Cowboys International
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1979 |
| Founder | Ken Lockie |
| Defunct | 1980 |
| Products | Music albums, singles |
Cowboys International (also presented as Cowboys International®) was a new wave and synthpop group initiated by singer and songwriter Ken Lockie. They produced a single album in 1979 titled The Original Sin along with multiple singles before disbanding in 1980.
History
During the late 1970s, Ken Lockie and Keith Levene performed together in a band named The Quick Spurts. The band then adopted the name Cowboys International, featuring Lockie on vocals, Rick Jacks on guitar, Jimmy Hughes handling bass, Evan Charles on piano, and former Clash drummer Terry Chimes. With contributions from Levene, they recorded the album The Original Sin released in 1979.
After the album launch and subsequent touring, significant changes took place within the lineup: Chimes departed to join Generation X, with Paul Simon stepping in as drummer; Jacks was succeeded by Allan Rawlings and Marco Pirroni, who participated in some 1980 recordings before being replaced by former Ultravox guitarist Stevie Shears; Hughes exited to join Original Mirrors, initially replaced by Lee Robinson from Boney M, followed by Pete Jones. The concluding lineup — comprising Lockie, Charles, Jones, Simon, and Shears — completed a final tour culminating at Berlin’s Kantkino Theatre before dissolving late in 1980.
Following the group’s breakup, Lockie embarked on a solo path collaborating with Simon and Shears. He briefly became part of Public Image Ltd alongside Levene but withdrew from the music industry by the mid-1980s. Simon established The Fallout Club, collaborated with John Foxx and Glen Matlock, and currently works with his brother Robin Simon within AjantaMusic. Shears went on to form Faith Global prior to retiring; the current whereabouts of Charles remain unknown.
In 2003, Lockie re-released The Original Sin supplemented with extra tracks through the compilation Revisited. He later revived Cowboys International to issue new work on The Backwards Life of Romeo in 2004.
Studio albums
- The Original Sin (1979)
- The Backwards Life of Romeo (2004)
Compilations
- Revisited (2003)
Singles
- "Thrash" (b/w "Many Times (Revised)") (1979)
- "Aftermath" (b/w "Future Noise") (1979)
- "Nothing Doing" (b/w "Millions", flexi "Many Times") (Virgin, 1979)
- "Today Today" (b/w "Fixation") (February 1980)
Legacy
The song "Wish" from The Original Sin served as an inspiration for French cyberpunk band Punish Yourself’s track "You Ain't Got Me," as acknowledged on their Pink Panther Party album notes.