David Johansen

Born in Staten Island, New York on January 9, 1950, David Johansen was a singer, songwriter, and actor best known as the frontman of proto-punk band the New York Dolls. However, he had an extended career that included acclaimed solo albums, hit recordings under the pseudonym Buster Poindexter and appearances in several hit films including the holiday classic Scrooged (1988). David Johansen began his musical journey in the late 1960s as a member of Vagabond Missionaries before joining bassist Arthur ‘Killer’ Kane, drummer Billy Murcia, and guitarists Johnny Thunders and Rick Rivits in the New York Dolls in 1971. Shortly after they formed, Rivits left the band and was replaced by Sylvain Sylvain. The group’s raw and rough rock sound earned them plenty of attention, although they failed to be a commercial success. After two albums – New York Dolls (1973) and Too Much Too Soon (1974) – the group split up and David Johansen began a solo career. In the meantime, the group’s influence began to spread, and they are now acknowledged as one of the main musical influences for the first wave of punk bands to appear in 1976 and 1977. David Johansen resurfaced as an acclaimed solo artist with albums such as David Johansen (1978), In Style (1979), Here Comes the Night (1981), Live it Up (1982), and Sweet Revenge (1984). Although his solo career earned him plenty of accolades, his albums never charted higher than the lower regions of the Billboard 200. Towards the end of his solo career, he began appearing at a local club under the name Buster Poindexter. Initially using that name to avoid the attention of fans of his rock-oriented material, this new persona adapted a musical style that incorporated lounge, swing, jump blues, jazz, and other genres. This new persona became extremely popular, earning him a record contract and a bona-fide international hit in 1987 with his version of “Hot Hot Hot,” which landed in the charts in the US, Canada, the Netherlands, and Belgium. As Buster Poindexter, he released four albums over the span of a decade: Buster Poindexter (1987), Buster Goes Berserk (1989), Buster’s Happy Hour (1994), and Buster’s Spanish Rocketship (1997). During his musical career, he also branched off into acting and appeared in such films as Scrooged (1988), Let It Ride (1989), Freejack (1992), Car 54, Where Are You? (1994) and more. Inspired by the burgeoning folk scene in the late 1990s, David Johansen released two albums under the name David Johansen and the Harry Smiths: S/T (2000) and Shaker (2002).  In the meantime, the legend of the New York Dolls continued to grow and many live, demo, and compilation albums had been released over the years. At former Smiths vocalist Morrissey’s urging, the surviving members of the New York Dolls original line-up – David Johansen, Sylvain Sylvain, and Arthur Kane – reunited for a live performance in the UK in 2004. Sadly, Arthur Kane passed away from leukemia just weeks after the show. The two remaining members carried on with the band and released the successful One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This album in 2006. Two more albums followed – Cause I Sez So (2009) and Dancing Backward in High Heels (2011) – although they were not as commercially successful. Suffering from cancer and a brain tumor, David Johansen fell and broke his back in 2024. He died from cancer on February 28, 2025, at the age of 75.