Editing New York Dolls (section)

==History==
{{more citations needed|section|date=April 2024}}

=== Formation ===
[[Sylvain Sylvain]] and [[Billy Murcia]], who went to junior high school and high school together, started playing in a band called "the Pox" in 1967. After the frontman quit, Murcia and Sylvain started a clothing business called Truth and Soul and Sylvain took a job at A Different Drummer,<ref>{{cite book |title=Johnny Thunders: In Cold Blood |last=Antonia |first=Nina |year=2000 |publisher=Cherry Red Books |isbn=978-1-901447-15-6 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/johnnythundersin00anto/page/8 8,257] |url=https://archive.org/details/johnnythundersin00anto/page/8 }}</ref> a men's boutique that was across the street from the [[Irving D. Chais|New York Doll Hospital]], a doll repair shop. Sylvain said that the shop inspired the name for their future band. In 1970 they formed a band again and recruited [[Johnny Thunders]] to join on bass, though Sylvain ended up teaching him to play guitar. Although there was no official name, Thunders and Murcia had informally suggested calling themselves '''The Dolls'''. When Sylvain left the band to spend a few months in [[London]], Thunders and Murcia went their separate ways. Thunders was eventually recruited into a band by Kane and [[Rick Rivets]], who had been playing together in [[the Bronx]]. At Thunders' suggestion, Murcia replaced the original drummer. The nameless band was eventually [[retconned]] Actress. Although they played no live shows, a surfaced 1971 rehearsal tape recorded by the group was later released. <ref>{{cite web|url=https://cleorecs.com/products/the-new-york-dolls-actress-birth-of-the-new-york-dolls-lp |title=Roadrunnerrecords.com |publisher=Cleopatra Records |access-date=April 30, 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241207212143/https://cleorecs.com/products/the-new-york-dolls-actress-birth-of-the-new-york-dolls-lp |archive-date=December 7, 2024 }}</ref> By autumn, Thunders had decided that he no longer desired to be the frontman, with [[David Johansen]], a local [[blues music|blues]] [[harmonica|harmonicist]] who had came to know the band through sharing a mutual friend with Murcia, joining the band. Rick Rivets was replaced by Sylvain Sylvain after a few months who would suggest the name New York Dolls. Their first performance was on Christmas Eve 1971 at a homeless shelter, the [[Endicott Hotel]]. After getting a manager and attracting some music industry interest, they got a break when [[Rod Stewart]] invited them to open for him at a London concert.

While on a brief tour of England in 1972, Murcia was invited to a party, where he passed out from an overdose. He was put in a bathtub and force-fed coffee in an attempt to revive him.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1299&dat=19721228&id=MtpHAAAAIBAJ&pg=6321,6218523|title=The Dolls: Get It While You Can|newspaper=[[The Village Voice]]|date=December 28, 1972|page=28}}</ref> Instead, it resulted in asphyxiation. He was found dead on the morning of November 6, 1972, at the age of 21.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1299&dat=19721116&id=LNpHAAAAIBAJ&pg=4946,3284427|author=Richard Nusser|date=November 16, 1972|title=Once More, Death in Threes|newspaper=Village Voice|page=52}}</ref>

=== Record deal: 1972–1975 ===
[[File:New York Dolls - TopPop 1973 04.png|thumb|left|New York Dolls, 1973]]{{main|New York Dolls (album)|Too Much Too Soon (album)}}
Once back in New York, the Dolls auditioned drummers, including Marc Bell (who would go on to play with [[Richard Hell]], and with the [[Ramones]] under the stage name "[[Marky Ramone]]"), Peter Criscuola (better known as [[Peter Criss]], the future drummer of [[Kiss (band)|Kiss]]), and [[Jerry Nolan]], a friend of the band. They selected Nolan, and after US [[Mercury Records]]' A&R man [[Paul Nelson (critic)|Paul Nelson]] signed them, they began sessions for their debut album. In 1972, the band took on [[Marty Thau]] as manager.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/24/arts/music/marty-thau-manager-in-early-new-york-punk-scene-dies-at-75.html "Marty Thau, Manager in Early New York Punk Scene, Dies at 75"]. ''New York Times'', February 23, 2014. Ben Sisario</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Antonia|first=Nina|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AuoWbWvY3hkC&dq=I+dont+know+if+it+would+have+worked+out+without+Mike+Gormleys+input...&pg=PT78|title=Too Much, Too Soon The Makeup Breakup of The New York Dolls: Too Much Too Soon|publisher=Omnibus Press; 3rd Revised edition|year=2011|pages=73|isbn=9780857126733 }}</ref>

''[[New York Dolls (album)|New York Dolls]]'' was produced by singer-songwriter, musician and solo artist [[Todd Rundgren]]. In an interview in ''[[Creem]]'' magazine, Rundgren says he barely touched the recording; everybody was debating how to do the mix. Sales were sluggish, especially in the middle US, and a ''[[Stereo Review]]'' magazine reviewer in 1973 compared the Dolls' guitar playing to the sound of [[lawnmowers]]. America's mass rock audience's reaction to the Dolls was mixed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19740930&id=EoY0AAAAIBAJ&pg=760,4423153|author=Bill Mann|date=September 30, 1974|title=New York Dolls Music a Blast|newspaper=[[Montreal Gazette]]}}</ref> In a ''Creem'' magazine poll, they were elected both best and worst new group of 1973. The Dolls also toured Europe, and, while appearing on UK television, host [[Bob Harris (radio presenter)|Bob Harris]] of the [[BBC]]'s ''[[The Old Grey Whistle Test|Old Grey Whistle Test]]'' derided the group as "[[mock rock]]", comparing them unfavorably to the [[Rolling Stones]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/jun/14/new-york-dolls-mock-rock|author=Stevie Chick|date=June 13, 2011|title=The New York Dolls play 'mock rock' on British TV|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref>

For their next album, ''[[Too Much Too Soon (album)|Too Much Too Soon]]'', the quintet hired producer [[Shadow Morton|George "Shadow" Morton]], whose productions for the [[Shangri-Las]] and other [[girl-groups]] in the mid-1960s had been among the band's favorites.
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=== Dissolution: 1975–1976 ===

By 1975, the Dolls were playing smaller venues than they had been previously. Drug and alcohol abuse by Thunders, Nolan, and Kane, as well as artistic differences added to the tensions among members. In late February or early March, [[Malcolm McLaren]] became their informal manager. He got the band red leather outfits to wear on stage and a communist flag as backdrop ([[communist chic]]). The Dolls did a five-concert tour of New York's five boroughs, supported by [[Television (band)|Television]] and [[Pure Hell]].  The [[New York Hippodrome|Little Hippodrome]] ([[Manhattan]]) show was recorded and released by New Rose Records subsidiary Fan Club in 1984 as ''[[Red Patent Leather]]'', which was previously a bootleg album later remixed by Sylvain for official release, with former manager [[Marty Thau]] credited as executive producer. Due to Kane being unable to play that night, roadie Peter Jordan played bass, though he was credited as having played "second bass". Jordan filled in for Kane when he was unable to play numerous times, such as following a thumb injury sustained prior to the band's 1973 [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]] dates.

In March and April, McLaren took the band on a tour of [[South Carolina]] and [[Florida]]. Jordan replaced Kane for most of those shows. Thunders and Nolan left after an argument, forming [[The Heartbreakers]] with [[Richard Hell]] on April 11. Subsequently, [[Blackie Lawless]], then known by his birth name of Steven Duren, who later founded [[W.A.S.P. (band)|W.A.S.P.]], replaced Thunders for the remainder of the tour after which the band broke up.<ref name="fromthearchives.com">{{Cite web |url=http://www.fromthearchives.com/nyd/chronology.html |title=New York Dolls -Chronology- |website=FromTheArchives |access-date=September 30, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.fromthearchives.com/nyd/NYD25_Apr_75.jpg |title=Archived copy |access-date=September 30, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111013140617/http://fromthearchives.com/nyd/NYD25_Apr_75.jpg |archive-date=October 13, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://thequietus.com/articles/04059-malcolm-mclaren-obituary-by-new-york-dolls-sylvain-sylvain|title=Malcolm McLaren Obituary By New York Dolls' Sylvain Sylvain|work=The Quietus|access-date=September 30, 2017}}</ref> Following the tour's conclusion and announcement of the band's breakup on April 25, Duren and Kane moved to [[Los Angeles]] to form the short-lived band Killer Kane.<ref name="fromthearchives.com"/>

The band reformed in July for an August tour in Japan with [[Jeff Beck]] and [[Felix Pappalardi]]. Johansen, Sylvain and Jordan were joined by former [[Elephant's Memory]] keyboardist [[Chris Robison]] and drummer Tony Machine. One of the shows was documented on the album ''Tokyo Dolls Live'' (Fan Club/New Rose). The material is similar to that on ''Red Patent Leather'', but notable for a radically re-arranged "Frankenstein" and a cover of [[Big Joe Turner]]'s "Flip Flop Fly". The album is undated and has no production credit, but was issued circa 1986.

After their return to New York, the Dolls resumed playing shows in the US and Canada. Mercury dropped the Dolls on 7 October 1975, their contract with Mercury having expired on 8 August 1975<ref>''TRASH! The Complete New York Dolls'', [[Kris Needs]] & Dick Porter, [[Information Today|Plexus]] p. 126</ref> - five months after Thunders' and Nolan's departures from the band.
Their show at the [[Beacon Theatre (New York City)|Beacon Theatre]], on New Year's Eve, 1975 met with great critical acclaim. After a drunken argument with Sylvain, Robison was fired and replaced by pianist/keyboardist Bobbie Blaine formerly a member of Street Punk.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.chrisrobison.net/pages/newyorkdolls.html|title=Chris Robison New York Dolls|website=Chrisrobison.net|access-date=September 30, 2017}}</ref><ref name="fromthearchives.com"/><ref>{{cite web | url=https://fivebands.com/2016/11/04/i-was-a-teenage-street-punk-peter-rossi-nys-glitter-punk-underground-and-5-bands-you-should-know-about/ | title=I was a teenage Street Punk: Peter Rossi, NY's glitter-punk underground and 5 bands you should know about | date=November 4, 2016 }}</ref> The group toured throughout 1976, performing a set including some songs with lyrics by David Johansen that would later appear on David Johansen's solo albums including "Funky But Chic", "Frenchette" and "Wreckless Crazy". The group played its last show December 30, 1976 at Max's Kansas City; on the same bill as [[Blondie (band)|Blondie]].<ref name="fromthearchives.com"/>

=== Individual endeavors: 1975–2004 ===
Shortly after returning from Florida, Thunders and Nolan formed [[The Heartbreakers]] with bassist [[Richard Hell]], who had left Television the same week that they quit the Dolls. Thunders later pursued a solo career. He died in [[New Orleans]] on 23 April 1991, reported to be an overdose of both [[cocaine]] and [[methadone]]. An article in the ''[[Orlando Sentinel]]'' states: "[He] died of an overdose of [[cocaine]] and [[methadone]], according to the coroner's office in New Orleans. Chief investigator John Gagliano said tests completed last week found substantial amounts of both drugs."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1991-06-11-9106110457-story.html|title=AUTOPSY SHOWS THUNDERS DIED OF DOUBLE OVERDOSE|newspaper=[[The Orlando Sentinel]]|date=June 11, 1991|access-date=May 11, 2025}}</ref> It also came to light that he suffered from t-cell [[leukemia]]. Nolan died on 14 January 1992 following a [[stroke]], brought about by [[bacterial meningitis]].  In 1976, Kane and [[Blackie Lawless]] formed the Killer Kane Band in Los Angeles. Immediately after the New York Dolls' second breakup, Johansen began a solo career.  By the late 1980s, he had achieved greater commercial success under the pseudonym [[Buster Poindexter]]. Sylvain formed The Criminals, a popular band at [[CBGB]].

A posthumous New York Dolls album, ''[[Lipstick Killers]]'', made up of early demo tapes of the original Dolls (with Billy Murcia on drums), was released in a cassette-only edition on [[ROIR Records]] in 1981, and subsequently re-released on CD, and then on vinyl in early 2006. All the tracks from this title – sometimes referred to as ''The Mercer Street Sessions'' (though actually recorded at [[Blue Rock Studio]], New York) – are included on the CD ''Private World'', along with other tracks recorded elsewhere, including a previously unreleased Dolls original, "Endless Party". Three more unreleased studio tracks, including another previously unreleased Dolls original, "Lone Star Queen", are included on the ''Rock 'n' Roll'' album. The other two are covers: the "[[Courageous Cat]]" theme, from the original ''Courageous Cat'' cartoon series; and a second attempt at "Don't Mess With Cupid", a song written by [[Steve Cropper]] and [[Eddie Floyd]] for [[Otis Redding]], and first recorded independently for what was later to become the Mercer Street/Blue Rock Sessions.

Johansen formed the David Johansen Group, and released a self-titled LP in May 1978, recorded at the Bottom Line in NYC's Greenwich Village, on [[Blue Sky Records]], a label created by [[Steve Paul]], formerly of The Scene. The album featured Sylvain as a guest on the track 'Cool Metro', and the pair frequently collaborated on subsequent albums. Johansen continued to tour with his solo project and released four more albums,  ''In Style,'' 1979; ''Here Comes the Night'', 1981; ''Live it'' ''Up,'' 1982; and ''Sweet Revenge'', 1984. During the later 1980s, Johansen, ever-evolving, decided to try to liberate himself from the expectations of his New York Dolls perceived persona, and, on a whim, created the persona Buster Poindexter. The success of this act led him to be invited to appear in multiple films: ''Scrooged'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/03lrqw&hl=en-US&q=Scrooged|title=Scrooged - Google Search|website=Google.com|access-date=June 20, 2021}}</ref> ''[[Freejack]]'', and ''Let it Ride'', among others. He also formed a band called [[David Johansen and the Harry Smiths]], named after the eccentric ethnomusicologist, performing jump blues, Delta blues, and some original songs.

Sylvain signed to [[RCA Records|RCA]] and released [[Sylvain Sylvain (album)|his self-titled debut solo album]] to minor success, peaking at #123 on the [[Billboard 200]] during an eight-week chart run, and a second album under the name of ''Syl Sylvain and the Teardrops'', while also working with Johansen. Following this, he became a taxicab driver in New York, and formed the band The Criminals, releasing a third album, ''78 Criminals'' in 1985 on Fan Club Records. In the early 1990s, Sylvain moved to Los Angeles and recorded the album ''(Sleep) Baby Doll'' on Fishhead Records. His band, for that record, consisted of Brian Keats on drums, [[Dave Vanian]]'s Phantom Chords, Speediejohn Carlucci (who had played with the [[Fuzztones]]), and Olivier Le Baron on lead guitar. Guest appearances by [[Frank Infante]] of [[Blondie (band)|Blondie]] and Derwood Andrews of [[Generation X (band)|Generation X]] were also included on the record. It has been re-released as ''New York A Go Go,''.

=== Reunion, return to recording, second dissolution: 2004–2011 ===
[[File:New York Dolls (2006).jpg|thumb|The New York Dolls in 2006]]

[[Morrissey]], having been a longtime fan of the band and head of their 1970s UK fan club, organized a reunion of the three surviving members of the band's classic line-up (Johansen, Sylvain and Kane) for the [[Meltdown Festival]] in London on June 16, 2004. The reunion led to a live LP and DVD on Morrissey's Attack label, as well as a documentary film, ''[[New York Doll]]'', on the life of Arthur Kane. However, future plans for the Dolls were affected by Kane's sudden death from leukemia just weeks later on July 13, 2004. Yet the following month the band appeared at [[Little Steven]]'s Underground Garage Festival on August 14 in New York City before returning to the UK to play several more festivals through the remainder of 2004.<ref name="Erlewine"/>

In July 2005, the two surviving members announced a tour and a new album entitled ''[[One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This (album)|One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This]].'' Released on July 25, 2006, the album featured guitarist [[Steve Conte]], bassist [[Sami Yaffa]] (ex-[[Hanoi Rocks]]), drummer Brian Delaney and keyboardist [[Brian Koonin]], formerly a member of David Johansen and the Harry Smiths.  On July 20, 2006, the New York Dolls appeared on ''[[Late Night with Conan O'Brien]],'' followed by a live performance in Philadelphia at the WXPN All About The Music Festival, and on July 22, 2006, a taped appearance on ''[[The Henry Rollins Show]]''. On August 18, 2006, the band performed in a free concert at New York's Seaport Music.

In October 2006, the band embarked on a UK tour, with Sylvain taking time while in Glasgow to speak to John Kilbride of STV. The discussion covered the band's history and the current state of their live show and songwriting, with Sylvain commenting that "even if you come to our show thinking 'how can it be like it was before,' we turn that around 'cos we've got such a great live rock 'n roll show".<ref>[http://www.stv.tv/out/showArticle.jsp?source=opencms&articleId=/out/music/latestnews/Interview_x_New_York_Dolls] {{dead link|date=September 2019}}</ref> In November 2006, the Dolls began headlining "[[Underground Garage|Little Steven's Underground Garage]] Presents the Rolling Rock and Roll Show," about 20 live gigs with numerous other bands. In April 2007, the band played in Australia and New Zealand, appearing at the [[V Festival (Australia)|V Festival]] with [[Pixies (band)|Pixies]], [[Pet Shop Boys]], [[Gnarls Barkley]], [[Beck]], [[Jarvis Cocker]] and [[Phoenix (French band)|Phoenix]].

On September 22, 2007, the New York Dolls were removed from the current artists section of Roadrunner Records' website, signifying the group's split with the label. The band played the [[O2 Wireless Festival]] in [[Hyde Park, London]] on July 4, 2008, with Morrissey and Beck and the [[Lounge On The Farm]] Festival on July 12, 2008. On November 14, 2008, it was announced that the producer of their first album, Todd Rundgren, would be producing a new album, which would be followed by a world tour. The finishing touches on the album were made in Rundgren's studio on the island of Kauai.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/BLABBERMOUTH.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=113040 |title=Roadrunnerrecords.com |publisher=Roadrunnerrecords.com |access-date=July 15, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090224102733/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=113040 |archive-date=February 24, 2009 }}</ref> The album, ''[[Cause I Sez So]]'', was released on May 5, 2009 on [[Atco Records]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nydolls.org/news.php?ID=64|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100613101409/http://www.nydolls.org/news.php?ID=64|url-status=dead|title=Nydolls.org|archive-date=June 13, 2010}}</ref>

[[Image:New York Dolls.jpg|thumb|right|The New York Dolls, performing at the [[Burlington Sound of Music]] festival in 2010.]]
The band played at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas on March 21, 2009, and a show at London's 100 Club on May 14, 2009 supported by [[Spizzenergi]].
On March 18, 2010, the band announced another two concert dates at [[Koko (venue)|KOKO]] in Camden, London and the Academy in Dublin on April 20. In December 2010, it was announced the band would release their fifth album which had been recorded in Newcastle upon Tyne.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shakenstir.co.uk/index.php/interviews/new-york-dolls-interview/interviews/22679/ |title=New York Dolls Interview |publisher=Shakenstir |access-date=January 28, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020014307/http://www.shakenstir.co.uk/index.php/interviews/new-york-dolls-interview/interviews/22679/ |archive-date=October 20, 2013 }}</ref> The album, ''[[Dancing Backward in High Heels]]'', featuring new guitarist Frank Infante (formerly of Blondie) was released on March 15, 2011.<ref name="consequence.net">{{cite web |author=mitchopolis |url=http://consequence.net/2010/12/10/new-york-dolls-prep-release-of-fifth-album-dancing-backward-in-high-heels/ |title=New York Dolls announce new album, Dancing Backward in High Heels " Consequence of Sound |publisher=Consequence.net |date=December 10, 2010 |access-date=July 15, 2011 |archive-date=December 13, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101213202526/http://consequence.net/2010/12/10/new-york-dolls-prep-release-of-fifth-album-dancing-backward-in-high-heels/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On March 1, 2011, it was announced the New York Dolls would be the opening act for a summer tour featuring [[Mötley Crüe]] and [[Poison (American band)|Poison]]. They announced a new lineup for the tour, featuring guitarist [[Earl Slick]], who held previous stints with [[David Bowie]] and [[John Lennon]], bassist [[Kenny Aaronson]], who had toured with [[Bob Dylan]], and drummer [[Jason Sutter]], formerly of [[Foreigner (band)|Foreigner]].

Between late March and October 2011, the band  undertook the "Dancing Backward in High Heels World Tour". This included dates in England, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France, Spain and Australia. In the last week of October four additional gigs – billed as "Halloween Night Of Fear – were  played in the UK, concluding at the [[Clyde Auditorium]], Glasgow on October 31.

In a 2016 interview, Earl Slick confirmed that the New York Dolls had again split. "Oh, yeah, it's long gone. There was no point in doing it anymore and it was kinda spent. You know, David really does enjoy the [[David Johansen#Buster Poindexter|Buster]] thing. He's so good at it. I've seen him do it a couple of times this last year, and man! He's got it down, you know."<ref name="getintothis.co.uk"/>

Sylvain Sylvain died on January 13, 2021, at age 69.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.loudersound.com/news/new-york-dolls-guitarist-sylvain-sylvain-dead-at-69 |title=New York Dolls guitarist Sylvain Sylvain dead at 69 |date=January 14, 2021 |newspaper=LouderSound |access-date=January 14, 2021}}</ref>

David Johansen's family announced in February 2025 that he was battling stage four cancer, a brain tumor and a broken back. Johansen died at the age of 75 on February 28, 2025. He was the last surviving member of both the original band lineup and the "classic" lineup on the two Mercury Records albums..<ref>{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/2025/music/news/david-johansen-dead-new-york-dolls-1236324334/?fbclid=IwY2xjawIwDY5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHbUqEflSdsI9Cu8Y1VoOgx0ncAimRwRJgb58uk2NiQBH6m_hvzUp0AgzPg_aem_O8Atxe-po5BGrKuPU7NrUg|title=David Johansen, New York Dolls Frontman, Dies at 75 |date=March 1, 2025 |newspaper=LouderSound |access-date=March 1, 2025}}</ref>