The Gories

With little or no previous musical ability, Mick Collins, Dan Kroha and Peg O'Neill started playing primal rock 'n' roll inspired mainly by the Sonics in Detroit in 1987. With scads of seven-inches and two full-lengths (Houserockin' and I Know You Fine But How You Doin', released in 1989 and 1990, respectively), the Gories were arguably the most important garage rock band of their period, directly influencing Memphis garage punks the Oblivians and later the White Stripes and Detroit Cobras, to name just a few. Along with the Gibson Bros. and Thee Headcoats, they were a catalyst for a mid-'90s surge in Americana garage, with the Oblivians, Bassholes, Teengenerate and Cheater Slicks (among others) all touring and releasing music alongside one another. As for the Gories, they were the most unpolished and raw of all, marked by Mick Collins' feral soul man vocals, Danny Kroha's one-note leads and Peg's floor-tom thump. Following the stylistically confused Outta Here, they split in the early '90s, with Collins going on to countless projects (most notably the Dirtbombs, the Screws and Blacktop) while Kroha became Danny Dollrod and formed the Demolition Dollrods.