Greg Cartwright

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Greg Cartwright
Background information
Also known as	Greg Oblivian
Born	1970, Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Genre(s)	Garage rock, Garage punk, R&B
Occupation(s)	singer songwriter
Instrument(s)	vocals guitar drums
Years active	1990 — Present
Label(s)	Crypt Records Goner Records Sympathy for the Record Industry Norton Records
Associated acts	Compulsive Gamblers Oblivians Greg Oblivian & the Tip Tops Reigning Sound

'Greg Cartwright', also known by his stage name Greg Oblivian, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist from Memphis, Tennessee. He was a founding member of the Memphis garage-bands The Compulsive Gamblers, The Oblivians, Greg Oblivian & the Tip Tops, and for a time, served as an impromptu drummer for '68 Comeback. [1] He currently performs with Reigning Sound based in Asheville, North Carolina.

[edit] Biography

[edit] Compulsive Gamblers

Cartwright first came to prominence in the Memphis garage-rock outfit "The Painkillers" with fellow Memphis native Jack Yarber. After the addition of keyboardist Philip "Flipper" Tubb, drummer Rod "Bushrod" Thomas, and fiddler Greg Easterly, the new lineup was rechristened "The Compulsive Gamblers" and work began on their first four-song EP, Joker, which was recorded in 1991 in a friend's kitchen. The album was released a year later, and was followed by two further disks, Church Goin' and Goodtime Gamblers. By 1995, after the relocation of Thomas and Easterly to New Orleans, the band was finding it difficult to stay together and was forced to split up. Their recordings were compiled in LP format under the title Gambling Days are Over, released in 1995 by Sympathy for the Record Industry. [2]

[edit] Oblivians

Cartwright's next band, again with Yarber, and with the addition of Eric Friedl, was the garage-rock outfit, The Oblivians. Formed in 1993 out of the ashes of the Compulsive Gamblers, the Oblivians took a more primitive, punk-influenced approach to rock and roll. Each member served as singer, guitarist, and drummer, switching between instruments and vocal duties during performances. In 1995 the band released its first album, Soul Food. This was followed in 1996 by Sympathy Sessions, a compilation album featuring a collection of songs recorded with Doug Easley for the record label Sympathy for the Record Industry. [3] The Oblivians released their second album, Popular Favorites, in 1996, and their third and final album, ...Play 9 Songs with Mr Quintron, in 1997.

[edit] Reformation of the Gamblers

After the breakup of the Oblivians, Cartwright released his first solo album, 1997's Head Shop, as Greg Oblivian & the Tip Tops. [4] In 1999, Cartwright and Yarber reformed the Compulsive Gamblers, this time as a three piece, with Rod Thomas on drums. In this incarnation they released the 1999 album Bluff City. With the addition of keyboardist Brendan Lee Spengler, the group released the studio album Crystal Gazing Luck Amazing and the live album Live & Deadly: Memphis-Chicago before again disbanding. [5]

[edit] The Reigning Sound

While still a member of the Oblivians, Cartwright had begun to amass a number of songs he deemed too moody or melancholy to be released under the Oblivians moniker. [6] These songs would eventually become the basis for his next band, the Reigning Sound, a more R&B-focused act. With the Reigning Sound, Cartwright released the 2001 album, Break Up, Break Down and the 2002 album Time Bomb High School. [7] In 2004, the Reigning Sound released Too Much Guitar, an album recorded live at Cartwright's Memphis record store Legba Records, which harkened back to Cartwright's earlier, harsher Oblivians sound. [8] He has recently produced and written much of the material for an album by Mary Weiss of the Shangri-Las which was released by Norton Records. [9]

[edit] Producer

Cartwright has acted as producer for a number of bands since his solo career began. He has produced albums by Mary Weiss, Mr. Airplane Man, Porch Ghouls, The Cuts, Detroit Cobras, The Horrors, The Deadly Snakes, Goodnight Loving, and Andre Williams. [10]

[edit] Legba Records

For a time, Cartwright was the owner of Legba Records, an independent music store in the Cooper-Young District of Memphis. Legba records served as a makeshift studio for the recording of the Reigning Sound's album, Too Much Guitar. When Cartwright relocated to Asherville, North Carolina, Legba records changed hands and became a Goner Records store, home to the independent record label of former Oblivians bandmate Eric Friedl. [11]

[edit] Discography

[edit] As the Compulsive Gamblers

'Singles'

• Joker 7" (Boiler Room, 1992, cat.no.?)
• Church Goin' 7" (Lemon Peel Records, 1992, LP001 - LP002)
• Goodtime Gamblers 7" (Boiler Room, 1995, BR 002)

• 'Albums'
• Gambling Days are Over CD (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 1995, SFTRI 372)
• Bluff City LP/CD (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 1999, SFTRI 570)
• Crystal Gazing Luck Amazing LP/CD (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 2000, SFTRI 572)
• Live & Deadly: Memphis-Chicago 2xLP/CD (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 2003, SFTRI 698)

[edit] As the Oblivians

• 'Singles'
• Call The Shots 7" (Goner Records, 1993, 2Gone)
• Sunday You Need Love 7" (Crypt, 1994, CR-044)
• Now For The Hard Of Hearing From ... "Blow Their Cool" 7" (Estrus, 1994, ES 756)
• Static Party 7" (In The Red, 1994, ITR 018)
• Go!Pill-Popper! 7" (Drug Racer, 1996, 001)
• Strong Come On 7" (Crypt, 1996, CR-053)
• Kick Your Ass 7" (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 1996, SFTRI 412)

• 'Splits'
• Split CS with Impala (Goner Records/Power Of Bob, 1993, 0Gone/POB 103)
• Split 7" with Two Bo's Maniacs (Hate Records, 1997, hate 7)
• Split 7" with the Crime Kaisers (Active Detective, 1998, active detective record #1)

'EP's'

• Never Enough 10" (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 1994, SFTRI 304)
• Six Of The Best 10" (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 1996, SFTRI 383)
• Walter Daniels Plays With Monsieur Jeffrey Evans & The Oblivians At Melissa's Garage 10" (Undone, 1995, UDR-0008-10)

• 'Albums'
• Soul Food LP/CD (Crypt, 1995, CR-055)
• Live In Atlanta 8.19.94 LP (Negro Records, 1995, negro records 001)
• The Sympathy Sessions CD (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 1996, SFTRI 406)
• Popular Favorites LP/CD (Crypt, 1996, CR-065)
• ...Play 9 Songs with Mr Quintron LP/CD (Crypt, 1997, CR-082)
• 17 Cum Shots LP (Bootleg, 1997, cat.no.?)
• Best Of The Worst: 93-97 2xLP/CD (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 1999, SFTRI 584)
• On The Go LP (Goner Records, 2003, 12Gone)

[edit] As Greg Oblivian and the Tip Tops

• 'Singles'
• Pretty Baby 7" (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 1998, SFTRI 534)
• 'Albums'
• Head Shop LP/CD (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 1998, SFTRI 513)

[edit] As the Reigning Sound

• 'Singles'
• Two Sides To Every Man 7" (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 2001, SFTRI 656)
• If Christmas Won't Bring You Home 7" (Norton Records, 2004, 45-121)
• I'll Cry 7" (Slovenly Recordings, 2005, 702-50)
• Reigning Sound In Memphis 7" (Norton Records, 2006, 45-128)

• 'Splits'
• Split 7" with the Henchmen (Norton Records, 2003, 9642)

• 'Albums'
• Break Up, Break Down LP/CD (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 2001, SFTRI 654)
• Time Bomb High School LP (In The Red, 2002, ITR 084)
• Too Much Guitar LP/CD (In The Red, 2004, ITR 107)
• Home For Orphans LP/CD (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 2005, SFTRI 736)
• Live At Maxwell's LP (Spoonful Records, 2005, LP-SR-005)
• Live At Goner Records 6.26.05 LP/CD (Goner Records, 2005, 21Gone)

[edit] References

• Cheatham, Chad. Talking with Greg Cartwright of Reigning Sound The Crutch. "www.thecrutch.ne" Accessed May 19, 2007.
• Christmas, Shane Jesse. "An Interview with Eric Oblivian" "www.furious.com," August 2000. Accessed May 18, 2007.
• Demming, Mark. The Compulsive Gamblers: Biography CMT. "www.cmt.com". Accessed May 19, 2007.
• Mills, Fred. It's Reigning Sound! Metro Times. "www.metrotimes.com". 7/21/2004. Accessed May 19, 2007.
• Pope, Hunter. What They Need Mountain Xpress. Vol. 12 / Iss. 4 on 08/24/2005. "www.mountainx.com". Accessed May 19, 2007.
• Scaruffi, Piero. Oblivians The History of Rock Music. "www.scaruffi.com". 1999. Accessed May 19, 2007.
• Tupica, Rich. Reigning Sound's Carol Schumacher Interview Turn it Down. "turnit-down.blogspot.com". June 19th, 2006. Accessed May 20, 2007.