Bananarama

Formed in London in 1980, this all-girl pop trio comprised Keren Woodward (b. 2 April 1961, Bristol, Avon, England), Sarah Dallin (b. 17 December 1961, Bristol, Avon, England) and Siobhan Fahey (b. Siobhan Marie Deidre Fahey, 10 September 1958, Dublin, Eire). After singing impromptu at various parties and pubs in London, the group were recorded by former Sex Pistols' drummer Paul Cook on the Swahili Black Blood cover Ai A Mwana. The single caught the attention of Fun Boy Three vocalist Terry Hall, who invited the girls to back his trio on their revival of It Ain't What You Do, It's The Way That You Do It. In return, the Fun Boy Three backed Bananarama on their Velvelettes' cover Really Saying Something which reached the UK Top 10 in 1982. From the outset, Bananarama had a strong visual image and an unselfconsciously amateur approach to choreography which was refreshing and appealing. Although they initially played down their talents, they retained considerable control over their careers, eschewing the usual overt sexism associated with the marketing of female troupes in pop. A tie-up with producers Tony Swain and Steve Jolley brought them Top 10 hits with Shy Boy, the Steam cover Na Na, Hey Hey, Kiss Him Goodbye and Cruel Summer. Their high-point during this phase was the clever and appealing Robert De Niro's Waiting, which justly reached the Top 3 in the UK. In an attempt to tackle more serious subject matter, they next released Rough Justice, a protest song on the political situation in Northern Ireland. The title prophetically summed up the disc's chart fate. A lean period followed before the girls teamed up with the Stock, Aitken And Waterman production team for a remake of Shocking Blue's Venus, which brought them a number 1 in the USA. I Heard A Rumour maintained the quality of their recent output, with some excellent harmonies and a strong arrangement. Their biggest UK hit followed with the exceptional Love In The First Degree, an intriguing lyric dramatizing a Kafkaesque nightmare in which Love itself is placed on trial. It proved to be their finest pop moment. In December 1987 Siobhan Fahey left the group, married the Eurythmics' David A. Stewart and subsequently formed Shakespear's Sister. Her replacement was Jacqui Sullivan, an old friend whose image fitted in reasonably well. During the early '90s, the hits continued making Bananarama the most consistent and successful British female group in pop history. This effective formula underwent yet another change in 1991 when Sullivan departed for a solo career resulting in Sarah and Keren continuing for the first time as a duo. The last chart entry before the band disolved in 1993 was Last Thing On My Mind in November 1992.