Jobriath

Jobriath was born Bruce Wayne Campbell and was signed with Elektra Records who, according to legend, had high hopes of turning him into 'the Great American Glam singer.' His first eponymously-entitled album (released in 1973) was hyped heavily, including the purchase of an immense billboard in New York's Times Square to advertise it. While the album was well-received by some critics who cited a distinct Broadway/vaudeville influence despite a production designed to make the album sound intentionally like David Bowie, the American public were reluctant to give such a hyped-up recording artist even half a chance, especially considering the fact that he was the first openly gay rock musician (while Queer musicians of any variety definitely existed before 1973, such as Noel Coward, it's important to note that Jobriath was always very public about being gay where Coward, amusingly, really didn't think anybody else knew, besides their lovers; even Freddie Mercury posed as bisexual for most of the 1970s). His second album, Creatures of the Night was released in 1974 and conisted of the remaining session recordings that weren't used for the first album. Jobriath's career was regarded as Elektra Records' and the entire recording industry's biggest faux pas and most expensive advertising failure. He was quickly dropped by Elektra and, while briefly toured with his band after this, soon even he distanced himself from the Jobriath image and performed a cabaret act under the name Cole Berlin. Pre-Jobriath, Campbell performed as the 'gay' character Woof in the Broadway musical HAIR, and was a member of the folk-rock band Pidgeon (one album for Decca, 1969). In 1983, on August 3rd, he died at his apartment in New York's Chelsea Hotel from AIDS-related complications. His death pre-dated Klaus Nomi's by three days, making him the first known recording artist whose death was AIDS-related. Since his death, a posthumus retrospective, Lonely Planet Boy, has been released.