History
Girl were formed in 1979 by vocalist Phil Lewis, guitarists Phil Collen and Gerry Laffy, bassist Mark Megary, and drummer Dave Gaynor. Collen had previously been in the bands Lucy, Tush, and Dumb Blondes. Girl were first discovered and managed by Jon Lindsay who was looking for bands for former manager of The Who, Kit Lambert for a proposed new record label. Lindsay and Girl separated over managerial decisions when the band wanted to sign a recording deal with Don Arden instead of a recording contract negotiated by Lindsay with music figure Simon Napier-Bell's Nomis Publishing.
The band were signed by Jet Records, releasing two singles prior to their debut album Sheer Greed (1980), which reached number 33 in the UK Albums Chart. The band's profile was raised by tours with the Pat Travers Band and UFO, in the midst of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal explosion. Girl recorded a pre-L.A. Guns version of the song "Hollywood Tease", which peaked at No. 50 in the UK Singles Chart in April 1980.
Gaynor left in 1981, to be replaced by former Gillan/Broken Home drummer Pete Barnacle. Their second album Wasted Youth was released in 1982 and reached number 92 in the UK. Pete Bonas replaced Phil Collen, who left to join Def Leppard, though the band broke up soon after.
Girl still have six albums available through Sanctuary Records (previously released by Don Arden's Jet Records): Sheer Greed, Wasted Youth, Killing Time, Live At The Marquee, Live At The Exposition Hall, Osaka, Japan, the 37 track anthology My Number: The Anthology, Bootleg - Live in Tokyo 1980 and Girl-Sheer Greed-Gerry Laffy - The Rare DVD Collection.
After the band dissolution, Phil Lewis joined The London Cowboys, then Airrace, and in 1987 L.A. Guns. Lewis also sang with New Torpedos, Torme, Filthy Lucre, and The Liberators.
Gerry Laffy, Simon Laffy, and Pete Barnacle went on to play in Sheer Greed, which also featured guest appearances from both Lewis and Collen. Sheer Greed also recorded two versions of "Hollywood Tease", one recorded in studio for the album Sublime to the Ridiculous and another live for Live in London.
Collen and Simon Laffy are currently in a band called Man Raze, along with former Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook, though Collen is still also in Def Leppard.
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