# List of the Cult band members

The Cult are an English hard rock band from Bradford. Formed in April 1983, the group were originally known as Death Cult, but shortened their name to simply The Cult. They featured vocalist Ian Astbury, guitarist Billy Duffy, bassist Jamie Stewart and drummer Ray "Mondo" Taylor-Smith. The group's current lineup includes Astbury and Duffy, alongside drummer John Tempesta (since 2006), bassist Charlie Jones (since 2020), and keyboardist Mike Mangan (since 2022).

## History
### 1983–1988

Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy formed Death Cult in April 1983, enlisting Ritual members Jamie Stewart and Ray Mondo as a rhythm section to complete the band's initial lineup. After the release of a self-titled debut EP, the group fired Mondo in September and replaced him with Nigel Preston of Sex Gang Children (Mondo took Preston's place in Sex Gang Children). Death Cult issued one more release under their original name, "Gods Zoo", before renaming themselves the Cult in January 1984. The band released their full-length debut Dreamtime in September, early copies of which were packaged with Dreamtime Live at the Lyceum. Another single, "Ressurection Joe", followed at the end of the year. Shortly after the release of "She Sells Sanctuary" in May 1985, Preston was fired from the Cult as he had "become too unreliable".
Mark Brzezicki of Big Country, who had initially substituted for Preston at the filming of the "She Sells Sanctuary" music video after he hadn't shown up, recorded drums for the rest of the 1985 album Love as a session member. During the sessions, Les Warner took over as the band's new permanent drummer. The new lineup recorded a planned third album Peace in late 1986, however the result was scrapped and remained unreleased until it was featured on the 2000 box set Rare Cult. Working with new producer Rick Rubin, the group issued Electric in April 1987. For the album's tour, Stephen "Kid Chaos" Harris from Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction joined on bass and Stewart switched to guitar. Harris has claimed that he actually contributed to the recording of Electric, having joined the band in January 1987.

### 1988–1995

After the conclusion of the Electric touring cycle, Harris and Warner were both fired at the beginning of 1988. The group returned to the studio to record several demos, first with Badlands drummer Eric Singer and later with Chris Taylor from producer Bob Rock's group Rock and Hyde, before tracking the final version of Sonic Temple with Mickey Curry of Bryan Adams's band. For the subsequent promotional tour, Matt Sorum was hired on drums after auditioning in addition to Taylor. After the tour ended in April 1990, founding bassist Stewart left the Cult "to concentrate on producing, composing, and spending time with his wife". He was followed in July by Sorum, who was hired to replace Steve Adler in Guns N' Roses. After a brief hiatus, Astbury and Duffy reconvened to record a collection of new demos with bassist Todd Hoffman and drummer James Kottak in early 1991. As with Sonic Temple in 1989, drums on the final version of Ceremony were performed by Mickey Curry, while Keith Richards's bandmate Charley Drayton was brought in to contribute bass.
The Cult returned to touring in October 1991, with Astbury and Duffy joined by bassist Kinley Wolfe and drummer Michael Lee. The tour spawned a live album, Live Cult, which was released in 1993. At the beginning of that year, Wolfe and Lee were replaced by Craig Adams (formerly of the Mission) and Scott Garrett (formerly of Dag Nasty), respectively. Mike Dimkich, formerly of Channel 3, joined the band as touring rhythm guitarist at the same time, before he was replaced by James Stevenson the following year. In between the two tours, the band's core lineup recorded their only album with Adams and Garrett, The Cult, which was released in October 1994. In March 1995, the band cancelled a string of tour dates and broke up, which was attributed primarily to tensions between Astbury and Duffy.

### Since 1999

After four years away, Astbury and Duffy reformed the Cult in April 1999 with returning drummer Matt Sorum and new bassist Martyn LeNoble. Mike Dimkich also returned as touring rhythm guitarist. LeNoble left after tour dates ending in the summer of 2000, with Chris Wyse taking his place for the bulk of the recording for 2001's Beyond Good and Evil. In preparation for the album's promotional tour, LeNoble was reported in March 2001 to be returning, however by May this had changed to be Billy Morrison in a touring capacity. In February 2002, it was reported that the band had been dropped by their label Atlantic Records and all but disbanded, which according to Sorum was again due to tensions between Astbury and Duffy. After a short tour with returning members Craig Adams and Scott Garrett, the band officially went on hiatus in October.
Following several months of rumours, a second Cult reunion was announced in January 2006, with bassist Chris Wyse and drummer John Tempesta (formerly of Exodus, Testament and more) added to the band's lineup the next month. This lineup remained stable for several years, releasing Born into This in 2007, two singles in 2010, and Choice of Weapon in 2012. In July 2013, touring guitarist Dimkich left to join Bad Religion, with James Stevenson taking his place again. By early 2015, both Stevenson and Wyse had left, with Chris Chaney contributing the majority of bass recordings on the group's 2016 album Hidden City. After the album was finished, the band returned to touring with new members Grant Fitzpatrick on bass and Damon Fox on keyboards and rhythm guitar.
The band released their eleventh studio album Under The Midnight Sun in 2022 which featured new bassist Charlie Jones and session drummer Ian Matthews of Kasabian, the album was also the last (to date) studio appearance of Damon Fox who was replaced by Mike Mangan later in the year.

## Members
### Current

| Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
| Ian Astbury | 1983–19951999–20022006–present | lead vocalspercussionadditional guitars (1993–1994, 2014–2015)songwriting | all Cult releases |
| Billy Duffy | 1983–19951999–20022006–present | lead and rhythm guitarsbacking vocals (1983–1995, 2006–2012)songwriting | all Cult releases |
| John Tempesta | 2006–present | drumspercussionsongwriting | all Cult releases from Born into This (2007) onwards except Under The Midnight Sun (2022) |
| Charlie Jones | 2020–present | bassbacking vocals | Under The Midnight Sun (2022) |
| Mike Mangan | 2022–present | keyboardsbacking vocals | none |

### Former

| Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
| Jamie Stewart | 1983–1990 | bassrhythm guitar (1987-1988)keyboards (1985, 1988)backing vocals | all Cult releases from Death Cult (1983) to Sonic Temple (1989)Ghost Dance (1996)Peace (2000)Rare Cult: The Demo Sessions (2002) – all except The Red Zone Demos 1991 and Ceremony Session Mixes 1991 |
| Ray Mondo (Raymond Taylor-Smith) | 1983 | drums | Death Cult (1983) |
| Nigel Preston | 1983–1985 (died 1992) | drums | all Cult releases from "Gods Zoo" (1983) to Love (1985) – one track only on LoveGhost Dance (1996) |
| Les Warner | 1985–1988 | drums | Electric (1987)Peace (2000)Rare Cult: The Demo Sessions (2002) – The E.Zee Sessions June 1986 and The Hot Nights Demos 1986 |
| Kid Chaos (Stephen Harris) | 1987–1988 | bassbacking vocals | none |
| Matt Sorum | 1989–1990 (touring)1999–2002 | drumspercussionbacking vocals | Beyond Good and Evil (2001)Music Without Fear: Live from the Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles (2002)Rare Cult: The Demo Sessions (2002) – The Jam Demos 1989 |
| Kinley "Barney" Wolfe | 1991–1993 | bassbacking vocals | Live Cult (1993) |
| Michael Lee | 1991–1993 (died 2008) | drums | Live Cult (1993) |
| Scott Garrett | 1993–19952002 | drums | The Cult (1994) |
| Craig Adams | 1993–19952002 | bassbacking vocalssongwriting | The Cult (1994) |
| Martyn LeNoble | 1999–20002001 | bass | Beyond Good and Evil (2001) – four tracks |
| Chris Wyse | 2000 (session)2006–2015 | bassbacking vocals | Beyond Good and Evil (2001) – remaining tracksall Cult releases from Born into This (2007) to Weapon of Choice (2012) |
| Grant Fitzpatrick | 2015–2020 | bassbacking vocals | none |
| Damon Fox | 2015–2022 | keyboardsrhythm guitar (live only)backing vocals | Under The Midnight Sun (2022) |

### Touring

| Name | Years active | Instruments | Details |
| John Webster | 1988–1990 | keyboards | Webster performed on 1989's Sonic Temple and the subsequent promotional touring cycle through 1990. |
| John Sinclair | 1991–1993 | keyboards | Sinclair joined the Cult's touring lineup following the release of Ceremony, featuring on 1993's Live Cult. |
| Mike Dimkich | 19931999–2013 | rhythm guitar | Dimkich first joined the Cult's touring lineup for the band's 1993 touring cycle. He was replaced by James Stevenson the following year, but returned when the group reformed in 1999 and remained until 2013. During his time with the band Dimkich appeared on the live album Music Without Fear: Live from the Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles (2002) |
| James Stevenson | 1994–19952013–2015 | rhythm guitarbacking vocals | Stevenson replaced Dimkich for the 1994 tour in promotion of The Cult, and again when he left in 2013. |
| Billy Morrison | 2001–2002 | bassbacking vocals | After the recording of Beyond Good and Evil, Morrison joined the Cult as the band's touring bassist. Morrison appeared on the live album Music Without Fear: Live from the Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles (2002) |

### Session

| Name | Years active | Instruments | Details/release contributions |
| Mich Ebeling | 1984 | backing vocals | Dreamtime (1984) |
| Mae McKenna | 1985 | backing vocals | Love (1985) |
| Lorenza Johnson | 1985 | backing vocals | Love (1985) |
| Jackie Challenor | 1985 | backing vocals | Love (1985) |
| Mark Brzezicki | 1985 | drums | "She Sells Sanctuary" music video Love (1985) |
| Eric Singer | 1988 | drums | Sonic Temple (1989) demos Rare Cult: The Demo Sessions (2002) |
| Chris Taylor | 1988 | drums | Sonic Temple (1989) demos Rare Cult: The Demo Sessions (2002) |
| Iggy Pop | 1988 | backing vocals | Sonic Temple (1989) |
| Bob Buckley | 1988 | string arrangement | Sonic Temple (1989) |
| Mickey Curry | 19881991 | drums | Sonic Temple (1989) Ceremony (1991) |
| James Kottak | 1991 | drums | Ceremony (1991) demos |
| Todd Hoffman | 1991 | bass | Ceremony (1991) demos |
| Charley Drayton | 1991 | bass | Ceremony (1991) |
| Tommy Funderburk | 1991 | backing vocals | Ceremony (1991) |
| Donny Gerrard | 1991 | backing vocals | Ceremony (1991) |
| Mona Lisa | 1991 | backing vocals | Ceremony (1991) |
| Yvonne St. James | 1991 | backing vocals | Ceremony (1991) |
| Suzie Katayama | 1991 | cello | Ceremony (1991) |
| Benmont Tench | 1991 | organpianomellotron | Ceremony (1991) |
| Scott Thurston | 1991 | synthesizerpiano | Ceremony (1991) |
| Richie Zito | 1991 | keyboardsharmonium | Ceremony (1991) |
| Alex Acuña | 1991 | percussion | Ceremony (1991) |
| Jim McGiueray | 1993–1994 | percussion | The Cult (1994) |
| Scott Humphrey | 1993–1994 | keyboardsprogramming | The Cult (1994) |
| Bob Rock | 1993–19942014–2015 | acoustic guitarrhythm guitaradditional guitarsbasssongwriting | The Cult (1994)Hidden City (2015) |
| Youth | 2007 | additional bass tracks | Born into This (2007) |
| David Nock | 2007 | additional drum tracks | Born into This (2007) |
| Jamie Edwards | 2011–2012 | keyboardsstrings | Choice of Weapon (2012) |
| Chris Goss | 2011–2012 | guitarsbacking vocals | Choice of Weapon (2012) |
| A.J. Celi | 2011–2012 | backing vocals | Choice of Weapon (2012) |
| Chris Chaney | 2014–2015 | bass | Hidden City (2015) |
| Jamie Muhoberac | 2014–2015 | pianokeyboards | Hidden City (2015) |
| Dan Chase | 2014–2015 | additional drums | Hidden City (2015) |
| Ian Matthews | 2020–2022 | drumspercussion | Under the Midnight Sun (2022) |
| Tom Dalgety | 2020–2022 | additional guitarskeyboardssongwriting | Under the Midnight Sun (2022) |

## Lineups

| Period | Members | Releases |
| April – September 1983 (as Death Cult) | Ian Astbury – lead vocals Billy Duffy – guitars, backing vocals Jamie Stewart – bass, backing vocals Ray Mondo – drums | Death Cult (1983) |
| September 1983 – June 1985 (as Death Cult until January 1984) | Ian Astbury – lead vocals Billy Duffy – guitars, backing vocals Jamie Stewart – bass, backing vocals Nigel Preston – drums, percussion | "Gods Zoo" (1983) Dreamtime (1984) Dreamtime Live at the Lyceum (1984) "Ressurection Joe" (1984) "She Sells Sanctuary" (1985) Ghost Dance (1996) Love (2009) – four bonus tracks |
| June – July 1985 | Ian Astbury – lead vocals Billy Duffy – guitars, backing vocals Jamie Stewart – bass, backing vocals, keyboards Mark Brzezicki – drums (session guest) | Love (1985) |
| July 1985 – January 1987 | Ian Astbury – lead vocals Billy Duffy – guitars, backing vocals Jamie Stewart – bass, backing vocals Les Warner – drums | Electric (1987) Peace (2000) Rare Cult: The Demo Sessions (2002) – The E.Zee Demos and The Hot Nights Demos |
| January 1987 – early 1988 | Ian Astbury – lead vocals Billy Duffy – lead guitar, backing vocals Jamie Stewart – rhythm guitar, backing vocals Les Warner – drums Kid Chaos – bass, backing vocals | none – Electric tour dates only |
| Spring – summer 1988 | Ian Astbury – lead vocals Billy Duffy – guitars, backing vocals Jamie Stewart – bass, backing vocals Eric Singer – drums (session) | Rare Cult: The Demo Sessions (2002) – The Track Record Demos, June 1988 |
| Summer – fall 1988 | Ian Astbury – lead vocals Billy Duffy – guitars, backing vocals Jamie Stewart – bass, backing vocals Chris Taylor – drums (session) | Rare Cult: The Demo Sessions (2002) – The Track Record Demos, August 1988 |
| Fall – late 1988 | Ian Astbury – lead vocals Billy Duffy – guitars, backing vocals Jamie Stewart – bass, backing vocals, keyboards John Webster – keyboards (session) Mickey Curry – drums (session) | Sonic Temple (1989) |
| Spring 1989 – April 1990 | Ian Astbury – lead vocals Billy Duffy – guitars, backing vocals Jamie Stewart – bass, backing vocals John Webster – keyboards (touring) Matt Sorum – drums, backing vocals (touring) | Rare Cult: The Demo Sessions (2002) – The Jam Demos, 1989 |
| April – July 1990 | Ian Astbury – lead vocals Billy Duffy – guitars, backing vocals Matt Sorum – drums, backing vocals | none – band on hiatus |
| July 1990 – January 1991 | Ian Astbury – lead vocals Billy Duffy – guitars, backing vocals | none – band on hiatus |
| January – spring 1991 | Ian Astbury – lead vocals Billy Duffy – guitars, backing vocals Todd Hoffman – bass (session) James Kottak – drums (session) | Rare Cult: The Demo Sessions (2002) – The Red Zone Demos and Ceremony Session Mixes |
| Spring – summer 1991 | Ian Astbury – lead vocals Billy Duffy – guitars, backing vocals Charley Drayton – bass (session) Mickey Curry – drums (session) | Ceremony (1991) |
| October 1991 – January 1993 | Ian Astbury – lead vocals Billy Duffy – guitars, backing vocals Kinley Wolfe – bass, backing vocals Michael Lee – drums John Sinclair – keyboards (touring) | Live Cult (1993) |
| January – June 1993 | Ian Astbury – lead vocals Billy Duffy – lead guitar, backing vocals Craig Adams – bass, backing vocals Scott Garrett – drums Mike Dimkich – rhythm guitar (touring) | none – Hair of the Underdog tour dates only |
| Summer 1993 – September 1994 | Ian Astbury – lead vocals Billy Duffy – lead guitar, backing vocals Craig Adams – bass, backing vocals Scott Garrett – drums Bob Rock – rhythm guitar, bass (session) Scott Humphrey – keyboards (session) Jim McGiueray – percussion (session) | The Cult (1994) |
| September 1994 – March 1995 | Ian Astbury – lead vocals Billy Duffy – lead guitar, backing vocals Craig Adams – bass, backing vocals Scott Garrett – drums James Stevenson – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (touring) | none – Beauty Is on the Streets tour dates only |
| Band inactive March 1995 – April 1999 |||
| April 1999 – fall 2000 | Ian Astbury – lead vocals Billy Duffy – lead guitar Matt Sorum – drums, backing vocals Martyn LeNoble – bass Mike Dimkich – rhythm guitar (touring) | Beyond Good and Evil (2001) – four tracks |
| Fall – late 2000 | Ian Astbury – lead vocals Billy Duffy – lead guitar Matt Sorum – drums, backing vocals Mike Dimkich – rhythm guitar (touring) Chris Wyse – bass (session) | Beyond Good and Evil (2001) – eight tracks |
| March – May 2001 | Ian Astbury – lead vocals Billy Duffy – lead guitar Matt Sorum – drums, backing vocals Mike Dimkich – rhythm guitar (touring) Martyn LeNoble – bass | none – Beyond Good and Evil tour rehearsals only |
| May 2001 – February 2002 | Ian Astbury – lead vocals Billy Duffy – lead guitar Matt Sorum – drums, backing vocals Mike Dimkich – rhythm guitar (touring) Billy Morrison – bass, backing vocals (touring) | Music Without Fear: Live from the Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles (2002) |
| August – October 2002 | Ian Astbury – lead vocals Billy Duffy – lead guitar Mike Dimkich – rhythm guitar (touring) Craig Adams – bass, backing vocals Scott Garrett – drums | none – tour dates only |
| Band inactive October 2002 – February 2006 |||
| February 2006 – March 2011 | Ian Astbury – lead vocals Billy Duffy – lead guitar Mike Dimkich – rhythm guitar (touring) Chris Wyse – bass, backing vocals John Tempesta – drums, percussion | Born into This (2007) "Every Man and Woman Is a Star" (2010) "Embers" (2010) |
| March 2011 – July 2013 | Ian Astbury – lead vocals Billy Duffy – lead guitar, backing vocals Chris Wyse – bass, backing vocals John Tempesta – drums, percussion Mike Dimkich – rhythm guitar (touring) Jamie Edwards – keyboards, strings (session) Chris Goss – third guitar, backing vocals (session) | Choice of Weapon (2012) Weapon of Choice (2012) |
| July 2013 – early 2015 | Ian Astbury – lead vocals Billy Duffy – lead guitar Chris Wyse – bass, backing vocals John Tempesta – drums, percussion James Stevenson – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (touring) | none – tour dates only |
| Early – fall 2015 | Ian Astbury – lead vocals Billy Duffy – lead guitar John Tempesta – drums, percussion Bob Rock – rhythm guitar, bass (session) Chris Chaney – bass (session) Jamie Muhoberac – piano, keyboards (session) | Hidden City (2016) |
| Fall 2015 – August 2022 | Ian Astbury – lead vocals Billy Duffy – lead guitar John Tempesta – drums, percussion Damon Fox – keyboards, rhythm guitar, vocals Grant Fitzpatrick – bass, backing vocals | none – tour dates only |
| August 2020 – April 2022 | Ian Astbury – lead vocals Billy Duffy – lead guitar Damon Fox – keyboards Charlie Jones – bass (session) Tom Dalgety – rhythm guitar, keyboards (session) Ian Matthews – drums, percussion (session) | Under The Midnight Sun (2022) |
| April 2022 – present | Ian Astbury – lead vocals Billy Duffy – guitars John Tempesta – drums, percussion Charlie Jones – bass, backing vocals Mike Mangan – keyboards, backing vocals | none to date |