Television (band)

Television
Television in 1977. Left to right: Billy Ficca, Richard Lloyd, Tom Verlaine, Fred Smith
Background information
Origin	New York City, New York, U.S.
Genres	Art punk[1] new wave[2][3] art rock[4] proto-punk[5]
Years active	1973–1978 1991–1993 2001–2023
Labels	ORK Elektra Capitol ROIR
Past members	Billy Ficca Fred Smith Jimmy Rip Richard Lloyd Richard Hell Tom Verlaine

Television was an American rock band from New York City, most notably active in the 1970s. The group's most prominent lineup consisted of Tom Verlaine (vocals, guitar), Richard Lloyd (guitar), Billy Ficca (drums), and Fred Smith (bass). An early fixture of CBGB and the 1970s New York rock scene, the band is considered influential in the development of punk and alternative rock.^[6][7][8]

Although they recorded in a stripped-down, guitar-based manner similar to their punk contemporaries, Television's music was by comparison clean, improvisational, and technically proficient, drawing influence from jazz and 1960s rock.^[6][9] The group's 1977 debut album, Marquee Moon, is considered one of the defining releases of the punk era.