Vincent Gallo

Vincent Gallo may be best known as an actor in such cult movies as Buffalo 66 (for which he also served as director and writer), but he's also issued several albums over the years, both as a solo artist and as a member of such obscure outfits as Bohack. Born on April 11, 1962, in Buffalo, NY, Gallo began playing guitar in garage bands during the early '70s, during which time he developed an appreciation of both prog rock and proto-punk bands. Gallo did time in such obscure Buffalo-based outfits as the Blue Mood, Zephyr (no relation to the late-'60s rock band of the same name), and the Plastics, before relocating to New York City at the age of 16, and forming a group with soon-to-be renowned artist Jean Michel Basquiat called Gray. Although the group played regularly at such N.Y.C. hot spots as Max's Kansas City, CBGB's, Hurrahs, and the Mudd Club, the group split up before any recordings could be made. Gallo found himself as part of such further outfits during the early '80s, including the one-man band the Nonsexuals, the rap duo Trouble DeuceUpon the group's split-up shortly thereafter, Gallo turned his back on a musical career, and focused primarily on acting in movies; landing steady work as either an actor, director, or composer. After including several of his own original compositions on 1998's Buffalo 66 soundtrack, Gallo decided to give a musical career another shot, forming the group Bunny with guitarist Lucas Haas. Despite a successful Japanese tour and a debut album completed for Sony (with renowned Yes producer Eddie Offord overseeing the recording), the group split up, resulting in the shelving of the debut's release. After relocating to Los Angeles, Gallo began laying down solo demos at his home recording studio, which attracted the attention of Warp Records. The early 21st century saw the release of such critically acclaimed solo Gallo full-lengths as 2001's When and 2002's Recordings of Music for Film.