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Kevin Rowland
Kevin Rowland (born 17 August 1953) is a British singer and musician best known as the frontman for the pop band Dexys Midnight Runners (currently called Dexys). The band had several hits in the early 1980s, the most notable being " Geno" and "Come On Eileen", both of which reached number one on the UK Singles Chart. Early life Rowland was born in Wednesfield, Staffordshire (now Wolverhampton), on 17 August 1953 to Irish parents from Crossmolina, County Mayo, Ireland, and he lived for three years in Ireland from the age of one year old before returning to Wolverhampton. The family moved to Harrow when he was 11 and he left school aged 15. Before his music career, Rowland worked as a hairdresser. Career Rowland's first group, Lucy & the Lovers, were influenced by Roxy Music and turned out to be short-lived. His next project, the punk rock act the Killjoys, were slightly more successful, releasing the single "Johnny Won't Get To Heaven" in 1977. Alienated by the punk scene, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Wednesfield
Wednesfield () is a town and historic village in the City of Wolverhampton, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England; it was historically within the county of Staffordshire. It is east-north-east of Wolverhampton city centre and about from Birmingham. Local areas include Ashmore Park and Wood End, Wolverhampton, Wood End. There is a formal garden at Wednesfield Park. Toponymy Its name comes from the Old English ''Wōdnesfeld'', meaning "Woden's field", open land belonging to, or holy to, the high god of the Germanic mythology, Germanic Pantheon. History On 5 August 910, the allied forces of Mercia and Wessex defeated an army of Kingdom of Northumbria, Northumbrian Vikings in the Battle of Tettenhall (sometimes called the Battle of Wednesfield or Wōdnesfeld). Wednesfield was formerly known for making all kinds of traps, from mousetraps to mantrap (snare), mantraps and locks. Many of the factories that dominated the area have been cleared to make wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly''. In December 2024, Tortoise Media acquired the paper from the Scott Trust Limited, with the transition taking place on 22 April 2025. History Origins The first issue was published on 4 December 1791 by W.S. Bourne, making ''The Observer'' the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. Believing that the paper would be a means of wealth, Bourne instead soon found himself facing debts of nearly £1,600. Though early editions purported editorial independence, Bourne attempted to cut his losses and sell the title to the government. When this failed, Bourne's brother (a wealthy businessman) made an offer to the government, which also refused to buy the paper but agreed to subsidise it in return for influence over its editori ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Rag Doll (The Four Seasons Song)
"Rag Doll" is a popular song written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio. It was recorded by the Four Seasons and released as a single in 1964. Background According to songwriter Bob Gaudio, the recording was inspired by an occasion involving the homeless children who, at stop lights in the city, would run into the street and clean windshields for spare change. In the Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan neighborhood, a young girl with a dirty face and wearing ragged clothes approached Gaudio's automobile. When he reached into his wallet to pay her, he found that none of the notes were smaller than $10. He gave the girl a $10 bill. (Some accounts indicate that it was a $5 bill.) "The image of her stuck in my head until I wrote 'Rag Doll'", Gaudio recalled in a 2009 interview. ''Billboard'' described the song as a "sentimental slow dance ballad." ''Cash Box'' described it as "a touching, cha cha beat opus...that the group serves up in their fabulous style" and that features the "hit sounds" of Fr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes
Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes were an American soul and R&B vocal group. One of the most popular Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s, the group's repertoire included soul, R&B, doo-wop, and disco. Founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the middle of the 1950s as The Charlemagnes, the group is most noted for several hits on Gamble and Huff's Philadelphia International label between 1972 and 1976, although they performed and recorded until Melvin's death in 1997. Despite group founder and original lead singer Harold Melvin's top billing, the Blue Notes' most famous member was Teddy Pendergrass, their lead singer during the successful years at Philadelphia International. The remaining members of the Blue Notes have reunited for Soul Train Cruises in 2013, 2015, and 2017. History Early years The group formerly known as The Charlemagnes took on the name "The Blue Notes" in 1954, with a line-up consisting of lead singer Franklin Peaker, Bernard Williams, Roosevelt Brodie, Jes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
T-Rex (band)
T. Rex (originally Tyrannosaurus Rex) were an English rock band formed in London in 1967 by singer-songwriter and guitarist Marc Bolan, who was their leader, frontman and only consistent member. Though initially associated with the psychedelic folk genre, Bolan began to change the band's style towards electric rock in 1969, and shortened their name to T. Rex the following year. This development culminated in 1970 with their first significant hit single "Ride a White Swan", and the group soon became pioneers of the glam rock movement. From 1970 to 1973, T. Rex were extremely popular in the UK, with a run of eleven top ten singles, four of which reached number one: " Hot Love", " Get It On", "Telegram Sam" and "Metal Guru". The band's 1971 album ''Electric Warrior'' received critical acclaim, reached number 1 in the UK and became a landmark album in glam rock. The 1972 follow-up, '' The Slider'', entered the top 20 in the US. Bolstering their style with soul music, funk and gosp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Dexys Do Irish And Country Soul
Dexys (known as Dexys Midnight Runners from 1978 to 2011) are an English pop rock band from Birmingham, with soul influences, who achieved major commercial success in the early to mid- 1980s. They are best known in the UK for their songs "Geno" and "Come On Eileen", both of which reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, and achieved six other top-20 singles. "Come On Eileen" also topped the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and, with extensive airplay on MTV, they are associated with the Second British Invasion. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Dexys went through numerous personnel changes over the course of three albums and 13 singles, with only singer/songwriter/co-founder Kevin Rowland remaining in the band through all of the transitions and only Rowland and "Big" Jim Paterson (trombone) appearing on all the albums. By 1985, the band consisted only of Rowland and long-standing members Helen O'Hara (violin) and Billy Adams (guitar). The band broke up in 1987, with Rowland b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
One Day I'm Going To Soar
''One Day I'm Going to Soar'' is a 2012 album by Dexys, the band formerly known as Dexys Midnight Runners. It was the band's fourth studio album, but its first in 27 years. The album features, alongside Dexys' lead singer (and leader) Kevin Rowland, 1980s Dexys members Big "Jim" Paterson, Pete Williams and Mick Talbot, new recruits Neil Hubbard, Tim Cansfield and Lucy Morgan, and guest vocalist Madeleine Hyland, who duets with Rowland on several songs. Pre-release teasers The first two minutes of the first track of the album were uploaded to YouTube on 8 February 2012. The track "Nowhere Is Home" was played on the radio for the first time on Radcliffe and Maconie's 6music show on 9 March 2012, as well as being made available for free download via the band's SoundCloud page. Speaking on the 6music show, Kevin Rowland explained the 27-year gap between albums "I wanted to have material that I felt confident enough about ... I’ve got high standards, and that’s a blessing an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
My Beauty
''My Beauty'' is a solo album by Kevin Rowland, lead singer of Dexys Midnight Runners. It was first released in 1999, eleven years after his solo debut '' The Wanderer''. In the interim, he had experienced problems with drug addiction. ''My Beauty'' is an album of cover songs, although Rowland rewrote several of the lyrics to reflect his battles against substance abuse. The album is notorious for its cover, which shows Rowland in drag and make-up, an image which Rowland also used during contemporaneous appearances at the Glastonbury and Reading festivals. During his appearance at Reading, he was pelted with bottles thrown by the audience. The album was intended to have 12 tracks, and the promo CD distributed (to radio/press) before the official album had all twelve. However, the song " Thunder Road" (written by Bruce Springsteen) was pulled from the album at the last minute because Springsteen had not approved the lyrical changes made by Rowland. It is reinstated on the 2020 rel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
The Wanderer (Kevin Rowland Album)
''The Wanderer'' is a solo album by Kevin Rowland, lead singer of Dexys Midnight Runners. It was released in 1988 as his solo debut, three years after the third Dexys album, ''Don't Stand Me Down''. The commercial failure of ''Don't Stand Me Down'' had caused Rowland to go into depression, and despite a return to the charts by Dexys in 1986 with the single "Because of You", the other two members of Dexys (Helen O'Hara and Billy Adams) left the group in early 1987, as neither felt ready to go through another challenge as arduous as the recording of the previous album. In addition, Rowland and O'Hara's personal relationship had also come to an end. Nevertheless, Rowland pushed on with a solo album composed entirely of originals except for one cover. Rowland changed his sound from the soul influences of Dexys to a blend of folk, rock, and country, heavily influenced by electronic dance music. To aid in that transition, Rowland (unusually) chose to work with the Brazilian producer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Chairmen Of The Board (band)
Chairmen of the Board is an American-Canadian, Detroit, Michigan-based soul music group, who saw their greatest commercial success in the 1970s. Recording career General Johnson (1941–2010) had a hit as the lead singer of The Showmen in the early 1960s, with the New Orleans rock and roll anthem "It Will Stand" and Carolina Beach classic "39-21-40 Shape". When Holland-Dozier-Holland left Motown in 1967 to establish their own Invictus/ Hot Wax group of record labels, they teamed Johnson up with Eddie Custis, Danny Woods and Canadian-born Harrison Kennedy as the new company's flagship act, under the name Chairmen of the Board. Custis left the group after their second album. Although they all had a turn at lead vocals, it was Johnson's quirky hiccup-laden style and his songwriting that became increasingly showcased, with the group selling a million plus copies of their single, "Give Me Just a Little More Time". The disc was released in December 1969, reached number thre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
General Norman Johnson
General Norman Johnson (May 23, 1941 – October 13, 2010) was an American R&B singer, frontman of the Chairmen of the Board, songwriter, and record producer. He usually performed as General Johnson, although sometimes (particularly early in his career) he was billed as Norman Johnson. "General Norman" were in fact his given forenames, in that order; General was not a nickname, stage name or military title. Biography Johnson and wife Julia had three children together, Antonio, Norman and Sonya. They resided in the upper-middle class city of East Point, a suburb of Atlanta. Johnson made an early start in music when he began singing in his church choir at the age of six. His recording debut came six years later on Atlantic Records, which recorded his group the Humdingers, although the tracks remain unreleased. In 1961, and following a change in name to the Showmen, Johnson and the group recorded “It Will Stand”, a single for Minit Records. It was a chart hit in both 1961 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Kevin Archer
Kevin "Al" Archer (born 21 December 1958) is an English guitarist and songwriter. Career Archer played with Kevin Rowland in the punk rock group the Killjoys. In 1978, Rowland and Archer formed Dexys Midnight Runners. Archer co-wrote some of the songs on the group's debut album ''Searching for the Young Soul Rebels''. He used the name "Al" because Kevin Rowland decided that the group was not big enough to accommodate two Kevins. After the first album, Archer, exhausted by Dexys' touring schedule, left the group in early 1981. In a 2009 interview, with Joanne Malin on her BBC Radio WM morning show, Archer said he enjoyed the musical side of the group, but did not enjoy the culture of the band under Rowland's direction. The band's second album, ''Too-Rye-Ay'' (1982), featured his significant influence on the hit single "Come On Eileen "Come On Eileen" is a song by the English group Dexys Midnight Runners (credited to Dexys Midnight Runners and the Emerald Express), releas ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
