The Waitresses

The Waitresses are a new wave group from Akron, United States, active from 1978 to 1984. They form around songwriter and guitarist Chris Butler, with Patty Donahue as the lead vocalist. In the best-known lineup, the group also includes Tracy Wormworth on bass, Mars Williams on saxophone, Ralph Carney on keyboards and Billy Ficca on drums.

Career

The Waitresses release two full studio albums before disbanding. Their recordings show Butler’s wide range of influences, with the band moving between pop, rock, jazz and blues. Specific studio details include prepared piano on “No Guilt”, micro-tonal backing vocals on “Wise Up”, and tape loops plus a short wave receiver on “Jimmy Tomorrow”. The title of “Make the Weather” comes from Hugo Ball’s autobiography Flight out of Time.

Best-known songs

The band is best known for “I Know What Boys Like”, “Square Pegs” and “Christmas Wrapping”. “Square Pegs” serves as the theme song for the cult television series Square Pegs, which stars Sarah Jessica Parker. “Christmas Wrapping” first appears on the Ze Records compilation A Christmas Record and becomes the group’s most played song. “I Know What Boys Like” also appears on many multi-artist compilation albums.

Releases

The Waitresses release the albums I Could Rule the World If I Could Only Get the Parts, Wasn’t Tomorrow Wonderful and Bruiseology, as well as the EP Make the Weather. Later compilations include The Best of the Waitresses (1990), King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents The Waitresses (1997) and 20th Century Masters: The Best of the Waitresses (2003). Their albums Wasn’t Tomorrow Wonderful and Bruiseology are later out of print and are not officially available on CD.

Personnel and later activity

Line-up changes include David Hofstra on bass and Ariel Warner on background vocals in 1981–82, and Dan Klayman on keyboards. Tracy Wormworth later plays with Sting and appears in the house band for The Rosie O’Donnell Show. Mars Williams plays with The Psychedelic Furs from the mid-1980s. Billy Ficca, also a founding member of Television, returns to that band when it reunites in 1991. Patty Donahue dies of lung cancer in 1996.