Kevin McFoy Dunn
Encyclopedia
Kevin McFoy Dunn is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, and songwriter
long considered a lynchpin and pioneering figure in the fertile new wave
scene that first erupted around Athens, Georgia
and Atlanta, Georgia
in the late 1970s. He helped to galvanize the nascent music community in the southeast first by forming the group The Fans in 1975 with co-conspirator Alfredo Villar in their hometown of Atlanta. The Fans were one of the first southern bands to draw influence not from the blues
or country music
, but from British art rock
of the era (Brian Eno
, Roxy Music
, Robert Fripp
, etc.). Famously unfortunate, The Fans were unable to secure a record contract and disbanded in 1979, having released only three singles.
Dunn was concurrently pursuing a solo career as both a performer and producer. In 1978 he co-produced The B-52s' landmark "Rock Lobster
" 45, which was one of the earliest southern new wave titles to garner international interest, subsequently propelling the band to stardom. The next year found Dunn co-producing the debut single by the influential Athens outfit Pylon
, "Cool/Dub." 1979 also marked the release of his debut solo single "Nadine/Oktyabrina." In 1980 he co-produced Pylon's debut LP Gyrate. Dunn's debut solo album, The Judgement of Paris, was released by DB Recs
in 1981. He followed that with the 1983 EP C'est Toujours La Même Guitarre., which was widely reviewed—including a positive notice by Robert Palmer in the New York Times. His second LP, Tanzfeld, was released in 1985 and earned a B+ from Robert Christgau
in the Village Voice.
While continuing to perform and compose new music in Atlanta, Georgia, Dunn has not released a new record since Tanzfeld, although an anthology
entitled No Great Lost: Songs, 1979-1985 was released in May 2010. In September 2010, Dunn announced that, due to the warm reception the anthology received in the media, he would be performing in the northeast (specifically DC, New York City, Brooklyn, Boston, Amherst, Massachusetts, and Durham, North Carolina) for the first time in 30 years.
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
long considered a lynchpin and pioneering figure in the fertile new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
scene that first erupted around Athens, Georgia
Music of Athens, Georgia
The music of Athens, Georgia, includes a wide variety of popular music and was an important part of the early evolution of alternative rock and New Wave. The city is well known as the home of chart-topping bands like R.E.M. and The B-52s, and several long-time indie rock groups...
and Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
in the late 1970s. He helped to galvanize the nascent music community in the southeast first by forming the group The Fans in 1975 with co-conspirator Alfredo Villar in their hometown of Atlanta. The Fans were one of the first southern bands to draw influence not from the blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
or country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, but from British art rock
Art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art, avant-garde, and classical music. The first usage of the term, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, was in 1968. Influenced by the work of The Beatles, most notably their Sgt...
of the era (Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
, Roxy Music
Roxy Music
Roxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...
, Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. He was ranked 42nd on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and #47 on Gibson.com’s "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". Among rock guitarists, Fripp is a master of crosspicking, a technique...
, etc.). Famously unfortunate, The Fans were unable to secure a record contract and disbanded in 1979, having released only three singles.
Dunn was concurrently pursuing a solo career as both a performer and producer. In 1978 he co-produced The B-52s' landmark "Rock Lobster
Rock lobster
Jasus edwardsii, the southern rock lobster, red rock lobster, or spiny rock lobster, is a species of spiny lobster found throughout coastal waters of southern Australia and New Zealand including the Chatham Islands. This species is commonly called crayfish or crays in New Zealand and in Māori...
" 45, which was one of the earliest southern new wave titles to garner international interest, subsequently propelling the band to stardom. The next year found Dunn co-producing the debut single by the influential Athens outfit Pylon
Pylon (band)
Pylon is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The band's danceable jangle pop sound influenced the Athens music scene and the 1980s American pop underground. Allmusic wrote that Pylon's "role as elder statesmen of the alternative rock explosion is unassailable".-History:All four members of...
, "Cool/Dub." 1979 also marked the release of his debut solo single "Nadine/Oktyabrina." In 1980 he co-produced Pylon's debut LP Gyrate. Dunn's debut solo album, The Judgement of Paris, was released by DB Recs
DB Records
DB Records is a record label owned by Danny Beard. The label's headquarters reside in the Wax N Facts record store in the Atlanta, Georgia neighborhood of Little Five Points.-History:In 1978, Danny Beard helped some friends in an Athens, Georgia rock band...
in 1981. He followed that with the 1983 EP C'est Toujours La Même Guitarre., which was widely reviewed—including a positive notice by Robert Palmer in the New York Times. His second LP, Tanzfeld, was released in 1985 and earned a B+ from Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
in the Village Voice.
While continuing to perform and compose new music in Atlanta, Georgia, Dunn has not released a new record since Tanzfeld, although an anthology
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
entitled No Great Lost: Songs, 1979-1985 was released in May 2010. In September 2010, Dunn announced that, due to the warm reception the anthology received in the media, he would be performing in the northeast (specifically DC, New York City, Brooklyn, Boston, Amherst, Massachusetts, and Durham, North Carolina) for the first time in 30 years.