Concrete Blonde grew out of the Los Angeles post-punk club circuit that produced bands like X, Wall of Voodoo, and the Go-Go's, but it wasn't until 1987 that the band even recorded its first album. The group was founded by singer/songwriter/bassist Johnette Napolitano and guitarist Jim Mankey, who initially called themselves Dream 6 and released an EP. Their insistence on complete artistic control was offputting to the major labels who took notice, however, and it wasn't until 1987 that the group signed to I.R.S. and changed its name to Concrete Blonde at the suggestion of labelmate Michael Stipe. Concrete Blonde's self-titled debut album betrayed the influence of the Pretenders, while 1989's Free was a tighter showcase for Napolitano's developing songwriting and produced a college radio hit with "God Is a Bullet.

Concrete Blonde grew out of the Los Angeles post-punk club circuit that produced bands like X, Wall of Voodoo, and the Go-Go's, but it wasn't until 1987 that the band even recorded its first album. The group was founded by singer/songwriter/bassist Johnette Napolitano and guitarist Jim Mankey, who initially called themselves Dream 6 and released an EP. Their insistence on complete artistic control was offputting to the major labels who took notice, however, and it wasn't until 1987 that the group signed to I.R.S. and changed its name to Concrete Blonde at the suggestion of labelmate Michael Stipe. Concrete Blonde's self-titled debut album betrayed the influence of the Pretenders, while 1989's Free was a tighter showcase for Napolitano's developing songwriting and produced a college radio hit with "God Is a Bullet." The morose, textured Bloodletting, a more accomplished record than both of its predecessors, broke the band to a wider audience with the left-field Top 20 hit "Joey," the tale of a love affair ended by alcoholism. Mexican Moon reflected Napolitano's interest in Hispanic music and culture, but Concrete Blonde's commercial fortunes had declined since Bloodletting, and Napolitano broke up the band. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide

Best known for her work as lead singer and bassist in the '80s and early-'90s alternative rock trio Concrete Blonde, Johnette Napolitano is also a poet, social activist, soundtrack composer, and sculptor. Born in Hollywood on September 22, 1957, Napolitano lurked on the fringes of the Los Angeles punk and new wave scene, working at the legendary Gold Star Studios until she formed the duo Dream 6 with guitarist Jim Mankey. The pair recorded a self-titled 1982 EP produced by Jim's brother Earle Mankey (like Jim, a former member of the first lineup of Sparks, and at the time one of the hottest producers on the L.A. new wave scene), which attracted the attention of IRS Records boss Miles Copeland. With a new drummer in Chicago transplant Harry Rushakoff and a new name supposedly bestowed by R.

Best known for her work as lead singer and bassist in the '80s and early-'90s alternative rock trio Concrete Blonde, Johnette Napolitano is also a poet, social activist, soundtrack composer, and sculptor. Born in Hollywood on September 22, 1957, Napolitano lurked on the fringes of the Los Angeles punk and new wave scene, working at the legendary Gold Star Studios until she formed the duo Dream 6 with guitarist Jim Mankey. The pair recorded a self-titled 1982 EP produced by Jim's brother Earle Mankey (like Jim, a former member of the first lineup of Sparks, and at the time one of the hottest producers on the L.A. new wave scene), which attracted the attention of IRS Records boss Miles Copeland. With a new drummer in Chicago transplant Harry Rushakoff and a new name supposedly bestowed by R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe that was supposed to connote the band's mix of hard and soft elements, Concrete Blonde released their self-titled debut in 1987. This was quickly followed by Free, Bloodletting (featuring the group's biggest hit, "Joey"), Walking in London, and Mexican Moon, before Concrete Blonde split in 1995.

Napolitano then moved on to two short-lived projects, Vowel Movement (a collaboration with Holly Beth Vincent of Holly & the Italians) and Pretty & Twisted (with the late Marc Moreland, formerly of Wall of Voodoo), as well as occasional Concrete Blonde reunion albums. Following this, Napolitano began a second career as soundtrack composer for small and medium-budget indie films such as Wicker Park and Underworld. She also released a pair of largely improvised and mostly electronic albums, Sketchbook and Sketchbook 2, in 2002 and 2006. Johnette Napolitano's first proper solo album, Scarred, followed in the spring of 2007. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide