Sally Timms
{{Short description|English singer and lyricist}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Sally Timms
| image = Sally Timms performing with the Mekons at the Hideout, Chicago, IL on 2015.07.13.jpg
| alt = Timms at a microphone, photographed from below
| caption = Timms performing with the Mekons at the Hideout, Chicago, Illinois on 13 July 2015
| image_size =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1959|11|29}}
| birth_place = Leeds, England
| instrument = Vocals
| genre =
| occupation = Musician, lyricist, producer
| years_active = 1980–present
| label =
| associated_acts = The Mekons, Wee Hairy Beasties, Jon Langford
| website =
| spouse = {{marriage|Fred Armisen|1998|2004|end=div}}
}}
Sally Ann Timms{{cite web|url=https://www.ascap.com/repertory#/ace/search/workID/903898425 |title=Little Tommy Tucker |website=ASCAP |publisher=American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers |access-date=March 13, 2023}} (born 29 November 1959) is an English singer and songwriter. Born in Leeds, England, she now lives in the Chicago area, where she works as a paralegal.Lipez, Zachary. "[https://www.vice.com/en/article/mekons-sally-timms-interview/ Mekons Finally Get Their Revenge: An Interview with Sally Timms of the Long Running UK Band]". Vice.com, 17 July 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2024 She is best known for her long career as co-lead singer for the post-punk band The Mekons which she joined in 1985,[{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p131979/biography|pure_url=yes}} Sally Timms] at Allmusic{{Cite web|url=https://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/sally-timms/|title=Sally Timms - ArtsBeat Blog - The New York Times|website=Artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/08/arts/music/shelebration-silverstein-tribute-at-summerstage-review.html|title=Celebrating a Twisted, Elegant Versifier|first=Jon|last=Pareles|date=7 August 2011|via=NYTimes.com}} and who have been described as "arguably […] the longest-running of all bands that emerged in the British punk explosion of 1977".Caligiuri, Jim. "[https://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/music/2015-04-16/10-minutes-with-sally-timms/ Ten Minutes with Sally Timms]". The Austin Chronicle, 16 April 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2024
Timms has had a successful solo career in the lo-fi electronics and alternative country genres, notably writing the song "Horses", covered by Will Oldham.
Career
Born in Leeds in 1959,Wallenfeldt, Jeff "[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/373586/the-Mekons#ref1139792 the Mekons]" in Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 16 September 2013 Timms recorded her first solo album, Hangahar (an experimental improvised film score), at the age of 19 with Pete Shelley of Buzzcocks in 1980. Prior to joining The Mekons in 1986 she was in a band called the She Hees.Grow, Kory (2007) "[https://books.google.com/books?id=FS0EAAAAMBAJ&dq=sally+timms&pg=PA10 Five Mekons Records That Make Jon Langford and Sally Timms Proud to be Mekons]", CMJ New Music Monthly, August–September 2007, pp. 10–11. Retrieved 16 September 2013 She has released several other solo albums, Someone's Rocking My Dreamboat in 1988, To the Land of Milk and Honey in 1995, and a country album, Cowboy Sally's Twilight Laments for Lost Buckaroos, for Bloodshot Records in 1998. She gave herself the name "Cowboy Sally" after the character she played on TNT's Rudy and GoGo Show."[http://www.touchandgorecords.com/bands/band.php?id=30 Sally Timms] at Touch & Go Records. Retrieved 16 September 2013Murphy, Matthew (2004) "[http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/8064-in-the-world-of-him/ Sally Timms In the World of Him]", Pitchfork Media, 3 October 2004. Retrieved 16 September 2013Sandlin, Michael (1999) "[http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/8063-cowboy-sallys-twilight-laments-for-lost-buckaroos/ Sally Timms Cowboy Sally's Twilight Laments for Lost Buckaroos]", Pitchfork Media, 16 November 1999. Retrieved 16 September 2013 Her solo recording In the World of Him was released in 2004 on Touch and Go Records.Milner, Greg (1999) "[https://books.google.com/books?id=HJbW_6l-uRUC&dq=sally+timms&pg=PT11 Reviews]", Spin, December 1999. Retrieved 16 September 2013Soults, Franklin (1999) "[https://books.google.com/books?id=bCoEAAAAMBAJ&dq=sally+timms&pg=PA69 Sally Timms Cowboy Sally's Twilight Laments for Lost Buckaroos]", CMJ New Music Monthly, December 1999. Retrieved 16 September 2013
Timms sang "Give Me Back my Dreams" on The Sixths' Hyacinths and Thistles and has recorded with Marc Almond, The Aluminum Group, Jon Rauhouse's Steel Guitar Show, the Sadies,"[https://chicagoreader.com/chicago-music-forever/?_evDiscoveryPath=/event/35875851t-the-sadies-w-sally-timms-jon-langford THE SADIES w/ Sally Timms & Jon Langford]". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 21 September 2024 Andre Williams, and A Grape Dope. She participated in Vito Acconci's Theater Project for a Rock Band as part of the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Next Wave Festival in 1995 and also, along with the rest of The Mekons, performed with Kathy Acker in her lesbian pirate operetta Pussy, King of the Pirates at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago and elsewhere.Obejas, Achy (1997) "[https://www.chicagotribune.com/1997/09/21/pussy-king-of-the-pirates-awash-in-sea-of-rock/ 'Pussy, King Of The Pirates' Awash In Sea Of Rock]", Chicago Tribune, 21 September 1997. Retrieved 16 September 2013
Timms' musical style is often placed under the genre of alternative country, and she has often toured with other bands on Bloodshot Records.{{cite news|last1=Powers|first1=Ann|title=Pop Review; A Sweet, Lonely Sadness, Both Painful and Artful|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/12/14/arts/pop-review-a-sweet-lonely-sadness-both-painful-and-artful.html|access-date=29 November 2015|work=The New York Times|date=14 December 1999}} She sang several songs on the Pine Valley Cosmonauts' The Executioner's Last Songs albums, which raised funds for the Illinois Moratorium Against the Death Penalty, and participated in fellow Mekon Jon Langford's multi-media performance project The Executioner's Last Songs."[http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/70029/the-executioners-last-songs-volumes-2-and-3 The Executioner's Last Songs: Volumes 2 and 3]", Billboard. Retrieved 16 September 2013 She co-wrote the song Horses, which was recorded by herself and Jon Langford on Songs of False Hope and High Values; by Palace Music, a.k.a. Bonnie Prince Billy.Thorn, Jese. "[https://www.npr.org/2023/11/10/1197954536/will-oldham Will Oldham, aka Bonnie "Prince" Billy, on the song that changed his life]. NPR, 10 November 2010. Retrieved 21 September 2024
She was the voice of SARA from Cartoon Network's Toonami block, voicing the first incarnation of the character from 1999 to 2004 alongside Steve Blum, the voice of TOM."[https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/commercials/Toonami/ Toonami]. behindthevoiceactors.com. Retrieved 21 September 2024 In 2006(?) Timms directed the first of the five Christmas pantos hosted by the Hideout bar in Chicago, and performed in several of them."[http://www.timeoutchicago.com/arts-culture/museums/46429/christmas-pyrate-panto Christmas Pyrate Panto]", Time Out Chicago, 3 April 2005. Retrieved 16 September 2013{{cite web |publisher=Chicago Tribune |title=Best Bets |date=December 20, 2007 |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/chi-top-weekend-shows-morrissey-and-more-20111215-column.html |author=Arnett, Lisa |access-date=2018-08-05}}{{cite web |publisher=Chicago Reader |title=Hideout Christmas Dinosaur Panto |date=December 2008 |url=https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/hideout-christmas-dinosaur-panto/Event?oid=930917 |access-date=2018-08-05}}{{cite web |publisher=Bloodshot Records |title=Benefit Panto Performance in Chicago |date= December 28, 2009 |url=https://www.bloodshotrecords.com/news/benefit-panto-performance-chicago |author=Rami |access-date=2018-08-05}}
For many years Timms has lived in the Chicago, Illinois area, where she also works as a paralegal. She was married to musician and comedian Fred Armisen from 1998 to 2004.{{cite news| url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-xpm-2011-jan-21-la-et-portlandia-20110121-story.html| work=The Los Angeles Times| title=Television review: 'Portlandia'|author=Lloyd, Robert| date=January 21, 2011| access-date=2019-08-26}}{{cite web| url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/08/fred-armisen-elisabeth-moss-marriage_n_2433188.html| title=Fred Armisen, Elisabeth Moss Marriage: Actor Admits He Was 'A Terrible Husband'| publisher=Huffington Post| date=January 8, 2013| access-date=2013-09-16}}
= The Mekons =
{{Main|The Mekons}}
File:Sally Timms , with The Mekons, Glasgow, May 2025.jpg
Timms joined post-punk band The Mekons in the mid-1980s. A documentary titled The Revenge of the Mekons was released in 2014 by director Joe Angio.{{cite news|last1=Tannenbaum|first1=Rob|title=The Cult Band That Keeps on Chugging: A Documentary Celebrates the Mekons|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/26/movies/a-documentary-celebrates-the-mekons.html|access-date=23 December 2014|work=The New York Times|date=24 October 2014}} The band's style has evolved to incorporate aspects of country music, folk music, alternative rock and occasional experiments with dub.{{cite news|last1=Pareles|first1=Jon|authorlink=Jon Pareles| title=Recordings; The Mekons Take Aim at Rock-and-Roll|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/12/17/arts/recordings-the-mekons-take-aim-at-rock-and-roll.html|access-date=21 November 2015|work=The New York Times|date=17 December 1989}} They are known for their raucous live shows.{{cite news|last1=Watrous|first1=Peter|authorlink=Peter Watrous| title=Review/Rock; A Sound With a Sense Of History, and Humor|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/30/arts/review-rock-a-sound-with-a-sense-of-history-and-humor.html|access-date=21 November 2015|work=The New York Times|date=30 August 1993}} The band, still including Timms on vocals, continue to record and perform live, as of 2021.{{citation needed|date=April 2019}}
= Wee Hairy Beasties =
{{Main|Wee Hairy Beasties}}
Wee Hairy Beasties were a children's music group based in Chicago, composed of Jon Langford, Sally Timms, Kelly Hogan, and Devil in a Woodpile. They played their first gig together at the Brookfield Zoo near Chicago, and released two albums in 2006 and 2008. Timms performed under the moniker Monkey Double Dippey.{{cite web|last=Melzer |first=Ashley |title=Interview: Kelly Hogan |url=http://www.emusic.com/music-news/interview/interview-kelly-hogan/ |work=eMusic.com |publisher=eMusic.com Inc. |access-date=11 November 2013 |date=June 5, 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111231809/http://www.emusic.com/music-news/interview/interview-kelly-hogan/ |archive-date=11 November 2013 }}{{cite web |publisher=Bloodshot Records |title=Wee Hairy Beasties|url=https://www.bloodshotrecords.com/artist/wee-hairy-beasties |access-date=2018-10-23|date=2013-12-05}}
= Solo, etc. =
Timms and Jon Langford, the other Chicago-based member of the Mekons, continue to collaborate on various recording and performance projects, ever since they both moved to Chicago. As of 2022, they frequently perform as a duo, and as a trio with a second guitarist, often at Chicago's Hideout.{{cite web| publisher=Hideout Inn| date=2019| title=Jon Langford and Sally Timms| url=https://www.hideoutchicago.com/e/jon-langford-and-sally-timms-80343859647/| access-date=2020-01-02}}{{cite web| publisher=Bob Stane's Coffee Gallery Backstage| title=Performance calendar: 01/23/22 - Jon Langford & Sally Timms| date=2022| url=https://www.coffeegallery.com/blog/01-23-22-jon-langford-sally-timms.html| access-date=2022-01-16}}
Solo discography
- 1980 – Hangahar
- 1988 – Somebody's Rockin' My Dreamboat
- 1995 – It Says Here
- 1995 – To the Land of Milk and Honey
- 1997 – Cowboy Sally
- 1999 – Cowboy Sally's Twilight Laments for Lost Buckaroos.{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/sally-timms-mn0000290342/biography|title=Sally Timms Biography, Songs, & Albums|website=AllMusic|access-date=2021-11-06|archive-date=2021-11-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211106120806/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/sally-timms-mn0000290342/biography|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/music/1999-12-31/75328/|title=Cowboy Sally's Twilight Laments for Lost Buckaroos |work=The Austin Chronicle|access-date=2021-11-06|archive-date=2021-11-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211106120807/https://www.austinchronicle.com/music/1999-12-31/75328/|url-status=live}}
- 2000 – Songs of False Hope and High Values (with Jon Langford)
- 2004 – In the World of Him
= Compilation contributions =
- 2000: "Glue" by Andre Williams/V. Rice/O.M. Hayes) – Down to the Promised Land: 5 Years of Bloodshot Records – as Andre Williams & Sally Timms
- 2005: "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" – For A Decade of Sin: 11 Years of Bloodshot Records
- 2007: "Junco Partner" and "Version Pardner" – The Sandinista! Project – A Tribute to The Clash – Jon Langford and Sally Timms with Ship & Pilot (00:02:59 Records/MRI Associated Labels){{cite web| publisher=Secondhand Songs| title=Junco Partner by Jon Langford and Sally Timms with Ship & Pilot| url=https://secondhandsongs.com/performance/75987| access-date=2020-01-02}}{{cite web| publisher=AllMusic| author=Deming, Mark| title=Various Artists: The Sandinista! Project| url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/the-sandinista%21-project-mr0001104442| access-date=2020-01-02}}
- 2014: "Mole Lotta Love", with Bobcat Goldthwait – 2776, the charity comedy album
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{commons category|Sally Timms}}
- [http://www.mekons.de/sallyfr.htm Sally Timms page at Club Mekon]
- [https://archive.org/details/SallyTimms Sally Timms collection] at the Internet Archive's live music archive
{{The Mekons}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Timms, Sally}}
Category:English women singers
Category:English country singer-songwriters
Category:British women country singers
Category:British record producers
Category:British women record producers
Category:English alternative country singers