Background information
Also known as
The Sharks,
The Creamsicles,
The Pink Twinkies,
DK Kennedys,
DK
Origin
San Francisco, California, USA
Genre(s)
Punk rock, Hardcore punk
Years active
1978 — 1986
2001 — 2008
Label(s)
Cherry Red
Faulty Products
Alternative Tentacles
Manifesto Records/Decay
Associated acts
Jello Biafra (solo career)
Peligro
Skrapyard
The Jungle Studs
Ministry (band)
Website
DeadKennedys.com
Former members
East Bay Ray
Klaus Flouride
D. H. Peligro
Jello Biafra
Brandon Cruz
6025
Bruce Slesinger
Jeff Penalty
Ron "Skip" Greer
Dave Scheff
The Dead Kennedys are an American punk band from the first wave of American punk rock, formed in San Francisco, California in 1978. Pioneers of hardcore punk during the 1980s, the band gained a large underground following in the international punk music scene.
The music of the Dead Kennedys mixes the more experimental elements of British 1970s punk with the raw energy of the 1980s American hardcore punk scene. Dead Kennedys' songs mix the deliberately shocking lyrics of punk with a humorous, acerbic, satirical, and sarcastic left-wing commentary on current social and political issues. Many of the band's songs criticize the right-wing ideologies of the Christian right, the Presidency of Ronald Reagan, U.S. foreign policy, and consumerist culture.
In the late 1980s, the band was embroiled in an obscenity trial in the US over the 1985 Frankenchrist album, which included a poster with art that depicted penises (Penis Landscape by H. R. Giger). The band was charged criminally with distribution of harmful matter to minors, but the trial ended with a hung jury.
The band officially disbanded in 1986. From 1998-2004, the band was embroiled in an acrimonious lawsuit over royalties and rights to the band's music. In 2001, the band re-formed and began touring with a new vocalist over the objections of former lead singer Jello Biafra, who, after losing the lawsuit and being found liable for fraud, filed two appeals that he later lost.
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