Skatt Brothers

2025-06-10T20:43:40Z

131.156.49.244: /* Popular culture */

{{Short description|US musical group}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox musical artist
|name = The Skatt Brothers
|background = group_or_band
|origin = [[Los Angeles]], [[California]]
|genre = [[Disco]], [[Rock music|rock]]
|years_active = 1979–1983
|label = [[Casablanca Records]] [[Polygram]]
|associated_acts =
|past_members = [[Sean Delaney (musician)|Sean Delaney]] (keyboards) Pieter Sweval (bass) Richard Martin-Ross (guitar) Richie Fontana (drums, guitar) Danny Brant (guitar) David Andez (guitar) [[Craig Krampf]] (drums)
}}

'''The Skatt Bros.''' (or '''Skatt Brothers''') were a band from [[Los Angeles]], formed in 1979. At first they were compared to bands like the [[Village People]] for parallels in music on their first album, but later returned to their more rockish roots with the release of their second album titled ''Rico and the Ravens'', issued in Australia only.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Lawrence|first=Tim|title=I Want to See All My Friends At Once|url=http://www.timlawrence.info/articles/pdfs/IWantToSeeAllMyFriendsAtOnce.pdf|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090530210921/http://www.timlawrence.info/articles/pdfs/IWantToSeeAllMyFriendsAtOnce.pdf|archivedate=2009-05-30}}</ref>

==History==
[[Sean Delaney (musician)|Sean Delaney]], who had worked closely with [[KISS (band)|KISS]], formed the band in 1979.<ref>{{cite book|last=Jasper|first=Tony|author2=Oliver, Derek |title=The international encyclopedia of hard rock & heavy metal|url=https://archive.org/details/internationalenc00jasp|url-access=registration|publisher=[[Facts on File]]|date=January 1, 1985|pages=[https://archive.org/details/internationalenc00jasp/page/87 87]}}</ref> Signed to [[Casablanca Records]] by [[Neil Bogart]], the original lineup consisted of Delaney himself as well as Peter Sweval, Richard Martin-Ross, David Andez, Richie Fontana<ref>{{cite book|last=Jasper|pages=255}}</ref> and Craig Krampf. Andez and Krampf were later replaced with Danny Brant.

In 1979, the band released "[[Walk the Night]]" (written by Andez and Fontana <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richiefontana.com/Gskatt.html|title=Richie Fontana, Retro: Skatt Bros.|website=Richiefontana.com|access-date=2009-08-12}}</ref>), on the ''Strange Spirits'' album. "Walk the Night," considered a cult classic and the band's most famous release,<ref>{{cite book|last=Lawrence|first=Tim|title=Love saves the day|publisher=[[Duke University Press]]|date=January 2004|pages=[https://archive.org/details/lovesavesdayhist00lawr/page/386 386]|isbn=0-8223-3198-5|url=https://archive.org/details/lovesavesdayhist00lawr|url-access=registration}}</ref><ref name="stuff1">{{cite web|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/405390|title=GTA IV the next step in selling music too |date=2008-06-05|website=Stuff.co.nz |access-date=2009-08-12}}</ref> reached No. 9 in the Dance/Disco list of the U.S. [[Billboard charts]].

In 1980 the band obtained gold record status in Australia for their hit single “Life at the Outpost”.
The video for "Life at the Outpost" was generated by their distributing record company in Australia (Polygram/Mercury) who hired dancers/actors to lip-sync the song in the video, thus regarded as a total misrepresentation of the band by their management (Aucoin Management), their fans, and anyone who has seen them perform live in concert. No members of the Skatt Bros. appeared in the video, verified by former band member Richie Fontana.

"Life at the Outpost" managed to sell over 50,000 copies in Australia, earning it an Australian Gold Record award.<ref>Kent Music Report, 5 Jan 1981</ref>

In 2010, European music company Premium Series reissued the ''Strange Spirits'' album. The reissue claimed to be "24 bit digitally re-mastered from original master tapes".

==Popular culture==
The band's classic [sic] "Walk the Night" appeared on the [[Grand Theft Auto IV soundtrack|official soundtrack]] of the video game ''[[Grand Theft Auto IV]]'', released in 2008. According to [[Rockstar Games]], the company thought the song so important to have on the soundtrack that they hired a [[private investigator]] to locate Delaney's surviving relatives (he had died in 2003) and secure the rights to include it.<ref name="stuff1" />

"Walk the Night" is heard in ''[[M3GAN]]'' during the titular robotic doll's infamous dance.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Daly|first=Rhian |title=The Skatt Bros' 'Walk The Night' Soundtracks Hit New Horror Movie 'M3GAN' |url=https://www.yahoo.com/now/skatt-bros-walk-night-soundtracks-205814439.html |access-date=2023-01-28 |website=[[Yahoo!]]}}</ref>

The [[North Queensland Cowboys]] play "Life at the Outpost" through the stadium when they have a win at [[North Queensland Stadium]] in Townsville. It also serves as an unofficial victory song for the team.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/give-your-love-to-a-cowboy-man-the-pride-of-north-queensland-20151003-gk0hbs.html|title=Give your love to a Cowboy man: The pride of North Queensland|first=Chris|last=Roots|date=3 October 2015|newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|access-date=27 November 2021}}</ref>

==Discography==

===Albums===
{| class="wikitable"
! style="text-align: center;" | Year
! style="text-align: center;" | Title
! style="text-align: center;" | [[Kent Music Report|AUS]]<ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|authorlink=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=276}}</ref>
! style="text-align: center;" | Label
|-
| style="text-align: center;" | 1979
| ''[[Strange Spirits]]''
| style="text-align: center;" | 71
| style="text-align: center;" | [[Casablanca Records]]
|-
| style="text-align: center;" | 1981
| ''[[Rico and the Ravens]]''
| style="text-align: center;" | -
| style="text-align: center;" | [[Polygram]]
|-
| style="text-align: center;" | 2010
| ''Strange Spirits'' (reissue)
| style="text-align: center;" | -
| style="text-align: center;" | [[Premium Series]]
|}

===Singles===
{| class="wikitable"
! style="text-align: center;" | Year
! style="text-align: center;" | Title
! style="text-align: center;" | USD<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.musicvf.com/Skatt+Bros..art|title=Skatt Bros. Songs • Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography • Music VF, US & UK hits charts|website=Musicvf.com|access-date=27 November 2021}}</ref>
! style="text-align: center;" | [[Kent Music Report|AUS]]<ref name=aus/>
! style="text-align: center;" | Label
|-
| style="text-align: center;" | 1979
| "Life at the Outpost"
| style="text-align: center;" | -
| style="text-align: center;" | 13
| style="text-align: center;" | [[Casablanca Records]]
|-
| style="text-align: center;" | 1980
| "Walk the Night"
| style="text-align: center;" | 9
| style="text-align: center;" | 95
| style="text-align: center;" | [[Casablanca Records]]
|-
| style="text-align: center;" | 1980
| "Dancin' for the Man"
| style="text-align: center;" | -
| style="text-align: center;" | -
| style="text-align: center;" | [[Casablanca Records]]
|-
| style="text-align: center;" | 1981
| "Rain"
| style="text-align: center;" | -
| style="text-align: center;" | -
| style="text-align: center;" | [[Mercury Records]]
|-
| style="text-align: center;" | 1981
| "Oh, Those Girls"
| style="text-align: center;" | -
| style="text-align: center;" | -
| style="text-align: center;" | [[Mercury Records]]
|}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
*[http://www.richiefontana.com/Gskatt.html Richie Fontana's homepage: Skatt Bros.]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Musical groups established in 1979]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1983]]
[[Category:Musical groups from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:American pop music groups]]
[[Category:1979 establishments in California]]
[[Category:1983 disestablishments in California]]

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Skatt Brothers