Walter Lure (born Walter C. Luhr Jr., April 22, 1949 – August 21, 2020) was an American rock guitarist and singer. He was a member of the rock band The Heartbreakers.

Biography

Lure was born in Queens and raised in Floral Park, Long Island. He graduated from Fordham University with a degree in English literature and a minor in chemistry. While working at the Food and Drug Administration in New York, he also played in local music groups. He first met Johnny Thunders in the early 1970s at concerts at the Fillmore East and later became a fan of Thunders’ band, the New York Dolls. When the Dolls ended in early 1975, Lure was playing in a glam rock band called the Demons. He successfully auditioned to join Thunders’ new band, The Heartbreakers. Lure’s first performance with the Heartbreakers was at CBGB on July 4, 1975. In his autobiography, he described the contrast between his last show with the Demons and his first with the Heartbreakers: “My last gig with the Demons was at CBGB on the Friday of July 4 weekend, performing in front of about twenty people at two in the morning. My first gig with the Heartbreakers was the following evening in front of several hundred screaming fans, with a line around the block as well. It was a madhouse.”

The Heartbreakers became very popular in New York City. After moving to London, they released their first album, L.A.M.F., in 1977. Though the album had a poor mix, it is considered a classic of early punk rock. Lure wrote or co-wrote many songs on the album, including “One Track Mind,” “Too Much Junkie Business,” “All By Myself,” and “Get Off The Phone.” The band broke up shortly after the album was released. However, the original members—Johnny Thunders (guitar/vocals), Lure (guitar/vocals), Jerry Nolan (drums), and Billy Rath (bass)—continued to perform “reunion” shows in New York City throughout the 1980s. They reunited for a tour in England and Europe in 1984. Lure performed regularly with Thunders until Thunders’ death in 1991.

After the Heartbreakers disbanded, Lure remained active in music. At the end of the 1970s, he formed a band called The Waldos, who released an album titled Rent Party in 1995. The Waldos performed frequently in New York City with different lineups during the 1990s and 2000s and released a second album in 2018. In 2016, Lure formed a new band, The Last Ditches, with former Planets guitarist Binky Philips, former Black Sabbath drummer Bobby Rondinelli, and bassist Randy Pratt. The band released a full-length album called Spilt Milk in 2016. Lure also performed on two Ramones albums, Subterranean Jungle and Too Tough To Die.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of L.A.M.F., Lure organized a band to perform the album’s songs at reunion shows in 2016 and 2017. The lineup included Lure, Clem Burke from Blondie, Jesse Malin, Mike Ness from Social Distortion, and former Sex Pistol Glen Matlock. The band performed in New York City and on a short West Coast tour. The reunion shows in New York took place at the Bowery Electric in Manhattan on November 15 and 16, 2016, and were recorded for an album released on Jungle Records in December 2017. The lineup for the 2016 shows included Lure (guitar/vocals), Wayne Kramer (guitar), Tommy Stinson (bass), Clem Burke (drums), and special guests Jesse Malin (vocals), Liza Colby (vocals), and Cheetah Chrome (guitar). Glen Matlock was originally scheduled to join but was replaced by Stinson for the 2016 performances. Matlock later joined the band for the 2017 shows in New York and California. Additional performances followed, including a small UK tour in 2019 with Mick Rossi (guitar/vocals), Nigel Mead (bass), and Mark Laff (drums).

After leaving the Heartbreakers, Lure had a “very unpunk second act.” In the early 1980s, he took an entry-level job on Wall Street. After quitting heroin, to which he had become addicted during his time with the Heartbreakers, he became a successful asset manager. He worked for Lehman Brothers until the firm went bankrupt in the 2008 financial crisis. Later in his career, he worked at Neuberger Berman until retiring in 2015.

In early 2020, Lure published his memoir, To Hell And Back: My Life In Johnny Thunders’ Heartbreakers, In The Words Of The Last Man Standing. He died on August 21, 2020, at the age of 71, from complications caused by liver and lung cancer.

Discography

• L.A.M.F. (1977, Track) L.A.M.F. Revisited Edition (1984, Jungle) L.A.M.F. The Lost '77 Mixes (1994, Jungle)
• Live at Max's Kansas City (1979, Max's Kansas City Records)
• D.T.K. Live At The Speakeasy (1982, Jungle)
• Live At The Lyceum Ballroom 1984 (1985, Jungle)
• Live At Mothers (1991, Fanclub)
• What Goes Around (1991, Bomp!)
• Vive La Révolution (Live In Paris – Le Bataclan – December 8th 1977) (1992, Skydog)
• Thunderstorm in Detroit (Live At The Silverbird 21/12/80) (2002, Captain Trip Records)

• Down To Kill (2005, Jungle)
• Walter Lure Live in Berlin (2008, Nicotine Records/Tornado Ride Records)
• Spilt Milk – The Last Ditches (2016, produced by the artist)
• L.A.M.F. Live at The Bowery Electric (2017, Jungle Records – FREUDLP124)
• Live in Tokyo (L.A.M.F With Mick Rossi – Slaughter And The Dogs) (2020, Secret Records)
• Rent Party – The Waldos (Walter Lure, Joey Pinter, Tony Coiro, Jeff West) (1994, Sympathy For The Record Industry)