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Hardy Winfred Fox, Jr. (March 29, 1945 – October 30, 2018) was an American musician. He was co-founder of musical group the Residents, as well as their primary composer. From 1982 to 2016, he was the president of the Cryptic Corporation. During his 44 years with the Residents, and after leaving the band in 2016, he recorded as a solo artist under many names, including Charles Bobuck, Combo de Mechanico, Sonido de la Noche, and Black Tar. His newer solo albums were published by Austrian record label Klanggalerie. History Early life Hardy Winfred Fox Jr. was born on March 29, 1945, in Longview, Texas. His parents, Hardy Winfred Fox Sr. and Lillian Idell Fox, were Baptist and Methodist Christians, respectively, and so he was raised Protestant. Fox was emotionally distant from his father and took after his mother, who his future husband described as "a creative, poetic soul" who "understood him better than his father and his sisters." He developed an interest in music at the age of 6, after hearing selections from his grandfather's jazz 78 collection. It was through this collection that he was exposed to Stan Kenton's "Artistry in Tango", as well as the music of Jimmie Lunceford and the Dorsey Brothers. His earliest experiences with playing music came from describing his nightmares to his mother by bashing on a piano, and talking in strange voices. For part of his childhood Fox's father became a missionary, and moved the family to the Southern Philippines, where a young Fox was exposed to Kulintang music, a style he would imitate for his entire career. The family later returned to Texas after his father 'lost his faith'. At the age of 18, Fox enrolled in Louisiana Tech University, where he became roommates with later Cryptic Corporation member Homer Flynn. The two bonded over their shared musical interests, and became fast friends. They graduated four years later with a major in art and a minor in business. Pre-Residents (1969–1972) In 1969, Fox and Flynn moved to San Mateo, California. That same year, they began to record themselves performing strange music on a high-end two-track tape recorder that Fox had been gifted by a Vietnam veteran. In early 1971, Fox, now joined by other collaborators, anonymously submitted a demo tape to Harve Halverstadt at Warner Brothers Records with the hopes of being signed by the label. They received a rejection letter addressed to "The Residents", which inspired the group to name themselves Residents Unincorporated. In 1972 Fox, along with the rest of Residents Uninc moved into a warehouse at 20 Sycamore Street in San Francisco, where they set up their first recording studio. That same year, Ralph Records, Uninc's own record label, released their first EP, featuring four songs by Residents Uninc under various pseudonyms. The Residents (1973–2015) In February 1973, the group started recording their debut LP, Meet the Residents. According to Fox, there were no Residents before then, only a loosely bonded friendship of a few people who liked to record together. The group's first LP only sold 40 copies within its first year of release. In 1974 Fox began to take lessons on a Moog Modular System at Different Fur Studios, but found that it was far too technical and expensive for him. In 1976, Fox and Flynn, with fellow Louisiana natives John Kennedy and Jay Clem, formed the Cryptic Corporation, an organisation intended to deal with the business side of Ralph Records and the Residents. The Cryptic Corporation bought the Residents their first synthesizer, an ARP Odyssey costing $1,200 ($5,563 in 2021 money). Fox last used the Odyssey in 2008, eventually sending it to composer Ego Plum in June 2018. With the release of the group's third LP, Fingerprince, they received attention from the music press when a favorable review of the group's first three LPs appeared in British music magazine Sounds. With their sudden and unexpected success, the group moved into a new studio at 444 Grove Street, San Francisco, where they would record until 1983, the year John Kennedy, who owned the studio, retired as president of the Cryptic Corporation. Following Kennedy's retirement, Fox became President of the Cryptic Corporation, a role he retained until 2016. Self-identification and early solo works (1985–2002) In December 1985, while the Residents were on their 13th Anniversary Tour, Fox's eyeball mask, which had been constructed for the cover of their 1979 album Eskimo, was stolen from backstage. The group decided to replace it with a skull mask, which had previously been a prop for Vileness Fats, and Third Reich 'n Roll promotional material. Because of the specific headgear, the group began to internally refer to Fox as "Dead Eye Dick", and by 1989, Mr. Skull. This was the earliest known decision which differentiated Fox from the other Residents, with his skull mask standing against the other members' eyeballs. In 1997, Fox used the alias 'Max Steinway' on the Residents' 1997 Pollex Christi EP, where he was the credited pianist. By 1999, the mantle of Mr. Skull was taken up by a The Singing Resident, and Fox regained his unity with the other eyeballed Residents. From 1999 to 2013, Fox recorded at least three solo works, each initially credited to the Residents: In Between Screams (1999), Dog Tag (2009), and Halloween (2013). These albums were later re-attributed to Charles Bobuck when Fox released on his own Bandcamp page. During the 2001 Icky Flix tour, Fox began recording a solo EP, High Horses, inspired by an acid trip he had taken 31 years prior. The EP was released under the name 'Combo de Mecanico' and became Fox's first release outside of the Residents, although the identity of Combo de Mecanico remained unknown at the time. In 2002, Fox recorded his first album worth of solo material, a 30-minute suite entitled Maxine, which was released under the Bobuck name in 2012. In 2002, due to fatigue from touring, Fox had Eric Drew Feldman temporarily replace him as keyboardist on the Demons Dance Alone tour. Charles Bobuck (2010–2016) Talking Light (2010–2012) For the 2010 Talking Light tour, the Residents each became unique characters: the singer became Randy Rose; the guitarist, Bob; and Hardy Fox, Charles 'Chuck' Bobuck. These new identities allowed the Residents to pursue solo works in a way previously un-thought of for the band, with Rose undertaking a solo show, and Fox and Bob forming a new band, Sonidos de la Noche. Sonidos de la Noche released one album, Coochie Brake, in 2011, featuring entirely Spanish vocals. One year later, Fox, under the Bobuck name, released his first solo album, GOD-O: Music for a Gallery Opening, through the Residents' digital store. Throughout the year, Bobuck released four more albums: CB Suite (a collection of outtakes from Coochie Brake), Codgers On The Moon, Maxine (recorded 2002), and Lying Horse Rock. As a companion piece to Codgers, Fox published a website of the same name. The website acted as an 18-page m.... Discover the Charles Bobuck popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Charles Bobuck books.