The Durutti Column

The Durutti Column was primarily the vehicle of Vini Reilly, a guitarist born in Manchester, England in 1953. As a child, Reilly first took up the piano, drawing inspiration from greats like Art Tatum and Fats Waller, before learning to play guitar at the age of ten. Despite an early affection for folk and jazz, Reilly ultimately became swept up by the punk movement, and in 1977 he joined the group Ed Banger and the Nosebleeds.



In 1978, Factory Records founder Tony Wilson invited Reilly to join a group dubbed The Durutti Column, the name inspired by the Spanish Civil War anarchist Buenaventura Durruti and a Situationists Internationale comic strip of the 1960s. Along with Reilly, the nascent band included guitarist Dave Rowbotham, drummer Chris Joyce, vocalist Phil Rainford and bassist Tony Bowers; following a handful of performances, Rainford was fired, and after recording a pair of tracks for the EP A Factory Sampler, Rowbotham, Joyce and Bowers broke off to form The Moth Men, leaving The Durutti Column the sole province of Vini Reilly.

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