The Cult

Since the mid-’80s, British hard rock band The Cult continually reinvented their sound and their lineup, anchoring their multi-Platinum catalog around lead singer Ian Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy.

∙ The Cult’s musical origins and use of Native American imagery can be traced back to Astbury’s first post-punk outfit, The Southern Death Cult, whose only album came out after they had broken up.
∙ “She Sells Sanctuary,” the band’s breakout single, was a UK Top 20 hit in 1985, launching their sophomore LP, Love, to the Top 5 of the UK Albums chart.
∙ Working with producer Rick Rubin, they released 1987’s Electric, featuring the single “Love Removal Machine,” which is ranked among VH1’s 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs.
∙ Their platinum-selling fourth LP, 1989’s Sonic Temple, featured the hit “Fire Woman,” which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.
∙ After Astbury sang “Wild Child” with The Doors on their 2000 VH1 Storytellers episode, he was asked by the band to join as lead vocalist for their 2002 tour as The Doors of the 21st Century.
∙ Between 2007 and 2016, The Cult released a narrative trilogy of albums—Born Into This, Choice of Weapon, and Hidden City—that returned them to the UK Top 20.