Eric Goulden, better known by his stage name Wreckless Eric, will play this Friday at the new venue known as the Galloway House. Wreckless Eric has been cranking out new wave-ish power pop since the ’70s, but he’s best known for his song “Whole Wide World,” released on Stiff Records in 1977. After leaving Stiff Records (the Damned, Elvis Costello, Devo) in the ’80s, Goulden would go on to form the bands the Captains of Industry, the Len Bright Combo, and the Hitsville House band.
Wreckless Eric
No stranger to Memphis, Goulden played Gonerfest as Wreckless Eric in 2013 and as a headliner for the only Len Bright Combo U.S. appearance in 2014. As for Wreckless Eric, he’s never exactly fit the mold of a first-generation punk artist, but that hasn’t stopped him from being one of the most recognizable faces on the early Stiff Records roster. Mojo magazine named “Whole Wide World” one of the best punk songs of all time, and the song has been featured in various movies in addition to being a classic staple on any dive-bar jukebox that’s worth a damn.
The show at the Galloway House on Friday is unique for a couple reasons. Not only will this be the first concert in the space that isn’t tied to the Johnny Cash statue fund-raiser in some way, Friday’s performance will also take place in the room where Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two performed for a group of church ladies in 1954. DJ Shopping Bag and DJ Hot Tub Eric open.
