Guadalcanal Diary was an American alternative jangle pop group. They originated in Marietta, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, but they were often billed as being "from Athens, Georgia," in the early 1980s. The band formed in 1981 and disbanded in 1989. They reformed in 1997, but never recorded any new material. After going on hiatus in 2000, Guadalcanal Diary temporarily reunited for a second time in 2011 for Athfest, where they celebrated their 30th anniversary.
History
and Jeff Walls became friends in high school, and had both joined a punk band called Strictly American. The two decided to form a new band under the name Emergency Broadcast System. At the time, Attaway was sharing a house with Rhett Crowe, who was learning to play bass, with guidance from Walls. Crowe joined the new band, and suggested that the name be changed to Guadalcanal Diary, referencing the 1943 war memoir of that same name.. After the withdrawal of the drummer originally recruited to play the band's first show, Walls' friend John Poe, a bassist with little drumming experience soon became a member of the band. This lineup continued throughout the band's career. Guadalcanal Diary quickly attracted attention with its frequent live shows in the Athens and Atlanta music scenes, and was signed in 1983 by DB Records. The same year, the band recorded and released a four-song EP called Watusi Rodeo, along with a low-budget music video for the title track. Concurrently, the band began recording with Don Dixon and followed up the EP with its first full-length record, Walking in the Shadow of the Big Man, in 1984. The album was well received by critics and enjoyed significant airplay on US college radio stations, drawing comparisons to fellow Georgia band R.E.M.. After touring heavily across the United States in support of their debut album, the band was signed by Elektra Records in 1985. Elektra wanted to immediately record and release new material, but the band convinced the label to first re-release Walking in the Shadow of the Big Man. In 1986, Guadalcanal Diary released its second album, Jamboree, produced by Rodney Mills and Steve Nye. The album's initial reception was not as enthusiastic as their debut effort, with some critics noting a weaker production; nevertheless, the album gained retrospective appreciation among fans. They decided to work again with producer Don Dixon for their next album, 2X4, released in 1987. Featuring a harder-hitting sound and greater diversity among the songs, it became the band's most successful album up to that time. It was listed as number 64 on Paste Magazine's "The 80 Best Albums of the 1980s", wherein they called it a "masterpiece". The track "Litany ", became a minoralternative rock hit and remains one of the band's most well-known songs. In 1988, Jeff Walls and Rhett Crowe married, and gave birth to a daughter, Lillian, the following year. After recording again with Don Dixon, 1989 saw the release of the band's fourth and final studio album, Flip-Flop. While the music video for "Always Saturday" saw rotation on MTV, critics noted that the album lacked some of the consistency of their previous albums, perhaps due to the band's busy touring schedule. However, with all members contributing to the songwriting, it took on a more diverse and upbeat sound, compared to darker themes of their previous works. "...Vista" —- a song inspired by a campfire chant from Rhett Crowe's childhood —- and John Poe's "Pretty Is As Pretty Does", each became a fan favorite. Due to new family commitments and exhaustion from heavy touring, the band perceived a beginning of drifting apart; they chose to break up in order to preserve their friendships. In the early fall of 1989, they played their collective final show in a free performance at Legion Field on the University of Georgia campus, and organized by the Tau Epsilon Phi fraternity’s Nu Chapter. In late 1989, Murray Attaway was signed, as a solo artist, to Geffen Records, and was allowed a significant amount of time to focus on writing. He began recording with producer Tony Berg in the early 1990s, along with various guest musicians, including Jackson Browne, Aimee Mann, and Nicky Hopkins. In 1993, His only solo album, In Thrall, was released, and received some critical notice. Despite Geffen's high budget and innovative promotional tactics, including the giving away of the first 50,000 copies, the album fared less well commercially. In the same period:
Jeff Walls produced, and played guitar, on numerous local records,
Attaway began recording for his second solo album in 1995, and invited his former bandmates to contribute, but Attaway was dropped from Geffen, and the recordings were shelved. The band’s members describe enjoying their working together again, and decided, in 1997, to re-form Guadalcanal Diary. They played a handful of local shows, and self-released a live album, At Your Birthday Party, in 1999. In 2000, they again ceased activity, leaving open the possibility another revival. In 2009, perceiving increasing online demand for new music and shows, Murray Attaway and Jeff Walls formed a band, Bomber City, as an outlet to play their large backlog of solo material and favorite Guadalcanal Diary songs, and — more recently — formed Blasting Cap. In 2011, Guadalcanal Diary briefly reunited to play Athfest, and celebrated their 30th anniversary there. Jeff Walls died, May 29, 2019, of a rare pulmonary disease.
