The legendary and influential punk/alternative quartet Social Distortion was formed in 1979 in Fullerton, California by frontman Mike Ness and then-guitarist Dennis Danell. The band underwent line-up changes before releasing their first album, Mommy's Little Monster, in 1982. During that year, Social Distortion embarked on their first national tour with fellow punk band Youth Brigade - a trip chronicled in the celebrated punk rockumentary, Another State of Mind.Social Distortion disappeared for a while before releasing their second album, Prison Bound, in 1988, which would be their first recording with the classic line-up of Ness, Danell and newcomers John Maurer on bass and Christopher Reece on drums. In 1989, the band signed a deal with Epic Records and recorded their highly successful third album, which is self-titled, containing their popular hits "Story of My Life" and "Ball and Chain" as well as the Johnny Cash cover "Ring of Fire".The band disappeared again after the release of their fourth album, 1992's Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell, and Reece left Social Distortion in 1993. After auditions were held to play drums in the band, former D.O.A./Danzig drummer Chuck Biscuits joined Social Distortion to record their next album, White Light, White Heat, White Trash, in 1996, which would be their last release on Epic Records.In 1999, while Social Distortion wasn't touring, Ness went solo, releasing two albums, Cheating at Solitaire and Under the Influences, in the same year. Although some of Social Distortion's songs paid homage to country music artists, Cheating at Solitaire was an unalloyed expression of Ness's country influences. His second solo album, Under the Influences, contains country covers.Before the band could work on their sixth album, Danell passed away on February 29, 2000 in his Newport Beach home after apparently suffering a brain aneurysm, leaving Ness as the only remaining original member of the band. He was replaced by current guitarist Jonny Wickersham. Biscuits also left during that time, and was replaced by Charlie Quintana.Following Danell's death, Social Distortion continued touring on and their sixth album, now-titled Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll, was released on September 28, 2004. After it was completed, Maurer quit the band and was briefly replaced by Rancid's Matt Freeman. Months later, Freeman was replaced by current bassist Brent Harding, who was also part of Ness' solo tour. In April 2009, Quintana annoucned that he was leaving the band to explore other musical opportunities. He's replaced by Angels & Airwaves drummer Adam "Atom" Willard, formerly of Rocket From The Crypt and The Offspring.It is rumored that the band has returned to the studio working on a new album that is due out sometime in 2009.
The band has remained silent three times and once broke up in 1985, due to seperate interests. However, they reformed around 1987 and have continued being active today, especially after longtime guitarist Dennis Danell passed away from an apparent brain aneurysm in 2000. Since their inception the band lineup has been a virtual revolving-door of talent, with many members coming and going; however, Ness has remained.
So far, Social Distortion released six full-length studio albums, one live album, one greatest hits compilation and two DVDs. Their last album, Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll, came out on September 28, 2004 and is their first release with current guitarist Jonny "2 Bags" Wickersham, who is Danell's replacement. The band recently made plans to return to the studio to record their seventh album, which is due for release sometime in 2009.
Update: 04/07/2010
In a 02/13/2010 interview, lead singer Mike Ness says the self-produced, still-untitled album, which he hopes to release before the end of the year [2010], will feature the classic Social Distortion sound.
From Wikipedia:Social Distortion (sometimes referred to simply as Social D or SxDx) is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. The band currently consists of Mike Ness (vocals, guitars), Jonny Wickersham (guitars), Brent Harding (bass) and David Hidalgo, Jr. (drums).
Social Distortion temporarily disbanded in 1985, due to frontman Ness' drug addiction and troubles with the law, which resulted in extended stints in various rehabilitation centers, that lasted for two years. However, the band reformed around 1986 and have continued being active today, even after the death of longtime guitarist Dennis Danell, who succumbed to a brain aneurysm in 2000. Since its inception the band lineup has been a virtual revolving-door of talent, with many members coming and going - Ness has been the only constant member.
To date, Social Distortion has released six full-length studio albums, two compilations, one live album and two DVDs. The band released its debut album Mommy's Little Monster in 1983, which was quite popular in the United States. Social Distortion did not release a second album, Prison Bound, until 1988. That album attracted the attention of Epic Records, who signed the band in 1989 and issued their highly successful self-titled third album a year later, which peaked at number 128 on the Billboard 200, and featured their well-known hit singles "Ball and Chain", "Story of My Life" and the cover of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire." The next two albums, Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell and White Light, White Heat, White Trash were also well-received but not as successful as the self-titled album. Social Distortion released their most recent studio album, Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll, on September 28, 2004. The band also released their first Greatest Hits compilation on June 26, 2007. As of July 2010, Social Distortion has completed a seventh studio album, Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes, which should be released this November.