Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. It consists of Mike Ness (vocals, guitar), Jonny Wickersham (guitar), Brent Harding (bass), and David Hidalgo Jr. (drums).
Emerging from the Orange County hardcore scene of the late 1970s, alongside Agent Orange and the Adolescents, Social Distortion went on a temporary hiatus in the mid-1980s, due to Ness's drug addiction and troubles with the law which resulted in extended stints in various rehabilitation centers that lasted for two years. Following their reformation, the band shifted its style to have strong influences from country, blues, and early rock and roll. Since its inception, the band's lineup has seen significant turnover, with Ness as the only constant member. Past longtime members have included guitarist Dennis Danell, bassist John Maurer and drummers Christopher Reece and Charlie Quintana. Social Distortion's current lineup, intact since 2010, is the band's longest-lasting lineup. After years of performing, Social Distortion continues to tour and record music.
To date, Social Distortion has released eight full-length studio albums, two compilations, one live album, and two DVDs. They released two albums—Mommy's Little Monster (1983) and Prison Bound (1988)—before signing a three-album contract with Epic Records in 1989. Social Distortion achieved mainstream success with their 1990 self-titled third album, which produced their well-known hit singles "Ball and Chain", "Story of My Life", and the cover of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire", and was certified gold by the RIAA. The band's next two albums, including their second gold record Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell (1992) and its follow-up White Light, White Heat, White Trash (1996), were also well-received. They have since released three more albums: Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll (2004), Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes (2011) and Born to Kill (2026). Dubbed by Steven Blush as "the Rolling Stones of hardcore", Social Distortion is considered one of the best-selling and most influential punk rock bands, with more than three million albums sold worldwide.
History
Early years (1978–1982) Social Distortion was formed in 1978 by Mike Ness, inspired by the Sex Pistols and many other British punk bands as well as rock acts such as the Rolling Stones. Aside from Ness on guitar and Casey Royer on drums, early members included Mark Garrett on bass and former Cal State Fullerton basketball player Tom Corvin on vocals. Garrett was succeeded by Rikk Agnew in late 1978. On the origins of the band's name, Royer recalled "Mike was like 15, trying to play guitar but he couldn't. Social Distortion was named for my distortion pedal, which I gave to Mike to play 'cause back then he was no good."
Their early music was composed by Ness with lyrics by Royer and sometimes Corvin, and many songs were retired after only a few performances. After Corvin left in the fall of 1979 to attend graduate school at Bob Jones University, Ness recruited his high school friend Dennis Danell to join the band on guitar even though Danell had never played an instrument before. When Danell was brought in, the other members left as they did not want to wait for him to learn. Before joining the Adolescents in 1980, Royer and Agnew played with Garrett in a separate band named Social Distortion consisting of Royer on vocals, Garrett on bass, Rikk Agnew on drums, and Frank Agnew and Tim Maag on guitars. Social Distortion's first real show was in early 1979 at the Cuckoo's Nest nightclub on Placentia Avenue in Costa Mesa, California. Ness and Danell would remain the only constant members for the next two decades with bass and drum members changing every few years. Both the Adolescents song "Kids of the Black Hole" and Social Distortion song "The Playpen" chronicled this period of the band's history.
Social Distortion's first single, "Mainliner" b/w "Playpen" featuring Ness on guitar and vocals, Danell on bass, and Carrot on drums, was issued in 1981 by Posh Boy, the label responsible for releasing the first singles and albums of many of the local O.C. punk bands. Rodney Bingenheimer of KROQ-FM was responsible for much of the radio play in Orange County, California, that punk received in the early 1980s, and took a liking to Social Distortion, featuring the single "1945" on the second volume of the compilation album, Rodney on the ROQ. The same song would also appear on 1983's Blood on the ROQ and 1989's The Best Of Rodney on the ROQ compilations.
In 1982, the band—now consisting of Ness, Danell (who now played rhythm guitar), Brent Liles on bass, and Derek O'Brien on drums—embarked on their first bi-national tour of the US and Canada with fellow punk band Youth Brigade. The trip was chronicled in the punk rockumentary Another State of Mind, which was not released until 1984.
Mommy's Little Monster, temporary hiatus and Prison Bound (1983–1988) After returning from the Another State of Mind tour in 1982, Social Distortion began work on their debut album, Mommy's Little Monster. Recorded in December of 1982, the album was released in early 1983 on the band's own label, 13th Floor Records. Mommy's Little Monster includes the title track as well as the song for which the previous tour was named, "Another State of Mind". This was the album that "gained the band a national name in punk circles".
Ness mentions in his DVD commentary that he really had nowhere to stay when he got back to California after the tour ended, so he crashed on the couches of whoever would have him. He details how he plunged headfirst into serious drug addiction and ended up being strung out on heroin for weeks at a time. In 1983, Liles and O'Brien left the band in the middle of a show on New Year's Eve, and were replaced soon thereafter by Ness' high school friend John Maurer and a man named Bob Stubbs. This line-up lasted only a short time until Christopher Reece joined on drums. Ness's drug habit continued throughout 1984 and 1985 as the band continued to gain success with Another State of Mind appearing as one of the punk rarities on MTV, and touring in California and Arizona. As a result of Ness's escalating drug habit and troubles with the law, Social Distortion briefly went on hiatus in 1985. During this time, Ness was in and out of various rehabilitation centers and jails.
Social Distortion resurfaced in 1986, when Ness completed a drug rehabilitation program. The band released its second album, Prison Bound, two years later in 1988—over five years after their debut. The album included John Maurer on bass and Christopher Reece on drums. Although Prison Bound never charted on Billboard, the title track had received extensive airplay on the Los Angeles radio station, KROQ-FM.
A notable style change takes place in Prison Bound, which takes on a definite country/western flavor and marks the start of the band's entrance into a rock subgenre sometimes called "cowpunk". Country legend Johnny Cash and the Rolling Stones' honky tonk style became more prominent influences on Social Distortion's music at this time. There are references to Cash and the Stones in the songs "Prison Bound" and "On My Nerves".
The multi-year gap between albums became a pattern for Social Distortion. Ness acknowledges in a 2003 interview that it is a little backward, marketing-wise, to play songs for the fans for a few years before recording them—but it has always worked well for them. "We know which songs are going to be fan favorites on the record before we even record them."Steininger, Alex. "Mike Ness on politics, new album, and touring," In Music We Trust. Issue 63, November–December 2003. Accessed October 24, 2021.
Major label years and mainstream success (1989–1996) After the release of Prison Bound, Social Distortion left Restless Records and signed with Epic. The band then returned to the studio around the summer/fall of 1989, with producer Dave Jerden, to begin recording their self-titled third album, which was released in 1990. It was Social Distortion's first album that was not financed by the band. The album includes the singles "Ball and Chain" and "Story of My Life" as well as a cover of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire". The self-titled album, which was the band's first to chart on the Billboard 200, fared better than both Mommy's Little Monster and Prison Bound, and is often credited as Social Distortion's best known work, with sales continuing years after its release. It is also sometimes cited as among the best rock albums of 1990—the album is said to "split the difference between rockabilly and Ramones-style punk."
The band's fourth album, Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell, was released in 1992. The album included two hit singles: "Bad Luck", and "When She Begins". Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell surpassed all their previous albums in popularity. The album has a similar sound to the previous, eponymous, album, said to be a blend of "punk, blues, country and rockabilly". After the release of this album, drummer Christopher Reece left Social Distortion in 1994 and was replaced by Randy Carr. Carr toured with the band and played drums on live performances until he left in 1995.
The band took another hiatus after the release of Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell, and did not return to the studio until 1995. During the break, Social Distortion released a compilation album, Mainliner: Wreckage From the Past (1995), featuring pre-Mommy's Little Monster cuts. It contains two versions of "1945" and "Playpen" from their two indie labels, 13th Floor and Posh Boy, and also a cover of the Rolling Stones' "Under My Thumb".
In June 1994, the band began demoing songs for the fifth album,"Lost Tracks II: The June 1994 Demos" RateYourMusic.com. Retrieved on February 24, 2007. then returned to the studio in 1995 to record White Light, White Heat, White Trash, which was released in 1996. The album is said to have taken on a harder sound than those preceding it,"Review: White Light, White Heat, White Trash" PunkNews.org. Retrieved on February 24, 2007. and to not focus as much on their previous blues and rockabilly sound. The single "I Was Wrong" received wide radio play and is said to resemble "the classic sound more than any other track on the album". The album also features the singles "When the Angels Sing", which is said to be a tribute to Ness's grandmother, who was an avid supporter of the band, and "Don't Drag Me Down". The album also included a re-recorded version of "Under My Thumb", a cover of the Rolling Stones song, as a hidden track. Former Danzig drummer Chuck Biscuits joined the band between the recording and release of the album, and is credited in the liner notes although this album actually features one time Journey drummer Deen Castronovo."Social Distortion: White Light White Heat White Trash" SputnickMusic.com. Retrieved on February 24, 2007 White Light, White Heat, White Trash was the final Social Distortion album recorded with Dennis Danell before his death in 2000.
Second hiatus, Danell's death and Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll (1997–2004) In 1997, Social Distortion left Epic and returned to Time Bomb Recordings for the first time in eight years. It released its first (and only) live album, Live at the Roxy in 1998. Social Distortion went on hiatus again as Ness went solo, releasing two albums, Cheating at Solitaire and Under the Influences, featuring song covers, in 1999.