Duran Duran
Borrowing their name from a character in the movie BARBARELLA, this '80s new romantic UK pop group featured vocalist Simon Le Bon (b. 27 October 1958, Hertfordshire, England), pianist Nick Rhodes (b. Nicholas Bates, 8 June 1962), guitarist Andy Taylor (b. 16 February 1961, Wolverhampton, England), bassist John Taylor (b. 20 June 1960, Birmingham, England) and drummer Roger Taylor (b. 26 April 1960, Birmingham, England). Prior to this stable line-up, the group had included among its personnel, Simon Calley (bass/clarinet), Stephen Duffy (vocals), Andy Wickett (vocals) and John Curtis (guitar). The group came to prominence in late 1980 when they toured with Hazel O'Connor and won a contract with EMI Records. Firmly in the new romantic bracket, they enjoyed early publicity and charted with their debut single, Planet Earth. The follow-up Careless Memories barely scraped into the UK Top 40, but this proved merely a minor setback. Girls On Film, which was accompanied by a risque Godley & Creme video that featured nude models brought them their first UK Top 10 hit. Two albums quickly followed and hits like Hungry Like A Wolf and Say A Prayer revealed that there was considerable songwriting substance behind the hype. By March 1983, they were in the ascendant, having twice broken into the US Top 10. Is There Something I Should Know?, a gloriously catchy pop song, entered the UK charts at number 1, thereby underlying the strength of their fan base. They were now, unquestionably, the most popular teen idols in the country. An impressive run of UK Top 10 hits followed over the next three years, including Union Of The Snake, New Moon On Monday, The Reflex (a UK/US number 1), Wild Boys, A View To A Kill (a James Bond movie theme) and Notorious. At the peak of their success, they decided to wind down and venture into other projects, such as the Power Station and Arcadia. Le Bon caused many a teenage heart to flutter when he was almost killed in a yachting accident in 1986. By the late '80s, they had lost many of their original following, and even such interesting songs as The Skin Trade could only reach the Top 20. The trio of Le Bon, Rhodes and John Taylor continued recording, knowing that they had already secured a place in pop history. Warren Cuccurullo and Sterling Campbell became permanent members of the band in June 1989, the former having worked extensively with Frank Zappa and Missing Persons. Campbell would leave in 1991 and go on to play with Cyndi Lauper and David Bowie, among others. Renewed interest came in 1993 when Ordinary World became a major transatlantic hit. It was followed by Come Undone, both taken from DURAN DURAN. Critics who had written them off were having to amend their opinions.