Cy Curnin

Last updated

Cy Curnin
Cy Curnin ((c)Heimo Reifetshammer 2012).jpg
2012
Background information
Birth nameCyril John Curnin
Born (1957-12-12) 12 December 1957 (age 66)
Wimbledon, England
Genres
Occupation(s) Vocalist, session keyboardist
Instrument(s) Vocals, piano, keyboards, guitar
Years active1980–present
Website www.cycurnin.com

Cyril John Curnin (born 12 December 1957) is a singer/songwriter and musician and is the lead vocalist for the new wave music group, the Fixx. [1] As a songwriter, he has co-written over a dozen songs that have appeared on the Billboard charts. He is also known for his solo career, with five albums to date, Mayfly in 2005, The Returning Sun in 2007, Solar Minimum in 2009, The Horse's Mouth in 2013 and Lockdown in 2020. He also released an EP of ambient music with no vocals called Cinema for the Blind in 2012.

Contents

Biography

Early life

At age of 16, Curnin graduated from high school at the Wimbledon College, in England. He then began participating in drama in college, where he studied with Fixx drummer Adam Woods.

Career

College friends Cy Curnin on vocals and Adam Woods on drums formed the group The Fixx in London in 1979, initially calling themselves Portraits, [2] and then changed the name to The Fix and eventually to The Fixx when they got a contract with Mercury Records.

The band's hits include "One Thing Leads to Another", "Saved by Zero", "Are We Ourselves?", and "Secret Separation", each of which charted in the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, as well as mainstream rock chart hits "Red Skies", "Stand or Fall", "Driven Out" and "Deeper and Deeper", which was featured on the soundtrack of the 1984 film Streets of Fire .

In addition to singing lead vocals, Curnin has occasionally played piano or guitar on various Fixx albums.

As of 2023, the band was still active and had released 12 albums, the last one being in 2022. [3]

He appeared in the Tina Turner music video "Better Be Good to Me" along with Fixx guitarist Jamie West-Oram. They both appeared on the Private Dancer album.

While Curnin tours regularly with The Fixx, he has also toured as a solo performer in the U.S. and in Europe. On occasion he has been joined by English singer/songwriter/guitarist Nick Harper. Recently, he was the special guest of Midge Ure for gigs in Europe.

Curnin supports the music-based cancer charity, Love Hope Strength Foundation. With them, he has participated in treks to the base camp of Mt. Everest, Kilimanjaro, Machu Picchu, and Pikes Peak to raise awareness and funds for cancer treatment facilities in remote areas of the world.

Collaborations

Curnin provided vocals on Rupert Hine's "With One Look (The Wildest Dream)", which featured on the soundtrack to the 1985 Savage Steve Holland film, Better Off Dead.

In 1990, Curnin participated with Rupert Hine and many other artists in the world music album One World One Voice . He played piano and sang with many artists.

In October 2007, Curnin began an association with the Love Hope Strength Foundation (LHSF), a music-centric cancer charity. Cy joined with Mike Peters from The Alarm, Glenn Tilbrook from Squeeze, and Slim Jim Phantom from Stray Cats in a trek to perform at the base camp of Mount Everest in Nepal. Curnin has since participated in other LHSF treks to Machu Picchu, Pike's Peak, Mount Kilimanjaro and in December 2012, Curnin returned to Everest with the organization.

Musical influences

Curnin Influences include David Bowie, The Beatles, Grover Washington, Jr., Manitas De Plata and Pink Floyd. [4]

Personal life

When not touring the world with The Fixx, Curnin lives in Santa Cruz, California, creating new music. [5]

Solo discography

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References

  1. ↑ "NOTICED; Blinding Them With Smiles (Published 2000)". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 9 July 2023.
  2. ↑ Dutton, Earle (14 July 2014). "Interview with Cy Curnin of The Fixx". Equality365.com. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  3. ↑ "The Fixx Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  4. ↑ "5 Albums I Can't Live Without: Cy Curnin of The Fixx". SPIN. 27 January 2023.
  5. ↑ Wirt, John (18 August 2017). "Relaxed and relevant: The Fixx returns with its post-New Wave anthems". The Advocate.
  6. 1 2 3 "Cy Curnin Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
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