Photos + Words by HEATHER HARRIS
LOS ANGELES – Rest in peace O.G. punk Cheetah Chrome. Acclaimed and admired for his guitar work in The Dead Boys, he also furthered his genuine love of rock and roll with assorted solo tours with backing bands like, who else, The Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs.
My photos were taken between 2014 and 2017, wherein he played everything local from dive bars in Montebello to some downtown pit with a genuine punk riot erupting (last live pic) to the most packed audiences I’ve ever seen at the Viper Room and The Whisky, to his performance at the legendary James Williamson Re-Licked multi-artist revue (like a modern day T.A.M.I. show!) at the shuttered post-covid-lockdowns Bootleg Theatre.
Chrome was based in Nashville with his wife and son, where he worked for indie labels and authored an autobiography “Cheetah Chrome: A Dead Boys Tale.” Rumors of very ill health via a purported stroke recently emerged. Despite his bad boy rep Cheetah was always pleasant to his friends (mutual ones: Ames Flames and Evita Corby, seen here) plus accommodating and nice to press like me.
Future plans had been gelling around collaborations with James Williamson, Glen Matlock and the late Clem Burke. His guitar work was always brashly exciting to say the least, and he deserves to be well remembered.
– Heather Harris. All photos © Heather Harris.
