Gossip (The) Biography

Gossip was formed in 1999 in Olympia, Washington with vocalist Beth Ditto, guitarist Brace Paine, and drummer Kathy Mendonca. In 1999 the Independent record label, K Records, released The Gossip's first recording, their eponymous debut EP, The Gossip in 1999.

Since the formation of the band, Ditto has been considered controversial by the mainstream for being open about her weight and homosexuality, and not holding back when it comes to discussing fellow musicians.

Their next release was their first album That's Not What I Heard and was released by the record label Kill Rock Stars on January 23, 2001. In between the release of their second album, they released the EP Arkansas Heat on May 7, 2002. Movement, the group's second studio album, followed one year later and was released on May 6, 2003. In November 2003, two months after the release of their first live album Undead in NYC on September 9, drummer Kathy Mendonca left the band to pursue a career as a midwife. Established punk drummer Hannah Blilie joined to replace her. In 2005, the band performed at North East Sticks Together.

The first release featuring new drummer Hannah Blilie was the band's next album Standing in the Way of Control. It was released on January 24, 2006 on Kill Rock Stars and later on in 2006 on UK independent label Back Yard Recordings.

The group's hit song "Standing in the Way of Control" was written by Ditto as a response to the proposed Federal Marriage Amendment which would have outlawed same-sex marriage in the United States. "Nobody in the States was that surprised or shocked by what Bush did, but it made everyone I know feel helpless and cheated, " Ditto commented. "I wrote the chorus to try and encourage people not to give up. It's a scary time for civil rights, but I really believe the only way to survive is to stick together and keep fighting. " A remix of the song by Soulwax also gained popularity in the UK when it featured in the advertising for the television programme Skins on Channel 4 in 2007. The album Standing in the Way of Control has since earned Gold Record Status in the UK.

Gossip's first UK TV appearance was on BBC1's Friday Night With Jonathan Ross, where they performed "Standing in the Way of Control".

As reported on Pitchfork in March 2007, the group have signed to Music With a Twist, a subsidiary of Sony Music Label Group, concentrating on LGBT music acts. Beth Ditto appeared nude on the front cover of the UK music magazine NME (cover dated June 2, 2007). During the summer of 2007, Gossip was a part of the multi-artist True Colors Tour 2007, which traveled through 15 cities in the United States and Canada. The tour, sponsored by the Logo channel, began on June 8, 2007. Hosted by comedian Margaret Cho and headlined by Cyndi Lauper, the tour also included Debbie Harry, Erasure, Rufus Wainwright, The Dresden Dolls, The MisShapes, The Cliks and other special guests. Profits from the tour went to benefit the Human Rights Campaign.

Gossip are based in Portland, Oregon and have played with bands such as Sleater-Kinney, Le Tigre, CSS, Erase Errata, Mika Miko, Panther, Comanechi, and Mates of State. Gossip also opened for the Scissor Sisters for three dates on their November 2006 tour, but singer Ditto complained to NME magazine that she disliked performing for an audience who didn't "know their Ramones. "

On June 24, 2007 Gossip closed the Glastonbury Festival, playing the final set on the John Peel stage during which Ditto gave a tribute to the late John Peel. Gossip also performed the following year, on the Pyramid Stage.

Gossip launched the Live in Liverpool album in the UK and the U. S. in April 2008. The album was produced by Rick Rubin. The album also features a DVD of their live performance. A new studio album called Music For Men was released in June of 2009.

012–present: A Joyful Noise

On March 12, 2012, their comeback single,"Perfect World", was unveiled on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show. Their fifth studio album A Joyful Noise, produced by Xenomania's Brian Higgins, was released in late May, with generally "mixed reviews". A second single, "Move In The Right Direction", was issued on May 23rd, 2012.