Editing Tonio K (section)

== Recording and performing artist ==
As a teenager, Krikorian, along with friends Alan Shapazian, Steve Olson, Nick van Maarth, and Duane Scott, formed a surf-funk/psychedelic-punk band called The Raik's Progress, which recorded a single for Liberty Records, released in 1966. Known for their Dadaist-inspired between-song routines, one reviewer described their performance while opening for [[Buffalo Springfield]] at San Francisco's [[The Fillmore|Fillmore]] Auditorium as being like "the [[Three Stooges]] playing strip poker with [[Iggy and the Stooges]]." A full-length album by the band, ''Sewer Rat Love Chant,'' was eventually issued on Sundazed Records in 2003.

In the early 1970s, Krikorian recorded two albums with [[Buddy Holly]]'s original band, [[The Crickets]]. The group consisted of founding members [[Jerry Allison|J.I. Allison]] and [[Sonny Curtis]], plus [[Rick Grech]] ([[Blind Faith]], [[Traffic (band)|Traffic]]) and [[Albert Lee]] ([[Heads, Hands and Feet]], [[Eric Clapton]]) and the Raik's Nick van Maarth who would later join California rock ensemble [[Wha-Koo]]. ''Remnants'' (1973) and ''A Long Way from Lubbock'' (1974) were produced by long-time Holly and Cricket cohort, [[Bob Montgomery (musician)|Bob Montgomery]]. In 2004, Krikorian reunited with the Crickets for a track on their star-studded ([[Eric Clapton]], [[Graham Nash]], [[Phil Everly]]) album, ''The Crickets and Their Buddies,'' singing lead on the Holly classic, "Not Fade Away."

In 1978, Krikorian went solo with ''Life in the Foodchain'' on [[Irving Azoff]]'s [[Full Moon Records|Full Moon]]/Epic label. Adopting the moniker Tonio K., a reference to the writings of [[Kafka]] and [[Thomas Mann]], he was hailed as America's answer to Britain's [[Angry Young Men]] ([[Elvis Costello]], [[Joe Jackson (manager)|Joe Jackson]], [[Graham Parker]]) and the "funniest serious songwriter in America." The record was produced by Rob Fraboni ([[The Band]], [[Bob Dylan]], [[Joe Cocker]]) and featured a supporting cast that included [[Earl Slick]], [[Garth Hudson]], [[Dick Dale]] and [[Albert Lee]]. It was also the first Pop/Rock record to feature the percussive sounds of an [[AK 47|AK-47]] firing live ammunition. The album debuted on L.A. radio station [[KROQ]] and garnered much critical acclaim. Steve Simels at ''[[Stereo Review]]'' proclaimed it "the greatest album ever recorded" which helped establish K. as an artist to watch.

K.'s follow-up album, ''Amerika'', was released in 1980 via Clive Davis's Arista Records. Filled with literary and political references, the album was hailed as "Punk for academics" and once again pronounced by Simels to be "the greatest record ever recorded" (as was every ensuing Tonio K. disc).

After a move to Capitol Records in 1982, K. recorded a five-song 12-inch EP "La Bomba," a live-in-the-studio album produced by Carter (Motels, Tina Turner, Paula Cole). Recorded in the famous Capitol Studio B, it featured K.'s touring band: George “Geo” Conner (guitar), Alfredo Acosta Alwag (drums), and Enrique “Eric” Gotthelf (bass). The song "Mars Needs Women" also appears on this EP.

Tonio next released ''Romeo Unchained'' on What?/A&M Records. Hailed by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as “the best Bob Dylan album since Dylan himself lost interest in the Pop song form,” the album landed on numerous critics’ Top 10 Albums of the Year lists. Recorded during 1985 and 1986, it was produced, variously, by Rick Neigher, Bob Rose ([[Julian Lennon]]) and [[T Bone Burnett]] ([[Counting Crows]], [[The Wallflowers|Wallflowers]], [[Robert Plant]] & [[Alison Krauss]]). The musicians on these recordings included Neigher (on many instruments), Rose, Burnett, Peter Banks ([[Yes (band)|Yes]]), David Mansfield, David Miner, David Raven, Tim Pierce, [[Tim Chandler]], and [[Rob Watson (musician)|Rob Watson]].
''Notes From The Lost Civilization,'' again on What?/A&M, followed in 1988. It was concurrently released on the Word label, a gospel/Christian music subsidiary of A&M; the Word version of the release did not include the song "What Women Want"<ref>Unofficial Tonio K fan club web site (Martin Stillone), accessed June 30, 2010</ref>(presumably for the lyric " . . . they want sex, yeah that's true" although the point of the song is that women want love). Produced by Tonio K. and [[David Miner (musician)|David Miner]], with [[T Bone Burnett]] serving as Executive Producer, the all-star cast of supporting musicians included Burnett, [[Booker T Jones|Booker T. Jones]] on [[Hammond b3|Hammond B-3]], [[Jim Keltner]], Raymond Pounds and [[Alex Acuña]] on drums and percussion, [[James Jamerson|James Jamerson, Jr.]] and [[David Miner (musician)|David Miner]] on bass, and [[Charlie Sexton]] and [[Jack Sherman (guitarist)|Jack Sherman]] on additional guitars. The video for the single, "Without Love," marked Tonio's first airplay on MTV.

''Olé'' was Tonio K.'s final record for A&M. Recorded in 1989 and 1990, it didn't see release until 1997 on Gadfly Records. (The reasons for this are well documented in the liner notes to the CD.) It was produced by [[T Bone Burnett]] and [[David Miner (musician)|David Miner]] with a core band consisting of Marc Ribot, [[Booker T Jones|Booker T. Jones]], David Raven and Bruce Thomas ([[The Attractions|Attractions]]). Additional guitarists included Jack Sherman, Charlie Sexton, Rusty Anderson, [[Los Lobos]]' David Hidalgo and [[The Replacements (band)|The Replacements]]' Paul Westerberg. Although ''Olé'' was K.'s last major label recording, several other compilation and live CDs have been issued (see discography below).