Jack Hues | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Jeremy Allan Ryder |
Born | 10 December 1954 |
Origin | Gillingham, Kent, England |
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Member of | Wang Chung |
Formerly of | Strictly Inc. |
Website | jackhues |
Jeremy Allan Ryder, better known as Jack Hues (born 10 December 1954), is an English singer, songwriter and musician who is best known for forming and fronting the 1980s English new wave band Wang Chung. Hues was also a member of the one-off band Strictly Inc.
Jack Hues was born on 10 December 1954 in Gillingham, Kent, England, the oldest of four children of Robina (née Pratt) and Allan Sidney Ryder. He was an avid listener to artists such as the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix before becoming interested in progressive rock groups like Yes and Genesis. [1] Hues then found a passion in classical music, and attended London's Goldsmiths College to study music. After three years, he went on to attend the Royal College of Music. It was at this time that Hues befriended Dave Burnand, who went on to be a member of Huang Chung. After one year at RCM, he decided on leaving to pursue a career in music. [1]
In 1977, Hues answered an advertisement in the British weekly music magazine, Melody Maker . This was the first time he met future Wang Chung bass guitarist Nick Feldman. [2] With the rising punk music movement around England in the late 1970s, the two formed together as 'The Intellektuals' in mid-1977. [2] Two years later, Hues and Feldman formed the band, '57 Men'. While in 57 Men, the two met future Wang Chung drummer Darren Costin. Like their first band together, Hues and Feldman broke up within eighteen months, but took along Costin. [2] [3]
In late 1979 the threesome became referred to as Huang Chung (anglicization of Chinese words meaning "Yellow Bell"). They released several singles in 1980 for the independent music company, Rewind Records. [4] In May 1981 Huang Chung signed a recording contract with Arista Records for a two-album deal. The next year the band released their self-titled debut studio album. By 1983 the spelling of the band's name was changed to Wang Chung, and Hues became the band's lead vocalist. [4] [5] After the summer tour for Points on the Curve in 1984 Costin left the band to pursue a solo career. [4] Despite not having a full-time drummer, Wang Chung continued to thrive. For the next six years, Wang Chung enjoyed success, especially in the UK and US.
Before Wang Chung's break-up in 1991 Hues scored the soundtrack of the supernatural horror film The Guardian (1990). [6] The director of the film, William Friedkin, chose Hues because of his work on his 1985 film To Live and Die in L.A. . He also made a solo studio album, The Anatomy Lesson, in 1992 for Sony Records. However, for reasons unknown, his solo debut album was shelved. [6] [7]
In 1994, Tony Banks of Genesis heard samples of Hues' work. He admired it and asked him to compose a new album together. On 11 September 1995 Strictly Inc. was released. The studio album received mixed reviews. [8]
In 1997 Hues and Nick Feldman briefly reunited for the release of the compilation album Everybody Wang Chung Tonight: Wang Chung's Greatest Hits . [9]
In 2000, Wang Chung performed in the Club 80's Flashback Tour and headlined a tour of their own afterwards. In 2005, Wang Chung appeared on the competition reality show Hit Me, Baby, One More Time to perform "Everybody Have Fun Tonight". They lost the round to Irene Cara.
In the early 2000s, Hues began teaching songwriting at Christ Church University in Canterbury. [10]
In 2003, Hues was one of the founding members of a jazz-influenced quintet with Sam Bailey called Illuminated. Their inspirations included Miles Davis, Johannes Brahms, and Aphex Twin. [11] Eventually the quintet became The Quartet. Their debut studio album Illuminated was released in 2007 and their second Shattering in 2008 – both released to critical acclaim. [12] [13] The Quartet is signed with Helium Records, headed by Chris Hughes who helped produce Wang Chung's Points on the Curve in 1983. [13] In 2010 the Quartet joined forces with Syd Arthur, a Canterbury psychedelic rock band whose members studied with Hues while at Christ Church University. [14] Together the two groups played a medley of tracks from Soft Machine, a rearranged Stravinsky violin concerto, and the Beck song "Nobody's Fault but My Own" at the Orange Street Music Club. [14] In 2012 both bands reunited inside a barn to record the Beck song, and in 2019 it was released on Bandcamp for purchase through digital download and vinyl.
In 2011, Hues wrote the music for his son Jack Ryder's first film Act of Memory .
In March 2020, Hues released his debut solo studio album, Primitif. Before releasing the album, singles were produced for the songs "Whitstable Beach" and "Winter". [15]
Ryder's stage name, "Jack Hues", is a play on the French phrase, j'accuse, which means "I accuse" in English. [3] He has a daughter and two sons, one of whom is the actor Jack Ryder.
Solo studio albums
Soundtrack albums
Live albums
with Wang Chung
with Strictly Inc.
with the Quartet
Wang Chung is an English new wave band, formed in London in 1980 by Nick Feldman, Jack Hues and Darren Costin. The name Wang Chung is Chinese, meaning "yellow bell" in English, and is the first note in the Chinese classical music scale. The band found their greatest success in the US, with five top 40 hits there, all charting between 1983 and 1987, including "Dance Hall Days", "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" and "Let's Go!".
"Everybody Have Fun Tonight" is a song by the English new wave band Wang Chung, released as a single from their fourth studio album Mosaic in 1986. Collaboratively written by Jack Hues, Nick Feldman, and Peter Wolf, it reached no. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart during the 1986 Christmas season. It also hit No. 1 on the Canada RPM Top 100 Singles chart the week of 17 January 1987. With some different lyrics, the original ballad version of the song was placed on the B-side.
Glenn Peter Gregory is a British singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose music career spans more than 40 years. He came to prominence in the early 1980s as co-founder and lead singer of the new wave and synthpop band Heaven 17, which released several UK chart hits in the 1980s and 1990s, including “Temptation”, “Let Me Go”, “Come Live with Me”, “Crushed by the Wheels of Industry”, “Sunset Now”, “This Is Mine”, and “(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang”
Points on the Curve is the second studio album by English new wave band Wang Chung, released in 1984.
Strictly Inc. is the self-titled project album, released by Genesis keyboardist Tony Banks and Wang Chung lead vocalist Jack Hues, in 1995 on Virgin Records. Banks wanted the album release—as the title suggested—with no reference to the band members, but the record company went against his wishes. This was Banks' fifth studio album, his second issued under a band name, his seventh album overall and his most recent pop album to date.
"Dance Hall Days" is a song by the English new wave band Wang Chung. It was originally released as a single in 1982 when the band was called Huang Chung, then it was re-recorded and released a year later in 1983 for the studio album Points on the Curve. It was the band's only single to make the top 40 in the UK. In the US, it peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and went to number one on the Dance Club Songs chart.
"Nobody's Fault but My Own" is a song by American musician Beck. The song was released in 1998 on his album Mutations, and was released as a single in Japan only on April 21, 1999. The CD single came backed with the exclusive tracks "One of These Days" and "Diamond in the Sleaze" as B-sides. The insert features the lyrics in both English and Japanese.
The Warmer Side of Cool is the fifth studio album by Wang Chung released in May 1989 by Geffen Records. The album marked an artistic change from the new wave sound of their previous albums into a more traditional rock sound. Commercially, the album was a disappointment, peaking at #123 on the Billboard 200 in its sixth and final week on the chart. Despite poor sales, the album managed to provide a minor hit with "Praying to a New God", which peaked at #63 on the Billboard Hot 100 on May 27, 1989. Another song, "Swing", was scheduled to be the second single from The Warmer Side Of Cool, but its release was ultimately cancelled.
Mosaic is the fourth studio album by the English new wave band Wang Chung, released on 14 October 1986 by Geffen Records. The album was commercially successful, producing three US Top 40 songs: "Everybody Have Fun Tonight", "Let's Go!", and "Hypnotize Me". Mosaic earned a Gold certification by the RIAA and peaked at No. 41 on the Billboard 200 album charts.
To Live and Die in L.A. is the third studio album by the English new wave band Wang Chung. It was released on 30 September 1985 by Geffen and is their first recording as a duo of lead vocalist Jack Hues and bassist Nick Feldman following the departure of drummer Darren Costin. The album served as the soundtrack for the 1985 film To Live and Die in L.A, directed by William Friedkin. Instead of following up the success that Points on the Curve (1983) had provided them, the band switched gears to produce an original motion picture soundtrack. The switch allowed for them to experiment with different styles of music from the more conventional pop music found on their previous studio album.
Huang Chung is the self-titled debut studio album by the English new wave band Huang Chung. Huang Chung was released on March 1982 on both vinyl and cassette. Included on the album cover is the name of the band in Chinese meaning the first note in the Chinese classical music scale. On 19 September 1995, One Way Records re-released the album on CD under license from Arista Records. The album has since been discontinued.
"Let's Go!" is a single by the English new wave band Wang Chung, released on 6 January 1987 from their fourth studio album, Mosaic (1986). The single was a hit for the band in the United States, where it provided them with their second and last Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1987, peaking at No. 9. The single also formed the basis for its official music video. It also hit No. 9 on the Canada RPM Top 100 Singles chart. Jack Hues sings the verses of the song, and Nick Feldman sings the bridge. Both sing the chorus.
Nicholas Laurence Feldman is an English musician best known for forming the British new wave band Wang Chung in 1980. Feldman was half of the duo Promised Land, which also featured Jon Moss of Culture Club. He was a founding investor in Interactive Ideas and has worked for Warner Brothers, Sony Music and SonyBMG.
Blanket of Secrecy (BoS) was a short-lived English new wave band formed in 1982. The band was notable for the fact that its band members, true to their band name, were never officially identified at the time - only the pseudonyms Tinker, Tailor and Soldier were disclosed to refer to the main members - as well as mention of Spy. This led to some speculation in the music press regarding the true identity of the members, with rumours that they might be the Attractions and speculation that the lead singer was Jack Hues of Wang Chung. However, they were eventually revealed to be Peter Marsh, Andy Howell (Tailor), Roger Bechirian (Soldier) and Phil McWalter (Spy).
"Hypnotize Me" is a single by English new wave band Wang Chung, released on 5 May 1987 as the final single from their 1986 studio album, Mosaic. The single reached No. 36 on both US Billboard Hot 100 and the US Cashbox chart, their last US Top 40 to date.
Here We Are is the debut album of Heroes, released by Wang Chung drummer Darren Costin, Michael Casswell, Mike Marshall GB, Chuck Sabo, and Colin Baldry, on RCA Records.
Paul Hammond was an English rock drummer who was a member of the progressive rock band Atomic Rooster and the hard rock band Hard Stuff during the 1970s.
Syd Arthur were an English psychedelic rock band, formed in Canterbury in 2003 by brothers frontman Liam and bassist Joel Magill, drummer Fred Rother and violinist Raven Bush. Rother was replaced by the Magills' younger brother Josh in 2016.
Tazer Up! is an album by new wave band Wang Chung, released on 11 December 2012. It is the first full-length studio album released by the band since 1989's The Warmer Side of Cool.
Orchesography is the seventh studio album by English new wave band Wang Chung. It consists of the band's greatest hits re-recorded with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.