Oingo Boingo began in 1972 as The Mystic Knights Of The Oingo Boingo and was initially lead by Richard Elfman as a musical theater troupe. Richard's brother Danny Elfman took over control in 1976 and in the same year they performed on the television program The Gong Show. In 1977 Richard Elfman had the act perform the soundtrack project for his film Forbidden Zone.
In 1979 the act shortened their name to Oingo Boingo and reformulated their sound. The band featured a unique blend of styles which drew a dedicated following in the L.A. area and generally among the New Wave / Punk scene, but major commercial success remained elusive. The high point of their popularity was 1985, when their biggest hit "Dead Man's Party" was featured in Rodney Dangerfield's comedy film Back To School, together with a cameo performance by the band. Danny Elfman went onto become the preeminent film scorer of the late 20th century. The band continues to record into the mid 1990s, again shortening the act's name to merely Boingo and again shifting their sound for the final years.
After 23 years and 7 full-length studio albums, Oingo Boingo disbanded after giving a "farewell" concert at L.A.'s Universal Amphitheatre on Halloween in 1995, reverting to the name Oingo Boingo for this show.
Members:
* Danny Elfman - composer, music director, lead vocals, brass, violin, guitar, percussion, 1973-1995
* Richard Elfman - founder, director, periodic lead vocal, percussion solo, 1972-1976
* Marie-Pascale Elfman - lead vocals, dancer, comedienne, 1972-1977
* Matthew Bright - bass, 1972-1973
* Steve Bartek - guitar, vocals, percussion, horn arrangements, accordion, 1976-1995
* Johnny "Vatos" Hernandez - drums, percussion, 1978-1995
* Sam "Sluggo" Phipps - tenor & soprano saxophones, clarinet, flute, percussion, backing vocals, 1974-1995
* Leon Schneiderman - baritone & alto saxophones, flute, instrument design and construction, percussion, backing vocals, 1973-1995
* Dale Turner - trumpet, trombone, percussion, guitar, backing vocals, 1974-1995
* Bruce Fowler - trombone, 1983-1995
* John Avila - bass guitar, bass synthesizer, percussion, accordion, backing vocals, 1984-1995
* Warren Fitzgerald - guitar, 1994-1995
* Doug Lacy - accordion, percussion, 1994-1995
* Marc Mann - keyboards, samples, 1994-1995
* Ernie Fosselius - 1972
* Billy Superball - trumpet, upright & Fender bass, 1972-1974
* Gene Cunningham - 1972-1975
* Danny Stan Ayeroff - jazz guitar, 1972-1975
* William Winant - percussion, 1972-1975
* Lori Mann - accordion, lead vocals, dancer, 1972-1977
* Todd Manley - percussion, 1973-1974
* Josh Gordon - trumpet, tuba, banjar, guitar, 1973-1975
* Jon Gold - guitar, multi-instrumentalist, 1973-1976
* Jan Munroe - mime, dancer, acrobat, 1973-1976
* Miriam Cutler - clarinet, vocals, 1976-1979
* Kerry Hatch - bass guitar, vocals, bass synthesizer, percussion, backing vocals, 1979-1983
* David Eagle - drums, 1980-1981
* Richard Gibbs - keyboards, synthesizer, trombone, percussion, backing vocals, 1980-1983
* Paul Fox - synthesizers, 1984
* Michael Bacich - keyboards, backing vocals, 1984-1987
* Carl Graves - keyboards, synthesizers, backing vocals, 1988-1994
Formed
1977
Members
Danny Elfman, Bruce Fowler, Sam Phipps, Carl Graves, John Avila, Mike Bacich, Steve Bartek, Warren Fitzgerald, Richard Gibbs, Kerry Hatch, Johnny Hernandez, Doug Lacy, George McMullen, Leon Schneiderman, Dale Turner, Katurah Clarke
