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Formation
the formation of the Dead Kennedys in June 1978 started in San Francisco, California when Guitarist east Bay Ray (Raymond Pepperell) advertised for bandmates in the newspaper The Recycler, after seeing a ska-punk show at Mabuhay Gardens in San Francisco. The original band lineup consisted of Jello Biafra (Eric Reed Boucher) on vocals, East Bay Ray on guitar, Klaus Flouride (Geoffrey Lyall) on bass, and Ted (Bruce Slesinger) on drums and percussion. -
First Demo's
the Dead Kennedys soon recorded their first demos, In early to mid July, the band hired 6025 (Carlos Cadona) as a secondary guitarist. -
First Show
The band had thier first show at the Mabuhay Gardens in San Francisco, California at the 19th of july 1978 -
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Continue to play locally
the Dead Kennedys continue playing locally around San Francisco -
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Controversy for bands name
Beacause of the bands contoversial name, they sometimes played under names such as "The DK's", "The Sharks", "The Creamsicles" and "The Pink Twinkies". -
Controversy of bands name
<a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Kennedys' > San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen wrote in November 1978, "Just when you think tastelessness has reached its nadir, along comes a punk rock group called The Dead Kennedys, which will play at Mabuhay Gardens on Nov. 22, the 15th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's assassination. despite popular belief, the name was not meant to insult the Kennedy family, but according to Biafra, "to bring attention to the end of the American Dream". -
6025 leaves
6025 leaves the Dead Kennedys -
Holiday in cambodia
early 1980, the Dead Kennedys released the single Holiday in cambodia -
Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
in mid 1980 the Dead Kennedys released their first full length album Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables. The album reached number 33 on the UK Albums Chart. -
Ted leaves the band
Ted announces to leave the band, find a carreer in architecture, He commits to helping find a replacement drummer -
Ted's Goodbye
Ted plays his last concert -
DH (Darren Henley)
Darren Henley joins the band as the new drummer -
Polydor Records
East Bay Ray chooses to pressure the band into signing with the major record label Polyder Records, jello biafra threatend to leave the band if the move to the record label was signed. Polyder decided not to sign with the band once they found out that the band's next single was to be called 'Too Drunk to F*** -
Too Drunk to F***
The single "Too Drunk to F*** comes out, but the song caused much controversy in the UK because the song might reach top 30 on the BBC top music list, if it made the top 30, the song would require a mention on on Top of the Pops, however the song only made it to 36, so it did not get a mention -
In God We Trust INC.
The new EP named 'In God We Trust INC.' sparked much controversy for the fact that the album cover depicted a cross made of dollar bills and the album name. although the album saw the Dead Kennedys move towards a more hardcore faster sound. 1. to pay tribute to the washington D.C. Punk bands and 2. to showcase the talents of their new drummer D.H. -
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Alternative Tentacles and Touring
Alternative Tentacles was the bands record label, the Dead Kennedys took time off recording and some touring to focus more on their record label. Alternative Tentacles begun a huge following of the DIY scene and the band had a huge underground fan base. they had worked themselves up to be a political force, being able to say anything and be heard. their sound had also slightly changed with more use of a jazz sort of sound. -
Plastic Surgery Disasters
The Dead Kennedys second album Plastic Surgery Disasters. The cover photo is "Hands" by photographer Michael Wells, the photo cover shows a malnutritioned black child's hand holding a healthy white hand. The picture won the orld press award in 1980 -
Frankenchrist
Frankenchrist was released in october 1985 and sparked much controversy and a lawsuit. the album had proven a progressive change in the bands musical talent and lyrical maturity, most songs found on the album were long and slow and featured much talking and political views. -
Complaint Letter
a teenage girl purchased the album at the Wherehouse Records store in Los Angeles County. The girl's mother wrote letters of complaint to the California Attorney General and to Los Angeles prosecutors. -
Obscenity Trial
All band members and anyone who participated in the making of the album was prosecuted for distribution of harmful matter to minors. the evidence was the poster that was in the slip of the record that depicted nine copulating penises. The poster was illistration by H.R. Giger, titled "Work 219: Landscape XX" (also known as Penis Landscape). -
Breakup
In January 1986, frustrated and alienated from their own scene, the DKs decided to break up to pursue other interests. -
Last Concert
The Dead Kennedys played their last show on February 1986 In December, after Bedtime for Democracy the band announced their split. Biafra went on to speak about his political beliefs on numerous television shows and he released a number of spoken-word albums. Ray, Flouride, and Peligro also went on to solo careers. Sometime in 2001 the band would play again after numerous court cases against unpaid royalties, the band did not include Jello Biafra. -
Bedtime For Democracy
The album 'Bedtime for Democracy' clearly proved the closure to the bands carreer. with Alternative Tentacles almost bankrupt from the trial the members of the Dead Kennedys got together and recorded some songs for a final album. The artwork, depicting a defaced Statue of Liberty overrun with Nazis, media, opportunists, Klan members, corrupt government officials, and religious zombies, echoed the idea that the punk scene was no longer a safe haven for young teens interested in the punk scene. -
