2003's Reality, Visconti...
. Chris was part of every Adam Ant TV appearance, video and tour until 1986, which included Top Of The Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
, Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
, American Bandstand
American Bandstand
American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...
and, on stage, Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City's Rockefeller Center. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city...
and 1985’s Live Aid
Live Aid
Live Aid was a dual-venue concert that was held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom ...
concert at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
.
1990s: Jackie On Assid era
Chris took centre stage to form post-punk outfit Jackie On Assid in 1996. As lead singer, songwriter and bassist, Jackie On Assid toured Europe three times, released two albums (2001’s 4Play and 2002’s Zip Me Up) and supported Iggy PopIggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
. The videos for these singles were directed by award-winning British film maker Paul Hills. He later featured the band’s Meditation Man single in his 2003 movie The Poet (Dougray Scott
Dougray Scott
-Early life:The son of Elma, a nurse, and Alan Scott, an actor and salesperson, Stephen Dougray Scott was born in Glenrothes, Fife and attended Auchmuty High School...
/Laura Elena Harring).
2000s: The Wolfmen era
In 2004 Chris began work on his current project, The WolfmenThe Wolfmen
The Wolfmen are a rock music band formed in 2004 and centres around Marco Pirroni and Chris Constantinou...
for which he handles lead vocals, co-writing, bass and various other instruments. It sees him reunite with another former Ant, songwriter/guitarist Marco Pirroni
Marco Pirroni
Marco Francesco Andrea Pirroni is an English guitarist, songwriter and record producer...
, to blend a sound described by Mojo magazine as “exuberant filth... Chris and Marco do growing old disgracefully with style.”
Constantinou played on The Slits' EP, Revenge of the Killer Slits in 2006 and is currently co-writing some tracks for Sinéad O'Connor's new album, which is expected to be released in 2011.
Other projects
Parting with Adam Ant in 1985, Chris spent time with SF Go, a Miles Copeland-managed band he had formed with Danny Kustow (TRB, Glen Matlock).He then joined forces with Bow Wow Wow
Bow Wow Wow
Bow Wow Wow were an English 1980s New Wave band created by Malcolm McLaren to promote his and business partner Vivienne Westwood's New Romantic fashion lines.The group's music is described as having an "African-derived drum sound".-History:...
’s Annabella Lwin
Annabella Lwin
Annabella Lwin is an Anglo-Burmese singer, songwriter and record producer best known as the lead singer of Bow Wow Wow.-Biography:Lwin was born to a Burmese father and an English mother in Rangoon, Burma .Medina, Maximillian Mark; ChopBlock.com Her birth name in Burmese translates to "High,...
. Together they formed a band, fronted by Annabella with Chris as co-writer, bassist and backing vocalist. They built a substantial following hit singles like Do What You Do (Sony, 1994), a dancefloor hit thanks to remixes from Farley & Heller and Junior Vasquez
Junior Vasquez
Junior Vasquez, , is an American club DJ and remixer/producer.-Career:...
. The project was produced by Steve Lironi (Fun Lovin’ Criminals, Happy Mondays).
Discography
With Adam AntAdam Ant
Adam Ant is an English musician who gained popularity as the lead singer of New Wave/post-punk group Adam and the Ants and later as a solo artist, scoring ten UK top ten hits between 1980 and 1983, including three No.1s...
- Apollo 9 (single, 1984)
- Vive Le RockVive Le RockVive Le Rock is the third solo album by Adam Ant, released in 1985.This album at first received only minor attention in the United States, peaking only at #131. In the United Kingdom, it peaked at #42...
(album, 1985) - Vive Le RockVive Le RockVive Le Rock is the third solo album by Adam Ant, released in 1985.This album at first received only minor attention in the United States, peaking only at #131. In the United Kingdom, it peaked at #42...
(single, 1985) - B-Side BabiesB-Side BabiesB-Side Babies is a compilation album showcasing old b-sides from Adam and the Ants and Adam Ant's solo work.- Track listing :# "Fall-In"# "Making History" # "Beat My Guest"# "Friends"...
(album, 1994)
With Annabella Lwin
Annabella Lwin
Annabella Lwin is an Anglo-Burmese singer, songwriter and record producer best known as the lead singer of Bow Wow Wow.-Biography:Lwin was born to a Burmese father and an English mother in Rangoon, Burma .Medina, Maximillian Mark; ChopBlock.com Her birth name in Burmese translates to "High,...
- Car Sex (single, 1994)
- Do What You Do (single, 1994)
With The Slits
The Slits
The Slits were a British punk rock band. The quartet was formed in 1976 by members of the bands The Flowers of Romance and The Castrators. The members were Ari Up , who died of cancer in October 2010, and Palmolive , with Viv Albertine and Tessa Pollitt replacing founding members, Kate Korus and...
- Revenge of the Killer Slits (EP, 2006)
With The Wolfmen
The Wolfmen
The Wolfmen are a rock music band formed in 2004 and centres around Marco Pirroni and Chris Constantinou...
- The Wolfmen (EP, 2006)
- Kama Sutra (single, 2006)
- I Put A Spell On You (collaboration with Primal ScreamPrimal ScreamPrimal Scream are a Scottish alternative rock band originally formed in 1982 in Glasgow by Bobby Gillespie and Jim Beattie and now based in London. The current lineup consists of Gillespie, Andrew Innes , Martin Duffy , and Darrin Mooney...
, 2006) - Give Listen Help (Filter Magazine compilation album, 2007)
- Two Eyes (Do Naina) (single with Daler MehndiDaler MehndiDaler Mehndi , born August 18, 1967, is an Indian Bhangra pop singer.Mehndi was a student of traditional Punjabi music and his first album broke sales records in India. Since 1995 he has recorded several highly successful albums in India, and also sung as a playback singer for several Hindi movies...
, 2007) - Thieves & Liars (single) (single with Daler MehndiDaler MehndiDaler Mehndi , born August 18, 1967, is an Indian Bhangra pop singer.Mehndi was a student of traditional Punjabi music and his first album broke sales records in India. Since 1995 he has recorded several highly successful albums in India, and also sung as a playback singer for several Hindi movies...
, 2007) - Cecilie (single, 2007)
- Needle In The Camle's Eye (EP, 2008)
- Chang Yare (Paradise Lost) (collaboration with Namgyal LhamoNamgyal LhamoNamgyal Lhamo is an acclaimed exponent of Tibetan traditional singing and Tibetan Opera, Lhamo; She is based in Utrecht, The Netherlands.Starting at a the age of 8, Namgyal Lhamo, recognized by many as a child prodigy; trained for fourteen years under great masters of Tibetan Opera and Classical...
, 2008) - Modernity Killed Every Night (album, 2008)
- Better Days (single, 2008)
- Little Steven's Underground Garage Presents... The Coolest Songs in the World Volume 6 (compilation album, 2009)
- Jackie, is it my Birthday? (duet with Sinéad O'ConnorSinéad O'ConnorSinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
(single, 2009) Produced by Steve Musters Post Production and Mix by Courtney Taylor-TaylorCourtney Taylor-TaylorCourtney Taylor-Taylor is an American singer-songwriter from Portland, Oregon. He is the lead singer and guitarist of alternative rock band The Dandy Warhols, a band he co-founded. The vast majority of the band's songs are written by Taylor-Taylor, including hits "We Used to Be Friends" and...
(single, 2010) - Take Refuge In Pleasure: The Songs of Roxy Music Revisited (compilation album, 2009)
- July 20 Produced by Steve Musters Post Production by Courtney Taylor-TaylorCourtney Taylor-TaylorCourtney Taylor-Taylor is an American singer-songwriter from Portland, Oregon. He is the lead singer and guitarist of alternative rock band The Dandy Warhols, a band he co-founded. The vast majority of the band's songs are written by Taylor-Taylor, including hits "We Used to Be Friends" and...
(single, 2010) - Marilyn Monroe-Wam Bam JFK Produced by Steve Musters Post Production and Mix by Courtney Taylor-TaylorCourtney Taylor-TaylorCourtney Taylor-Taylor is an American singer-songwriter from Portland, Oregon. He is the lead singer and guitarist of alternative rock band The Dandy Warhols, a band he co-founded. The vast majority of the band's songs are written by Taylor-Taylor, including hits "We Used to Be Friends" and...
(single, 2010)
Interviews
- 2008 Music-News.com interview with Chris Constantinou and Marco Pirroni
- 2008 Plectrum magazine interview with Chris Constantinou and Marco Pirroni
- 2006 Carttrouble.nl Music For A Future Age interview with Chris Constantinou
- 2005 Music For A Future Age interview with Chris Constantinou
- 2008 Bitten and Howl interview with Chris Constantinou