Johnny Thunders Birthday Bash at the Bowery Electric 2024

Johnny Thunders, born John Genzale in Queens, New York, became a local music cult hero when he co-founded the New York Dolls in 1972. Though the band’s two albums never achieved mainstream commercial success, the New York Dolls was among the bands that changed the face of rock and roll in the post-Woodstock days. As the band gained popularity, it launched an entirely new club scene, in which patrons, dressed in flashy clothing, came to be seen as much as to see the bands perform.

Thunders left the Dolls in 1975 and formed a series of bands, including the Heartbreakers, Gang War with Wayne Kramer of the MC5, and the Oddballs. Always an underground New York legend, Thunders never sold a lot of records and his bands never became international stars, but the history of New York City rock music would be incomplete without mentioning his contributions.

On April 23, 1991, Thunders was found dead of drug-related causes at the Inn on St. Peter in New Orleans, Louisiana. Mystery shrouded his death, and the investigation was inconclusive. More than 30 years after his death, Johnny Thunders remains a New York rock and roll legend.

Local rock impresario Steve Krebs is a Johnny Thunders fan. In 2009 he financed a three-CD box set called Born to Lose: A Tribute to Johnny Thunders, which featured local New York bands performing Thunders' songs. That same year, Krebs began organizing an annual Johnny Thunders Birthday Bash around Thunders' July 15 birthday. This year, the performers included Lenny Kaye of the Patti Smith band, NP Presley & Friends, Lulu Lewis with Bob Bert of Sonic Youth, the Pin Ups, the Hasbros, How Tragic, Diane & the Gentle Men, the Hipp Pipps, the Black Angels NYC, and DensityBlackCat.

Setlists

DensityBlackCat

DensityBlackCat Setlist

1. I Love You (The Heartbreakers cover)

2. Gone (DonBlackcat song)

3. Blame It on Mom (Johnny Thunders cover)

The Black Angels NYC

The Black Angels NYC Setlist

1. (There's Gonna Be a) Showdown (Archie Bell & the Drells cover)

2. Hurt Me (Johnny Thunders cover)

3. So Alone (Johnny Thunders cover)

The Hipp Pipps

The Hipp Pipps Setlist

1. Great Big Kiss (The Shangri‐Las cover)

2. Subway Train (New York Dolls cover)

3. I Wanna Be Loved (The Heartbreakers cover)

Diane & the Gentle Men

Diane & the Gentle Men Setlist

1. Sad Vacation (Johnny Thunders cover)

2. Johnny Thunder (The Kinks cover)

3. Johnny's Gonna Die (The Replacements cover)

How Tragic

How Tragic Setlist

1. Baby Talk (The Heartbreakers cover)

2. Goin' Steady (The Heartbreakers cover)

3. London Boys (Johnny Thunders cover)

The Hasbros

The Hasbros Setlist

1. Let Go (The Heartbreakers cover)

2. It's Not Enough (The Heartbreakers cover)

3. Jet Boy (New York Dolls cover)

Lulu Lewis

Lulu Lewis Setlist

1. Chinese Rocks (The Heartbreakers cover)

2. In Cold Blood (Johnny Thunders cover)

3. Born to Lose (The Heartbreakers cover)

NP Presley & Friends

NP Presley & Friends Setlist

1. Bad Girl (New York Dolls cover)

2. Dead or Alive (Johnny Thunders cover)

3. Personality Crisis (New York Dolls cover)

The Pin Ups

Pin Ups Setlist

1. Babylon (New York Dolls cover)

2. Daddy Rollin' Stone (Otis Blackwell cover)

3. Private World (New York Dolls cover)

Lenny Kaye (center) with bassist Charles Roth and drummer Dave Donen

Lenny Kaye Setlist

1. I've Got a Right

2. All Tomorrow's Parties (The Velvet Underground cover, with Diane Gentile)

3. You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory (Johnny Thunders cover, with Diane Gentile and Dina Regine)

4. Gloria (Them cover, with Diane Gentile, Dina Regine, and Steven Krebs at the final chorus)

Steve Krebs & the Maynard G's

Krebs & the Maynard G's Setlist

1. One Track Mind (The Heartbreakers cover)

2. M.I.A. (Johnny Thunders cover)

3. Chatterbox (New York Dolls cover)

4. Who Are the Mystery Girls? (New York Dolls cover)

5. Too Much Junkie Business (Johnny Thunders cover, with a snippet of Bo Diddley's of “Pills”)

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The Manhattan Beat reports on New York City's live music circuit. All articles are written by Everynight Charley Crespo. All photographs are taken by Everynight Charley Crespo, except when noted otherwise.

For a list of Manhattan venues that are presenting live music regularly, swing the desktop cursor to the right of the The Manhattan Beat home page and click on the pop-up tab "Where to Find Live Music."

For a more complete listing of upcoming performances in the New York City area, visit The Manhattan Beat's July calendar.