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American band

The Scruffs are an American power pop group formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1974 by writer/guitarist/vocalist Stephen Burns along with guitarist David Branyan, bassist Rick Branyan, and drummer Zeph Paulson. Although their line up has changed many times over the years, The Scruffs, centered around Burns, have continued to release records up through the 2010s.

Formed in 1974 by singer/songwriter and guitarist Stephen Burns, who would cut classes at the University of Memphis to rehearse and record, the group spent a two year period in which it would write music and rehearse in a warehouse at Shoe Studio and then record at Ardent Studios when it had enough songs. Rick Branyan left the band in 1976, and Andy Tanus, Ken Woodley, and Van Duren were brought into the studio to play bass, with Bill Godley ultimately filling the role until Branyan's return a year later. Burns' high school friend, Tommy Hoehn, who led the power pop group Prix, was brought in for backing vocals. During this period, the band recorded many of the songs (most penned by Burns or Burns co writing with David Branyan) that would later appear on its first album. The songs from this period were collected and released more than twenty years later on the anthology Angst: The Early Recordings 1974 1976. Big Star producer Jim Dickinson, who was working on Big Star's Third/Sister Lovers at Ardent when The Scruffs began recording there, and who heard The Scruffs' demos in their earliest stages, recalled that people on the local scene expected The Scruffs to take the radio by storm. Dickinson said of these early recordings, "If there's going to be a Scruffs history, that's it . . It really does represent, if not the end, then the beginning of the end of something in Memphis music. After that, nobody even tried to do that again." The album, however, received only local airplay and little more. In August 1978, the group began recording a follow up album. After completing six songs, the band moved to New York City and played at CBGB and Max's Kansas City. In 1979, Rick Branyan moved back to Memphis, and was replaced by Steve Wood. By 1981, having only released the single Shakin’ from the album, the group disbanded. These recordings were eventually released as The Scruffs' third album, MidTown. Noting the influence of Memphis's seminal power pop group, Robert Christgau wrote of the album, "it's Memphis, it's the '80s, and darn it, Big Star lives ('Machiavellian Eyes,' 'Judy [She Put the Devil in Me]')."

In 2009, The Scruffs began recording songs for their eighth studio album, first in Glasgow and later in Memphis. Conquest was released in January 2010 to, once more, many favorable reviews. In his AllMusic review, critic William Ruhlman wrote that "Burns retains his talent for catchy melodies and his lyrical fascination with young women . while as a record maker he evokes mid ‘60s Beach Boys and Beatles, along with mid ‘70s Electric Light Orchestra." Encouraged by the response to Conquest, The Scruffs reconvened in Edinburgh in early 2010 to commence rehearsals for another album, recording the material at Ardent in November 2010. The Scruffs' principal line up for these recordings was Burns (guitar, vocals, producer), Adam Hill (guitars, backing vocals, additional bass), Bobby Kildea (bass, backing vocals, percussion) and Mark Rodgers (drums, percussion), with the Vest Brothers (also from Memphis) providing backing vocals and guitar. Peter Buck of R. E. M. also made a guest appearance on one song. Mastered at Abbey Road Studios in London, England, Kill! Kill!, The Scruffs' ninth studio album, was released in February 2011. One critic described it as "a McCartney esque pop tour de force that sounds fresh and surprisingly fierce coming from a band in its 36th year of existence," stating that it showed why Burns "might be the most vital remaining member of the now somewhat legendary Memphis power pop scene of the 1970s."