# Bands that appeared playing in movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 22, 2016, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-appeared-playing-in-movies/755368 "2016-05-22T15:49:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-appeared-playing-in-movies/755368/101 "2016-05-25T17:20:31Z")
The thread about a quote from the immortal _Road House_ (1989) made me recollect that The Jeff Healey Band performs as the house band (I believe it’s unnamed, but it’s definitely not named The Jeff Healey Band) in the titular establishment. Can’t believe I just thought of that. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-appeared-playing-in-movies/755368/102 "2016-05-25T17:23:13Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I’ll break my own stipulation and mention my favorite one from TV. The band Detective appeared on _WKRP in Cincinnati_ as the fictional band _Scum of the Earth_. Lead singer Michael Des Barres and two actors played the band in the speaking parts but the full band was playing as Scum at the end of the episode. Amusingly, years later, Des Barres appeared in the sequel series, _[The New WKRP in Cincinnati](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_WKRP_in_Cincinnati)_, as a DJ. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-appeared-playing-in-movies/755368/103 "2016-05-25T17:37:08Z")
> [@Truman\_Burbank](#): > > In the movie Valley Girl, I’m pretty damned sure Josie Cotton and the Convertibles have some screen time. I don’t know if Cotton appeared but The Plimsouls are shown playing "A Million Miles Away"in a bar. They are credited as themselves, though. ---
**Author:** ![Truman\_Burbank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@Truman\_Burbank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truman_Burbank)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-appeared-playing-in-movies/755368/104 "2016-05-25T18:26:11Z")
I had to wiki it - re: Valley Girl, “Josie Cotton and her group drove up from Texas in their 1950 Chevrolet to perform in the prom scene.” ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-appeared-playing-in-movies/755368/105 "2016-05-25T18:30:34Z")
In the **Kill Bill** movies, The 5, 6, 7, 8’s played The 5 6 7 8’s. Punctuation is the key here. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-appeared-playing-in-movies/755368/106 "2016-05-25T18:33:26Z")
Spinal Tap portrayed The Folksmen in **A Mighty Wind**. There are nuanced degrees of how fictional those two bands are, since one of them actually toured and released an album. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-appeared-playing-in-movies/755368/107 "2016-05-25T19:13:44Z")
Both Letters to Cleo and Save Ferris appeared as unnamed bands in '10 Things I Hate About You" ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-appeared-playing-in-movies/755368/108 "2016-05-25T19:14:14Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > Spinal Tap portrayed The Folksmen in **A Mighty Wind**. There are nuanced degrees of how fictional those two bands are, since one of them actually toured and released an album. The Folksmen made numerous live appearanxes, including opening for Spinal.Tap on some shows. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-appeared-playing-in-movies/755368/109 "2016-05-25T19:41:54Z")
> [@Gordon\_Urquhart](#): > > The thread about a quote from the immortal _Road House_ (1989) made me recollect that The Jeff Healey Band performs as the house band (I believe it’s unnamed, but it’s definitely not named The Jeff Healey Band) in the titular establishment. Can’t believe I just thought of that. Neither can \*\*Poysyn \*\*or \*\*Loach \*\*– > [@Poysyn](#): > > Alice Cooper in Wayne’s World > > Jeff Healy in Roadhouse 🙂 > [@Loach](#): > > It’s been a while but isn’t Alice playing himself? > > Jeff Healy is a good example. It’s him and The Jeff Healy Band but he’s playing a character named Cody and the band isn’t named. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-appeared-playing-in-movies/755368/110 "2016-05-25T20:46:56Z")
The band Otis Day and the Knights in Animal House was put together by Robert Cray who is playing bass, with DeWayne Jessie playing Otis Day on screen but actually lip sinking to the recording of Lloyd Williams. After the success of the movie, Jessie apparently changed his name to Otis Day and has recorded and toured as Otis Day and the Knights. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-appeared-playing-in-movies/755368/111 "2016-05-25T21:21:37Z")
Both Albert Collins and Southside Johnny Lyon front anonymous bands in “Adventures is Babysitting.” ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-appeared-playing-in-movies/755368/112 "2016-05-25T23:38:28Z")
Frankie Goes to Hollywood perform in the Brian De Palma film _Body Double_. The group used a clip of that scene as a music video for the song “Relax.” ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-appeared-playing-in-movies/755368/113 "2016-05-26T00:26:26Z")
Fine Young Cannibals were a bar band in “Tin Men.” ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-appeared-playing-in-movies/755368/114 "2016-05-26T00:52:23Z")
Although not a band, José Feliciano appears in _Fargo_ as a lounge musician. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-appeared-playing-in-movies/755368/115 "2016-05-26T00:57:04Z")
> [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](#): > > Frankie Goes to Hollywood perform in the Brian De Palma film _Body Double_. The group used a clip of that scene as a music video for the song “Relax.” That’s a good one. I’ve always liked that movie but I didn’t think of that scene. Holly Johnson, singer for Frankie Goes to Hollywood, is credited on IMDb as “Singing Nightclub Doorman.” I got that FGTH album when I was in high school. I still have it somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-appeared-playing-in-movies/755368/116 "2016-05-26T01:58:16Z")
Also not a band and not really a movie… Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard recorded Pancho and Lefty, which was written by Townes Van Zandt. Van Zandt appears in the video they made, but he doesn’t sing. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-appeared-playing-in-movies/755368/117 "2016-05-26T09:08:32Z")
Not quite on topic but Gillian Welch has a cameo in _Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?_ as a record-buying customer. Her character doesn’t sing, but she is heard singing in songs in other scenes. ---
**Author:** ![mike\_ahndembroak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mike\_ahndembroak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mike_ahndembroak)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-appeared-playing-in-movies/755368/118 "2016-05-26T23:08:38Z")
Cannibal corpse plays their song “Hammer smashed face” in Ace Ventura pet detective ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-appeared-playing-in-movies/755368/119 "2016-05-26T23:22:59Z")
George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic appeared as themselves in the classic film P.C.U. (Yes, I know it does not meet the criteria set forth in the OP, but I can’t pass up the opportunity to mention the film.) ---
**Author:** ![akrako1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@akrako1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akrako1)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2016, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-appeared-playing-in-movies/755368/120 "2016-05-27T13:54:08Z")
i’ve actually been working on this very topic, producing some compilations dvd’s featuring the (typically brief!) appearances by bands in movies - mainly focusing on 60’s/70’s psychedelia and hard rock. Here are the more known bands featured on the first 4 volumes (my apologies if some have already been mentioned) 1957 Mister Rock and Roll (USA) featuring - Chuck Berry - Little Richard 1964 The Vagrants (Leslie West) “Oh, Those Eyes” in Disk-O-Tek Holiday A Band Of Angels “Hide & Seek” in Disk-O-Tek.Holiday Get Yourself A College Girl (UK) featuring - Dave Clark Five “Whenever You’re Around” - The Animals “Blue Feeling” - Jimmy Smith And His Trio “Johnny Come On Home” - Dave Clark Five “Thinking of You” - The Animals “Round And Round” 1965 Beach Boys “The Girls on the Beach” & “Little Honda” in Girls On The Beach (USA) Beach Boys with Annette Funicello in The Monkey’s Uncle, USA Herman’s Hermits “Listen People” in When The Boys Meet The Girls (US) James Brown “I Got You” in Ski Party 1965 Beau Brummels in Villiage Of The Giants Graham Bond Organisation in Gonks Go Beat The Zombies in Bunny Lake Is Missing Los Sinners “Rebelde Radioactivo” in Simon of the Desert 1966 The Animals “We Gotta Get Outta This Place” in It’s A Bikini World Herman’s Hermits “Got A Feeling” in Hold On (UK) Fugs “I Couldn’t Get High” in Chappaqua Ravi Shankar in Chappaqua The Yardbirds in BlowUp The Ghost Goes Gear (UK) featuring - Spencer Davis Group “When I Come Home” - St. Louis Union “I Got My Pride” - Spencer Davis Group “Midnight Special” - The M6 “Seven Deadly Sins” - Spencer Davis Group “Stevie’s Groove” - St. Louis Union “Show Me Your English Teeth” 1967 Gram Parson’s International Submarine Band (with Electric Flag audio) in The Trip, USA Riot On The Sunset Strip featuring: - The Standells - Chocolate Watchband The Love-Ins (US) featuring - The New Age Group - The Chocolate Watchband Roy Orbinson in The Fastest Guitar Alive (US) Clear Light in The President’s Analyst Lee Grant & The Capitols in The Sorcerers Manfred Mann in Venus in Furs Paul Jones from Manfred Mann in Privledge The Birds in The Deadly Bees The Mindbenders in To Sir With Love Los Bravos in Los Chicos Con Las Chicas Los Dug Dug’s (& singers) in The Crazy World Of The Young (El Mundo Loco de los Jovenes), Mexico Elipse “Lets Build/The Climbing Brigade” (Idemo Gradimo/Dizemo Brigade) in The Rats Woke Up (Budenje Pacova) (Yugoslavia) 1967 1968 Dr. West’s Medicine Show and Junk Band “Jigsaw” & “Bullets La Verne” in Jigsaw (USA) The Bit’ A Sweet “LSD’s Got A Hold On Me”, “Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind” & “Is It On, Is It Off?” in Blonde On a Bum Trip (USA) Elipse in The Naughty Ones (Nemirni) (Yugoslavia) Grand Funk Railroad “Into The Sun” in Mondo Daytona/Get Down Grand Funk, USA Herman’s Hermits in Mrs Brown, You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter (US) Arthur Brown in The Committee Katch 22 in Baby Love Grateful Dead “Viola Lee Blues” in Petulia The Fool in Wonderwall (UK) Country Joe “Fixing To Die Rag” in Revolution '68 Quicksilver Messenger Service “Codine” in Revolution '68 The Seeds in Psych Out Strawberry Alarm Clock in Psych Out The Spencer Davis Group in Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush Moby Grape “Sweet Ride” aka “Never Again” in Sweet Ride Big Brother & The Holding Co. in Petulia 1969 Freedom (Ray Royer and Bobby Harrison ex-Procol Harum) “The Games Is Over” in Attraction (Nerosubianco), Italy Mutantes in As Amorosas (The Loving Women) Can with Margareta Juvan (as The Inner Space) “I’m Hiding My Nightingale” in Kobi Jaeger’s Kamasutra: Vollendung der liebe Pretty Things in What’s Good For The Goose Spirit in The Model Shop The Comfortable Chair in How To Commit Marriage The Litter in Medium Cool The Cyrkle in The Mynx (US) 1970 The Incredible String Band “Three Is A Green Crown”, “The Iron Stone” & “All Writ Down” in Be Glad For The Song Has No Ending (UK) Permissive featuring - Titus Groan - Comus - Forever More Groupies (US) featuring - Ten Years After “Help Me Baby” - Spooky Tooth featuring Luther Grovesnor Fillmore Rehearsal - Terry Reid with Keith Webb and Peter Shelly “Bang Bang” & “Superlungs” - Ten Years After “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl” - Dry Creek Road “Mister Sun” - Joe Cocker & The Grease Band “Delta Lady” Amen Corner in Scream and Scream Again Alice Cooper “Ride With Me” in Diary Of A Mad Housewife Strawberry Alarm Clock in Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls Pacific Gas & Electric in Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon Kaleidoscope “Lie To Me” in Captain Milkshake Big Grunt (post-Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band) in Marty Amok (UK) Lee Hazlewood “Strangers, Lovers, Friends”, “Let’s Take A Walk Down Valhallavägen” in Requiem for an Almost Lady, Sweden 1971 Dr. Hook and The Medicine Show “Bunky and Lucille” in Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me (USA) Coultry Joe and The Fish “World That We All Dreamed Of” in Gas-S-S-S Tim Buckley “Pleasant Stree” in The Christian Licorice Store Canned Heat “One Kind Favor” in Naked Zoo Zachariah featuring - James Gang - Country Joe & The Fish - James Gang vs. Elvin Jones - New York Rock n Roll Ensemble Thunderclap Newman in Not Tonight Darling Juicy Lucy in Bread (UK) Crazy Mabel in Bread (UK) Cartano Veloso in The Demiurg (Brazil) (Filmed in London) Kin Ping Meh in Ready, Willing & Able (Germany) Medicine Ball Caravan (US) featuring - B.B. King - Doug Kershaw - Sal Valentino - Alice Cooper “Black Juju” - Stoneground 1972 Curtis Mayfield “SuperFly” in SuperFly (USA) Sir Douglas Quintet in Cisco Pike Stoneground in Dracula 1972 A.D. Roy Harper in Made (UK) The Strawbs “Hey Little Man (Thursday’s Child)” & “Tomorrow” in Grave New World, UK 1973 Medura in Electra Glide in Blue Magma in Me, I Want to Have Dough (Moi y’en a vouloir des sous) (France) 1975 Showaddywaddy “The Party” in Three For All (UK) 1978 Sorcery in Stunt Rock (Australia) 1979 Country Joe And The Fish “Fixin’ To Die Rag” in More American Graffiti (USA) Ramones in Rock n Roll High School 1980 Pretty Things in Monster Club 1983 Lou Reed “My Baby Sister” in Get Crazy (USA) 1984 Alice Cooper in Monster Dog (USA) (i do have the video for every one of these clips, in case someone \*needs \*to see one :p) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-appeared-playing-in-movies/755368.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-appeared-playing-in-movies/755368.md?page=7)