Toyah Willcox

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Toyah Willcox
Background information
Birth name	Toyah Ann Willcox
Also known as	Toyah
Born	18 May 1958
Origin	Kings Heath, Birmingham, England
Genre(s)	Punk rock, Rock music, New wave
Occupation(s)	musician, actress, songwriter, producer
Instrument(s)	vocals (plus guitar, keyboards occasionally)
Years active	1977-present
Label(s)	Safari Records, E.G. Records
Associated acts	Toyah (band), Sunday All Over The World, Kiss Of Reality
Website	http://www.toyahwillcox.com

Toyah Ann Willcox (born May 18, 1958 in Kings Heath, Birmingham) is an English actress and singer. She currently lives in Chiswick, London, UK, with Robert Fripp.

Contents 1 Career 2 Discography 2.1 Albums 2.1.1 Compilations 2.1.2 Collaborations 2.1.3 Reissues 2.2 Singles / EPs 3 Filmography 3.1 TV Appearances 3.2 Music videos 3.2.1 Other music compilations 4 Notes 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Career

Toyah Willcox trained as an actress at the Old Rep Drama School in her home town of Birmingham and first became well-known during the punk rock era, her appearances in Derek Jarman's 1977 film Jubilee and 1979's Who album-inspired Quadrophenia, launching her as a provocative and anti-establishment figure, an image she eventually threw off. Her singing career took off shortly afterwards, with hits such as "I Want To Be Free" and "It's A Mystery". In 1983, she was voted Best Female Singer at the British Rock and Pop Awards — since restyled as The Brit Awards, or "Brits" — and in 1986 she married avant-garde musician, Robert Fripp. She was one of the first acts to score regularly in the UK Singles Chart with EPs. Also in 1986, Willcox sang lead on the Tony Banks track "Lion of Symmetry".

Since then, she has become a well-known (and more conventional) face on television and in the theatre. She has played straight roles, including in Quatermass (1979) and in Shakespeare plays, and appeared as a presenter of programmes such as Songs of Praise, Holiday (BBC), and Good Sex Guide Late. In 1999, she took the lead in the children's television series, Barmy Aunt Boomerang. She also provides the voiceover for the children's television programmes, the Teletubbies and Brum. More recently, she appeared in the reality television series I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! and I'm Famous and Frightened!.

Following her 2000 autobiography Living Out Loud, Toyah had a further autobiographical book published in 2005 documenting her experience of cosmetic surgery, Diary of a Facelift.

She has appeared on radio including the 2002 BBC Radio 4 series The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. In December 2006 she joined the radio drama series Silver Street on the BBC Asian Network as Siobhan Brady.

She continues to perform with her band, releasing a live DVD in 2005, and has a busy schedule with theatre commitments, including appearing on stage in London's West End performing the title role of Calamity Jane at the Shaftesbury Theatre in 2003.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

With Toyah (band):

• Sheep Farming In Barnet (1979)
• The Blue Meaning (1980) #40 (UK Albums Chart)
• Toyah! Toyah! Toyah! (live recording) (1980) #22 (UK Albums Chart Certified Silver)
• Anthem (1981) #2 (UK Albums Chart Certified Gold)
• The Changeling (1982) #6 (UK Albums Chart Certified Silver)
• Warrior Rock: Toyah On Tour (live double album) (1982) #20 (UK Albums Chart)
• Love Is The Law (1983) #28 (UK Albums Chart)
• Mayhem (collection of unreleased & archive material) (1985)

As a solo artist:

• Minx (1985) #24 (UK Albums Chart)
• Desire (1987)
• Prostitute (1988)
• Ophelia's Shadow (with members of King Crimson) (1991)
• Leap! (cassette-only tour album) (1993)
• Take The Leap! (Japan-only release, same content as Leap!) (1994)
• Dreamchild (1994)
• Looking Back (re-recorded versions of old tracks) (1995)
• The Acoustic Album (re-recorded versions of old tracks) (1996)
• Phoenix (Re-issue of Dreamchild with bonus track and alternate artwork.) (1997)
• Velvet Lined Shell (mini album) (2003)

[edit] Compilations

With Toyah (band):

• Toyah! Toyah! Toyah!^[1] (1984)
• Best Of Toyah (1994)
• Live & More: Live Favourites & Rarities (1998)
• The Very Best Of Toyah (1998)
• Proud, Loud & Heard: The Best Of Toyah (1998)
• The Safari Singles Collection Part I: 1979-1981 (2005)
• The Safari Singles Collection Part II: 1982-1983 (2005)

[edit] Collaborations

• The Stranglers & Friends Live in Concert (with The Stranglers et al, lead/backing vocals on four tracks) (1982)
• Lion of Symmetry (with Tony Banks) (1986)
• The Lady or the Tiger (with Robert Fripp) (1986)
• Kneeling At The Shrine (with Robert Fripp et al, as Sunday All Over The World) (1991)
• Kiss Of Reality (with Kiss Of Reality, lead vocals on six tracks) (1993)
• Cabaret (with Nigel Planer) (1997)

[edit] Reissues

With Toyah (band):

• Sheep Farming In Barnet (1990)
• The Blue Meaning (1990)
• Toyah! Toyah! Toyah! (live recording) (1990)
• Anthem (with extra tracks) (1999)
• The Changeling (with extra tracks) (1999)
• Sheep Farming In Barnet/The Blue Meaning (double CD with extra tracks) (2003)
• Warrior Rock: Toyah On Tour (abridged reissue on one CD) (2003)
• Mayhem (with extra tracks) (2005)
• Love Is The Law (with extra tracks) (2005)
• Toyah! Toyah! Toyah! (live recording with extra tracks) (2006) TBC

As a solo artist:

• Phoenix (reissue of Dreamchild) (1997)
• Ophelia's Shadow (2003)
• Prostitute (2003)
• Minx (with extra tracks) (2005)
• Take The Leap! (UK release of Japanese album from 1994 with extra tracks) (2006) TBC

[edit] Singles / EPs

Collaborations:

• "Nine To Five" (with Adam Ant as Maneaters) (1982)^[2]
• "Lion of Symmetry" (EP with Tony Banks) (1985)
• "Killing Made Easy" (limited release with Family of Noise) (2004)

With Toyah (band):

• Victims Of The Riddle (1979)
• Sheep Farming In Barnet EP (AP) (1979)
• Bird In Flight/Tribal Look (1980)
• IEYA (1980)
• Danced (Live) (live recording) (1980)
• Four From Toyah (EP) (1981)
• I Want To Be Free (1981)
• Thunder In The Mountains (1981)
• Four More From Toyah (EP) (1981)
• Brave New World (single) (1982)
• Ieya '82 (new version of IEYA) (1982)
• Be Proud Be Loud (Be Heard) (1982)
• Rebel Run (1983)
• The Vow (1983)

As a solo artist:

• "Don't Fall In Love (I Said)" (1985) #22 (UK Singles Chart)
• "Soul Passing Through Soul" (1985) #57 (UK Singles Chart)
• "World In Action" (1985) #93 (UK Singles Chart)
• "Echo Beach" (1987) #54 (UK Singles Chart)
• "Moonlight Dancing" (1987)
• "Out Of The Blue" (1993)
• "Now And Then" (1994)
• "Little Tears Of Love" (limited release) (2002)

[edit] Filmography

• Jubilee (1977) Mad
• The Corn is Green (1979) Bessie Watty
• The Tempest (1979) Miranda
• Quadrophenia (1979) Monkey
• The Ebony Tower (1984) Anne
• Anchoress (1993) Pauline Carpenter
• Julie and the Cadillacs (1999) Barbara Gifford
• The Most Fertile Man in Ireland (1999) Dr Johnson

[edit] TV Appearances

• Quatermass (1979) Sal

• Tales of the Unexpected (1982) Marigold - Blue Marigold episode

• Thirty Years in the TARDIS (1993) Herself

• Proud Parents. Channel 4 (2006) Herself

[edit] Music videos

• Toyah at the Rainbow (1981) (live recording from Rainbow Theatre)
• Good Morning Universe (1982) (live BBC recording from Theatre Royal, Drury Lane)
• Toyah! Toyah! Toyah! (1984) (companion to K-tel LP of same name; compilation of four pop videos and one live track)
• Wild Essence - Live in the 21st Century (2005) (live recording)

[edit] Other music compilations

• Urgh! A Music War (1981) (live performances by various artists, featuring Toyah's Danced)

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Astley, Craig (2000 - 2006). Official Toyah Willcox Web Site, The.
• Evans, Gayna (July 1982). Toyah. Proteus. ISBN 0-86276-102-6. 
• Gilligan, Bev & Driscol, Margarette (1982). Official Toyah Special, The. Grandreams ltd. ISBN 0-86227-071-5. 
• Roberts, David (23 May 2003). British Hit Singles (16th Edition). Guinness World Records ltd. ISBN 0-85112-190-X. 
• West, Mike (April 1982). Toyah. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-0062-0. 
• Willcox, Toyah (17 August 2000). Living Out Loud. Hodder & Stoughton ltd. ISBN 0-340-74570-3. 
• Willcox, Toyah (17 March 2005). Diary of a Facelift. Michael O'Mara Books. ISBN 1-84317-135-X. 

[edit] External links

• The Official Toyah Willcox Web Site
• Toyah Willcox at the Internet Movie Database
• Tellurian Online - a Toyah Wiki
• Dreamscape - a comprehensive Toyah fansite and forum
• 'Toyah' the 1980 documentary on YouTube