Bow Wow Wow was a quartet organized by U.K. manager
Malcolm McLaren (best known as the mastermind behind
the Sex Pistols) at the start of the '80s.
McLaren matched the trio of musicians who had constituted
Adam Ant's Ants --
Matthew Ashman (b. 1962) on guitar,
Leigh Gorman (b. 1961) on bass, and
David Barbarossa (b. 1961) on drums -- with teenage singer
Annabella Lwin (b. Oct. 31, 1965), retaining the earlier group's African-derived drum sound. In 1983,
Lwin quit the group for a solo career, and the remaining three changed their name to
the Chiefs of Relief. Both
Lwin and
the Chiefs issued their own albums. In 1995, Ashman passed away due to diabetes. Headed by
Lwin and
Gorman, a reformed Bow Wow Wow resurfaced in 1998 with Wild in the U.S.A., which featured both remixes and concert performances from the reunion tour; guitarist
Dave Calhoun and drummer
Eshan Khadaroo filled the other slots. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide