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The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion was an American three-piece rock band from New York City, formed in 1991. The group consisted of Judah Bauer on guitar, backing vocals, harmonica and occasional lead vocals; Russell Simins on drums; and Jon Spencer on vocals, guitar and theremin. Their musical style is largely rooted in rock and roll; however, the band draws influences from punk, blues, garage, rockabilly, soul, noise rock, rhythm and blues and hip-hop.

The band released nine official studio albums, as well as collaborative records with Dub Narcotic Sound System and R.L. Burnside and numerous live, singles, out-take albums, compilations, remix albums. In 2010, the band released a series of expanded reissues. Throughout the course of their career, this experimental sound and occasionally unconventional recording techniques has allowed the band to work with such artists as Elliott Smith, Beck, Solomon Burke, Steve Albini, Martina Topley-Bird, and Mike D of the Beastie Boys.

History

Formation

Originally from Hanover, New Hampshire, US, Jon Spencer attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he was part of the noise rock band Shithaus, with Tod Ashley (Cop Shoot Cop, Firewater). Spencer moved to Washington, D.C., in 1985, where he formed the band Pussy Galore with Julia Cafritz; they relocated to New York in May 1986. Spencer played and recorded with Gibson Bros., Boss Hog and The Honeymoon Killers prior to the formation of the Blues Explosion.

Judah Bauer, from Appleton, Wisconsin, had been in an early line-up of The Spitters, and with Russell Simins, from Queens, New York, recorded as part of Crowbar Massage.

It was with Jerry Teel's Honeymoon Killers that Bauer, Simins and Spencer would all perform and record and from which they would go on to form The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.

The sound of The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion was informed by previous bands with influence taken from working with the Gibson Bros. which was already evident in the last Pussy Galore album. "That final Pussy Galore album exuded a very Gibson Brothers-bent version of what was to come with Spencer's next, more successful venture the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion."

They were signed to the large independent label Matador Records between 1993 and 2002 in the US, Crypt Records between 1992 and 1994 in Germany and Mute Records between 1996 and 2005 in the UK although they have released material on a number of different labels including the 2010 reissues on Shout Factory in the US and Shove Records in the UK.

First albums (1991–1992)

The band had been playing together for six months when they had their first recording session with Kramer at Noise NY in July 1991 and recorded fourteen songs over the course of three hours, "only doing second takes here and there, we didn't even go to the mixing board". This session was issued in its entirety as a bootleg album, A Reverse Willie Horton at some point between late 1991 and early 1992 in an edition of 500 or 1000 copies (the figure varies between sources). It has been suggested that the source of the bootleg was a cassette that Jon Spencer let somebody copy during a tour with the Gibson Bros. in August 1991. The front cover image on the album is a negative of Clarence Thomas, his wife, and George Bush at Thomas' swearing in ceremony for the Supreme Court on October 19, 1991.The title refers to the convicted felon William R. Horton who featured prominently in political advertisements during the 1988 presidential campaign.

A second session was recorded by Steve Albini at the Waterfront, Hoboken, New Jersey, in November/December 1991. Tracks from both the Kramer and Albini sessions were then officially issued on the Caroline (US) / Hut (UK) release The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion; in larger amounts by Crypt Records as Crypt Style; and in an alternate version of Crypt Style by 1 + 2 Records (Japan), including the track "Colty" which was unavailable elsewhere until 2010. This was the only Blues Explosion album to be issued by Caroline Records, and the band's tenure there was short-lived and acrimonious.

The first single release was "Shirt Jac" on In The Red Records (1992) also from the second recording session with Steve Albini. The b-side is an arrangement of "Latch On," a song previously recorded in 1956 by both the Cochran Brothers and Ron Hargrave.

In late 1992 Jon Spencer Blues Explosion embarked on a long tour in the US supporting the Jesus Lizard. It has been said that during this time Jon Spencer's stage persona evolved into what is now synonymous with a Blues Explosion live performance.

Extra Width (1993–1994)

The band signed with Matador Records. Recording sessions for their second album, Extra Width, took place in Memphis at Doug Easley's studio on November 23/24 and December 3, 1992, during the Jesus Lizard tour and at Waterworks Recording in New York with Jim Waters where all further overdubs and mixing was done.