Talking Heads were a new wave band from New York that consisted of the members David Byrne (vocals, guitars), Jerry Harrison (keyboards, guitars), Tina Weymouth (bass), and Chris Frantz (drums). They are considered one of the pioneers of new wave music, and one of the most critically acclaimed bands of the 1980s.
The Early Years
David Byrne and Chris Frantz met at the Rhode Island School of Design. In 1973 they formed their first band, The Artistics. They briefly changed their name to The Autistics when someone had mistaken it for the name of the band (which was very interesting to me because decades later David would find out he himself is autistic). The Artistics/Autistics didn't last long-- they broke up the following year. This was when David and Chris started a new band, and they recruited Chris' girlfriend Tina Weymouth (who became Chris' wife in 1977) to join the band as their bassist.
Their early years were rough, to say the least. The three moved into a New York apartment that didn't even have a bathroom! Also, since Tina and Chris were married and David lived with them, people in town started to believe that they were a polyamorous throuple. Awkward. In 1975, they played their first gig opening for the Ramones at CBGB, a club in New York. The only reason Talking Heads opened for the Ramones was because Johnny Ramone thought that they "sucked" and "would make the Ramones sound much better in comparison." Ok. The three would walk around New York handing out business cards advertising to come see them play at CBGB, and keep in mind this is when they didn't own a shower. After sending demos to CBS and hearing nothing back, they instead signed to Sire Records in 1976.
1977 - Talking Heads: 77
In February 1977, they released their first single "Love → Building on Fire". It was a great first single and easily one of my favorites by them! The next month, Jerry Harrison (who was formerly in proto-punk group Modern Lovers) joined the band. The four were able to release their first studio album, Talking Heads: 77, the following September. Critics loved the album and their song "Psycho Killer" became their first hit single.