Ministry
Ministry is the internationally known dance/industrial band fronted by longtime Chicago music veteran Al Jourgensen. Ministry started in Chicago in 1981 and was a critical band in the dawning of industrial rock. Their sound fit in with the unique Chicago punk sound in the 80s with bands like Big Black, The Effigies and Naked Raygun which essentially aided in the creation of a brand new genre (Industrial, Industrial Punk, etc.), long before the likes of copycat producers like Trent Reznor, Peter Steele and even Rob Zombie, but around the same time that Industrial and dance music was seething out of Detroit.
Notes
Ministry Current Members
Al Jourgensen
John Bechdel
Sin Quirin
Aaron Rossi
Casey Orr
Ministry Prior Members
John Davis
Stephen George
Robert Roberts
Marty Sorenson
Shay Jones
Brad Hallen
Paul Barker
Bill Rieflin
Chris Connelly
Nivek Ogre
Mike Scaccia
Howie Beno
Michael Balch
Louis Svitek
Duane Buford
Zlatko Hukic
Rey Washam
Max Brody
Mark Baker
John Monte
Paul Raven
Tommy Victor
Tony Campos
Jello Biafra
Breakup and reunion
Not long after Paul Raven's death on October 20, 2007 (He suffered an apparent heart attack shortly after arriving in Europe to commence recording for the French industrial band Treponem Pal near the Swiss border), Ministry disbanded; more like took a hiatus, until 2011 when they reunited.
Al Jourgensen stayed busy and remixed and co-produced Spyder Baby's "Bitter", which was released by Blind Prophecy Records in early 2008. They now tour on a international level again.