John Christ
Encyclopedia
John Christ, born John Wolfgang Knoll on February 09, 1965, is a musician best known as the original guitarist for the metal band Danzig
. He has been known for his bluesy metal sound and frequent use of the pinch harmonic
. Christ was ranked 63rd in Guitar World's
list of 'The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists'.
Les Paul
copy. Christ grew up in Catonsville, Maryland
and attended Catonsville High School
. He later studied classical guitar at the Peabody Institute
and attended Towson University
studying Jazz, theory and composition,
to join Glenn Danzig's
band Samhain
, which became the band Danzig
later that same year. Upon his arrival in New Jersey, Christ would share an apartment with Samhain drummer London May
, for whom Christ had performed his first band audition. Christ auditioned well but it wasn't until leaving countless guitar solo
s on Glenn Danzig's answering machine that he was finally invited to join the band. When May left the band Christ shared an apartment with new drummer Chuck Biscuits
, where they came up with Christ's original stage name "John Von Christ", before it was shortened to avoid it clashing with bassist Eerie Von
. Christ played guitar with Danzig from 1987 to July 1995, appearing on the albums Danzig
, Lucifuge
, How the Gods Kill
and 4, and also the Thrall: Demonsweatlive
EP. In 1990, Christ recorded guitar for the Samhain album Final Descent
. Christ officially left Danzig on July 5, 1995 citing a breakdown in communication within the band as the reason behind his departure. During his time with Danzig, Christ's main guitar was a 1983 BC Rich Bich strung with custom D'Aquisto strings and fit with PRS
pickups. The guitar was customised with the Danzig skull symbol, and is currently on display at the Hard Rock Cafe
in Orlando
.
, former drummer for Ozzy Osbourne
. Christ's guitar work has been used by TV stations ABC
and Nine Network
. During his time with Nine Network he provided backing guitar for performances by artists including Tom Jones
and Lou Rawls
. In 1999, Christ released his debut solo album Flesh Caffeine
. In 2004, Christ was involved in a serious crash and suffered injuries to his fretting hand. As a result of his injuries he underwent lengthy rehabilitation
. On November 27, 2009, Christ returned to the live stage for the first time in ten years with a solo performance in Essex, Maryland.
Danzig (band)
Danzig is an American heavy metal band, formed in 1987 in Lodi, New Jersey. The band serves as a musical outlet for the singer/songwriter Glenn Danzig. Danzig can be seen as the third stage in Glenn Danzig's musical career, preceded by the horror punk bands The Misfits and Samhain...
. He has been known for his bluesy metal sound and frequent use of the pinch harmonic
Pinch harmonic
A pinch harmonic or pick harmonic is a guitar technique in which the player's thumb or index finger on the picking hand slightly catches the string after it is picked, canceling the fundamental of the string, and letting one of the overtones dominate. This results in a high pitched sound...
. Christ was ranked 63rd in Guitar World's
Guitar World
Guitar World is a monthly music magazine devoted to guitarists. It contains original interviews, album and gear reviews and guitar and bass tablature of approximately five songs each month. The magazine is published 13 times per year...
list of 'The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists'.
Early life
Christ first started playing acoustic guitar when he was in grade school and began playing electric guitar aged 13. He had previously taken piano lessons. His first electric guitar was a UnivoxUnivox
For Univox portable keyboards, see Vox In the early 1960s the Unicord Corporation, a manufacturer of electronic transformers purchased the Amplifier Corporation of America of Westbury, New York. They began marketing a line of amplifiers under the name of Univox. The company was purchased by Gulf +...
Les Paul
Les Paul
Lester William Polsfuss —known as Les Paul—was an American jazz and country guitarist, songwriter and inventor. He was a pioneer in the development of the solid-body electric guitar which made the sound of rock and roll possible. He is credited with many recording innovations...
copy. Christ grew up in Catonsville, Maryland
Catonsville, Maryland
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:In 2010 Catonsville had a population of 41,567...
and attended Catonsville High School
Catonsville High School
Catonsville High School is a four-year public high school in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It is located on the southwest side of the county close to the Baltimore City border near Anne Arundel and Howard County, just outside of the Baltimore Beltway.-History:Catonsville High School...
. He later studied classical guitar at the Peabody Institute
Peabody Institute
The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University is a renowned conservatory and preparatory school located in the Mount Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland at the corner of Charles and Monument Streets at Mount Vernon Place.-History:...
and attended Towson University
Towson University
Towson University, often referred to as TU or simply Towson for short, is a public university located in Towson in Baltimore County, Maryland, U.S...
studying Jazz, theory and composition,
Samhain and Danzig
In 1987, Christ dropped out of college and moved to New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
to join Glenn Danzig's
Glenn Danzig
Glenn Danzig Glenn Danzig Glenn Danzig (born Glenn Allen Anzalone; June 23, 1955 is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, entrepreneur, and a progenitor of the horror punk subgenre of music. He is a founder of bands the Misfits, Samhain, and Danzig...
band Samhain
Samhain (band)
Samhain was an American rock band formed by singer Glenn Danzig in 1983, immediately following his departure from the Misfits. Samhain played in more of a deathrock and heavy metal-infused style of horror punk than Danzig's previous band. By 1987 Samhain's membership evolved into a new band,...
, which became the band Danzig
Danzig (band)
Danzig is an American heavy metal band, formed in 1987 in Lodi, New Jersey. The band serves as a musical outlet for the singer/songwriter Glenn Danzig. Danzig can be seen as the third stage in Glenn Danzig's musical career, preceded by the horror punk bands The Misfits and Samhain...
later that same year. Upon his arrival in New Jersey, Christ would share an apartment with Samhain drummer London May
London May
London May , is a rock musician best known for playing drums in Glenn Danzig's post-Misfits/pre-Danzig punk/goth band Samhain, which he joined in the summer of 1985...
, for whom Christ had performed his first band audition. Christ auditioned well but it wasn't until leaving countless guitar solo
Guitar solo
In popular music, a guitar solo is a melodic passage, section, or entire piece of music written for an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. Guitar solos, which often contain varying degrees of improvisation, are used in many styles of popular music such as blues, jazz, rock and metal styles such...
s on Glenn Danzig's answering machine that he was finally invited to join the band. When May left the band Christ shared an apartment with new drummer Chuck Biscuits
Chuck Biscuits
Chuck Biscuits is a Canadian-born drummer, now a U.S. citizen, who is best known as an original member of the heavy metal/hard rock band Danzig. Most recently, he was a member of the punk rock band Social Distortion in the late 1990s...
, where they came up with Christ's original stage name "John Von Christ", before it was shortened to avoid it clashing with bassist Eerie Von
Eerie Von
Eerie Von, born Eric Stellman on is a musician best known as the original bassist for the metal band Danzig. Eerie Von's preferred bass is the Fender Jazz.-Early life:...
. Christ played guitar with Danzig from 1987 to July 1995, appearing on the albums Danzig
Danzig (album)
Danzig is the 1988 debut album of the American heavy metal band Danzig, led by Glenn Danzig who was formerly the songwriter and vocalist of the Misfits and Samhain....
, Lucifuge
Danzig II: Lucifuge
Danzig II: Lucifuge is the second album by Danzig. It was released in 1990 on Def American Recordings and was reissued in the USA and UK in 1998 by Def American's successor, American Recordings.-Music and recording:...
, How the Gods Kill
Danzig III: How the Gods Kill
Danzig III: How the Gods Kill is the third album by Glenn Danzig's band Danzig, and the highest to chart at the time of its release in 1992 on Def American Recordings. It was reissued in 1998 by Def American's successor, American Recordings...
and 4, and also the Thrall: Demonsweatlive
Thrall: Demonsweatlive
Thrall - Demonsweatlive is an EP by Danzig. It was released in 1993 on Def American Recordings.-Music and recording:The EP is split into two sections. The first section, Thrall, consists of three new studio recordings that were tracked live and completed by the band in a single day...
EP. In 1990, Christ recorded guitar for the Samhain album Final Descent
Final Descent
Final Descent is an album by Samhain, first released in 1990, more than three years after lead singer Glenn Danzig and bassist Eerie Von had recruited guitarist John Christ and drummer Chuck Biscuits to form Danzig.-Original release:...
. Christ officially left Danzig on July 5, 1995 citing a breakdown in communication within the band as the reason behind his departure. During his time with Danzig, Christ's main guitar was a 1983 BC Rich Bich strung with custom D'Aquisto strings and fit with PRS
PRS Guitars
PRS Guitars is an American guitar manufacturer headquartered in Stevensville, Maryland. PRS Guitars was founded by guitarist and luthier Paul Reed Smith in 1985. The company is one of the leading manufacturers of high-end electric guitars.-Materials:...
pickups. The guitar was customised with the Danzig skull symbol, and is currently on display at the Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe is a chain of theme restaurants founded in 1971 by Americans Peter Morton & Isaac Tigrett. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll memorabilia, a tradition which expanded to others in the chain. In 2006, Hard Rock was sold to the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and...
in Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
.
Solo career
In 1997, Christ was part of the short lived band Juice 13, which also included Randy CastilloRandy Castillo
Randolpho Francisco Castillo was best known as Ozzy Osbourne's drummer during the mid 1980s to the early 1990s, and later as drummer for Mötley Crüe, from 1999-2002.-Early years:...
, former drummer for Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
. Christ's guitar work has been used by TV stations ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
and Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
. During his time with Nine Network he provided backing guitar for performances by artists including Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
and Lou Rawls
Lou Rawls
Louis Allen "Lou" Rawls was an American soul, jazz, and blues singer. He was known for his smooth vocal style: Frank Sinatra once said that Rawls had "the classiest singing and silkiest chops in the singing game"...
. In 1999, Christ released his debut solo album Flesh Caffeine
Flesh Caffeine
Flesh Caffeine is a metal album by John Christ released on Tang Records in 1999. It is Christ's first solo album since leaving the band Danzig. Christ performs vocals, guitars, bass and keys, while Stefan Svensson plays all drum tracks and percussion. Additional vocals on "Talkin' Dirty" are...
. In 2004, Christ was involved in a serious crash and suffered injuries to his fretting hand. As a result of his injuries he underwent lengthy rehabilitation
Rehabilitation (neuropsychology)
Rehabilitation of sensory and cognitive function typically involves methods for retraining neural pathways or training new neural pathways to regain or improve neurocognitive functioning that has been diminished by disease or traumatic injury....
. On November 27, 2009, Christ returned to the live stage for the first time in ten years with a solo performance in Essex, Maryland.
Danzig
- 1988 - DanzigDanzig (album)Danzig is the 1988 debut album of the American heavy metal band Danzig, led by Glenn Danzig who was formerly the songwriter and vocalist of the Misfits and Samhain....
- 1990 - LucifugeDanzig II: LucifugeDanzig II: Lucifuge is the second album by Danzig. It was released in 1990 on Def American Recordings and was reissued in the USA and UK in 1998 by Def American's successor, American Recordings.-Music and recording:...
- 1992 - Danzig III: How the Gods KillDanzig III: How the Gods KillDanzig III: How the Gods Kill is the third album by Glenn Danzig's band Danzig, and the highest to chart at the time of its release in 1992 on Def American Recordings. It was reissued in 1998 by Def American's successor, American Recordings...
- 1993 - Thrall: DemonsweatliveThrall: DemonsweatliveThrall - Demonsweatlive is an EP by Danzig. It was released in 1993 on Def American Recordings.-Music and recording:The EP is split into two sections. The first section, Thrall, consists of three new studio recordings that were tracked live and completed by the band in a single day...
- 1994 - Danzig 4Danzig 4Danzig 4p is the fourth studio album by Danzig. It was released in 1994 on American Recordings following 1993's highly successful Thrall: Demonsweatlive EP and singer Glenn Danzig's 1992 instrumental solo effort, Black Aria.-Background:...
- 2001 - Live on the Black Hand SideLive on the Black Hand SideLive on the Black Hand Side is a double-disc live album from Danzig. It was recorded at various shows between 1992 and 2000, and released in 2001 on Glenn Danzig's Evilive Records label, distributed by Restless Records...
- 2007 - The Lost Tracks of DanzigThe Lost Tracks of DanzigThe Lost Tracks of Danzig is a compilation album by American heavy metal band Danzig. The set showcases a number of previously-unreleased Danzig songs, ranging from the band's first recording sessions in 1987-88 until the sessions for Danzig's 2004 studio album, Circle of Snakes.-Background:Glenn...
Others
- 1987 - Less Than Zero SoundtrackLess Than Zero (film)Less Than Zero is a 1987 American drama film loosely based on Bret Easton Ellis' novel of the same name. The film stars Andrew McCarthy as Clay, a college freshman returning home for Christmas to spend time with his ex-girlfriend Blair and his friend Julian , who is also a drug addict...
by Various Artists (Contributed the track "You and Me (Less than Zero)" with Glenn Danzig & the Power and Fury Orchestra) - 1994 - Guitar Practicing Musicians 3 by Various Artists (Contributed the track "For Christ's Sake", also featuring Chuck BiscuitsChuck BiscuitsChuck Biscuits is a Canadian-born drummer, now a U.S. citizen, who is best known as an original member of the heavy metal/hard rock band Danzig. Most recently, he was a member of the punk rock band Social Distortion in the late 1990s...
) - 1996 - Guitars That Rule the World, Vol. 2: Smell the Fuzz: The Superstar Guitar Album by Various Artists (Contributed the track "One Song")
- 1999 - Black Glue by Mike Hartman
- 2001 - Metallic Assault: A Tribute to MetallicaMetallic Assault: A Tribute to MetallicaMetallic Assault: A Tribute to Metallica is a tribute album to thrash metal band Metallica. The album features Metallica covers played not by formal bands, but collaborations between musicians from several bands. Songs from Kill 'Em All all the way to Metallica, with the exception of ...And Justice...
by Various Artists (Contributed the track "Enter SandmanEnter Sandman"Enter Sandman" is a 1991 song by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released as the first single from their eponymous fifth album, Metallica. The music was written by Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich...
", also featuring Robert TrujilloRobert TrujilloRobert Trujillo is an American bassist who currently plays bass in Metallica. He has also played in Suicidal Tendencies, Infectious Grooves, Black Label Society, and with Jerry Cantrell and Ozzy Osbourne.-Career:...
, Burton C. BellBurton C. BellBurton Christopher Bell is an American musician. Bell is best known as the frontman of the metal band Fear Factory where he is the only consistent member. His singing style mixes clean vocals with death growls.-Fear Factory:...
and Tommy AldridgeTommy AldridgeTommy Aldridge is a veteran heavy metal and hard rock drummer. Aldridge is noted for his work with numerous bands and vocalists, most notable being Black Oak Arkansas, Pat Travers Band, Ozzy Osbourne, Gary Moore, Whitesnake, Ted Nugent and Thin Lizzy.Self taught, Aldridge was inspired by Cream,...
)