The Murder Junkies are an American punk rock band, best known for having been GG Allin's final backing band before his death. They perform songs from Allin's back catalog as well as their own original material. They are the third GG Allin backing band to bear the name.
Earlier bands bearing the name
The original Murder Junkies was a Texas band formed independently of Allin which performed as his backing band for several live dates in the late 1980s. The second Murder Junkies was a studio band including Allin's friend Mark Sheehan on guitar which recorded the Watch Me Kill 6-track EP, released on Fuckin' A/Stomach Ache Records in 1991.
Formation and career with Allin (1990–1993)
Murder Junkies mark III – the subject of this article and a distinct entity from the other two bands of the same name – was formed in 1990 as Allin's new backing band, and rehearsed while he concluded his prison sentence. The original line-up consisted of guitarist "Chicken" John Rinaldi, GG's elder brother Merle Allin on bass, and drummer Donald "Dino Sex" Sachs. Rinaldi left the band later in 1991, and voiced negative opinions about the experience in Todd Phillips's documentary . He was replaced by William Weber. Dee Dee Ramone was also recruited to play guitar at the same time as Weber, but quit shortly thereafter, without playing any live dates with the band. GG Allin and the Murder Junkies recorded their sole studio album, Brutality and Bloodshed for All, for Alive Records in April 1993. Their subsequent tour – shortly succeeded by Allin's death from an apparent drug overdose on June 28 – was chronicled by roadie Evan Cohen in the slim volume I Was A Murder Junkie: The Last Days Of GG Allin.
Activity after Allin's death; breakup (1993–1999)
Dino, Merle, and Weber decided to continue the band, and recruited new singer Mike Denied, former bassist with New York City band The Denied. They released a mini-album Feed My Sleaze in 1995. "The Right To Remain Violent", a 7" single, appeared the following year. The Murder Junkies toured throughout the 1990s and went through several more vocalists, including Mike Hudson, formerly of the Pagans, Jeff Clayton of Antiseen, and J. B. Beverley, a musician from the Washington, D.C. area. They broke up in 1999.
Reformation, subsequent activity (2003–present)
The band reformed with Clayton singing for a tour in April 2003, the 10th anniversary of GG Allin's death. They performed alongside a version of Allin's first band, The Jabbers, for several shows. In 2005, the band completed a tour of continental Europe. In 2006, they appeared at two shows supporting CKY, and toured as the opening act for Hank Williams III. The band currently features Merle Allin, Sachs, guitarist Benjamin "FC Murder" Bunny, and new singer PP Duvay. This line-up released the album Road Killers in 2011, followed by "A Killing Tradition" in 2013 and "Killing For Christ Sakes" the following year.
