David Wakeling (born 19 February 1956) is an English singer, songwriter and musician, best known for his work with the band the Beat (known in North America as the English Beat) and

General Public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

Career

Wakeling began his professional career when he formed the band, the Beat. The debut

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by the Beat included the singles "

I Just Can't Stop It ''I Just Can't Stop It'' is the debut studio album by British ska band the Beat, released on 23 May 1980 by Go-Feet Records in the United Kingdom. It was released the same year in the United States on Sire Records under the band name "The Englis ...

", "

Mirror in the Bathroom "Mirror in the Bathroom" is a single by British ska band the Beat released as a single in 1980 from their debut album ''I Just Can't Stop It''. It reached number 4 in the UK Singles Chart and consequently was their highest charting release in ...

", " Hands Off...She's Mine" and "

Can't Get Used to Losing You "Can't Get Used to Losing You" is a song written by Jerome "Doc" Pomus and Mort Shuman, first made popular by Andy Williams in a 1963 record release, which was a number-two hit in both the US and the UK. Twenty years later, British band the Bea ...

", all of which charted within the Top 10 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. The band also had UK hits from the studio albums ''

Wha'ppen? ''Wha'ppen?'' is the second studio album by British ska band the Beat (credited on the US release as the English Beat), released in 1981 via Go-Feet Records in the United Kingdom and Sire Records in the United States. After the critical and comme ...

'' (1981) and ''

Special Beat Service ''Special Beat Service'' is the third studio album by British ska band the Beat, released on 1 October 1982 by Go-Feet Records. Like the rest of their material, it was released in the US under the name "the English Beat". It peaked at No. 39 on t ...

'' (1982). Wakeling then formed

with

Ranking Roger Roger Charlery (21 February 1963 – 26 March 2019), known professionally as Ranking Roger,Strong, Martin C. (2002) ''The Great Rock Discography, 6th Edition'', Canongate, , p. 72Huey, Steve "Ranking Roger Biography, Allmusic, retrieved 17 Februa ...

in 1984, and they released their debut studio album '' All the Rage'' that year. He also recorded two other studio albums with General Public, ''

Hand to Mouth A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the koala (which has two opposable thumbs on each "han ...

'' (1986) and ''

Rub It Better ''Rub It Better'' is the third studio album by English new wave band General Public, released on 4 April 1995 by Epic Records. The band had not recorded together in almost 10 years. Production The album was produced by Jerry Harrison, former k ...

'' (1995), shortly after which the band disbanded. He then produced the soundtrack for the John Hughes romantic comedy film ''

She's Having a Baby ''She's Having a Baby'' is a 1988 American romantic comedy film directed and written by John Hughes and starring Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth McGovern. It tells the story of a young newlywed couple who try to cope with married life and their parents ...

'' (1988), in which he also recorded the title track. In 1991, Wakeling released his sole solo studio album ''No Warning'', on

I.R.S. Records I.R.S. Records was an American record label founded by Miles Copeland III, Jay Boberg, and Carl Grasso in 1979. I.R.S. produced some of the most popular bands of the 1980s, and was particularly known for issuing records by college rock, new wave ...

and has lived in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

for a number of years. He regularly performs as the English Beat in North America, and has recorded two new songs that feature in the ''

Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated ''Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated'' (also known as ''Mystery Incorporated'' or ''Scooby-Doo! Mystery, Inc.'') is an American animated television series that serves as the eleventh incarnation of the ''Scooby-Doo'' media franchise created by Han ...

'' episode " Dance of the Undead" which debuted in March 2013." Throughout his career, Wakeling has mainly used a left handed Vox Teardrop guitar aka:

Vox Mark III The Mark is an electric guitar made by Vox. The instrument is also known as the Vox Teardrop, but this is not the official name. The Vox Mark came in three variations, a 6 string (the Mark VI), a 9 string (the Mark IX) and a 12 string (the Mark ...

, he was initially drawn to the guitar as his favourite artist and guitarist

Brian Jones Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones (28 February 1942 – 3 July 1969) was an English multi-instrumentalist and singer best known as the founder, rhythm/lead guitarist, and original leader of the Rolling Stones. Initially a guitarist, he went on to prov ...

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

used one. "I wanted to be him and I used to play my cricket bat or my tennis racket and pretend it was a teardrop in the mirror when my mom had gone out shopping. I even bought a blond wig from a second-hand shop and I cut it out into a bob. As soon as I heard the front door I would think "Great, she’s gone". I would take out the wig, the cricket bat and play in front of the mirror." On 8 April 2006, he donated his Vox of 26 years to the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...

Views

In July 2012, Wakeling expressed concern over the United States' economic problems: "I have a nose tuned to the smell of the death of an empire, and I smell it now."

Personal life

Wakeling is divorced, with two children, Max and Chloe. He resides in the

San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, California. Located to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it contains a large portion of the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated ar ...

, California. In 1985, Wakeling announced in a press interview with ''

Mother Jones Mary G. Harris Jones (1837 (baptized) – November 30, 1930), known as Mother Jones from 1897 onwards, was an Irish-born American schoolteacher and dressmaker who became a prominent union organizer, community organizer, and activist. She h ...

'' magazine that he was

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...

Discography

* ''No Warning'' (1991 I.R.S. Records) Side one # "I Want More" (Dave Wakeling,

Parthenon Huxley Parthenon Huxley (born January 19, 1956) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and producer who is known for his solo albums and for his involvement in ELO Part II and The Orchestra, both of which are latter-day offshoots of the 1970s-80s ...

) – 4:16 # "No Warning" (Wakeling,

Mark Goldenberg Mark Goldenberg (born April 10, 1952) is an American guitarist and songwriter, noted for his session work and composition of successful songs for Linda Ronstadt, the Pointer Sisters, and others. Biography Early career Raised in Chicago, Illin ...

) – 4:53 # "Remember in the Dark" (Wakeling) – 5:23 # "Every Time You Look at Me That Way" (Wakeling) – 4:12 # "Sensation" (Wakeling,

Mickey Billingham Mickey Billingham (also credited Micky Billingham) is an English Keyboard instrument, keyboardist. He was the former keyboardist of the pop rock band Dexys Midnight Runners. After the band broke up, he and another member, Andy "Stoker" Growcott, ...

, Goldenberg) – 4:04 Side two #

"Freedom Fighter" (Wakeling, Billingham) – 5:53 # "One + One + One" (Wakeling, Goldenberg) – 5:15 # "Sex with You" (Wakeling) – 3:32 # "I'm Not Ready" (Wakeling, Billingham) – 3:58 # "She's Having a Baby" (Wakeling, Ian Ritchie) – 3:44 Produced by

(tracks 1–9) and

Steve Levine Steve LeVine (born in New York) is a journalist. He writes The Electric, new publicationon batteries, electric vehicles, and their impact on society, cities and geopolitics. He is a senior fellow on the Foresight, Strategy and Risk Initiative at ...

References

* 1. ''The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll'', Third Edition (Fireside, 2001) * 2. ''The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits'', 8th Edition (Billboard Books, 2004)

External links

Dave Wakeling's website
* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wakeling, Dave 1956 births 20th-century English musicians 20th-century British male singers 21st-century English musicians 21st-century British male singers 21st-century LGBT people Bisexual musicians British expatriates in the United States English male guitarists English male singers English new wave musicians English rock guitarists General Public members LGBT musicians from the United Kingdom LGBT singers from the United Kingdom Living people Male new wave singers Musicians from Birmingham, West Midlands People educated at King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys The Beat (British band) members British ska musicians