Jayne Rogers, (born Wayne Rogers July 13, 1947), better known by her
stage name Jayne County is an American singer, songwriter, actress and
record producer whose career has spanned six decades. Under the name
Wayne County (inspired by Wayne County, Michigan), she was the
vocalist of influential proto-punk band Wayne County & the Electric
Chairs who became known for their campy and foul-mouthed ballads, glam
punk inspired songs, and image which was heavily influenced by Jackie
Curtis and the Theatre of the Ridiculous.[citation needed] County in
particular was known for her outrageous and unpredictable stage antics
as well as possessing a distinctive singing voice. She went on to
become rock's first openly transgender singer, and adopted the stage
name Jayne County.County's music has encompassed a number of styles
over the course of her career, including glam punk, punk rock, blues
rock, and boogie-woogie. County did not think her birth name Wayne
Rogers "sounded very glamorous" and decided to adopt the name of the
county in which Detroit was located because she admired bands from
that city "like Iggy [Pop] and all those people." Though she has never
been a commercial success, she has been an influence on a number of
musicians including David Bowie, the Ramones, Patti Smith, Pete Burns
and Lou Reed, and many of County's songs have become well-known,
including "Man Enough to Be a Woman", "Fuck Off", "Stuck on You," and
"Night Time". Pianist Jools Holland's first studio outing was with
County on her single "Fuck Off". She also appeared as an actress at
Andy Warhol's Factory and had a brief association with David Bowie
during the 1970s. County played 'Lounge Lizard" in the first punk rock
film, Derek Jarman's Jubilee, and the band performed "Paranoia
Paradise", which also appeared on the Jubilee Soundtrack album,
released by Polydor UK in 1978. Wayne County and the Electric Chairs
were supported by The Police during their 1977 tour of Holland, later
recruiting Police guitarist Henry Padovani on rhythm guitar.Born in
1947, County left her hometown of Dallas, Georgia, in 1968 at 19 years
old to move to New York City, where she became a regular at the
Stonewall Inn and took part in the historic riots. In 1969 County was
asked by Warhol superstar and playwright Jackie Curtis to appear in
her play, Femme Fatale. The play had a successful run at La MaMa
Experimental Theatre Club and also starred Patti Smith. In her
autobiography, County says of Curtis, "She was my biggest influence,
the person who really got me started."
stage name Jayne County is an American singer, songwriter, actress and
record producer whose career has spanned six decades. Under the name
Wayne County (inspired by Wayne County, Michigan), she was the
vocalist of influential proto-punk band Wayne County & the Electric
Chairs who became known for their campy and foul-mouthed ballads, glam
punk inspired songs, and image which was heavily influenced by Jackie
Curtis and the Theatre of the Ridiculous.[citation needed] County in
particular was known for her outrageous and unpredictable stage antics
as well as possessing a distinctive singing voice. She went on to
become rock's first openly transgender singer, and adopted the stage
name Jayne County.County's music has encompassed a number of styles
over the course of her career, including glam punk, punk rock, blues
rock, and boogie-woogie. County did not think her birth name Wayne
Rogers "sounded very glamorous" and decided to adopt the name of the
county in which Detroit was located because she admired bands from
that city "like Iggy [Pop] and all those people." Though she has never
been a commercial success, she has been an influence on a number of
musicians including David Bowie, the Ramones, Patti Smith, Pete Burns
and Lou Reed, and many of County's songs have become well-known,
including "Man Enough to Be a Woman", "Fuck Off", "Stuck on You," and
"Night Time". Pianist Jools Holland's first studio outing was with
County on her single "Fuck Off". She also appeared as an actress at
Andy Warhol's Factory and had a brief association with David Bowie
during the 1970s. County played 'Lounge Lizard" in the first punk rock
film, Derek Jarman's Jubilee, and the band performed "Paranoia
Paradise", which also appeared on the Jubilee Soundtrack album,
released by Polydor UK in 1978. Wayne County and the Electric Chairs
were supported by The Police during their 1977 tour of Holland, later
recruiting Police guitarist Henry Padovani on rhythm guitar.Born in
1947, County left her hometown of Dallas, Georgia, in 1968 at 19 years
old to move to New York City, where she became a regular at the
Stonewall Inn and took part in the historic riots. In 1969 County was
asked by Warhol superstar and playwright Jackie Curtis to appear in
her play, Femme Fatale. The play had a successful run at La MaMa
Experimental Theatre Club and also starred Patti Smith. In her
autobiography, County says of Curtis, "She was my biggest influence,
the person who really got me started."
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