Simple Minds
This Scottish group was formed in 1978 by Jim Kerr (b. 9 July 1959, Glasgow, Scotland; vocals), Charlie Burchill (b. 27 November 1959, Glasgow, Scotland; guitar), Tony Don ald (bass) and Brian McGee (drums), former members of Glasgow punk group Johnny And The Self-Abusers. A second guitarist, Duncan Barnwell, was recruited following a newspaper advertisement. The unit was augmented by keyboard player Mick McNeil (b. 20 July 1958) before Derek Forbes (b. 22 June 1956) replaced a disaffected Don ald. The upheavals of this initial era were completed with Barnwell's departure. Having established themselves as one of Scotland's leading live attractions, Simple Minds were signed to Zoom, an Edinburgh-based independent label marketed by Arista Records. Life In A Day, the group's debut single, broached the UK Top 50 in March 1979 while the attendant album reached number 30. Critics were divided over its merits, although a consensus deemed the set derivative. Within weeks the quintet began decrying their creation and embarked on a more radical direction. REAL TO REAL CACOPHONY unfolded within the recording studio in an attempt to regain an early spontaneity and while this largely experimental collection was a commercial flop, it reinstated the group's self-respect and won unanimous music press approbation. 
EMPIRES AND DANCE, was released in September 1980. The set fused the flair of its predecessor to a newly established love of dance music and reflected influences garnered during European tours. It included I Travel, a pulsating travelogue which became a firm favourite throughout the club circuit and helped engender a new sense of optimism in the group's career. Now free of Arista, Simple Minds were signed to Virgin Records in 1981, and paired with producer Steve Hillage. The resultant sessions spawned two albums, SONS AND FASCINATION and SISTER FEELINGS CALL, which were initially released together. It became the group's first UK Top 20 entrant, spawning three minor hit singles with The American, Love Song and Sweat In Bullet and began Simple Minds’ transformation from cult to popular favourites. This very success unnerved Brian McGee, who abhorred touring. In August 1981 he was replaced by former Slik and Skids drummer Kenny Hyslop (b. 14 February 1951, Helensburgh, Strathclyde, Scotland), although the newcomer's recorded contribution was confined to Promised You A Miracle. This powerful song reached number 13 in Britain, and proved popular in Europe and Australia where the group enjoyed an almost fanatical following. 
Although Mike Ogletree joined on Hyslop's departure, a former musician, Mel Gaynor (b. 29 May 1959), eventually became the quintet's permanent drummer. Both musicians were featured on NEW GOLD DREAM, Simple Minds’ most successful album to date which peaked at number 3. Here the group was harnessing a more commercial sound, and they achieved a series of hits with its attendant singles, Glittering Prize and Someone, Somewhere In Summertime. A sixth collection, SPARKLE IN THE RAIN, united the quintet with producer Steve Lillywhite, inspiring comparisons with his other proteges, U2. Waterfront, a brash, pulsating grandiose performance, and Speed Your Love To Me, prefaced its release, and the album entered the UK chart at number 1. The set also featured Up On The Catwalk, a further Top 30 entrant, and a version of Lou Reed's Street Hassle, a long-established group favourite. 
Jim Kerr married Pretenders’ singer Chrissie Hynde in 1984, but their relationship did not survive the rigours of touring. The following year Simple Minds chose to record in America under the aegis of Jimmy Iovine and Bob Clearmountain. It was during this period that the group contributed Don't You (Forget About Me) to the soundtrack of the film The Breakfast Club. The quintet remained ambivalent about the song, which was written by Keith Forsey and Steve Schiff, but it paradoxically became a US number 1 when issued as a single. Although the group initially vetoed a world-wide release, they reneged in the light of this achievement whereupon the record became a massive internation al hit and confirmed the group's world-beating status. However, the track did not appear on the ensuing ONCE UPON A TIME which, despite internation al success, drew considerable criticism for its bombastic approach. Three tracks, Alive And Kicking, Sanctify Yourself and All The Things She Said nonetheless reached the UK Top 10 while a concurrent world tour, documented on LIVE IN THE CITY OF LIGHT, was one of the year's major events. The proceeds of several dates were don ated to Amnesty Internation al, reflecting a growing politicization within the group. In 1988 they were a major inspiration behind the concert celebrating Nelson Mandela's 70th birthday, but although a new composition, Mandela Day, was recorded for the event, Simple Minds refused to release it as a single, fearful of seeming opportunistic. The song was later coupled to Belfast Child, a lengthy, haunting lament for Northern Ireland based on a tradition al folk melody, She Moved Through The Fair. This artistically ambitious work topped the UK chart in February 1989 and set the tone for the group's subsequent album, STREET FIGHTING YEARS, their first studio set in four years. Although it achieved platinum status within five days, sales then dropped rather dramatically, reflecting the uncompromising nature of its content. Three further singles entered the UK Top 20, while THE AMSTERDAM EP, which included a version of Prince's Sign 'O' The Times, reached number 18 at the end of the year. This contradictory period closed with the rancorous departure of Mick McNeil, replaced by Peter Vitesse, and the ending of the group's ten-year association with Schoolhouse Management. Simple Minds entered the '90s with an official line-up of Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill and a development almost impossible to predict. REAL LIFE saw the band re-introducing more person al themes to their songwriting after the political concerns of previous albums. The new material recaptured the grand, epic sound that is Simple Minds’ trademark. Kerr married Patsy Kensit in January 1992.