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An in depth look at the UK music scene in the 1980s
Part 2
Information on selected Artists with external links
Artists I-P
ABC was
formed in 1980 in Sheffield after Martin Fry, a music journalist, interviewed
the band Vice Versa for his fanzine Modern Drugs. They adopted Fry as
lead vocalist and changed their name to ABC. The revamped band were pigeonholed
as part of the New Romantic movement of the time, which included the likes of
Duran Duran,
Spandau Ballet and
The Human League... more
here
Official site
Aerosmith Official site
Altered Images were a popular band who formed
in
Amazulu were a predominantly female British ska and new wave band, who had a string of reggae infected UK hits in the early to mid 1980s? more here
Aneka (born Mary
Sandeman) is a Scottish singer, who hit number one
in the
Anderson is perhaps best known outside Australia for his uncharacteristic ballad "Suddenly", used as the wedding theme for the Neighbours soap opera characters Charlene Robinson and Scott Robinson. He also appeared in the hit movie Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome and in stage musicals in Australia
Aswad ("Black" in Arabic) is a long lasting British reggae group, that is noted for adding strong R&B and soul influences to the reggae sound? more here
Aztec Camera was a Scottish New Wave music band from Glasgow. The line-up of the band changed several times over the years, but the constant member has been guitarist / vocalist / singer-songwriter Roddy Frame. Founding members included Campbell Owens (bass) and Dave Mulholland (drums). Ex-Bluebells bassist Craig Gannon was a member from 1983 through 1985, before joining The Smiths. Guitarist Malcolm Ross (formerly of Josef K and Orange Juice) also joined in 1983, and appeared on the Knife album? more here
Adam & the
Ants was a new wave band during the late 1970s and early 1980s. It was one
of the bands at the time that marked the transition from the 70s punk rock era
to the new-wave post punk-music era. Although the band started off with a
punk-influenced sound, it soon moved on to New Wave motivated by new sources
such as the drum-heavy "Burundi Beat" heard on "Dog Eat Dog"... more
here
Official site
a-ha is a Norwegian band
who was most popular in the UK
and the USA during
the 1980s, but
continued to be globally successful in the 1990s and 2000s. The trio,
composed of lead vocalist
Morten Harket, guitarist
Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (known as På¬ Waaktaar until 1994) and keyboardist
Magne Furuholmen, formed in 1982 and left Norway for London in order
to make a career in the music business. The origin of the name a-ha comes
from the title of an early song (The Juicy fruit Song). After checking
dictionaries in several languages, they found out that "a-ha" was an
international way of expressing recognition, with positive connotations. It was
short, easy to say and unusual... more
here
Official site
Bananarama are
an English girl group who found worldwide fame with their melodic pop and new
wave songs. They have placed ten singles in the top-ten of the UK singles chart
to date, as well as three U.S. top-ten hits, one of which hit number one. Some
of their biggest international hits include "Cruel Summer", "Venus", and "I
Heard a Rumour". They are known for their unique vocal style which features all
members singing the same notes in unison (rather than three-part harmonies).
Lead vocals and background vocals were recorded in this way, and much of
Bananarama's early material was recorded with all three members at the same
microphone at the same time... more
here.
Official site
Band Aid was a British and Irish charity supergroup, founded in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in order to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia by releasing the record "Do They Know It's Christmas?" for the Christmas market. The single surpassed the hopes of the producers to become the Christmas number one on that release. Two subsequent re-recordings of the song to raise further money for charity also topped the charts. The original was produced by Trevor Horn? more here
The Bangles
were one of the new generation of independent all-women bands that followed The
Go-Go's in the early 1980s. The band was formed in Los Angeles, California in
1981 as The Supersonic Bangs, later shortened to The Bangs. They
were forced to change their name to The Bangles when a band from New Jersey,
also named The Bangs, threatened to sue.... more
here
Official site
Barbra Streisand ?Official site
The Beastie Boys are a hip hop group from the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn
and Manhattan. They were the first white (and the only partly-Jewish) rap group
of any importance and one of the few acts from the early days of hip hop that
still enjoy major success today. Their rock- and punk-influenced rap has had a
significant impact on artists both in and outside the hip hop scene? more
here
Bee Gees?Official site
Belinda Carlisle
(born Belinda Jo Carlisle; also known as Belinda Kurczeski) on August 17, 1958
in Hollywood, California, is the lead vocalist and a founding member of the
all-female rock & roll band The Go-Go's and also a successful solo artist.. more
here
Official site
Berlin
Berlin was an American new wave band featuring lead singer Terri Nunn. Berlin
was formed in Orange County, California in 1979. Their first single, "A Matter
of Time," was released in 1980 on I.R.S. Records and featured replacement
vocalist Virginia Macolino on lead vocals after Nunn had temporarily left the
band to pursue an acting career. Their first significant hit was the
controversial synth-driven "Sex (I'm A...)" (1982), which was banned by some
radio stations due to its graphic lyrics, but it was "Take My Breath Away" (from
the movie Top Gun) that became their best-selling single in 1986. They had two
other hits: "The Metro", which was later covered by System of a Down, [[Sounds
of Mass Production (SMP)]], Alkaline Trio, and I Am The World Trade Center; and
"No More Words", who's subsequent video saw Terri Nunn and bandmates re-enact a
Bonnie and Clyde style car chase and shoot-out? more
here
Big Country
Big Country were a rock band from Dunfermline, Scotland, popular in the early to
mid 1980s, but still releasing material for a cult following as recently as
2004? more
here
Big Fun -Fan site
Billy Idol
lived in Worthing before attending Sussex University for only a year before
joining the Bromley Contingent of keen Sex Pistols fans. He joined a punk rock
band Chelsea in 1977, soon leaving it to form Generation X... more
here
Official site
Billy Joel
William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949, in Bronx, New York) is an American
singer, songwriter, pianist, and composer. Joel recorded many popular hits from
1973 (beginning with the single "Piano Man") to his retirement from recording
pop music in 1993. He is one of the very few rock or even pop artists to have
Top Ten hits in the '70s, '80s, and '90s? more
here
Billy Ocean
Billy Ocean (born Leslie Sebastian Charles on 21 January 1950 in Fyzabad,
Trinidad), is a UK based popular music performer, who had a string of rhythm and
blues tinged international pop hits in the 1970s and 1980s? more
here
Black
Black is the musical vehicle for singer/songwriter Colin Vearncombe (born on 26
May 1962, in Liverpool, England). From 1981 to 1988, the band also included Dave
Dix. Black's first release was "Human Features" on Rox Records in 1981. This was
followed by another independent release in 1982 "More Than The Sun" (Wonderful
World Of Records), after which Black was snapped up by WEA Records? more
here
Black Box
Black Box (later Blackbox) was an Italo-house music group popular in the late
1980s and early 1990s, best known for their hit "Ride on Time". The members of
the group included a trio made up of a club DJ (Daniele Davoli), a classically
trained clarinet teacher (Valerio Semplici) and a keyboard and electronic music
"whizz" (Mirko Limoni.) The three had previously joined to form a group called
Groove Groove Melody, producing dance music under names such as Starlight and
Wood Allen. They went on to record music under many other aliases? more
here
Blondie ?Official site
The Blow Monkeys
The Blow Monkeys was a British sophisti-pop band of the 1980s. Fronted by lead
singer and songwriter Dr. Robert (born Bruce Robert Howard, 2 May 1961 in
Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland), the group formed in 1981 upon Howard's
return to the UK after spending his teen years in Australia. The group gets its
unusual name from an offensive term used in Australia, referring to Aboriginals
playing the didgeridoo? more
here
The Bluebells
The Bluebells were a Scottish pop group in the 1980s. Peddling a kind of jangly
guitar based pop not dissimilar to their Scottish contemporaries Aztec Camera
and Orange Juice, they had three Top 40 hit singles in the UK, all written by
guitarist and founder member Bobby Bluebell (real name Robert Hodgens) - "I'm
Falling", "Cath", and their biggest success "Young at Heart". The latter was
co-written with Siobhan Fahey (with whom Hodgens was romantically linked for a
while) and made it to number 8 in the UK Singles Chart on its original release
in 1984. The band also released two albums, The Bluebells and Sisters? more
here
Bonnie Tyler
Bonnie Tyler (born Gaynor Hopkins on June 8, 1951 in Skewen, Neath) is a Welsh
singer. Born into a large working-class family of six children, her father
worked as a miner while her mother, an opera fan, shared her love of music with
her children. Influenced by the music of Janis Joplin and Tina Turner, as a teen
she sang with a group called "Bobby Wayne and the Dixies," following which she
formed her own band, calling it Imagination. Adopting different stage names
until settling on Bonnie Tyler, for nearly a decade she and her band performed
at pubs and nightclubs all over South Wales? more
here
Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams, OC, OBC (born 5 November 1959, Kingston, Ontario) is a Canadian
singer, guitarist and songwriter.Some of his best-known albums are Reckless,
Waking up the Neighbours and 18 'Til I Die. Adams was awarded the Order of
Canada and the Order of British Columbia for his contribution to popular music
and his philanthropic work. He was also inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in
1998, and more recently inducted into the Music Hall of Fame at Canada's Juno
Awards April 2006. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards for
songwriting? more
here
Bucks Fizz
Bucks Fizz are an English pop group, formed in 1981 to compete in the Eurovision
Song Contest that year. They won with Making Your Mind Up and went on to have a
successful pop career.
The initial group members were Jay Aston, Cheryl Baker, Bobby G (or Gee,
actually Gubby) and Mike Nolan, the classic 'two male - two female' Eurovision
line-up established by ABBA. Already experienced singers they were gathered
together by producer/writing combo Nicola Martin and Andy Hill. The group were
quick to build on their Eurovision success, Making Your Mind Up was their first
Number One in March 1981 and they followed up with two Top Twenty singles and a
further Number One in November 1981 with Land Of Make Believe and also an
eponymously-titled album. In 1982 the group had their final Number One in March
with My Camera Never Lies and their output of singles slowed as they
concentrated on touring. Their last Top 10 hit came in 1986, A New Beginning
(Mamba Seyra), with a few more minor hits up until 1988? more
here
Bon Jovi
is an influential rock band from New Jersey, USA. Fronted by lead singer and
namesake Jon Bon Jovi, the group originally achieved large-scale success in the
1980s as a hair metal band.
Bon Jovi has sold more than 35 million albums in the United States, and over 105 million albums worldwide, and has played live concerts in major cities in Asia, Europe, Australia, Canada, South Africa, and South America, in addition to a large number of cities in the U.S... more here
Official site
Bros were an
English boy band active in the late-1980s and early- 1990s, consisting of the
twin brothers Matt Goss and Luke Goss along with Craig Logan. They were managed
by former
Pet Shop
Boys manager Tom Watkins, who it was rumoured was actually one of the main
songwriters, working under the name "The Brothers" with other songwriters to
give the impression that the Goss brothers were the actual writers of the early
hits.
Their first single, I Owe You Nothing, was released in 1987 on CBS. The second, When Will I Be Famous reached number two in the United Kingdom. Their first album, Push, was released in 1988. The group achieved a total of 11 top 40 singles and three Top 40 albums in the United Kingdom, making them one of the biggest acts in British music between 1988 and 1993. They reached number one when "I Owe You Nothing" was re-issued in 1988. Consequently, they also sparked a fashion craze of attaching Grolsch bottle tops to their shoes... more here
Official site
Bruce Frederick
Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American rock and folk
singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Springsteen has frequently recorded and
toured with the E Street Band, in addition to recording and performing as a solo
artist and with other musicians. An heir to Elvis Presley, Woody Guthrie, Pete
Seeger, Eddie Cochran and Bob Dylan, but also influenced by early 1960s rock and
R & B, Springsteen is most widely known for his brand of heartland rock infused
with pop hooks, poetic lyrics, and Americana sentiments centered around his
native New Jersey. His eloquence in expressing ordinary, everyday problems has
earned him numerous awards, including several Grammy Awards, an Academy Award,
and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, along with a very large,
devoted, and long-lasting fan base. His most famous albums, Born to Run
and Born in the U.S.A., epitomize his penchant for finding grandeur in
the struggles of daily life... more
here
Official site
Cameo
Cameo is a funk, R&B and dance group, best known for the 1986 hit "Word Up!".
Their lead singer is Larry Blackmon. Formed in 1974, Cameo started out as a
13-member group created by former Juilliard student and New York-area clubgoer
Larry Blackmon, called the New York City Players. Signed by Casablanca Records
to their Chocolate City imprint in 1976, the group soon changed its name to
Cameo. Cameo started with a deep, funky sound, but it was obvious from the start
that their sights were set on the dance floors. Their first albums Cardiac
Arrest, Ugly Ego, We All Know Who We Are and Secret Omen contained dance floor
songs such as "Rigor Mortis", "I Just Want To Be" and "Find My Way," the latter
which was a major disco smash and was included on the soundtrack to Thank God
It's Friday? more
here
Cher
Cher (born Cheryl Sarkisian LaPiere on May 20, 1946) is an American pop/rock
singer, songwriter, actress, director, author and all-around entertainer.
Through her achievements in music, television and film, she has won an Oscar, a
Grammy, an Emmy and 3 Golden Globe Awards, among others? more
here
Chicago ?Official site
Chris De Burgh ?Official site
Chris Rea
Christopher Anton Rea (born 4 March 1951) is a successful English
singer-songwriter, from Middlesbrough. Rea began to focus his attention on
continental Europe, releasing eight albums in the 1980s. It wasn't until 1985's
'Shamrock Diaries' and the songs 'Stainsby Girls' and 'Josephine', that UK
audiences began to take notice of him. Follow up albums 'On The Beach' and
'Dancing With Strangers' became big UK hits before the New Light Through Old
Windows compilation album in 1988 brought Rea great success, cementing his
reputation as one of the UK's finest singer-songwriters. His next full album was
to be his major breakthrough. 'The Road to Hell' [1989] enjoyed massive success
and became his first number one album in the UK. These successes could not be
mirrored in the U.S., however, where it failed to chart. The follow-up album,
Auberge, also enjoyed massive European success, reaching the top spot in the UK?
more
here
The
Christians
The Christians are a soul band from Liverpool, England, scoring several UK chart
hits in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They consisted of Garry Christian (lead
vocals), Roger Christian (vocals), Russell Christian (keyboards, saxophone,
vocals) and Henry Priestman (b. 21 September 1955) (keyboards, guitars, vocals).
The band's name relates purely to the Christian brothers surname, rather than
any religious sentiment? more
here
Colonel
Abrams
Colonel Abrams is a dance music musician who was born in Detroit, Michigan and
raised in Brooklyn, New York. In 1985 he signed to MCA Records for a debut album
Colonel Abrams, featuring a hit entitled "Trapped", which reached the UK Top 5.
He also enjoyed a string of very successful entries on the Hot Dance Music/Club
Play chart in the 1980s and 1990s, including four entries that hit #1. "Trapped"
topped the dance chart in 1985, to be followed by the entire Colonel Abrams
album, which spent two weeks at #1 the following year. "I'm Not Gonna Let" also
spent a week at #1 in 1986 and in 1987 he had his fourth #1 US dance hit with
"How Soon We Forget."
An electronic remix of "Trapped" was later released in 1995 by Boards of Canada
under the pseudonym Hell Interface.
Communards were
a British pop duo of the 1980s.
They formed in 1985 after singer Jimmy Somerville left his earlier band Bronski Beat to team up with classically-trained musician Richard Coles. Though mainly a pianist, Coles played a number of instruments and had been seen previously performing the clarinet solos on the Bronski Beat hit "It Ain't Necessarily So." Also with Dave Renwick, bass player, who also played with Bronski Beat. Jimmy was well-known for his falsetto singing style, and the fact that he was openly gay... more here
Official site
Culture Club
was a popular 1980s English pop group, perhaps most noticeable for their
gender-bending frontman Boy George. The other members of the band were Roy Hay
on guitars and keyboards, Mikey Craig playing bass and Jon Moss (ex Damned,
London and Adam and the Ants) on drums... more
here
Official site
The Cure
The Cure are a successful English rock band, widely seen as one of the leading
pioneers of the British alternative rock scene of the 1980s. A combination of
lead singer Robert Smith's iconic wild hair, pale complexion, smudged lipstick,
and the frequently gloomy and introspective lyrics have led to the band being
primarily classified as gothic rock. However, the band rejects this, citing the
variety of their material. This variety is exemplified by very exuberant and
optimistic pop, such as the singles "The Lovecats", "Why Can't I Be You" and
"High." The Cure have sold close to 50 million albums worldwide? more
here
Cynthia Ann Stephanie
Lauper (born June 22, 1953), better known as Cyndi Lauper, is a
Grammy Award-winning singer and Emmy Award-winning film, television and theatre
actress. Her melodic voice and wild costumes have come to epitomize the 1980s
and New Wave ? the decade and genre in which she first came to fame. As a
singer, she has sold more than 50 million copies of her albums worldwide... more
here
Official site
The Damned are a punk rock/gothic rock group formed in London in 1976. They are notable for being the first of the British punk bands to release a single, put out an album, and tour the United States? more here
Danny Wilson
Danny Wilson were a pop group formed in Dundee, Scotland. Brothers Gary Clark
(born on 10 March 1962 in USA); and Kit Clark (born on 20 May 1967, in Dundee);
formed a band with longtime friend Ged Grimes (born 28 March 1962); in 1984,
initially under the name Spencer Tracy. However, after representation from the
estate of Spencer Tracy, they changed their name to Danny Wilson, from the Frank
Sinatra movie Meet Danny Wilson
Dead or Alive
Dead or Alive is an influential New Wave band from Liverpool that rose to
popularity during the 1980s. They are best known for the hit singles "You Spin
Me Round (Like a Record)" and "Turn Around & Count 2 Ten"? more
here
Deborah Ann Gibson, credited
as Debbie Gibson (born August 31, 1970, in Brooklyn, New York) is an
American singer-songwriter who was a teen idol in her youth. She appeared
repeatedly on the covers of teen magazines such as Tiger Beat. Although
she used the name "Debbie" in her teen-idol phase, she has always preferred and
now uses the name "Deborah" professionally... more
here
Official site
Dee C Lee
Dee C. Lee (born Diane Sealey, June 6, 1961 in South London) is an English
singer. Lee was a backing vocalist for the pop group Wham! in the early 1980s,
but she soon left the group to join Paul Weller's new band, The Style Council.
She was married to Paul Weller (but now divorced) and they have two children,
Nathaniel and Leah
Def Leppard are
an English hard rock/heavy metal band from Sheffield who formed in 1977 as part
of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Thanks to their classic albums,
Pyromania and Hysteria, Def Leppard became one of the top selling and
influential rock bands of its time... more
here
Official site
Deniece Williams
Deniece Williams is an American singer and songwriter who achieved success in
the 1970s and 1980s. Williams, whose music has been influenced by pop, soul,
gospel, R&B and dance; and hits such as "Let's Hear It For The Boy" and "Silly"?
more
here
Donna Summer ?Official site
Dexys Midnight
Runners ? the name consistently spelled without an apostrophe ? were a
British New Wave and Northern Soul band, who achieved their major success in the
early to mid 1980s... more
here
Official site
Dire Straits was a
British rock band, formed in 1977 by David Knopfler (guitar), his brother Mark
Knopfler (guitar and vocals), John Illsley (bass), and Pick Withers (drums), and
managed by Ed Bicknell. Although the band was formed in an era when punk rock
reigned, Dire Straits worked within the conventions of classic rock, albeit with
a stripped-down sound that appealed to modern audiences weary of the
overproduced stadium rock of the 1970s. In their early days, Mark and David
requested that pub owners turn down the amps so that patrons could converse
while the band played - indicative of their unassuming demeanour. Despite this
oddly self-effacing approach to rock and roll, Dire Straits soon became hugely
successful with their first album going multi-platinum globally... more
here
Official site
Eddy Grant
Eddy Grant (born Edmond Montague Grant on 5 March 1948), is a Plaisance, Guyana
born musician. When he was still a young boy, his parents emigrated to the UK,
where he settled. He had his first Number One hit in 1968, when he was the lead
guitarist and main songwriter of the multiracial group, The Equals. It was his
self-penned song, "Baby Come Back" that flew to the chart summit. The tune also
later topped the UK singles chart again when covered by Pato Banton. Notably, he
openly used his songwriting for political purposes, especially against the
then-current apartheid regime of South Africa? more
here
ELO ?Official site
Sir Elton Hercules
John, CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947) is an
English pop/rock singer, composer and pianist. In a career spanning five
decades, Elton John has sold over 250 million records and has over 50 Top 40
hits, making him one of the most successful musicians of all time... more
here
Official site
Europe is a
Swedish hard rock band originally assembled as a progressive rock group; they
later added keyboards to their sound in order to soften it, in hopes of gaining
radio airplay. Europe?s sound substantially influenced the power metal genre.
Europe is one of the most successful Swedish bands ever, having sold more than ten million albums worldwide... more here
Official site
Falco ?Official site
Feargal Sharkey
Feargal Sharkey (born Sean Feargal Sharkey on August 13, 1958, in Derry) is a
Northern Irish singer, who first found fame as the lead vocalist of pop punk
band The Undertones.
He was also the singer of the one-shot group The Assembly, with the ex-Yazoo
supremo Vince Clarke in 1983 (with their UK singles chart number 4 hit, "Never
Never").
His best-known solo material is the 1985 UK chart-topping single penned by Maria
McKee, "A Good Heart", which went to number one in several countries. His solo
work is significantly different from the semi-punk offerings of The Undertones.
Starting in the early 1990s Sharkey moved into the business side of the music
industry, initially as an A&R manager for Polydor Records and then as Managing
Director of EXP Ltd. He was appointed a Member of the Radio Authority for five
years from December 1998 to December 2003.
Feargal was appointed Chairman of the UK Government task force the 'Live Music
Forum' in 2004.
Fine Young
Cannibals was an English band best known for their 1989 hits "She Drives Me
Crazy" and "Good Thing". Formed in Birmingham, England, by actor/model Roland
Gift on vocals with musicians and former The Beat members David Steele and Andy
Cox. Their name came from the 1960 film All The Fine Young Cannibals
starring Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood... more
here
Fleetwood Mac
(formed in 1967) is an influential and commercially successful British-American
band that has had a revolving door of personnel, and varied levels of success.
The only two members who have been there from the beginning are its namesakes,
drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie, while keyboardist Christine McVie
has to date appeared on all but two albums, either as a member or as a sessions
musician. The two most successful periods for the band were during the late
1960s British blues boom, when they were led by guitarist Peter Green, and from
1975-1987, with the pop band that consisted of Mick Fleetwood, John McVie,
Christine McVie, Stevie Nicks, and Lindsey Buckingham... more
here
Official site
Foreigner
Foreigner is a rock band formed in New York City in 1976 by veteran musicians
Mick Jones and Ian McDonald, along with then unknown vocalist Lou Gramm (Louis
Grammatico)? more
here
Official site
Freeez
Freeez was a dance music group from London, England who had two top ten hits on
the U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in 1983. The song "I.O.U." from the
Breakdance movie Beat Street spent two weeks at number one, and was followed by
"Pop Goes My Love" / "Scratch Goes My Dub," which hit the top five. In 1987 a
new remix of "I.O.U." climbed to number eighteen on the U.S. dance chart, plus
number twenty-three in the national United Kingdom Gallup charts? more
here
Glenn Medeiros
Glenn Alan Medeiros (born June 24, 1970) is a singer and songwriter of
Portuguese ancestry from the state of Hawai'i. From humble beginnings performing
on a tour bus on the island of Kauai, Medeiros's musical career soared. He is
best known for his rendition of George Benson's "Nothing's Gonna Change My Love
For You," which was #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 of 1987 and #1 in the UK as
well as in France and Germany (one of his three worldwide #1 hit singles). He
also scored a 1990 United States #1 hit duet with Bobby Brown entitled "She
Ain't Worth It" and followed it up with another hit duet hit with Ray Parker, Jr.
(#32) "All I'm Missing Is You". Today, Medeiros performs at the Hale Koa Hotel
in Waikiki, and also teaches music at St. Joseph's School in Waipahu, and
teaches 2nd grade at Island Pacific Academy in Kapolei.
Gloria Estefan
Gloria Estefan (born Gloria Marí¡ Milagrosa Fajardo Garcí¡ on September 1, 1957
in Havana, Cuba) is a five-time Grammy Award-winning Cuban-American singer and
songwriter. Estefan began her career as lead vocalist for the Hispanic dance
music band, Miami Sound Machine, in 1975. They crossed over to mainstream
popular success with English-speaking audiences with the international hit
singles, "Dr. Beat" (1984) and "Conga" (1986)? more
here
Go West are an English pop group.
The duo formed in 1982, with Peter Cox (born on 17 November 1955, in Twickenham,
London, England); and Richard Drummie (born on 20 March 1959, in Twickenham,
London, England)... more
here
Official site
Haircut One Hundred (also known as Haircut 100) was a pop music band,
formed in 1980.
They were successful from the beginning, with their 1981 single "Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)" setting the stage for the breakthrough success of the album Pelican West (1982). The single "Love Plus One" was even bigger than anything previous, and Haircut 100 seemed poised for stardom just as Heyward decided to seek a solo career. The remainder of the band tried to continue with the album Paint and Paint (1984, with percussionist Mark Fox taking over Heyward's vocal duties), but they broke up soon after... more here
Official
fan site
Hazell Dean
Hazell Dean (born October 27, 1956 in Great Baddow, Essex) is an English Dance
music singer, composer and producer. She started her career in 1970s, but
achieved a chart success in 80s working with the famous Stock Aitken Waterman
team. Hazell Dean was elected three times as the 'Best Live Performer' by the
Federation of American Dance Clubs (U.S.), and twice as a 'Best British
Performer' by Club Mirror awards (UK)? more
here
Heart
Heart is an American band formed in Seattle, Washington. Going through several
lineup changes, the only constant members of the group are sisters Ann and Nancy
Wilson. The group's music during the '70s was influenced by hard rock groups
like Led Zeppelin, and folk music. In the '80s they became a mainstream rock
act, before dropping out of the public consciousness in the '90s? more
here
Heaven 17
Heaven 17 are an English synthpop band originating in Sheffield in the early
1980s. Taking their name from a fictional pop group mentioned in Anthony
Burgess's novel A Clockwork Orange (where 'The Heaven Seventeen' are at number 4
in the charts with "Inside" [1]), Heaven 17 formed when Ian Craig Marsh and
Martyn Ware split from their earlier group The Human League and formed
production company British Electric Foundation (BEF). Shortly after, they
recruited their friend and photographer Glenn Gregory on vocals to complete
their lineup for Heaven 17. Contrary to popular belief, they were not New
Romantics and shared few visual characteristics with groups such as Spandau
Ballet and Culture Club? more
here
The Hothouse Flowers
The Hothouse Flowers is an Irish rock group that combines traditional Irish
music with influences from soul, gospel and rock. The group first formed in 1985
when Liam Ó Maonlaí ¡nd Fiachna ó ‚²aoná©® (who had known each other as children
in a Gaelic-speaking school) began performing as street musicians, or buskers,
on the streets of Dublin, Ireland as "The Incomparable Benzini Brothers." They
were soon joined by Peter O'Toole, and had won a street-entertainer award within
a year. They renamed the group "Hothouse Flowers" and began writing songs and
performing throughout Ireland. Rolling Stone magazine called them the best
unsigned band in Europe ? more
here
The Housemartins were an English indie
rock/accapella band that was active in the 1980s.
The band was formed in 1983 by Paul Heaton (vocals), Stan Cullimore (guitar), Ted Key (bass) and Chris Lang (drums). The band's membership changed quite a lot over the years. Ted Key was replaced by Norman Cook ? the future Fatboy Slim ? and drummer Chris Lang was replaced by Hugh Whitaker, former drummer with The Gargoyles, who in turn was replaced with Dave Hemingway... more here
Official fan site
Howard Jones
Howard Jones (born John Howard Jones on February 23, 1955) is an English singer
and songwriter. He is the eldest of three boys. His birthplace is Southampton,
England, and he spent his early years in High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, and
attended the Royal Grammar School. He now lives with his family in Somerset?
more
here
Hue & Cry
Hue and Cry is a pop group formed in 1983 in Coatbridge, Scotland by brothers
Pat Kane (vocals) and Greg Kane (keyboards). They had a number of modest hits in
the UK singles chart in the late 1980s, and early 1990s, and have released
eleven albums from 1987 to date, selling over two million copies worldwide? more
here
Huey Lewis & The News
Huey Lewis & the News, formerly known as Huey Lewis & the American Express, are
a popular U.S. rock band based in San Francisco, California whose greatest
success was in the 1980s, when they were one of the most popular music acts of
the decade. The band is known for writing simple, light-hearted songs from a
working-class perspective and typically appealed to yuppies and baby boomers of
the 80s. Combining a rock (and sometimes, a "blues-rock") backing with harmony
vocals and Lewis's voice, Huey Lewis & the News had numerous hit songs during
the 1980s and early 1990s, including "The Power of Love", "I Want a New Drug", "Doin'
it all (For my Baby)", "Do You Believe in Love?" "Hip to Be Square", "Stuck With
You", and "Jacob's Ladder"? more
here
The
Human League are an English synthpop band formed in 1977, who, after several
changes in line up, achieved great popularity in the 1980s and a limited
comeback in the mid-1990s. Originally a synthesiser based group from Sheffield,
England, the only consistent band member since the Human League formed in 1977
is vocalist and songwriter Phil Oakey... more
here
Official site
Inner
City is an American music group formed in Detroit in 1987. The group consists of
producer and composer Kevin Saunderson, and two vocalists; Ann Saunderson
(Kevin's wife) and Chicago native Paris Grey. Kevin Saunderson is renowned as
one of the "Belleville Three" (along with Juan Atkins and Derrick May), high
school friends who later originated the Detroit Techno sound.
Inner City topped dance charts in America and Britain 11 times, hit the UK Top
40 eight times and sold around 6 million records. The group is best known for
their early dance floor / pop music crossover tracks "Big Fun" and "Good Life"
that were shown on MTV all around the world. Later work introduced a hybrid of
techno, jazz and swing beats with a more soulful sound in the vein of down tempo
British groups like Soul II Soul and Massive Attack... more
here
No official site
INXS (pronounced "In
Excess") is an Australian rock group. The band was formed in 1977 by the late
Michael Hutchence (lead vocals), Andrew Farriss (guitar and keyboards), Tim
Farriss (b. August 16, 1957, in Perth, Western Australia, Australia) (lead
guitar), Jon Farriss (drums), Garry Gary Beers (bass), and Kirk Pengilly (b.
July 4, 1958, in Kew, Victoria, Australia) (saxophone and guitar). On September
20, 2005, Canadian singer J.D. Fortune became the band's new lead vocalist after
a twelve-week competition on the CBS reality show Rock Star: INXS... more
here
Official site
It Bites
It Bites are a progressive rock and pop fusion band formed in Egremont, Cumbria,
England, in 1982. The group was a mix of post Peter Gabriel Genesis and 10cc
with Van Halen like vocals and guitar histrionics. The group enjoyed number 6
single chart success in the UK with their only major hit single "Calling All The
Heroes"? more
here
Jaki Graham
Jaki Graham (born September 15, 1956 in Birmingham, England) is an English
singer. She originally sang in a band called Ferrari, and then went on to sing
with the band Medium Wave, before becoming a backing vocalist for UB40. She was
soon discovered and went on to achieve good chart success, including two singles
in which she duetted with the former Linx member and future Fame Academy vocal
coach, David Grant? more
here
The Jam were an English
rock band active in the late 1970s and early '80s. They were one of the most
popular groups of the day, achieving eighteen straight Top 40 singles in the UK
from their debut in 1977 to their swansong in 1982, including four #1 hits. Two
of these eighteen singles were available on an import-only basis; they remain
the best-selling import singles of all time in the UK. They also released six
albums in their day, the last of which, The Gift, hit #1 on the UK album charts.
Massively popular in Britain, as well as much of the rest of Europe and beyond,
they never gained much commercial success in North America, but they did retain
a considerable cult following. They drew upon a variety of stylistic influences
over the course of their career, including punk rock, British Invasion, American
soul, mod music, and even British psychedelic. Despite the group's limited fame
in the United States, they remain an influence on American groups such as Green
Day... more here
Official site
Jason Sean Donovan (born 1
June 1968) is an Australian actor and singer, with world-wide record sales of
over 30 million copies (singles, albums, compilation inclusions, etc.) [citation
needed]. In recent years he has mainly worked as a leading man in stage musicals
in the United Kingdom... more
here
Official fan site
Jermaine Stewart
Jermaine Stewart (September 7, 1957 ? March 17, 1997) was an American pop
singer, best known for his Billboard hits, "The Word Is Out" from his 1984 debut
album of the same name, and "We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off" in 1986,
from the album Frantic Romantic. Born in Columbus, Ohio to parents Ethel M.
Stewart and Eugene Stewart, Jermaine always enjoyed dancing and in school would
often give dance lessons to other children for $1 a lesson. In 1972, the Stewart
family moved to Chicago, Illinois where he took his first steps toward a career
in entertainment. This was followed by stints on both American Bandstand and
later Soul Train as a dancer? more
here
Jim Diamond
Jim Diamond (born September 28, 1951, in Glasgow) is a Scottish
singer-songwriter. Diamond is best known for his two Top 5 hits - "I Won't Let
You Down" (1981) as the singer in the trio Ph.D., with Tony Hymas and Simon
Phillips; and his solo performance, "I Should Have Known Better". The latter
song was a United Kingdom number one in 1984.
He is also known for some guest vocals on various Genesis band members solo
outings including; "You Call This Victory" on the album Soundtracks by Tony
Banks.
"Days Of Long Ago" on the album Darktown by Steve Hackett.
He also wrote "Hi Ho Silver", the theme song for British television drama series
Boon, which reached number 5 in the UK Singles Chart in 1986. Diamond has
resumed touring in the UK in recent years, and in January 2003, he put the
finishing touches to his first album, with British horn virtuoso Snake Davis,
under the group name The Blue Shoes.
Johnny Hates Jazz was an English band formed in 1986 by Clark Datchler (vocals,
piano), Calvin Hayes (keyboards), and American-born Mike Nocito (bass). Named
after a friend who hated jazz, Johnny Hates Jazz released their first single,
"Me and My Foolish Heart," on RAK Records that year. After searching for a
major-label record deal they landed one towards the end of 1986 with Virgin
Records after a gig at, ironically enough, a jazz club. The group's debut single
for Virgin, "Shattered Dreams," became a monster success in 1987. Datchler left
in 1989 and was replaced by Phil Thornalley. A month before the release of their
second album Tall Stories the band was involved in a serious car crash which
left Hayes in a body cast for over a year. The band lost momentum and eventually
split in 1995... more
here
Official site
Johnny Logan
Johnny Logan (real name Seá® Patrick Michael Sherrard) was born in Frankston
near Melbourne, Australia, on 13 May 1954 but lives in Ashbourne, Co. Meath,
Ireland. His father was a very well known Irish tenor, Patrick O'Hagen, who
performed three times at The White House, for John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B.
Johnson, and Richard Nixon. The family moved back to Ireland when Johnny was
aged three. He learnt the guitar and began composing his own songs by the age of
thirteen. On leaving school he apprenticed as an electrician, while performing
in folk and blues clubs. His earliest claim to fame was starring as Adam in the
1977 Irish musical "Adam and Eve"? more
here
Kajagoogoo was a
British pop band best known for its first single, "Too Shy", which reached
Number 1 in the UK and Number 5 in the U.S in 1983. The single was produced by
keyboardist Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran and Colin Thurston who was, at this time,
Duran Duran's in-house producer.
The band was founded in Leighton Buzzard in 1979 as a four piece avant-garde
instrumental group called Art Nouveau, with Nick Beggs on bass guitar, Steve
Askew on lead guitar, Stuart Neale on keyboards and Jez Strode on drums. Art
Nouveau released a track called "The Fear Machine". The single sold a few
hundred copies, and was played on the John Peel show, but the band could not get
a record deal... more here
Official site
Katrina & The Waves
Katrina and the Waves were a pop rock band of the 1980s, best known for their
smash hit "Walking on Sunshine" and their 1997 Eurovision Song Contest victory.
Formed in 1981 in Cambridge, England, the Waves were fronted by American-born
singer Katrina Leskanich until she left the group in 1999. Their lead guitarist
is Kimberley Rew, formerly of the Soft Boys? more
here
Kelly Marie
Kelly Marie (born Jacqueline McKinnon, 23 October 1957, in Paisley, Scotland)
was a British disco singer. She had several hits internationally during the late
1970s, including "Make Love to Me" (1978). Her biggest hit by far was "Feels
Like I'm in Love" (1980). That track was written by Ray Dorset, originally as a
potential song for Elvis Presley who died before it could be given to him. Marie
made the most of the opportunity and enjoyed the third biggest selling single of
1980 in the UK. Her other UK hit singles were "Loving Just for Fun", "Hot Love"
and "Love Trial" - although the latter only made it to number 51 in the UK
Singles Chart in 1981.
Kids from Fame
Fame was an American television series that ran from 1982 to 1987. The show was
based on the 1980 motion picture of the same name that tells the stories of the
students and faculty at the "New York City High School for the Performing Arts."
The show was produced by MGM Television and was first broadcast on the NBC
television network in the U.S. and on the BBC in the United Kingdom. NBC
cancelled the series in 1983, but the show continued for an additional four
seasons in syndication. The popularity of the film and television productions
was such that its cast members went on the road to perform live concerts.
The show's self-titled theme song was a pop hit for singer Irene Cara, having
been the featured piece in the motion picture. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment,
who currently holds the distribution rights for all MGM television series,
released the first season of Fame on DVD on November 1, 2005.
Kool & The Gang
Kool & the Gang was a highly successful R&B/soul/funk/disco group. They
originally formed in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1964. They went through several
musical phases in their career. They started out as practitioners of R&B and
funk, eventually went through a phase where they were a smooth disco ensemble,
and wound up the successful period of their career recording tunes that were a
mixture of pop and R&B? more
here
Laura Branigan
Laura Branigan (July 3, 1957 ? August 26, 2004) was a popular American
singer/actress from Brewster, New York, best known in the U.S. for the song
"Gloria" (1982). She received the first of four Grammy Award nominations for the
song. Branigan introduced the ballad "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You"
(1983), making the song a standard, recorded by dozens of artists throughout the
world in the years since. "Self Control" (1984) was her biggest-selling album,
and the title track became an international Number One hit. Her other Top 40
hits included "Solitaire," "The Lucky One," "Spanish Eddie," and "The Power of
Love." She was of Irish and Italian ancestry? more
here
Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. (born June
20, 1949) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, composer, producer and
occasional actor.
His fame began when he was the front man for the Commodores, a nationally
popular Motown band during the 1970s. They had several hits such as "Easy",
"Three Times A Lady", and "Brick House". Richie left the Commodores in 1981 for
a solo career, becoming one of the most successful artists of the Eighties with
five number 1 hits and thirteen consecutive Top 10 hits in the U.S... more
here
Official site
London Boys
The London Boys were a German-based, British dance pop duo comprising of Edem
Ephraim (born 1 July 1959 in London) and Dennis Fuller (born 19 June 1960 in
Jamaica), both of whom were killed in an Alpine car accident on January 21, 1996
[citation needed]. Although they lived near Hamburg, Germany since 1981, they
had actually met when they were at school in London. They were formed in 1986 as
a vehicle for songwriter and producer - Ralf-René aué® Their musical style was
catchy and highly infectious Eurobeat dance music combined with choreography
acquired during their experience as Rollerblade dancers prior to forming London
Boys. Consequently their early releases were marketed towards the Eurodisco
scene? more
here
Lonnie Gordon
Lonnie Gordon is a female dance music singer from New York's Bronx, who had
several entries on the US Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in the nineties,
including three that hit #1. She also had a major UK hit with "Happenin' All
Over Again", which reached #4 in the main singles chart in 1990. She also had a
hit single in the UK with "Gonna Catch You" (# 32 UK) in 1991. "If I Have To
Stand Alone" reached only #68 in the UK. Her first US dance #1 was "Gonna Catch
You" in 1991, which was featured on the soundtrack to the Vanilla Ice movie Cool
as Ice. It also hit #79 on the Hot 100. Her next single "Bad Mood" topped the
dance chart in 1993 and was followed by a remixed version of "Happenin' All Over
Again," another dance chart #1 that also climbed to #98 on the Hot 100. Gordon
has hit the Top 10 of the US dance chart two more times and her most recent
chart entry was in 1996.
MARRS
MARRS (or M/A/R/R/S, or probably more accurately M|A|R|R|S as they were named on
their record sleeves) was a one-off recording act from 1987, a collaboration
between the groups A R Kane and Colourbox, with additional input from DJs Chris
"C.J." Mackintosh and Dave Dorrell. However, the collaboration did not go
entirely to plan. Once in the studio, the groups' different working methods and
personalities failed to gel. Producer Jon Fryer found himself in the middle and
unable to resolve the conflict between the two camps. The result was that
instead of working together, the two groups ended up recording a track each,
then turning it over to the other for additional input? more
here
Madness are
an English rock band who achieved most of their success in the 1980s, spending
more weeks in the UK chart than any other group.
The band was formed in London, England in 1976, by Mike Barson (Monsieur Barso)
on keyboards and vocals, Chris Foreman (Chrissy Boy) on guitar and Lee Thompson
(Kix) on saxophone and vocals under the name The North London Invaders. In 1978
they were joined by frontman Graham McPherson (Suggs) on vocals, Mark Bedford (Bedders)
on bass guitar and Daniel Woodgate (Woody) on drums. After performing
periodically as The North London Invaders and Morris and the Minors, the group
changed their name to Madness. Carl Smyth (Chas Smash) on trumpet and vocals
joined in early 1980... more
here
Official site
Marillion are a British Rock group formed in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England
in 1979, whose 13 studio album career to date is generally regarded as
comprising of two distinct eras, delineated by the departure of original
frontman Fish in late 1988 after their first 4 albums and the subsequent arrival
of replacement Steve Hogarth ("h") in early 1989, with whom a subsequent 9
albums have been released thus far.
The core lineup of Steve Rothery (the sole remaining original member), Pete
Trewavas, Mark Kelly and Ian Mosley has stayed unchanged since 1984. The band
has enjoyed critical and commercial success with a string of UK top 10 hits
spanning their career and even an entry into the Guinness book of records...
more here
Official site
Meat Loaf is the stage name
of Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday on September 27, 1947), an American
actor and rock and roll singer. He is particularly noted for his smash hit album
Bat out of Hell and several famous songs from movies. Meat Loaf is also the name
of the band he fronts, as its lead singer. In 2001, he legally changed his first
name to Michael.
Aday was born in Dallas, Texas. Despite setbacks (including bankruptcy, on more
than one occasion), Meat Loaf is notable for the ultimate success of his music
career, spawning some of the largest-selling albums of all time, and breaking
several records for chart duration. Bat out of Hell, the debut album which had
been four years in the making, sold over 34 million copies, becoming more
profitable than Michael Jackson's blockbuster Thriller. After almost 30 years,
it still sells an estimated 200,000 copies annually, and stayed on the charts
for over 9 years.[3] Each of the seven tracks on the album, eventually, also
charted as a single hit... more
here
Official site
Mel and
Kim were an English musical act that achieved success in the late 1980s.
Sisters Melanie (July 11, 1966 - January 18, 1990) and Kim Appleby (born August
28, 1961) were noticed dancing in a nightclub in their native London and signed
to a recording contract with Supreme Records under the guidance of production
team Stock Aitken Waterman in 1985, and began releasing records under the name
of Mel & Kim... more here
Official site
Mental As Anything
Mental As Anything is an Australian rock music band which has released several
albums and many innovative music videos, including "Get Wet", "Cats & Dogs",
"Creatures of Leisure", "Fundamental", and "Mouth To Mouth". Although they have
worked in a much broader musical idiom, Mental As Anything are in many respects
comparable to British band Madness, in that their music is typically delivered
with a quirky, ironic sense of humour and a strong visual identity. Founding
members Martin Plaza and Reg Mombassa met at art school and formed the band in
1976; all of the early members became accomplished painters, with Mombassa's
work in particular becoming very well known through his designs for the Mambo
clothing company.
The Mentals' music is characterised by poppy, accessible and well-crafted
melodies and lyrics, and almost all their work showcases their ironic, satirical
and self-deprecating sense of humour. They are arguably one of the most
typically 'Australian' of rock groups, with their music and their satirical,
good-time image deeply rooted in the milieu of Australian suburbia, despite the
fact that two key members (the O'Doherty brothers) were in fact immigrants from
New Zealand. The group's art school background and visual design skills also
made them pioneers of the music video form in Australia in the late 1970s and
early 1980s, and their videos rank as some of the funniest and most imaginative
produced in Australia at that time.
Midge Ure OBE (born James Ure on October 10, 1953 in Cambuslang, Lanarkshire,
Scotland) is a rock and roll guitarist, singer and songwriter from Scotland, who
had particular success in the 1970s and 1980s. His stage name, Midge, is a
phonetic reversal of his real name, Jim.
Ure began his career with bubblegum pop-rock band Slik. Before Slik became
famous they were known as Salvation and were the house band playing mostly
covers in Glasgow disco Clouds above Greens Playhouse where all major bands
played when they came to the city. Midge played guitar and was known for wearing
a top hat onstage. He turned down an offer to be the lead singer of the Sex
Pistols. He would go on to play in The Rich Kids and temporarily for Thin Lizzy
before replacing John Foxx as singer of electronic New Wave band Ultravox in
1979. Shortly afterwards, they had a huge UK hit with "Vienna", and became one
of Britain's top bands for several years. Also later that year, Ure also formed
the band Visage with Steve Strange and Rusty Egan. The following year, Ure and
Thin Lizzy leader Phil Lynott co-wrote Lynott's biggest solo hit, "Yellow
Pearl". A re-recording of the song done in 1981 was used as the theme for Top of
the Pops... more here
Official site
Milli Vanilli
Milli Vanilli was a pop and dance music ensemble formed by Frank Farian in
Germany in 1988 and fronted by Fab Morvan (b. May 14, 1966) and Rob Pilatus
(June 8, 1965 ? April 2, 1998). The group's debut album achieved high sales
internationally and garnered them a Grammy award for Best New Artist in 1990.
However, their success turned to infamy when the award was revoked after it was
revealed that the purported singers did not actually sing on the record? more
here
Mr Mister
Mr. Mister was an American atmospheric pop band of the 1980s. The band took its
name from a drink called Mr. Misty that was sold by the Dairy Queen ice cream
franchise. Richard Page had formerly worked as a session musician (for Quincy
Jones) and had composed for Michael Jackson, Donna Summer, Kenny Loggins, Al
Jarreau, and many more, when in the late 1970s, he and his childhood friend
Steve George founded the band Pages (most notable song: I Do Believe In You) in
Phoenix, Arizona, from which Mr. Mister was founded in 1982. The two continued
to apply their tight harmonies to background vocals on albums by successful pop
artists like Laura Branigan and the Village People while working to break their
own material? more
here
Musical Youth
Musical Youth formed in 1979 at Duddeston Manor School, Birmingham, England.
This pop / reggae influenced group, featured two sets of brothers, Kelvin and
Michael Grant, plus Junior and Patrick Waite. The latter pair's father,
Frederick Waite, was a former member of Jamaican group The Techniques, and sang
lead with Junior at the start of the group's career in the late 1970s? more
here
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