The Godfathers were founded by brothers Peter and Chris Coyne in London in 1985. Vocalist Peter and bassist Chris were joined by guitarists Kris Dollimore and Mike Gibson and drummer George Mazur. Coming ten years after Britain's punk explosion, they nevertheless built on that music's rage and force. Their debut album, Hit by Hit, was released in the U.S. on the indie label Link in 1986 and followed by Birth, School, Work, Death on Epic in 1988, which made the Top 100 bestsellers as the title song was played on album rock radio. Their third album, More Songs About Love & Hate (1989), featured the popular college radio track "She Gives Me Love," but was less commercially successful. They released a fourth album, Unreal World, on Epic in 1991.