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Artist
Rozz Williams
12+ albums
deathrockdark cabaretexperimentalGothiccabaret
about
Born in Pomona, Southern California on 6 November 1963, Rozz Williams (Roger Alan Painter) was the youngest of the family. His parents were both Southern Baptists so he and his 2 brothers and an elder sister endured a strict religious upbringing. He first began to take a keen interest in music at the age of 9, listening to David Bowie, Roxy Music, T-Rex, Alice Cooper, Iggy Pop, The New York Dolls and many others. He knew even then that he wanted to be a musician. When he reached adolescence he was attracted to the American Punk scene and even shaved his head. By the time Roger was turning 16 years of age, he decided to start making music rather than just listening to it. Deciding to take the name of Rozz Williams from a gravestone he found in his favorite cemetery, his first band was called Crawlers to No who then became known as The Upsetters. Rozz sang and played the guitar, though the band never performed on stage. Rozz then went on to form The Asexuals. He sang, played guitar and the organ, Jill Emery played bass and also sang and Steve Darrow played drums. They performed at a few parties but played no real concert dates. Another project named Daucus Karota had Rozz singing, Jay on guitar and Mary Torciva on percussion. Christian Death was formed in October 1979. The name was a corruption of fashion designer Christian Dior's name. Rozz sang, Jay played guitar and James McGearty was on bass. McGearty then introduced George Belanger to the band as drummer. Their first show
