UGLY KID JOE

An American satirical hard rock band tinged with funk and alternative metal, Ugly Kid Joe achieved significant early success, notably with their debut album America’s Least Wanted (1992). Formed in Isla Vista, California, the original lineup consisting of vocalist Whitfield Crane and guitarist Klaus Eichstadt was bolstered in 1989 by the arrivals of Cordell Crockett (bass) and Mark Davis (drums), followed by Dave Fortman (guitar) in 1992.

Deriving their parody name from the glam metal band Pretty Boy Floyd, Ugly Kid Joe recorded a demo with Eric Valentine before signing with Mercury Records in 1991. The release that same year of the EP As Ugly as They Wanna Be caused a surprise by charting at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 (No. 9 in the UK), partly thanks to the track "Everything About You" (No. 9 on the Hot 100 and No. 3 in the UK).

The phenomenon, which spread to Europe, continued with the album America’s Least Wanted (1992), charting at No. 27 in the US and No. 11 in the UK. The record, which ridicules certain American symbols such as the Statue of Liberty on the cover, sparked censorship and featured guest appearances by Rob Halford (Judas Priest), Stephen Perkins (Jane’s Addiction), and actresses Carrie Hamilton and Julia Sweeney, while their cover of Harry Chapin’s "Cat’s in the Cradle" (renamed in the plural as "Cats in the Cradle") reached No. 6. Following a triumphant tour, the band changed drummers, bringing in Shannon Larkin before recording the album Menace to Sobriety (1995), which received mixed reviews depending on the country (No. 178 on the Billboard 200, No. 25 in the UK). Dropped by their record label, Ugly Kid Joe released the album Motel California (1996) on their own label, Evilution, before breaking up the following year, while the compilation As Ugly as It Gets: The Very Best of Ugly Kid Joe was released in 1998. In 2010, the same lineup reunited and recorded the EP Stairway to Hell (2012), reissued a year later with a DVD of a concert at the Download Festival in England.

The band's first original album in nineteen years, Uglier Than They Used to Be, saw the light of day in 2015 thanks to crowdfunding and featured guest appearances by guitarist Phil Campbell and Australian singer Dallas Frasca. Seven years later followed the fifth album, Rad Wings of Destiny (2022), featuring new drummer Zac Morris.