Hugo Burnham
Encyclopedia
Hugo Burnham was the drummer
for the English
rock
group Gang of Four
. Creem
magazine's Dave DiMartino said in 1980 "Witness Hugo Burnham, a close-cropped, thickset out-and-out scary drummer who looks like his idea of fun might be pushing young American faces into old American brick walls." He continued, "watching the Gang Of Four perform at Bookie's Club 870 and realizing that as great as the records are, the band in live performance is even better. There's rhythm, always rhythm, provided by Burnham's steady drums and Dave Allen's absolutely superb funk basswork. Rolling Stone critic Greil Marcus wrote, "Hugo Burnham play(s) in an economical and precise yet propulsive style, giving the rhythm a piston-like drive." Burnham and Allen's rhythm section playing has been likened to a freight train, among other things.
After leaving the band in 1983, Hugo joined Illustrated Man, then worked as an occasional session drummer with Wall of Voodoo
's Stan Ridgway
, ABC
, PiL
, Nikki Sudden
, and Samantha Fox
, before joining his former G4 bandmate Dave Allen
with Shriekback
, serving as that band's manager from 1985 until 1988, when he moved from London, UK to New York City in the United States, to open an office for his company Huge & Jolly Management.
He subsequently worked as an A&R
executive with Island Records
in New York, Imago Records in New York and Los Angeles, Qwest Records
in Los Angeles, and finally EMI
Music Publishing in Los Angeles. He reunited briefly with G4's bassist Allen to play on The Call
leader Michael Been's solo album "On The Verge of a Nervous Breakthrough". After leaving EMI Music, he returned to artist management with Deathray
(featuring former members of rock group Cake
, Victor Damiani
and Greg Brown), then left Los Angeles for Gloucester, Massachusetts at the end of 1998, adding Little Red Rocket (see Azure Ray
), and Boston rock group C60, (whose album he produced with engineer Matthew Ellard) to the Huge & Jolly Management roster.
Gang of Four's original line-up reunited in 2005, with Burnham telling Rolling Stone "It would be folly to go out and try to foist new music on people... What resonates is the old stuff, and we need to go out and do that. After all, the crux of it is the four of us onstage playing, making loud rude noises and running around furiously." He also told the New York Times' Jon Pareles, "I knew we could do it, when I saw we all still had our hair."
He spent much of 2005 and 2006 making such loud rude noises and won (with the band) Mojo
magazine's " Inspiration to Music" & the U "LifeTime achievement in Music" awards. He retired (again) in December 2006, right after his last show with Gang of Four
at All Tomorrow's Parties
at Minehead in England.
Burnham completed his Masters degree in Education from Cambridge College
in 2006. He is an Associate Professor at the New England Institute of Art
in Boston, and an adjunct faculty member at Endicott College
in Beverly, Massachusetts.
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
for the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
group Gang of Four
Gang of Four (band)
Gang of Four are an English post-punk group from Leeds. Original personnel were singer Jon King, guitarist Andy Gill, bass guitarist Dave Allen and drummer Hugo Burnham. They were fully active from 1977 to 1984, and then re-emerged twice in the 1990s with King and Gill...
. Creem
Creem
Creem , "America's Only Rock 'n' Roll Magazine," was a monthly rock 'n' roll publication first published in March 1969 by Barry Kramer and founding editor Tony Reay. It suspended production in 1989 but received a short-lived renaissance in the early 1990s as a glossy tabloid...
magazine's Dave DiMartino said in 1980 "Witness Hugo Burnham, a close-cropped, thickset out-and-out scary drummer who looks like his idea of fun might be pushing young American faces into old American brick walls." He continued, "watching the Gang Of Four perform at Bookie's Club 870 and realizing that as great as the records are, the band in live performance is even better. There's rhythm, always rhythm, provided by Burnham's steady drums and Dave Allen's absolutely superb funk basswork. Rolling Stone critic Greil Marcus wrote, "Hugo Burnham play(s) in an economical and precise yet propulsive style, giving the rhythm a piston-like drive." Burnham and Allen's rhythm section playing has been likened to a freight train, among other things.
After leaving the band in 1983, Hugo joined Illustrated Man, then worked as an occasional session drummer with Wall of Voodoo
Wall of Voodoo
Wall of Voodoo was an American New Wave group from Los Angeles best known for the 1983 hit "Mexican Radio". The band had a sound that was a fusion of synthesizer-based New Wave music with the spaghetti western soundtrack style of Ennio Morricone.-Formation:...
's Stan Ridgway
Stan Ridgway
Stanard 'Stan' Ridgway is an American multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter known for his distinctive voice, dramatic lyrical narratives, and eclectic solo albums and was the original lead singer of the band Wall of Voodoo...
, ABC
ABC (band)
ABC are an English band, that charted ten UK and five US Top 40 singles between 1981 and 1990. The band continues to tour and released a new album, Traffic, in 2008.-Formation:...
, PiL
PIL
PIL may refer to:* Private International Law* Carlos Miguel Jiménez Airport , in Pilar, Paraguay* Port Isabel-Cameron County Airport , in Port Isabel, Texas...
, Nikki Sudden
Nikki Sudden
Nikki Sudden was a prolific English singer-songwriter and guitarist. He co-founded the post-punk band Swell Maps with his brother Epic Soundtracks while attending Solihull School in Solihull.-Career:...
, and Samantha Fox
Samantha Fox
Samantha Karen "Sam" Fox is an English dance-pop singer, actress, and former glamour model. In 1983, at the age of 16, she began her topless modeling career on Page Three of The Sun, and went on to become a popular pin-up girl...
, before joining his former G4 bandmate Dave Allen
Dave Allen (producer/bassist)
Dave Allen was the bass guitarist for the post-punk band, Gang of Four. In 1981, he left Gang of Four to found Shriekback....
with Shriekback
Shriekback
Shriekback are an English rock band, formed in 1981 in Kentish Town by Barry Andrews, formerly of XTC and League of Gentlemen , and Dave Allen, formerly of the Gang of Four , with Carl Marsh, formerly of Out On Blue Six soon added to the line-up. They were joined by Martyn Barker on drums in 1983...
, serving as that band's manager from 1985 until 1988, when he moved from London, UK to New York City in the United States, to open an office for his company Huge & Jolly Management.
He subsequently worked as an A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
executive with Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
in New York, Imago Records in New York and Los Angeles, Qwest Records
Qwest Records
Qwest Records is the American record label started by Quincy Jones in 1980 as a joint venture with Warner Bros. Records, and owned byWarner Music Group. although Quincy was still under contract with A&M records through 1981. George Benson's 1980 Give Me the Night LP was the first release on Qwest,...
in Los Angeles, and finally EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
Music Publishing in Los Angeles. He reunited briefly with G4's bassist Allen to play on The Call
The Call (band)
The Call was an American rock band from Santa Cruz, California active from 1980 to 2000.-Biography:The Call formed in Santa Cruz in 1980 by vocalist/guitarist Michael Been, Scott Musick, and Tom Ferrier. Been and Musick were originally from Oklahoma...
leader Michael Been's solo album "On The Verge of a Nervous Breakthrough". After leaving EMI Music, he returned to artist management with Deathray
Deathray
Deathray was a band from Sacramento, California formed by former Cake members Greg Brown and Victor Damiani, and Dana Gumbiner, a musician formerly of the Sacramento indie band Little Guilt Shrine....
(featuring former members of rock group Cake
Cake (band)
Cake is an American alternative rock band from Sacramento, California. Consisting of singer John McCrea, trumpeter Vince DiFiore, guitarist Xan McCurdy, bassist Gabe Nelson and drummer Paulo Baldi, the band has been noted for McCrea's sarcastic lyrics and deadpan voice, DiFiore's trumpet parts, and...
, Victor Damiani
Victor Damiani
Victor Damiani is a former bassist of the alternative rock band Cake. He played on Cake's first two albums, Motorcade of Generosity and Fashion Nugget...
and Greg Brown), then left Los Angeles for Gloucester, Massachusetts at the end of 1998, adding Little Red Rocket (see Azure Ray
Azure Ray
Azure Ray is an American dream pop duo, consisting of musicians Maria Taylor and Orenda Fink. The pair met at the age of 15 at the Alabama School of Fine Arts...
), and Boston rock group C60, (whose album he produced with engineer Matthew Ellard) to the Huge & Jolly Management roster.
Gang of Four's original line-up reunited in 2005, with Burnham telling Rolling Stone "It would be folly to go out and try to foist new music on people... What resonates is the old stuff, and we need to go out and do that. After all, the crux of it is the four of us onstage playing, making loud rude noises and running around furiously." He also told the New York Times' Jon Pareles, "I knew we could do it, when I saw we all still had our hair."
He spent much of 2005 and 2006 making such loud rude noises and won (with the band) Mojo
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
magazine's " Inspiration to Music" & the U "LifeTime achievement in Music" awards. He retired (again) in December 2006, right after his last show with Gang of Four
Gang of Four
The Gang of Four was the name given to a political faction composed of four Chinese Communist Party officials. They came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution and were subsequently charged with a series of treasonous crimes...
at All Tomorrow's Parties
All Tomorrow's Parties
"All Tomorrow's Parties" is a song by The Velvet UndergroundAll Tomorrow's Parties may also refer to:* All Tomorrow's Parties , an annual festival in England...
at Minehead in England.
Burnham completed his Masters degree in Education from Cambridge College
Cambridge College
Cambridge College is a private, non-profit college based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, specializing in adult education.It offers distance learning and blended learning programs toward undergraduate and graduate degrees in education, counseling, psychology, management, health care management, and...
in 2006. He is an Associate Professor at the New England Institute of Art
New England Institute of Art
The New England Institute of Art is a for-profit applied arts college that offers year-round education, located in Brookline, Massachusetts. The school was founded in 1952 as the Norm Prescott School of Broadcasting and is now one of the 45 Art Institutes in North America. The school offers ten...
in Boston, and an adjunct faculty member at Endicott College
Endicott College
- History :Endicott was founded in 1939 by Eleanor Tupper and her husband, George O. Bierkoe, as a two-year women’s college. The college was issued its first charter by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in that year and graduated its first class in 1941. In 1944, it was approved by the state for...
in Beverly, Massachusetts.