 The band was fronted by Keely Hawkes, the sister of Chesney Hawkes (daughter of Len 'Chip' Hawkes).Transister's formation was the culmination of various collaborations between songwriter Eric Pressly, former Danny Wilson frontman Gary Clark, and vocalist Keely Hawkes.Hawkes first made use of Pressly's songwriting on her 1993 solo debut for EMI, while Pressly and Clark first worked together in the band King L in 1995.