When Scotland-born musician Chris Connelly bumped into Chicago industrial music icon Al Jourgensen back in 1986, the connection was nearly instant. Jourgensen and members of the seminal industrial rock band, Ministry, were in Connelly’s native Edinburgh at the time.

Not long after this initial encounter, Jourgensen invited Connelly to come to Chicago to record with a newer venture, Revolting Cocks (aka, RevCo).

According to Connelly, a six-month stint of traveling back and forth from Edinburgh and Chicago to record with Revco finally got to him – in a good way.  He’d grown quite fond of the city.  Then, when Jourgensen invited him back to Chicago to play some shows with RevCo, Connelly decided to make his stay here permanent.

Since these early days when the genre of industrial was still coming of age, Chris Connelly has continued to innovate and break new ground. His bands include the aforementioned RevCo and Ministry, and scores of others including Pigface, Murder, Inc. and Damage Manual, as well as solo releases.  And, more than twenty-five years later, Connelly is still belting out his vocals with a hint of a Scottish accent.

His most recent solo release is Artificial Madness (Relapse Records, 2011).

Chris Connelly will join Sound Opinions hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot for a WBEZ Off-Air presentation, Chicago Sounds in the 80s: Underground Incubator. They’ll be joined from greats from two of Chicago’s other big underground scenes of the ’80s:  Legendary house music DJ Frankie Knuckles, and punk rock innovator Santiago Durango (Big Black, Naked Raygun).