Romeo's Daughter are a
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
AOR, contemporary and mainstream rock band. Formed in 1985, the band's
self-titled debut album was co-produced by
Mutt Lange
Robert John "Mutt" Lange ( ; born 11 November 1948) is a South African record producer. He is known for his work in rock music as well as co-writing and producing various songs for Shania Twain, his ex-wife. Her 1997 album ''Come On Over'', whic ...
and
John Parr. Romeo's Daughter disbanded shortly after releasing their second studio album, ''
Delectable'', in 1995.
Following a reissue campaign of their first two albums, Romeo's Daughter reformed in 2009 and released subsequent albums ''Rapture'' (2012), ''Spin'' (2015) and ''Slipstream'' (2023). Their lineup currently features Leigh Matty, Craig Joiner, Andy Wells and Steve Drennan. In 2024, ''
Classic Rock
Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...
'' listed Matty at 24th in their list of 40 Best AOR Voices of All Time.
History
The original manager of the band was Olga Lange, then the wife of
Robert John "Mutt" Lange
Robert John "Mutt" Lange ( ; born 11 November 1948) is a South African record producer. He is known for his work in rock music as well as co-writing and producing various songs for Shania Twain, his ex-wife. Her 1997 album ''Come On Over'', whic ...
. Mutt Lange was impressed by their songwriting abilities and agreed to produce (part of) their
debut album. Hence, Romeo's Daughter was often seen as protégés of Mutt Lange.
The first album contained the singles "
Don't Break My Heart", "I Cry Myself to Sleep at Night", covered by
Bonnie Tyler
Gaynor Sullivan (née Hopkins; born 8 June 1951), known professionally as Bonnie Tyler, is a Welsh singer. Known for her distinctive husky voice, Tyler came to prominence with the release of her 1977 album '' The World Starts Tonight'' and its ...
and
Chrissy Steele and "
Heaven in the Back Seat", the latter from the ''
A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child'' soundtrack.
The album was produced by Mutt Lange and John Parr.
"Wild Child" (written by Mutt Lange) was later covered by
Heart
The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ found in humans and other animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels together make the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrie ...
on the ''
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...
'' album, and "Heaven in the Back Seat" was covered by
Eddie Money
Edward Joseph Money ( Mahoney; March 21, 1949September 13, 2019) was an American singer and songwriter who, in the 1970s and 1980s, had eleven Top 40 songs, including " Baby Hold On", " Two Tickets to Paradise", " Think I'm in Love", " Shakin' ...
on his 1991 album, ''
Right Here''.
The second album,
''Delectable'' was a more mature affair, although it was released on the smaller
Music for Nations
Music for Nations (MFN) is a British independent record label focusing mainly on rock and metal. Originally a subsidiary of Zomba Records, which was a division of BMG, the label was closed in 2004 and later revived in 2015 by Sony Music Ente ...
label so got less exposure.
Mitman went on to work with
FM and other bands while the band broke up in the mid 1990s.
On 25 February 2008, Romeo's Daughter's first studio album was reissued by
Rock Candy Records
Rock Candy Records is an independent record label based in the United Kingdom. Founded by ex-''Kerrang!'' writers Derek Oliver and Dante Bonutto in 2005, the label primarily specializes in CD reissues of rock and heavy metal albums from the 1 ...
on CD with bonus material, a 16-page full colour booklet with original and new artwork, etc. After this reissue Romeo's Daughter reformed and were performing shows. These appearances included a small warm up gig on 13 October 2009, and their main event of 2009 was Firefest VI at Nottingham Rock City on 24 October 2009.
In 2009, the band announced that they would be releasing new material through Riff City Records in the "near future". The band played some dates during 2010 and performed new material. The band's second album, ''Delectable'', was reissued in July 2011.
On 22 October 2011, Romeo's Daughter released a three-track live EP available via download sites such as
iTunes
iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
. In March 2012, the band released their first new album in 19 years, ''Rapture'' and during 2012 they performed more live tour dates. In 2012, lead singer, Leigh Matty, was voted Number 5 Lady Rock Singer of all time in ''
Classic Rock
Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...
'' and their single 'Bittersweet' was in their 'Top songs of 2012' chart. During 2013, the band toured the UK and performed at festivals including
Fairport's Cropredy Convention
Fairport's Cropredy Convention (formerly Cropredy Festival) is an annual festival of folk and rock music, headed by British folk-rock band Fairport Convention and held on the edge of the village of Cropredy in Oxfordshire, England. The festi ...
and Hard Rock Hell.
A live album and DVD filmed live at
Derby Guildhall
Derby Guildhall is a municipal building in the Market Place, Derby, England. It is a Grade II listed building.
History
A moot hall was first established in the Market Place area in 1204. This was replaced by a timber and plaster guildhall in 15 ...
was released in 2014. In 2015, the band released another album of new music titled ''Spin'', which they toured Europe to promote.
Romeo's Daughter released their fifth studio album, ''Slipstream'', on 31 August 2023. Simon Bray of ''Sea of Tranquility'' noted the band's shift towards guitar riff-oriented music compared to their previous albums. Paul Sabin of ''Metal Planet Music'' described ''Slipstream'' as a "sparkling piece of work". The band announced the Slipstream Tour in support of the album, which took place between September and November 2023 in the UK, including a performance at
WinterStorm
WinterStorm is a music festival held annually in the seaside town of Troon, South Ayrshire.
History
Since 2016 it has been held in Troon Town Hall, a location that overlooks the beach and the Firth of Clyde. The event is split over two stage ...
festival.
In 2024, the band continued to tour, with upcoming dates at Love Live Festival in Blackpool, UK, and Malmö Melodic in Sweden. Romeo's Daughter will support
FM in Birmingham as part of their Old Habits Die Hard Tour in May.
Romeo's Daughter are managed by Juliet Sharman Matthews at JPSM Management who worked with them at
Jive Records
Jive Records (later stylized as JIVE Records) was a British-American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary of the Zomba Group of Companies, Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chic ...
.
Members
Current
* Leigh Matty - lead vocals
* Craig Joiner - guitar
* Stephen Drennan - bass
* Andy Wells - drums
Former
* Paul King - drums
* Anthony "Tony, Slim" Mitman - keyboards
* Jeff Knowler - keyboards
* Ed "Slam" Poole - Bass
Discography
Albums
*
''Romeo's Daughter'' (1988)
*
''Delectable'' (1993)
* ''Rapture'' (2012)
* ''Spin'' (2015)
* ''Slipstream'' (2023)
EPs
* ''Organik'' (2020)
Singles
* "
Don't Break My Heart" (1988)
US No. 73
* "I Cry Myself to Sleep at Night" (1988)
* "
Heaven in the Back Seat" (1989)
UK No. 97
* "
Attracted to the Animal" (1993)
* "Bittersweet" (2012)
* "Alive" (2013)
Live albums
* ''Live EP'' (2011)
* ''Alive'' (2014)
Contributions to soundtracks
* ''
A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child'' soundtrack (1989)
References
External links
RomeosDaughter.co.ukOfficial band website
{{Authority control
Musical groups established in 1988
British rock music groups
Jive Records artists