Al Jourgensen
Al Jourgensen was born in Havana, Cuba on October 9, 1958, the grandson of an official in the Batista government. By the time he was two, Fidel Castro had come to power and Jourgensen fled the country with his mother, immigrating to the U.S. Moving around the country, Jourgensen grew up in the turbulent '60s and came of age in the post-Viet Nam War apathy and decadence of the '70s. In the face of government corruption and the harsh desperation of the Cold War, Jourgensen, like so many others, turned to music for comfort and solace.
Jourgensen, by this time a DJ, settled in Chicago in the late '70s, finding himself in the midst of a growing music scene that embraced dance, punk, British New Wave and the fear of mutually assured destruction. The fear manifested itself in gritty lyrics and vocal delivery conveying the feeling of hopelessness. The music was nuanced and often upbeat but synthetic and devoid of emotion. This scene and Jourgensen gave birth to a genre of music called "industrial," and in 1980, Jourgensen formed Ministry.
Ministry built a following from the ground up with its increasingly aggressive music, inciting a musical rebellion that embellished the industrial sound by deconstructing pop music with a synthesizer and using the "found" sounds of audio samples and unconventional noises, heavy drumbeats, and ultimately, the fury of heavy metal guitars. Lyrical content grew angrier, edgier and darker with each release, often invoking religious and political overtones.
If nothing else, Al Jougensen has been outspoken.
After 28 years, two Grammy nominations, four Gold albums and one Platinum award, Jourgensen will close the doors of the Ministry garage, preferring to focus on his 13th Planet Studio, producing music and collaborating with other artists. Ministry's final studio album, "The Last Sucker," was released September, 2007, and the band's farewell world tour, "C U LaTouR," kicks off in late March.
"Keys to the City" Now Available for Download on iTunes
Al Jourgensen and Ministry’s Gift to the Fans of Chicago Blackhawks Hockey
The resurging Chicago Blackhawks Hockey team has no bigger fan than Al Jourgensen, the “Mayor of Chicago’s Underground,” the godfather of the industrial music scene, and founder and lead singer of the legendary rock band Ministry. As the 2007/2008 Blackhawks team makes its push for the 2008 playoffs, its fans now have another great sports anthem, courtesy of Al and his co-conspirators in Ministry. “Keys To The City,” a rock anthem sure to inspire Blackhawks fans worldwide, will debut on March 5, 2008. As part of the debut, 200 lucky fans of Ministry and the Blackhawks will win tickets to see the March 5 game.
Born in Cuba and having immigrated to the U.S. at the age of two, Jourgensen was raised in Colorado and Chicago, settling in the Windy City in the late 1970s. As a youth, Al would attend Chicago Blackhawks Hockey games watching from the upper balcony at the old Chicago Stadium. After founding the industrial metal rock band in 1980, and as the band gained popularity, Al graduated to season tickets in the main bowl. Living now in El Paso, TX, Al still gets back to Chicago from time to time to watch his beloved Blackhawks and is a worldwide evangelist for the team, often sporting his Blackhawks jersey on tour.
Last fall, as the buzz began to build around the new, young Blackhawks team, Jourgensen decided he wanted to add to the momentum. In his studios rehearsing for their farewell tour, Al picked up on a guitar riff that hadn’t made his final album and started building what would become “Keys to the City,” a sports rock anthem that he presented as a gift to the Wirtz family and the Chicago Blackhawks in December of 2007. The Blackhawks have since embraced the song as a great opportunity to reach out to a new generation of Blackhawks fans; a worthy companion to the team’s official theme song, “Here Come The Hawks.”
"The Chicago Blackhawks RULE!” said Al Jourgensen. “I am honored to be a part of the history and legend of one of hockey's Original Six. I hope ‘Keys to The City’ inspires some awesome fights on the ice."
Keys to the City
Though containing trademark intensity and guitar riffs, “Keys to the City” is less a traditional Ministry song, but more a classic sports anthem in structure. Built around a drum/bass line that recalls Garry Glitter’s “Rock n’ Roll Pt 2,” the song is a rallying cry for Blackhawk fans. Name checking the past Hawk greats like Hull, Mikita, Esposito and Savard, the song celebrates the resurgence of the Blackhawks and the quest to bring home the Stanley Cup to Chicago. It is already popular among the young Blackhawks players upon which the team is building its future championships.
March 5 Debut
Al Jourgensen will travel to Chicago for the March 5 debut of the song. After a day of media interviews supporting the song and Ministry’s farewell tour, which comes to Chicago’s House of Blues in early May, Jourgensen and his wife will be the guest of the Blackhawks at the game that night and will participate in game festivities. As part of the day’s promotions, 200 fans of Ministry and the Blackhawks will get free tickets to the televised March 5 home game against the Anaheim Ducks. Details on how to win the tickets will be posted at ChicagoBlackhawks.com. “Keys to the City” is now available for download on Download on iTunes. Proceeds from the song will benefit the Blackhawks charities. To purchase tickets to the March 5 Blackhawks game, visit ChicagoBlackhawks.com.
Keys to the City by Ministry's Friend Space (Top 8)
