History & Achievements
The band soon began to explore their influences, which spanned musically from 1920s jazz onwards, through 50s rockabilly, to just about any type of music with a sinister or stylish feel to it. They are the creators of and claim to be the world's leading exponents of "Voodoo Jive".
The Phantom Cowboys soon gained attention for their darkly humorous and cleverly written rockabilly-based tunes, as well as for their idiosyncratic look. The band wore Victorian evening dress both on and off stage, and constantly indulged in macabre jokes in their songs and stage act.
In early 1998 the band had three tracks from their demo back-catalogue (Desert Nights, The Reaper and The Fear Is Real) released on a CD compilation, The Devil's Jukebox, on the Bone Tone Corporation label. The Fear Is Real also found its way onto a cover-mounted CD free with Totally Wired magazine.
In the summer of 1998, The Phantom Cowboys, tired of the reticence of other labels to put out a bigger release by the band, decided to produce their own CD album, Down and out at the Club Cruella on their own Diogenes Records. It featured new original material such as the eponymous Club Cruella, and re-recorded versions of The Fear is Real and Desert Nights. The album also features two popular Phantom Cowboys tracks from their classic earlier sessions: Surfers In The Night and live favourite Robbing Graves. Down and out at The Club Cruella was released in November 1998.
In 1999 The Phantom Cowboys contributed tracks to two compilation CDs, Black Jacket Racket Vol.2, and the cult hit Gothabilly on US label Skully Records. Following this, the band went into hiatus as the members all pursued their own interests and careers.
In 2006, Cherry Red Records included Voodoo Bunnies on Deathrow: The Chronicles of Psychobilly, a retrospective CD of the leading psychobilly bands of the 1990s as featured in the magazine, Deathrow Database.
Club Cruella will be available for download in 2007 from Nervous Records.
Read more about this topic: The Phantom Cowboys
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