The Vulgar Boatmen were founded in 1982 by Robert Ray (Born Memphis, Tennessee, USA), professor of English at the University of Florida. The rest of the line-up comprised three of Ray's students (one of whom was future Silos founder Walter Salas-Humara), but he found a more long-standing collaborator in the Indianapolis-based Dale Kirkland (aka Dale Lawrence; ex-Gizmos). With Kirkland he embarked on a series of songwriting projects based on regular postal tape exchanges. Since those early days, the Vulgar Boatmen have largely continued as two separate entities, with their songwriting repertoire delivered by both partners in their respective locales with their own sets of musicians. Salas-Humara returned to guest on and produce the Vulgar Boatmen's first album, You And Your Sister, after two cassette-only efforts. Immediately the clarity of the band's songwriting shone through on a set resplendent in blissful, unpretentious pop. The follow-up set was also lovingly received, with critics sketching comparisons ranging from the Feelies to Buddy Holly. However, in the 90s Ray found himself limited by his teaching and writing responsibilities, so the Florida version of the Vulgar Boatmen was disbanded. Ray continued to write with Kirkland instead, also appearing with his Gainsville-based version of the band when they played in his home state. In 1995, the band's third album was released on their new label, East West Records. Opposite Sex was another striking collection of songs that received high critical praise. Source: Encyclopedia of Popular Music