JC Carroll was born in
Camberley on 9 February 1956 and attended
Salesian College in
Chertsey, Surrey. After playing in various school bands, Carroll's first taste of serious music was a 1974 chance meeting in the Three Mariners in
Bagshot, In the spring of 1979, the Members released their UK anthem "The Sound of the Suburbs" (which Carroll also co-wrote). This record went on to sell 250,000 copies in months. The track has been featured on hundreds of punk compilations. The album
At the Chelsea Nightclub... gained critical approval and has been listed in
Record Collector as one of the top 20 punk albums ever made. The Members recorded "Offshore Banking Business", a very early example of
white reggae (with a political message). The Members then concentrated on the American and overseas market as they chalked up hits in America ("Working Girl") and Australia ("Radio") before becoming dormant in 1983. Carroll married Sophy Lynn in 1988, and they opened a boutique in
Notting Hill Gate in London, named the Dispensary. The Dispensary later grew to four separate shops in Soho (London and Notting Hill Gate. The shop became a gathering place for the early
acid house scene. During this period, he became more and more involved in the production and design of tee shirts then tailored clothing. Without any formal training, Carroll made trousers, jackets, overcoats, shirts and leather jackets for the Dispensary. JC and Sophy had two children Grace Ivana and Irma Rose and worked together until 2002 when they separated. During the 1980s and 1990s, Carroll concentrated on playing the accordion and mandolin and studying various European and ethnic music. During this period, he recorded music with
Sex Pistol Glen Matlock and
New York Doll Johnny Thunders, playing both mandolin and accordion on Thunders' version of "
Que Sera Sera". A chance meeting with film music composer
Michael Kamen led to Carroll's being asked to play accordion on
Don Juan DeMarco, featuring
Marlon Brando and
Johnny Depp. In 2008, Carroll married his partner Sheila and re-established The Members as a live and recording band with original bassist Chris Payne and new drummer Nick Cash (temporarily replaced in 2010 by
Rat Scabies of
The Damned). In 2009, Carroll recorded
The Golborne Variations, with
Guy Pratt, Nick Cash, Chester Kamen, Chris Payne and Jennifer Pearl. Long-term collaborator and producer
David M. Allen produced this album. In 2011, Carroll shot and edited a movie, with filmmaker Simon Godley, titled
The Golborne Variations. This film premiered together with the first public performance of
Golborne Variations at the 2011
Portobello Film Festival, where it won a special prize. In 2011,
New Musical Express (
NME) listed two of Carroll's songs, 1979's "Offshore Banking" and 2009's "Caveman TV" on a list of forgotten masterpieces. In 2012, Carroll produced and released two records on his own AngloCentric Label - The Members fourth studio album
Ingrrland and a solo album titled
21st Century Blues (Released as Jay Cee Carroll). He also released a single using the stage name jPad titled "Totally Obsessed". He also wrote soundtrack music for
Julien Temple's documentary
London a Modern Babylon 2013 saw The Members tour Australia and New Zealand, and Carroll continued to produce videos, notably a cover of
David Bowie's "
Where Are We Now?" In 2014, The Members toured the U.S. Carroll worked on soundtracks for
6 Bullets to Hell,
Hec McAdam,
Looking for Johnny. In 2016, Carroll completed production of The Members fifth studio album titled
One Law. The album was released in conjunction with Cadiz Music and Carroll's label Anglocentric. This was the first Members album produced by Carroll. It featured Nigel Bennett on lead guitar, Chris Payne on bass, Nick Cash on drums, Carroll on various instruments and vocals. It also featured guest appearances by original Jam vocalist Steve Brookes and longtime Pink Floyd and David Gilmour bass player
Guy Pratt on "Incident at Surbiton". 1n 2020 Carroll published an Autobiography
(Still) Annoying the Neighbours with the help of rock journalist
Chris Salewicz and graphic artist
Malcolm Garrett the book was well received in the press sold well. He also composed music for director
Julien Temple's on the Award-winning
Shane MacGowan biopic
A Crock of Gold In 2021 Carroll produced the Members 7th Studio Album "Bedsitland" with current members of The Members Nigel Bennett, Chris Payne, and Nick Cash who were joined by guests John Perry (the Only Ones) and Guy Pratt (Pink Floyd) To Combat the Boredom of lockdown he began broadcasting from his studio a series of Live Streams Known as "Solitary confinement in the Suburbs" 2022 Carroll takes part in a Radio Documentary about art in the Suburbs where Ian Hislop describes JC as "the TS Eliot of Punk" in his Radio 4 Programme "in Suburbia" ==Discography==