Haircut 100
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Haircut One Hundred | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Country | England |
| Years active | 1982–1984 |
| Genres | Pop |
| Members | Nick Heyward Graham Jones Les Nemes Phil Smith Mark Fox Blair Cunningham |
Haircut 100 (also known as Haircut One Hundred) was a pop rock band, formed in 1980.
Contents |
[edit] Band members
- Nick Heyward - born Nicholas Heyward, 20 May 1961, in Beckenham, Kent - Vocalist/Guitarist.
- Les Nemes - born Leslie Nemes, 5 December 1960, in Croydon, Surrey - Bassist.
- Graham Jones - born 8 July 1961, in Bridlington, East Yorkshire - Guitarist.
- Phil Smith - born 1 May 1959 in Redbridge, Essex - Saxophonist/Guitarist.
- Marc Fox - born 13 February 1958 - Percussionist.
- Blair Cunningham - born 11 October 1957, in Harlem, New York - Drummer.
[edit] Biography
They were heavily influenced by Orange Juice and the other 'Sound of Young Scotland' groups on Postcard records, such as the Fire Engines and Josef K. Haircut 100 removed the arty side of these groups, and emphasised poppiness. They were also successful in their timing: they appeared just as new pop was taking off, a wave that continued for several years. They were successful from the beginning, with their 1981 single "Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)" setting the stage for the breakthrough success, quickly rising to number 4 in the UK charts. By the time of the release of their debut album Pelican West (1982), their popularity had increased, and the resulting hype was making small waves in the US. The next single "Love Plus One" was even bigger reaching number 2 and breaking the Top 30 in America. Haircut 100 seemed poised for mega-stardom just as Heyward decided to seek a solo career. The remainder of the band tried to continue with the album Paint and Paint (1984, with percussionist Marc Fox successfully taking over Heyward's vocal duties), but they broke up soon after.
Nick Heyward has enjoyed a modestly successful solo career since leaving the band, beginning with the 1983 album North Of A Miracle, which produced Heyward's first solo hit, "Whistle Down The Wind", and continuing with Postcards From Home (1986) and the somewhat disjointed I Love You Avenue (1988). Heyward finally hit his stride with From Monday To Sunday (1992), which many critics considered one of the best pop albums of the year and landed Heyward an American radio hit with "Kite". In 1995 Heyward released Tangled on the Epic label, which revealed a new maturity in his songwriting, a guitar driven style that has marked all his work since and is perhaps his best album to date. After being 'discovered' by Alan McGee performing at an Ed Ball gig, The Apple Bed was released in 1998 on the Creation Records label. Heyward has released new music less frequently in recent years. His most recent album was Open Sesame Seed (2001), a collaboration with British actor/musician, Greg Ellis, and featuring Ellis reading Heyward's poetry to the accompaniment of Heyward's musical backing. An album of songs recorded with singer/actress India Dupre - entitled The Mermaid And The Lighthouse Keeper - is scheduled to be released in 2006. His MySpace page regularly showcases his current songs as well as his amusing blog.
[edit] Where are they now?
- Heyward is currently living in England, and occasionally returns to the stage.
- Jones works as a tree surgeon in Cornwall, and is mostly retired from music, though he joined Heyward onstage for a performance in late 2002.
- Nemes, now residing in Spain, has played bass on at least one or two tracks on most of Heyward's solo releases, and also performed with the British band Miracle Mile during the latter half of the 1990s. In 2004, he performed in the UK as a member of Heyward's touring band.
- Smith also performed with Nemes in Miracle Mile, and does session work.
- Fox played drums for Echo and the Bunnymen during most of 1986, but left the group when their original drummer returned. Since then, he has worked for BMG and had a key role in the discovery of Natalie Imbruglia.
- After the breakup of Haircut 100, Cunningham initially found work with The Explorers, a band formed by Roxy Music's Phil Manzanera and Andy MacKay following that band's split. He also played drums for The Pretenders during the late 1980s. During the first half of the 1990s, he was the regular touring and studio drummer for Paul McCartney. Today, he remains an in-demand session drummer.
[edit] Recently
In 2004, all of the group's ex-members reunited for an episode of VH1's series Bands Reunited. The group has seriously discussed the idea of reuniting to record a new album, with Heyward being quoted as saying 'We're all older and have commitments, but wouldn't it be good to dedicate two weeks of our lives to creating a follow-up to Pelican West. It would have that magic because nobody as a player has gone off the boil.'"
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- Guinness Book of British Hit Singles - 16th Edition - ISBN 0-85112-190-X
- Guinness Book of British Hit Albums - 7th Edition - ISBN 0-85112-619-7
- Guinness Rockopedia - ISBN 0-85112-072-5
