
Eugene Chadbourne (born January 4, 1954) is an American banjoist, guitarist and music critic.
Chadbourne was born in Mount Vernon, New York, but grew up in Boulder, Colorado. He started playing guitar when he was eleven or twelve, inspired by the Beatles and hoping to get the attention of girls. Although he was drawn to Jimi Hendrix and played in a garage band, he found rock and pop music too conventional. He gravitated to the avant-garde jazz of Anthony Braxton and Derek Bailey. Braxton persuaded Chadbourne to abandon his intention to enter journalism and instead pursue music.
During the early 1970s, he lived in Canada to avoid military service in the Vietnam War. Returning to the United States, he moved to New York City in the mid 1970s and played free improvisation with Henry Kaiser and John Zorn. Around this time, he released his first album, Solo Acoustic Guitar. In the early 1980s, he led the avant-rock band Shockabilly with Mark Kramer and David Licht.
Chadbourne explored other genres, playing with a Cajun band and a Russian folk band at a festival in Winnipeg. He mixed country, Western, and improvisation in the band LSD C&W. For many years he was in a duo with Jimmy Carl Black, who played drums for Frank Zappa. He has also worked with Han Bennink, Fred Frith, Elliott Sharp, and Charles Tyler.
Links to Peel[]
Peel was keen on the Shockabilly group, which Eugene was a member off. After the group split, Peel kept his interest in Eugene's music career and would play his songs on his radio programmes in the 80's. On his 22 June 1987 show, Peel mentioned that Eugene's Vermin Of The Blues album was currently one of his favourite albums. However, after the 80's, Peel seemed to have lost interest in the musician, except in 1991, where he played a track ('Der Fuehrer's Face') from the 1986 album, 'Corpses Of Foreign War', and in 1997, where he played a song ('She's About A Mover') from his latest album, 'Psychad'.
Shows Played[]
- 1986
- 28 July 1986: Why Kids Go To School (LP - Corpses Of Foreign War) Fundamental (Peel initially plays The Mayor's New Law before correcting the track)
- 30 July 1986: Feel Like I'm Fixin' To Die (LP - Corpses Of Foreign War) Fundamental
- 02 August 1986 (BFBS): 'Why Kids Go To School (LP-Corpses Of Foreign War)' (Fundamental)
- 19 August 1986: Cops Of The World / Nicaragua (LP - Corpses Of Foreign War) Fundamental
- 04 March 1987: Window Shopping (LP - There'll Be No Tears Tonight) Fundamental
- 09 June 1987: 'We Tried To Make A Record, But We Couldn't Get It Together (LP-Vermin Of The Blues)' (Fundamental)
- 10 June 1987: 'God Made Country Music For Good People Like Y'All (LP-Vermin Of The Blues)' (Fundamental)
- 16 June 1987: Psychotic Reaction (LP - Vermin Of The Blues) Fundamental
- 17 June 1987: Rebel Rouser Version 5,678 (LP - Vermin Of The Blues) Fundamental
- 17 June 1987: I Hate The Man Who Runs This Bar (LP - Vermin Of The Blues) Fundamental
- 17 June 1987 (Rockradio): God Made Country Music For Good People Like Y'all (album - Vermin Of The Blues) Fundamental
- 19 June 1987 (BFBS): We Tried To Make A Record But We Couldn't Get It Together (album - Vermin Of The Blues) Fundamental
- 23 June 1987: Bo Diddley Is A Communist (LP - Vermin Of The Blues) Fundamental
- 26 June 1987 (BFBS): 'I Hate The Man Who Runs This Bar (LP-Vermin Of The Blues)' (Fundamental)
- 01 July 1987: We Tried To Make A Record But We Couldn't Get It Together (LP - Vermin Of The Blues) Fudamental
- 03 July 1987 (BFBS): 'Psychotic Reaction (LP-Vermin Of The Blues)' (Fundamental)
- 08 July 1987: Psychotic Reaction (LP - Vermin Of The Blues) Fundamental
- 10 July 1987 (Radio Bremen): We Tried To Make A Record But We Couldn't Get It Together (album - Vermin Of The Blues) Fundamental
- 17 July 1987 (Radio Bremen): Psychotic Reaction (album - Vermin Of The Blues) Fundamental
- 20 July 1987: My Mother's Eyes (LP - Vermin Of The Blues) Fundamental
- 1989
- 17 May 1989: You Still Live With Mom And Dad (album - I've Been Everywhere) Fundamental
- 18 May 1989: Used Record Pile (album - The Eddie Chatterbox Double Trio Love Album) Fundamental
- 24 May 1989: Someday (album - The Eddie Chatterbox Double Trio Love Album) Fundamental
- 30 May 1989 (Radio Bremen): Used Record Pile (album - The Eddie Chatterbox Double Trio Love Album) Fundamental
- 03 July 1989: The Liar Song (LP - I've Been Everywhere) Fundamental
- 31 July 1989: Used Record Pile (LP - The Eddie Chatterbox Double Trio Love Album) Fundamental
- 1991
- 13 July 1991: Der Fuehrer's Face (LP - Corpses Of Foreign War) Fundamental
- 1997
- 27 May 1997: She's About A Mover (LP - Psychad) Swamp Room