Christy Darlington

Christy Brigitte Darlington, commonly known by her stage name of Darlington, is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, published author and visual artist.

She has performed multiple American and European concert tours, and has had music played on hundreds of radio stations across North America and Europe, as well as featured in television shows on MTV.

Christy Brigitte Darlington was born Chris Edward Zoys, on December 1, 1972, in Dallas, Texas.

She attended private Christian schools such as Heritage Christian Academy, Trinity Christian Academy, and Episcopal School of Dallas,

Darlington eventually graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in 1991.

From 1991 to 1993 Darlington was singing and writing songs for a punk rock band called "T.B.A.," which performed a few shows and made a live recording and two studio recordings.

In 1994 she joined a punk rock band called the Voyeurs (which opened up for the Offspring), but Darlington quit the band six months later.

In 1995, Christy Darlington formed a punk rock band called "Mess" with drummer Steven Visneau and bassist Ron Malippa.

Christy was responsible for writing and arranging almost all the songs for the band as well as maintaining a role as the lead singer and guitarist.

The band's first single "Sugar Fix" was featured on a compilation released by Clear Channel Communications Rock FM radio station KDGE entitled Tales from the Edge Volume 11., followed by another single, "Butt-in-ski", on the Dallas Observer compilation CD Scene, Heard Vol. 2. The band featured four-second guitarists, most notably Phil Karnats of Tripping Daisy fame and Dylan Silvers who went on to other bands, including the Polyphonic Spree.

On Mess releases, Darlington was listed as "Cris Mess", a stage name.

She did not use that as a legal name at the time and was still using her original birth name.

Starting in late 1996 thru late 1997, Mess played its first out of town concert opening for the band Fastball and performed multiple U.S. tours between January and September 1997, including opening slots for major label bands NY Loose, the Reverend Horton Heat, Keanu Reeves' group Dogstar, Radish, Funland, Hagfish, Tripping Daisy, Fluffy, 22 Jacks, the Queers, Swingin Utters, Agent Orange, At the Drive-in, Showcase Showdown, Furious George and the U.S. Bombs.

Mess also performed at the Texas State Mental Hospital in Terrell, Texas to a crowd of around 100 patients, eclipsing the Cramps who had previously been the only rock and roll band known to have performed in a mental hospital.

although no video was allowed, a photo of the band sitting on the entrance sign was featured on a split vinyl EP they shared with 22 Jacks.

The band also recorded a live concert at the famed CBGB rock venue in New York City, although this would only be released later under the Darlington name.

The band achieved local notoriety resulting in being featured with the Mullens on a split vinyl EP released by Direct Hit Records and the band subsequently signed to Dallas indie label Last Beat Records and released their first and only full-length album Pretty Ugly in 1997 as well as a vinyl EP with Los Angeles band 22 Jacks.

Two songs on the album were named after Jim beam and Goldschlager.

Mess also recorded a cover version of the Mötley Crüe song "Red Hot" for a compilation, and the song "Brain Dead" was featured on pro skateboarder Duane Peters' Disaster Records compilation Old Skars and upstarts.

Many of the "mess-era" recordings would later be reissued under the Darlington name.

In late 1997, the band was notified a Chicago-area band called the Mess had the name copyrighted and was threatening legal action if the name was not changed.

Darlington has released 19 full length vinyl, CD, and digital albums, 8 vinyl and digital EPs, contributed to approximately 22 compilations, and roughly 5 split EPs, with several other acts since 1998.

Darlington's 1998 full-length album Girltroversy released by Last Beat Records was the first under the Darlington name and considered by most critics, press and fans to be her most influential album.

In 1998, she performed a second concert at the Texas State Mental hospital in Terrell, Texas.

This time the show was attended by 100+ patients and documented in the Dallas Observer by a local reporter.

Darlington also performed on a benefit concert for Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.

From 1998 to 2011 Darlington opened for Lagwagon, Bowling for soup, DGeneration, Centro-matic, the Click Five, the Apers, Teen Idols, the Lillingtons, the Huntingtons, Bratmobile, the Queers, the Unlovables, Good Riddance, the Eyeliners, SR-71 (band), the Prozacs, Red Lightning and appeared on the Vans Warped tour twice.

During the 1998 U.S. Tours, Christy was asked by Joe Queer of the Queers to collaborate on a recording with Green Day but for reasons unknown it never happened.

All of the releases were on independent record labels in the U.S., Germany, The Netherlands, Italy, and Russia, including Louder than Morrissey and Moron-a-thon on Dutch indie label Stardumb Records, All the wrong moves on New York label Whoa Oh Records, a single release of "X-Mas" on an Idol Records Christmas compilation, the Bowling Betty vinyl EP and Live Dallas 1999 album on Mutant Pop Records and 2 tracks on Go-Kart Records MP300 Raceway CD.

In 2000, Darlington was included on Split, a split CD release on New York record label Melted Records with the Huntingtons, after which Darlington's most extensive U.S. tour followed the release featuring Darlington opening up for the Huntingtons.

Darlington was endorsed by Daisy Rock Guitars in 2003.

In 2021, Christy Brigitte Darlington came out publicly as being a transgender woman, and as of 2023 she lives publicly as a transgender woman.

In 2004, professional skateboarder Duane Peters signed Darlington to his record label Disaster Records and designed the sleeve art for the only album Darlington recorded for Disaster, entitled Euthanize me.

In 2007, Darlington Recorded a live album entitled Live Dallas 2007 which was produced and mixed by Todd and Toby Pipes of the band Deep Blue Something and limited to 1000 hand-numbered CD copies.

In 2008, Darlington released a limited-to-1000 hand-numbered CD copies mini-anthology entitled indoor-outdoor Luxury BBQ, of which the title was inspired by an episode of the British television program Keeping Up Appearances.

Aside from a few compilations and limited vinyl releases, Darlington's only full-length recordings between 2009 and 2011 were all available digitally only.

In 2012, Hollywood-based independent record label, Broadway Recording Company, signed Darlington to a contract.

Darlington repackaged previously released solo material under the band name Sunglasses&Sugar, and released it on an album entitled Vuvuzuelas.

After putting together a lineup and performing live, "Sunglasses&Sugar" recorded a three song Maxi-Single entitled "Tinsel Tree" that was produced and mixed by Salim Nourallah.

These songs were rerecorded versions of Darlington songs.