Mink DeVille

Although a product of the New York punk scene, at heart Mink Deville was a soul band with roots in R&B, the blues and even Cajun music. The group was a showcase for frontman Willy Deville (born William Boray in 1953), a native New Yorker who in 1971 travelled to London to form a band; unable to find compatible musicians, he worked as a solo performer before returning to the U.S. and settling in San Francisco, where he founded the first incarnation of Mink Deville in 1974 with bassist Ruben Siguenza and drummer Tom "Manfred" Allen.



After playing in Bay Area leather bars and lounges under a variety of names including Billy DeSade & the Marquis and the Lazy Eights, the trio read a music magazine feature spotlighting the Ramones; duly inspired, Mink Deville relocated to New York, where they recruited guitarist Louie X. Erlanger. After debuting with three tracks on the Live At Cbgb's compilation, the band entered the studio with legendary producer Jack Nitzsche and surfaced in 1977 with Cabretta, an energetic, soulful outing highlighted by "Spanish Stroll," a Top 20 hit in the U.K.

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