Greg Kihn Band

Formed in 1976 by Baltimore singer-songwriter Greg Kihn and instrumentalists Robbie Dunbar (guitar), Larry Lynch (drums) and Steve Wright (bass and co-writing), the Greg Kihn Band debuted on Beserkley Records in 1976 with their self-titled first album, the folk-rock LP Greg Kihn. It was swiftly followed by a second album, Greg Kihn Again, the following year, which saw Dave Carpender step in to take the place of the newly departed Dunbar. Continuing to release albums on an annual basis throughout the 1970s while increasingly drawing upon contemporary power pop motifs, the band gradually drummed up a cult following. Their third LP, 1978’s Next of Kihn, was their first of eight to consecutively chart on the Billboard 200, reaching number 145. In the early 1980s, they continued this pattern of prolific releases, putting out a string of albums with witty titles. The first, 1981’s Rockinhroll, reached number 32 in the US and spawned the group’s first hit, “The Breakup Song (They Don’t Write ‘Em)”, which reached number fifteen on the Billboard Hot 100 and number fourteen in Australia. The highest-charting single of their career, “Jeopardy”, would come two years later. Serving as the lead single from Kihnspiracy, the 1983 track peaked at number two on the Hot 100, defeated only by Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”. Aided by a humorous, zombie-themed music video, the song prompted “Weird Al” Yankovic to record a parody version the following year, with Kihn himself cameoing in the visuals. Kihnspiracy remains the group’s most successful album to date, having peaked at number fifteen on the Billboard 200. However, after signing with EMI in 1985 and undergoing extensive lineup changes, the group have continued to release albums right into the 2010s, with the Citizen Kihn single “Lucky” coming the closest to replicating the success of its predecessors, peaking at number 30 in the US.

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