Like the 13th Floor Elevators in the 60s and the New York Dolls in the early 70s, this US punk band was swiftly surrounded in a cloak of mythology and cult appeal. Long after their demise (they played their last live gig in 1983), their obscure US-only records were fetching large sums of money in collecting circles, among those fascinated by the band's spine-chilling mix of horror-movie imagery and hardcore. The Misfits were formed in New Jersey, New York, in 1977 by Jerry Only (bass) and Glenn Danzig (b. Glenn Allen Anzalone, 23 June 1955, Lodi, New Jersey, USA; vocals) and, like many aspiring new wave acts, played in venues such as CBGB's, adding guitarist Bobby Steele and drummer Joey Image. Later that year, "Cough Cool" became their first single on their own Plan 9 label. A four-track EP, Bullet (in a sleeve showing John F. Kennedy's assassination), was recorded before their debut album, and was followed by "Horror Business". A third single, "Night Of The Living Dead', surfaced in 1979, the reference to the classic George A. Romero movie revealing the Misfits" continued fascination with blood-and-guts horror. Then came an EP, Three Hits From Hell, recorded in 1980, but not issued until the following April, and a seasonal October single, "Halloween". Having lost Steele to the Undead, replaced by Jerry's brother Doyle, Googy (aka Eerie Von) stepped in on drums during a European tour with the Damned as Image's narcotic problems worsened. The Misfits rounded off 1981 by recording the seven-track mini-album Evilive, originally sold through the band's Fiend fan club, which also secured a German 12-inch release.
The band's only original UK release was a 12-inch EP, Beware. Other Misfits releases included several patchy albums that failed to capture their live impact: 1982's Walk Among Us, Earth A.D. (aka Wolfsblood) and the posthumous brace, Legacy Of Brutality and Misfits. Danzig issued his first solo single in 1981, "Who Killed Marilyn?", later forming Samhain with Misfits drummer Eerie Von. He was subsequently venerated in heavy metal magazines in the late 80s as his eponymous Danzig vehicle gained ground. The other Misfits mainstays, brothers Jerry and Doyle, formed the hapless Kryst The Conqueror, who released one five-song EP with the help of Skid Row guitarist David Sabo. An ambitious 4-CD set was issued in 1996 in the shape of a coffin, and the following year the band re-formed, with Danzig replaced by Michale Graves, releasing an album for Geffen Records. Two years later they signed with Roadrunner Records.
