Difference between revisions of "Members (past and present)"

Revision as of 00:42, 5 June 2023

Like plenty other bands, The Sisters of Mercy changed more or less often over the years, apart from one founding member, i.e. singer, lyricist and - with time - band leader Andrew Eldritch, who himself has often pointed out that he's never felt quite comfortable with that much responsibilty and that, anyway, things had initially never meant to come to this.

The second almost alltime-member, who will probably last as long as The Sisters will is Doktor Avalanche.

Anyway, Andrew Eldritch has always been able to convene around The Doktor some remarkable staff whenever for whatever task necessary. Basically, bandmembers - like The Doktor's constituent parts - changed with every new album release, which does of course count as well for The Sisterhood and the SSV project (1997). Since then, The Sisters of Mercy have mostly consisted of long-lasting live performance members.

In 2019, long-term Sisters guitarist Chris Catalyst did not join the band for their European Summer Festival appearances and the following worldwide club tour in autumn.
Time will tell, whether he will be seen on stage with The Sisters of Mercy one day or other again. Anyway, he was replaced by Dylan Smith, who did his first gig with the band
at HELLFEST Festival 2019 in France.

Current Band Members

Image	Name	Years Active	Instruments	Release Contributions & Other Notes
	Andrew Eldritch	1980 - present	lead vocals,    keyboards, guitars	all releases and non-releases by The Sisters of Mercy    all releases by The Sisterhood and SSV
	Ben Christo	2006 - present	guitars,    bass, backing vocals	live only    during all tours since 2006
	Dylan Smith	2019 ...	guitars,    backing vocals	live guitarist for the current festival and club tour
	Doktor Avalanche	1981 - present	drums,    keyboards, bass	all releases and non-releases by The Sisters of Mercy    apart from The Damage Done (single)
	Ravey Davey	1996    Summer 2012    Sisters 2014    - present	programming	live only during    1996: Roadkill Tour    2012: Summer 2012    2014: Sisters 2014 - Ever Forward    Ravey Davey has been the first official nurse    to The Doktor and returned to duties in 2012.

Former Band Members

Note: This list does not include short-lived members, members of The Sisterhood or SSV and album or performance contributors.

Image	Name	Years Active	Instruments	Release Contributions & Other Notes
	Gary Marx	1980 - 1985	guitars,    lead vocals    on two early tracks	Album:    First And Last And Always    Singles & EPs:    The Damage Done, Body Electric, Alice, Anaconda,    Alice EP, The Reptile House EP, Temple Of Love,    Body And Soul,Walk Away including Long Train Flexi,    No Time To Cry
	Craig Adams	1981 - 1985	bass	Album:    First And Last And Always    Singles & EPs:    Body Electric, Alice, Anaconda, Alice EP,    Temple Of Love, The Reptile House EP, Body And Soul,    Walk Away including Long Train Flexi, No Time To Cry
	Ben Gunn	1981 - 1983	guitars	Singles & EPs:    Alice, Anaconda, Alice EP,    The Reptile House EP, Temple Of Love
	Wayne Hussey	1984 - 1985	guitars,    backing vocals	Album:    First And Last And Always    Singles & EPs:    Body And Soul, Walk Away, No Time To Cry
	Patricia Morrison	1985 - 1989	bass,    backing vocals	Albums, Singles & EPs:    The Sisterhood: Member of The Chorus Of Vengeance    Album - Gift / Single - Giving Ground    The Sisters of Mercy:    Album - Floodland    Singles - This Corrosion, Dominion, Lucretia
	Andreas Bruhn	1989 - 1993	guitars	Album:    Vision Thing    Singles & EPs:    More, Doctor Jeep, When You Don't See Me,    Temple Of Love (1992)
	Tony James	1989 - 1991	bass	Album:    Vision Thing    Singles & EPs:    More, Doctor Jeep, When You Don't See Me,    Temple Of Love (1992)
	Tim Bricheno	1990 - 1992	guitars	Album:    Vision Thing    Singles & EPs:    More, Doctor Jeep, When You Don't See Me,    Temple Of Love (1992)
	Adam Pearson	1993 - 2005	lead guitar,    backing vocals,    bass	Singles & EPs:    Under The Gun    Unreleased Songs:    Come Together, Crash And Burn, Romeo Down,    Snub Nose aka Top Nite Out, Summer,    I Have Slept With All The Girls In Berlin    Will I Dream? (with Mike Varjak)
	Chris Sheehan    aka Chris Starling	1996    2000 - 2003	rhythm guitar,    backing vocals	live only during    1996: Roadkill Tour    2000: Sisters Trip The Light Fantastic    2001: Exxile On Euphoria and Summer 2001    2002: Summer 2002    2003: Smoke And Mirrors
	Mike Varjak	1997 - 1999	guitars	live during    1997: Distance Over Time    1998: Event Horizon and Summer    1999: Sisters To The Planet Edge    Unreleased Songs:    We Are The Same, Susanne,    Will I Dream? (with Adam Pearson)
	Si Denbigh	1997    - Spring 2012    except Spring 1998	programming	long-time nurse to The Doktor. After The Sisters'    XXX 30th Stage Anniversary Tour 2011/2012    Si Denbigh went to concentrate on The March Violets'    album project.    Si was replaced by Mike Hall for the Event Horizon    tour in 1998, but returned in Summer 1998.
	Chris Catalyst	2005 - 2017	guitars, bass,    backing vocals	live during all tours from 2005-2017       Unreleased songs:    Still, Arms

Short-lived Members And Other Contributors

Note: This list does not yet include all short-lived members from 1980-1981, live band members from 1990 onwards, and album or performance contributors.

Image	Name	Years Active	Instruments	Release Contributions & Other Notes
	Jon Langford	1981	bass	live only while The Sisters were searching a bass player
	Dave Humphrey	1981	guitars	live only
	Tom Ashton	1983	guitars	Tom Ashton is originally a member of The March Violets    and stepped in for some Sisters live gigs in 1983    when Ben Gunn had left more or less all of a sudden.
	Boyd Steemson	- 1992	tour management and    organisational tasks    with Merciful Release	administrative tasks only
	James Ray	1985 - 1988	vocals,    keyboards	The Sisterhood:    Gift (album) & Giving Ground (single)    Member of The Chorus Of Vengeance    various TV appearances in 1987/8    see ultimatesistersguide/TV Appearances/1988
	Carl Harrison	1985 - 1988	keyboards	live only during various TV appearances in 1987/8    as a member of James Ray And The Performance    see ultimatesistersguide/TV Appearances/1988
	Alan Vega	1986	vocals	Studio only    Albums:    The Sisterhood: Gift (album) (1986)    Member of The Chorus Of Vengeance    - not 100% confirmed -
	Lucas Fox	1986	co-production    percussions, vocals	Studio only    Albums:    The Sisterhood: Gift (album) (1986)    Member of The Chorus Of Vengeance    Singles & EPs:    Giving Ground
	Jim Steinman	1987 - 1990	production,    co-production	Studio only    Tracks:    1987 Floodland - This Corrosion, Dominion/Mother Russia    1990 Vision Thing - More
	Maggie Reilly	1990	backing vocals	Studio only    Album:    Vision Thing    Tracks:    Vision Thing, More, Detonation Boulevard,    Something Fast, Doctor Jeep
	John Perry	1990	slide guitar	Studio only    Album: Vision Thing - Track: Detonation Boulevard
	Dan Donovan	1990	keyboards	live during    1990 Tour Thing 1 - Vision Thing Tour    Singles & EPs:    When You Don't See Me (live tracks)
	Suzanna Josefowicz	1991 -    Summer 1993	keyboards,    backing vocals	live only during    1991: Tour Thing 2 and Tune In Turn On Load Out    1992: GoBang Tour    1993: The Summer Festivals
	Ofra Haza	1992	additional vocals	Single & Album:    Temple Of Love (1992)    A Slight Case Of Overbombing (the same track)    TV performance on 30 April 1992 - Top of the Pops
	Jovanka von Wilsdorf	1992 - 1993	backing vocals    keyboards	live only during    1992: GoBang Tour    1993: The Summer Festivals and Overbombing Tour    also:    TV playback performance of Under The Gun    on 26 November 1993 in VOX TV feature Elf 99
	Terri Nunn	1993, 2023	additional vocals	Single & Video:    Under The Gun (single), Under The Gun (video)    TV performance on 26 August 1993 - Top of the Pops    Live: additional vocals on Temple Of Love on 23 May 2023
- no picture available -	Hermine Karo aka    Hermine von Wiro	1993	backing vocals	live only during    1993: Overbombing Tour
	Rodney Orpheus	1993	keyboards	Top Of The Pops - TV performance of Under The Gun
	Peter Bellendir	1997	composing,    programming,    production	Studio only    Album: Go Figure (SSV)
	T. Schroeder	1997	lyrics	Studio only    Album: Go Figure (SSV)
	Mike Hall	1998	programming	nurse to The Doktor in 1998 for Event Horizon Tour only,    originally the keyboard technician of Erasure
	Lisa Cuthbert	2012, 2014, 2017	additional vocals    in 2012:    keyboards & vocals	live surprise act during    Amphi Festival 2012, Cologne, Germany    background vocals at Rock Zottegem 2014    and at several gigs of the Sisters 2017 Tour

Graph Timeline

This timeline shows the members of The Sisters of Mercy from 1980 to 2010. It is not complete, though. See also The Sisters of Mercy Family Tree