ABC

Purveyors of ‘perfect pop’ in the early '80s, ABC were dominated by the stunning vocal range and lyrical songwriting skills of lead singer Martin Fry (b. 9 March 1958, Manchester, England). The band was formed after Fry had interviewed Mark White (b. 1 April 1961, Sheffield, Yorkshire, England; guitar) and Stephen Singleton (b. 17 April 1959, Sheffield, Yorkshire, England; saxophone) as members of a Sheffield-based electronic group, Vice Versa, for his fanzine Modern Drugs. Accepting the invitation to join as vocalist, Fry took artistic control of the group, changing the name to ABC, as well as the musical direction, moving them towards a more ‘poppy’ course. The group was completed by the arrival of bassist Mark Lickley and drummer David Robinson—later replaced by David Palmer (b. 29 May 1961, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England).
The debut Tears Are Not Enough, on their own Neutron label, made the UK Top 20 in late 1981, but it was the following year's intense seven months period when they had three Top 10 hits with Poison Arrow, The Look Of Love and All Of My Heart that secured their reputation. Their pristine pop songs were no better displayed than on the superb LEXICON OF LOVE. This Trevor Horn-produced album remains a bench-mark of '80s pop, and one of the most formidable collections of melodramatic pop love songs ever collected in one package. The album reached number 1 and it stayed in the UK charts for a year. The relative failure of the follow-up, BEAUTY STAB, to emulate the debut's success, resulted in a personnel upheaval within the group, which by 1984 left only Fry and White. They continued as ABC using session musicians as well as a change of image for the promotion of HOW TO BE ZILLIONAIRE, almost to the extent of becoming caricatures. This image, particularly in videos, gave them some success in the US with Be Near Me reaching the Top 10 and (How To Be A) Millionaire peaking at the Top 20 mark. Fry became seriously ill and was absent for great lengths of time owing to treatment for Hodgkin's Disease. They returned with the memorable UK Top 20/US Top 5 hit When Smokey Sings in 1987, although the success of their debut album has so far not been matched.