Don Lennon

In the early/mid-1990s, Don Lennon served as lead singer of Boston's The Umpteens, who released three cassettes and one single during their brief tenure. Lennon went solo in 1997, with the release of Maniac on Martin Phillips Records. The disc was recorded at Studio 7 with producer Sean Drinkwater. Immediately, his deadpan, straightforward delivery raised eyebrows in indie pop and indie rock circles. His quirky songwriting quickly drew comparisons to Jonathan Richman and the Talking Heads. From the start, Lennon recorded and performed with a variety of musicians, including numerous drummers, bassists, violinists and saxophonists. He released the self-titled follow-up, Don Lennon, in 1999, again on Martin Phillips. The album was recorded at Zippah Studios with producer of Pete Weiss. 2002 saw the release of Downtown on Indiana's Secretly Canadian Records. Downtown was a dramatic departure from his previous two releases, and was recorded at Zippah, again with Weiss. Lennon also created the music for the soundtracks of three Gary Knight films: How to Cut Cake, Concord, Mass and Knock In on Kevin's Door. In the fall of 2002, Lennon returned to the studio to work on his fourth solo disc. ~ Stephen Cramer, All Music Guide