Born
Christene Lee Cervenka; February 1, 1956, in Chicago, is an American singer,
artist, and poet. She is best known for her work as a singer in the
California punk rock band X. She grew up primarily in Tallahassee, FL, before relocating to Santa Monica, CA, during the summer of 1976.
Through a local poetry workshop, Cervenka met John Doe, and the seeds of what would eventually become X were planted. With both sharing vocal duties (and Doe doubling on bass), Doe's friend Billy Zoom supplied guitar in a Duane Eddy style and was soon followed by the arrival of drummer D.J. Bonebrake, resulting in the birth of X in 1977. X's first record deal was with independent label Dangerhouse, for which the band produced one single, "Adult Books"/"We're Desperate" (1978). A Dangerhouse session version of "Los Angeles" was also featured on a 1979 Dangerhouse 12" EP compilation called Yes L.A.
As the band became the flag bearer for the local scene, a larger independent label, Slash Records, signed the band. The result was their debut, Los Angeles (1980) produced by the Doors' keyboard player, Ray Manzarek. It was a minor hit and well-received by the underground press and mainstream media. Doe and Cervenka co-wrote most of the group's songs and their slightly off-kilter harmony vocals served as the group's most distinctive element. Their lyrics tended to be straight-out poetry; comparisons to Charles Bukowski and Raymond Chandler were made from the start.
Their follow-up effort, 1981's Wild Gift, was similar in musical style. It featured shorter, faster songs and is arguably their most stereotypically punk-sounding record.
In addition to her X duties, Cervenka appeared as part of the country spin off the Knitters (1985's Poor Little Critter on the Road), and issued (also in 1985) a poetry collaboration with Wanda Coleman entitled Twin Sisters. But as the '80s wore on, after Zoom's exit and a few spotty albums the band split up. With X winding down, Cervenka launched a solo career, resulting in 1989's Old Wives' Tales and 1990's Running Sacred. Cervenka, Doe, and Bonebrake resuscitated X in the early '90s with a new studio album, 1993's Hey Zeus!, and 1995's acoustic affair, Unclogged. Later in the decade, Zoom signed back on, resulting in a re-formation of the original X lineup (no new studio recordings surfaced, however, just live dates). During this time, Cervenka found the time to launch a new albeit short-lived band, Auntie Christ (in which she also supplied guitar), including X bandmate Bonebrake as well as major X fan Rancid bassist Matt Freeman -- and also issued a third solo release, 1996's Surface to Air Serpents.
