Kimberley Ann Deal, known as Kim Deal, is an American singer, songwriter and musician,
best known as the former bassist and backup vocalist of the alternative rock band Pixies,
and the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for The Breeders. Deal joined the Pixies in
January 1986 as the band's bassist, adopting the stage name Mrs. John Murphy for the albums
Come On Pilgrim and Surfer Rosa. Following Doolittle and the Pixies' hiatus, she formed
The Breeders with Tanya Donelly and Josephine Wiggs. The Pixies broke up in early 1993.
After the Pixies, Deal returned her focus to the Breeders, who released the platinum-selling
album Last Splash in 1993. In 1994, the Breeders went into hiatus after Deal's identical twin
sister, Kelley, entered drug rehabilitation. During their eight-year break, Deal adopted
the stage name Tammy Ampersand and formed The Amps, recording a single album, Pacer
in 1995. She resumed her role as the Breeders' guitarist for their third album Title TK in
2002, and reunited with the Pixies in 2004. She left the Pixies in 2013.
Biography Youth and college
Kim Deal was born in Dayton, Ohio. Her father was a laser physicist who worked at the nearby
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Kim and her identical twin sister Kelley were introduced
to music at a young age; the two sang to a "two-track, quarter-inch, tape" when they
were "four or five" years old, and grew up listening to hard rock bands such as AC/DC
and Led Zeppelin. When Deal was 11, she learned Roger Miller's "King of the Road" on the acoustic
guitar. In high school, at Wayne High School in Huber Heights, she was a cheerleader and
often got into conflicts with authority. "We were popular girls," Kelley explained. "We
got good grades and played sports." Confronted by religious choice, however, Deal
found herself an atheist. Deal: "I’m an atheist. I go with whoever brings the minimal
amount of religion into government." As a teenager, Kim Deal formed a folk rock band
named The Breeders with her sister. She then became a prolific songwriter, as she found
it easier to write songs than cover them. Deal later commented on her songwriting output:
"I got like a hundred songs when I was like 16, 17 ... The music is pretty good, but the
lyrics are just like, OH MY GOD. We were just trying to figure out how blue rhymes with
you. When I was writing them, they didn't have anything to do with who I was." The Deals
bought microphones, an eight-track tape recorder, a mixer, speakers, and amps for a bedroom
studio. According to Kelley, they "had the whole thing set up by the time we were 17".
They later bought a drum machine "so it would feel like we were more in a band".
Following high school, Deal went to seven different colleges, including Ohio State University,
but did not graduate from any of them. She eventually received an associate degree in
biology and took several jobs in cellular biology, including working in a hospital laboratory
and a biochemical lab. Deal met John Murphy, an Air Force defense
contractor who had recently moved to Dayton, through her brother, Kevin. Murphy and Deal
began a romantic liaison. Although Murphy was not a musician himself, he wrote the song
"Hoverin'" with Deal. The couple married on Memorial Day, 1985, and moved to Murphy's
hometown of Boston, Massachusetts in January 1986.
Pixies
Deal became the bassist and backing vocalist for the Pixies in January 1986, after answering
an advertisement in the Boston Phoenix for a bassist who was into hardcore punk band
Hüsker Dü and folk music icons Peter, Paul and Mary. Deal was the only person to respond,
even though her main instrument was guitar. She borrowed her sister Kelley's bass guitar
to use in the band. To complete the lineup, she suggested they hire David Lovering as
drummer, a friend of her husband, whom she met at her wedding reception. For the release
of the band's first recording Come On Pilgrim, Deal used the nom de disque "Mrs. John Murphy"
in the liner notes. She chose the name as an ironic feminist joke, after conversing
with a lady who wished to be called by her husband's name only as a form of respect.
For Surfer Rosa, Deal sang lead vocals on the album's only single, "Gigantic", which
she co-wrote with Black Francis. Doolittle followed a year later, with Deal contributing
the song "Silver" and appearing on slide guitar. By this time, however, tensions began to develop
between her and Francis, with bickering and standoffs between the two marring the album's
recording sessions. This led to increased stress between the band members. Murphy commented
that during the sessions, it "went from just all fun to work". Exhaustion, from releasing
three records in two years and constant touring, contributed to the friction, particularly
between Francis and Deal. The tension and exhaustion culminated at the
end of the US "Fuck or Fight" tour, where they were too tired to attend the end-of-tour
party. The band soon announced a hiatus. The Breeders and Pod
During a 1988 post-Surfer Rosa tour of Europe with Throwing Muses as part of the Pixies,
Deal began to write new material. As both bands did not have plans for the short term,
Deal discussed possible side-projects with Throwing Muses guitarist Tanya Donelly. After
rejecting the idea of creating a dance album together, the pair decided to form a new band.
Deal named the band The Breeders, after the folk band she formed with Kelley as a teenager,
and they recruited Carrie Bradley, violinist and vocalist in Ed's Redeeming Qualities,
to record a short demo tape. The Breeders' demo was sent to 4AD head Ivo
Watts-Russell, who immediately signed them to the label. The Breeders allowed Deal to
become more active in songwriting, and their debut album, Pod, containing mostly Deal-written
songs, was recorded in Edinburgh, Scotland by Steve Albini. Pod, and especially Deal's
contribution, was praised by contemporaries; Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain later named the
album one of his favourites and remarked: "I wish Kim was allowed to write more songs
for the Pixies." Bossanova and Trompe le Monde
Deal returned to the U.S. after finishing recording Pod in Edinburgh. Deal was then
fired from the Pixies. She flew out to Los Angeles to meet with the band. The other members
changed their mind and they all began recording the band's next album, Bossanova.
The band's final studio album was Trompe le Monde. The recording sessions were fractious,
as the band were hardly ever together during the process.
She rarely sang on the band's songs during this time; one of the few tracks she sang
on was a cover of Neil Young's "I've Been Waiting for You". However, Deal did sing on
Trompe le Monde, on songs such as "Alec Eiffel", but did not write any material for the album.
Last Splash and The Breeders A year after the Pixies breakup, Deal's identical
twin sister Kelley joined The Breeders on lead guitar and the band released its second
album, Last Splash, to critical acclaim and considerable commercial success. The record
went platinum within a year of its release. At the height of The Breeders' popularity
in the mid-1990s, they scored a number of MTV hits, including "Cannonball," "Divine
Hammer," and "Saints." The band also released the vinyl-only "Head to Toe" 10" EP during
the summer of 1994, when they appeared on the main stage of Lollapalooza. Although the
band went into stasis in 1994 when Kelley Deal entered rehab for a heroin addiction,
they never officially split up, and in 2002 released Title TK.
The Amps and other projects During this eight-year hiatus, Kim Deal kept
busy by forming, recording, and touring with The Amps.
After a few gigs where Deal went by the moniker Tammy Ampersand, The Amps released their single
LP, Pacer. The record had an enthusiastic reception from reviewers, but was commercially
unsuccessful. She also produced music for other groups,
most notably fellow Dayton band Guided by Voices.
Deal contributed her voice to the Sonic Youth single, "Little Trouble Girl", from their
1995 album Washing Machine, and to the intro for The For Carnation's "Tales."
Pixies reunion and beyond In 2004, Kim Deal returned to a newly reunited
Pixies and toured North America with them. The song "Bam Thwok" was also released this
year. One notable performance included a live taping for the public television program Austin
City Limits in October 2004. The Pixies also played the Coachella Festival in Indio, California
in 2004 and headlined Lollapalooza in 2005 at Chicago's Grant Park. The Pixies also toured
the UK to critical acclaim including a headline appearance at the Reading and Leeds Festivals.
In 2003, Deal moved from East L.A. to her hometown of Dayton, Ohio to care for her mother
who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. In early April 2008, the Breeders released
their fourth full-length studio album, Mountain Battles.
In April 2009, Kim and The Breeders released their third EP, Fate to Fatal.
On June 14, 2013, it was announced that Kim Deal had left the Pixies. Deal has since posted
new solo music on her website and the remaining Pixies have welcomed her to come back as her
schedule with The Breeders allows. Solo releases and LSXX
In December 2012, Kim Deal played a solo set at the All Tomorrow's Parties "Nightmare Before
Christmas" festival in the UK, debuting several new songs. At the same time, she released
her first solo single, "Walking with a Killer," and has announced her intention to issue further
solo material in 2013. In April 2013, 4AD released "LSXX," a 20th
anniversary edition of The Breeders' album Last Splash. Deal is currently rehearsing
with Kelley Deal, Josephine Wiggs, and Jim Macpherson for a Last Splash anniversary tour
of North America, Europe and Australia. Equipment
Bass guitars Kim Deal generally plays four-string solid-body
bass guitars and always uses a pick, particularly the "green Dunlops with the little turtle
on them", although since the Pixies' reunion she has also been using custom green Dunlops
with "KIM" written on them. She prefers having old strings on a bass.
Aria Pro II Cardinal Series – The Pixies' first bass belonged to Kelley, and is heard
on Come On Pilgrim, Surfer Rosa and seen on the Town & Country live video. It later reappeared
in the Kelley Deal 6000. 1962 Fender Precision Reissue – Acquired
for use on Doolittle on Gil Norton's insistence. It appears in the video for "Here Comes Your
Man". On the Bossanova album, the Precision was used on "Dig for Fire" for its "lazier,
growlier sound" that was "not as boingy-boingy-sproingy". Music Man Stingray – Added in time for
Bossanova "because it was active and had a different sound" and became her main live
bass "because it was a little less country-sounding than the Fender". The instrument was afterwards
played by Josephine Wiggs in The Breeders and Luis Lerma in The Amps.
Steinberger headless bass – Bought during the recording of Trompe Le Monde because the
other basses were out of tune on the higher frets. Deal described it as having a "weird,
organ-y sound". Gibson Thunderbird – more recently, her
favorite bass that she did not use on the Pixies reunion, feeling she had to "sound
like the records". It is seen played upside-down by Mando Lopez in The Breeders.
Guitars When playing acoustic guitars for rhythm,
Kim Deal prefers distorting their sound through Marshall amps, particularly liking the resulting
low end. She also pointed out that it almost doesn't depend on the acoustic guitar used.
Seagull acoustic 1958 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop Reissue –
Also played by Joey Santiago up through Surfer Rosa and then by Kelley Deal in The Breeders.
Fender Stratocaster – The particular model Deal plays is a 1991 Strat Ultra. Kelley Deal
also has the same model, which she received as a Christmas present from her sister in
1991. Fender Telecaster has occasionally been played
by Kim in The Breeders' live performances since at least the Last Splash era. She was
also shown using the guitar on the tourbus in the Pixies' documentary film loudQUIETloud.
Gibson hollowbody – Borrowed for use on Last Splash.
Amplification Peavey 300 Combo, 1x15" speaker
Trace Elliot bass head – Deal said of the amp: "It's the new series and I don't know
what the number is or if there even is a number on there."
Trace Elliot 1048H bass cabinet, 4x10" speakers SWR heads
Marshall JCM 900 head Marshall cabinets
Gallien-Krueger cabinet, 4x10" speakers "Joe's Light" cabinet, 1x18" speaker –
Of this and the Gallien-Krueger she commented: "I hate my cabinets."
Sears Tremolo amp with the word 'Marshall' pasted on it.
Effects dbx 160X Compressor – "I use a compressor
live, but only because sound guys seem to like it when I have one onstage, even if it's
on bypass." Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion pedals – Used
by both Kim and Kelley. Recording
Kim Deal uses the All Wave philosophy of recording. To record All Wave one must use no computers,
no digital recording, no auto-tuning, nor any other mainstays of contemporary production.
The philosophy carries through the entire production and mastering process, including
mixing, editing, sequencing, post-production and the exceptional step of an all-analog
direct-metal master for the vinyl LP. This process was used on The Breeders' Title TK,
the Off You EP, and Mountain Battles. Deal commissioned the All Wave logo in an
effort to identify recordings that follow this method of recording, and possibly start
a movement. References
Notes Frank, Josh; Ganz, Caryn.. Fool the World:
The Oral History of a Band Called Pixies. Virgin Books. ISBN 0-312-34007-9.
Sisario, Ben.. Doolittle. Continuum, 33⅓ series. ISBN 0-8264-1774-4.
External links Official website
The Breeders Kim Deal at Allmusic
Kim Deal at the Internet Movie Database