Jay Aston

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Jay Aston
Jay aston 2009.jpg
Jay Aston in 2009
Background information
Birth nameJay Hilda Aston [1]
Born (1961-05-04) 4 May 1961 (age 63) [2]
Purley, Surrey, England
Genres Pop
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • dancer
Instrument(s) Vocals
Years active1981–present
Labels
Website JayAston.co.uk

Jay Hilda Aston (born 4 May 1961 in Purley, Surrey) [2] is a British singer and occasional songwriter. She was a member of the British pop group Bucks Fizz from 1981 to 1985. She was the youngest member of the group's original line-up, aged 19 when they won the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest. [3] During Aston's membership, the group had 12 of their 13 UK top 40 hit singles, including three number one hits. Since 2009, she has performed alongside fellow original Bucks Fizz members Cheryl Baker and Mike Nolan. The group used to perform under the name the Original Bucks Fizz but are now known as the Fizz.

Contents

Career

Background

Aston was born in Purley, Surrey, and came from a theatrical family. Her father was a comedian, while her mother had been a dancer before becoming her husband's straight man. They also performed as acrobats. Her brother Lance performed at the 1980 Eurovision Song Contest with the band Prima Donna. [3] Aston herself trained as a dancer, singer and actress at the Italia Conti School of Speech and Drama and performed on stage many times in her teens, mainly as a dancer. [4] She was named "Miss Purley" in 1978 and competed in the subsequent Miss England contest, in which she was unplaced. The interval act at the televised Miss England 1978 competition was the group Co-Co, who had just been selected to represent Britain in the Eurovision Song Contest 1978 and featured Cheryl Baker in the line-up. [5]

Bucks Fizz

Aston was, along with Baker, one of the four members of Bucks Fizz when they were formed in 1981 to compete in that year's Eurovision Song Contest. They won with "Making Your Mind Up" and the song went to No1 in many countries, including the United Kingdom. The group went on to become one of the top-selling groups of the 1980s, scoring many hit singles and albums over the next few years, including two more British No1s: "The Land of Make Believe" and "My Camera Never Lies". Aston designed many of the group's stage outfits. [6] [7] [8] In 1983, she performed the lead vocal on the song "When We Were Young" that went on to become one of the group's biggest hits. [9]

Aston became known for her love of physical exercise and released a keep-fit album in early 1984 called Shape Up and Dance . [10] She was the victim of an attack while out jogging [ when? ] but fought off the attacker and recovered from the incident. [11]

In December 1984, while on tour, Bucks Fizz were involved in a tour coach crash in which Nolan was seriously injured. [12] By this time, tensions within the group had risen to the point that Aston was eager to leave but was still under contract. However, the following year, she left the group in acrimonious circumstances. [12] Aston became the subject of many newspaper headlines on her sudden departure where it emerged that she had had an affair with the group's producer, Andy Hill, who was the husband of Bucks Fizz creator, Nichola Martin. The group's management company took Aston to court under the terms of her contract but dropped the case in the midst of the trial and agreed to release her from it. [13] However, an injunction was placed on her against commencing a solo career that took two years to settle and resulted in her selling her Kensington home. In addition, all eight cases were settled out of court after the case was investigated by the attorney general.

After Bucks Fizz

Forced to sell her house, Aston was living in a small bedsit in Croydon on housing benefits in the early 1990s. [14] Her brother had married Shakespear's Sister star Marcella Detroit who encouraged her to record new songs. In 1993 Aston released a single, "Naked Phoenix", and recorded an album of songs. This same year she contributed a song to the controversial Michael Winner film Dirty Weekend , although Aston walked out of the film's premiere in disgust. [14] By 1995 she was living with her parents but was still writing and recording music. Around this time she met and began dating guitarist Dave Colquhoun, whom she married in 1999. During the latter part of the 1990s and early 2000s, Aston toured with her band Aston, performing rock and pop tracks, many of which she wrote herself.

In 2001, she set up a performing arts school in her name, The Jay Aston Theatre Arts School, teaching children aged between two and 17. [15] [16]

In 2002 she was involved in a cover band called Monster Boogie, [3] and she also appeared in an episode of Never Mind the Buzzcocks as one of the mystery guests in the identity parade round. [3] The following year she released an album, Alive and Well, featuring 13 tracks, all of which she co-wrote with her husband. [17]

The glory years of Bucks Fizz, mainly focusing on Aston, were portrayed in 2005 in a drag lip-synch show, Night of a Thousand Jay Astons, at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe after its début in London. Aston was played by one female and three male performers. [18] The life of Aston was told through an outrageous parody, and was described in review as "hilariously over the top". [12] [19] The show has also been staged at other venues, including the Comedy Theatre in Dublin in May 2006 [20] and the Soho Theatre in London in summer 2007. [12] [21]

Another solo album, a three-disc box-set Lamb or Lizard, was released in July 2006 through her website, which featured recordings from before and after her work with Bucks Fizz. [22]

In March 2007, she appeared in the Comic Relief video "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" a comic cover version of the Proclaimers song, dancing with the other three original members of Bucks Fizz, and also Shelley Preston, who had replaced Aston in the group in 1985. [23] This was the first time that Aston had met the group since 1985. She said that relations between them had improved, but not to the extent that they could work together as a group again: "I'm kind of on good terms with all of them individually. But as a band, it just doesn't work, and it's a shame, but it doesn't. There's always been two camps – Cheryl's camp and Bobby's camp, and I was the one in Bobby's camp, and Mike was always in Cheryl's camp." [24]

A new Bucks Fizz CD with a bonus DVD, The Very Best of Bucks Fizz , was released in May 2007. Aston appeared alone on the National Lottery to promote the album. In August 2008, Aston once again joined up with Bucks Fizz members Mike Nolan, Cheryl Baker and Shelley Preston, when she appeared on "Pop Goes The Band", a television show celebrating 1980s acts – with one episode devoted to the reuniting of Bucks Fizz. This programme was shown on Living TV in March 2009.

In May 2013, Aston appeared on the second series of UK singing talent show The Voice , singing Muse's "Time is Running Out", but was not chosen by any of the judges. Aside from her duties in the Fizz, Aston has also appeared in pantomime a number of times. In 2019 She appeared as the Wicked Stepmother in Snow White at the Queens Theatre, Barnstaple. [25]

The Fizz

In 2004, Bucks Fizz members Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and Shelley Preston reunited to form the Original Bucks Fizz and performed in concert throughout the UK. In April 2009, Preston announced that she was leaving the group and Aston agreed to join – the first time she had been a part of Bucks Fizz since 1985. [26] Since then, they have toured the UK extensively and have released four albums to date, one of them, The F–Z of Pop , becoming a top 30 hit in the UK Charts. [27] They currently perform under the name the Fizz.

Acting

Before Bucks Fizz, Aston had ambitions to become an actress, but her career in this field encompassed only minor roles in To the Manor Born and Citizen Smith . In 2008, Aston was cast as Claudia Brite in the film The Last Days of Edgar Harding which was shot in August 2008 and screened in 2010. [28] [29] The film has never seen a mainstream release.

Personal life

Aston married guitarist Dave Colquhoun in August 1999 in Greenwich, London. They have a daughter, Josie Alexandra (born 2003, Bromley, Greater London). [30] In 2011 they lived in Tatsfield, Surrey. [31] Aston's mother Hilda died in 2007, while her father Ted died in 2009. Aston continues to teach dance and performance at her performing arts school in Kent. [32] She was diagnosed with mouth cancer in June 2018. [33] Since then, she has had surgery, and the outlook was "positive". [34] In January 2021, Aston announced that she had been diagnosed with Covid-19 but recovered. [35]

In 2022, Aston revealed that her daughter Josie had been diagnosed and was battling Meningitis. She later revealed that her daughter was recovering, although it ‘would be slow’. [35] Josie recovered and later appeared in a season 5 episode of the tv show ‘Rich Kids Go Skint’.

Politics

On 27 August 2019, the Brexit Party announced that Aston would be standing as its candidate in the London constituency of Kensington, at the time held by the Labour Party. [36] She came fifth after receiving 384 votes (0.9%). [37] [38]

Discography

Solo albums

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Making Your Mind Up</span> 1981 song by Bucks Fizz

"Making Your Mind Up" is a song by the British pop group Bucks Fizz with music composed by John Danter and lyrics written by Andy Hill. Released in March 1981, it was Bucks Fizz's debut single, the group having been formed just two months earlier. It represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1981, held in Dublin, winning the contest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheryl Baker</span> British singer

Rita Maria Stroud, known professionally as Cheryl Baker, is an English singer and television presenter. She was a member of pop group Bucks Fizz, which won the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest and, following legal disputes, now performs under the name the Fizz. Bucks Fizz had 20 singles reach the UK top 60 between 1981 and 1988, including three number one hits with "Making Your Mind Up" (1981), "The Land of Make Believe" (1981) and "My Camera Never Lies" (1982).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bucks Fizz</span> English pop group (1981–2018)

Bucks Fizz were an English pop group that achieved success in the 1980s, most notably for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Making Your Mind Up". The group was formed in January 1981 specifically for the contest and comprised four vocalists: Bobby G, Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and Jay Aston. They received attention for the dance routine which accompanied the song, in which the male members of the group ripped the female members' outer skirts off to reveal much shorter mini-skirts beneath. The group went on to have a successful career around the world, but the UK remained their biggest market, where they had three No.1 singles with "Making Your Mind Up" (1981), "The Land of Make Believe" (1981) and "My Camera Never Lies" (1982) and became one of the top-selling groups of the 1980s. They also had UK Top 10 hits with "Now Those Days Are Gone" (1982), "If You Can't Stand the Heat" (1982), "When We Were Young" (1983) and "New Beginning " (1986). Bucks Fizz have sold over 50 million records worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Nolan (singer)</span> Irish singer (born 1954)

Michael Mary Nolan is an Irish singer who is best known as one of the four original members of the British pop group, Bucks Fizz, who now perform as The Fizz. He was born in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, but brought up in the UK, where he still resides. As a member of Bucks Fizz, he won the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest and achieved 20 UK top 60 singles between 1981 and 1988, including three number one hits. He was a member of the group until 1996. Since 2004, he has been a member of the group The Fizz, along with other former Bucks Fizz members Cheryl Baker, Shelley Preston and Jay Aston.

Bobby G, also known as Bobby Gee, is a member of pop group Bucks Fizz, best known for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest and for achieving three UK number one hits with "Making Your Mind Up" (1981), "The Land of Make Believe" (1981) and "My Camera Never Lies" (1982).

<i>Bucks Fizz</i> (album) 1981 studio album by Bucks Fizz

Bucks Fizz is the eponymous debut studio album by the British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was released in July 1981, it features their Eurovision-winning song "Making Your Mind Up" as well as the two follow-up singles "Piece of the Action" and "One of Those Nights". The album was produced by Andy Hill and released on RCA Records. Bucks Fizz has been re-released twice on CD, first in 2004 with bonus tracks and as a two-disc edition in 2015.

<i>Are You Ready</i> (Bucks Fizz album) 1982 studio album by Bucks Fizz

Are You Ready is the second studio album by the British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was released on 26 April 1982 and features the UK No. 1 singles "The Land of Make Believe" and "My Camera Never Lies" as well as the follow-up "Now Those Days Are Gone". It was produced by Andy Hill and released by RCA Records. It was the group's most successful album. It went on to be re-released on compact disc three times between 2000 and 2015.

<i>Hand Cut</i> 1983 studio album by Bucks Fizz

Hand Cut is the third studio album by the British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was released on 1 March 1983 and features the UK top 20 hits, "If You Can't Stand the Heat" and "Run for Your Life".

<i>I Hear Talk</i> 1984 studio album by Bucks Fizz

I Hear Talk is the fourth studio album by the pop group Bucks Fizz and their last under contract to RCA Records. Released in November 1984, the album featured the singles "Talking in Your Sleep", "Golden Days" and "I Hear Talk".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Land of Make Believe</span> 1981 song

"The Land of Make Believe" is a 1981 single by British band Bucks Fizz. It reached No.1 in the UK in early 1982 - the second single by the band to do so. The song was produced by Andy Hill with music by Hill and lyrics by ex-King Crimson member Peter Sinfield. Despite the apparent sugar-coated style of the song, Sinfield later claimed it was a subtle attack on Margaret Thatcher and her government's policy at the time. "The Land of Make Believe" became a big hit across Europe in early 1982, topping the charts in Netherlands, Belgium and Ireland as well as the UK. The song was later covered by pop band allSTARS* for a 2002 single release.

Shelley Preston is a singer who is famous for being a former member of the pop group Bucks Fizz, when she replaced Jay Aston in June 1985. Her biggest hit as a member of the band was the 1986 track "New Beginning", which reached the UK top ten. She left the group in 1990. From 2004 to 2009, she was a member of the group The Original Bucks Fizz, along with former Bucks Fizz members Cheryl Baker and Mike Nolan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">When We Were Young (Bucks Fizz song)</span> 1983 single by Bucks Fizz

"When We Were Young" is a 1983 single by UK pop group Bucks Fizz. The track features lead vocals by band member Jay Aston. The song became their sixth top-ten-hit in the UK and it is one of their biggest hits in Europe.

<i>The Story So Far</i> (Bucks Fizz album) 1988 compilation album by Bucks Fizz

The Story So Far is a compilation album by British pop group Bucks Fizz, released in 1988. The album collects together 18 of the group's biggest hit singles spanning the years 1981 to 1988, including their three number ones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Run for Your Life (Bucks Fizz song)</span> 1983 single by Bucks Fizz

"Run for Your Life" is a 1983 single by UK pop group Bucks Fizz. It was written by Andy Hill and Ian Bairnson and became the group's eighth consecutive top 20 hit in the UK. It featured on the group's third album Hand Cut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You and Your Heart So Blue</span> 1985 single by Bucks Fizz

"You and Your Heart So Blue" is a single by UK pop group Bucks Fizz. Released in June 1985, the song was written by Andy Hill and Peter Sinfield and was produced by Hill. This single was the last to feature member Jay Aston, who quit the group the same month.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Now Those Days Are Gone</span> 1982 single by Bucks Fizz

"Now Those Days Are Gone" is a single by UK pop group Bucks Fizz. It became a UK top ten hit in July 1982 and featured on the group's album Are You Ready. The song was nominated for an Ivor Novello award the following year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Fizz</span> British pop music group

The Fizz are a British pop music group formed in 2004 as a spin-off from the original group, Bucks Fizz. The core of the group consists of Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and Jay Aston, who are all former members of Bucks Fizz and performed as OBF initially with Shelley Preston and then replaced by Jay Aston. The group then performed as Formerly of Bucks Fizz, and Bobby McVay later became a member in 2015, making the group a quartet, and then renaming as The Fizz until he left in 2018. To date, the group have released four albums, three of which have charted in the Official UK Albums Chart. Their 2017 album The F-Z of Pop reached No.25, becoming the highest-charting Bucks Fizz related album in 33 years. In 2018, Christmas with the Fizz was released. In 2020, Smoke & Mirrors was released, reaching number 29 in the Official UK Albums Chart and number 6 on the Official Sales Chart. In May 2024, Mike Nolan announced his departure from the group effective later in the year.

<i>The F–Z of Pop</i> 2017 studio album by The Fizz

The F–Z of Pop is a studio album by British pop group The Fizz, released in 2017. It is the second album by the group and the first by the four-member line up of Cheryl Baker, Jay Aston, Mike Nolan and Bobby McVay. Released in September, the album entered the UK albums chart at No.25, the highest chart position achieved by a Bucks Fizz line-up since the "New Beginning " single in 1986, 31 years earlier.

<i>Christmas with the Fizz</i> 2018 studio album by The Fizz

Christmas with the Fizz is a 2018 album by British pop group The Fizz. It is a festive-themed album, the group's first and was released in November 2018. The album features the line-up of Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and Jay Aston, fourth member Bobby McVay having parted with the band earlier in the year. Christmas with the Fizz was produced by experienced hit producer Mike Stock.

<i>Smoke & Mirrors</i> (The Fizz album) 2020 studio album by The Fizz

Smoke & Mirrors is a 2020 studio album by The Fizz, formerly Bucks Fizz. It is the third album by the group under the name The Fizz and the second as a threesome consisting of original members Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and Jay Aston. Released on 6 March 2020, the album entered the overall UK Albums Chart at No. 29, the UK Album Sales Chart at No. 6, the Official Vinyl Albums Chart at No. 5 and the UK Independent Albums Chart at No. 3. Its sales chart position of No. 6 is the highest entry of any previous Bucks Fizz/the Fizz albums.

References

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  2. 1 2 Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. p. 2942. ISBN   9780857125958 . Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Bucks Fizz – the Band". BBC. 3 July 2002. Retrieved 31 August 2007.
  4. ↑ "Jay Aston biography and career portfolio". jayaston.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 May 2007. Retrieved 31 August 2007.
  5. ↑ Fawcett, Sally-Ann. Mis-3-Meanours – Second Runner Up. Lulu.com 2 October 2017. ISBN   978-0244936808. Page 171
  6. ↑ "Bucks Fizz publicity photograph". Raffem.com. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  7. ↑ "Bucks Fizz publicity photograph". Raffem.com. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  8. ↑ Archived 1 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ↑ "Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  10. ↑ "Rafaels and Stefans pictures". Raffem.com. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  11. ↑ "Archive Interviews". Cherylbaker.net. Archived from the original on 23 July 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Bishop, Tom (13 May 2005). "Bucks Fizz story refuses to go flat". BBC News . Retrieved 31 August 2007.
  13. ↑ "New Sunday Times – Google News Archive Search". archive.is. 19 July 2012. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012.
  14. 1 2 "Lamb or Lizard CD sleeve notes by Jay Aston, 2006". Raffem. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  15. ↑ Archived 14 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  16. ↑ The Jay Aston Theatre Arts School website was last "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 12 February 2013. Retrieved 15 July 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  17. ↑ "Alive and Well review". Musical Discoveries. 19 April 2003. Retrieved 31 August 2007.
  18. ↑ "Night of a Thousand Jay Astons". Broadway Baby. 2005. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 31 August 2007.
  19. ↑ Scott, Darren (25 August 2005). "A Night of a Thousand Jay Astons". Edinburgh Evening News. Archived from the original on 15 August 2007. Retrieved 31 August 2007.
  20. ↑ "A Night of a Thousand Jay Astons (Irish Premiere) Camp Attack!: Eurovision Double Bill". Gay Theatre, Ireland. 2006. Archived from the original on 24 August 2007. Retrieved 31 August 2007.
  21. ↑ Rampton, James (28 July 2007). "Jonny Woo's Night of a Thousand Jay Astons". The Independent . Archived from the original on 29 May 2008. Retrieved 31 August 2007.
  22. ↑ "the last word". Positive Nation. No. 126. October 2006. Archived from the original on 17 August 2007.
  23. ↑ "Eurovision Talking Shop: Bucks Fizz". BBC News. 7 May 2007. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
  24. ↑ "Jay Aston of Bucks Fizz interview". Den of Geek. 14 March 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  25. ↑ "Bucks Fizz in panto". pantoarchive. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
  26. ↑ "Anne Carlini – Exclusive Magazine". www.annecarlini.com. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
  27. ↑ "FIZZ | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
  28. ↑ "The Last Days of Edgar Harding – Cast". Digital Ghost Films. 2008. Archived from the original on 20 June 2008. Retrieved 14 June 2008.
  29. ↑ David Patton. "www.jay-aston.co.uk". www.jay-aston.co.uk. Archived from the original on 30 June 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  30. ↑ Archived 28 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  31. ↑ "Ex-Bucks Fizz star's window shot". Daily Mirror . 1 December 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  32. ↑ "School Info". 79.170.40.34. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  33. ↑ "Bucks Fizz star has mouth cancer". BBC News. 26 June 2018.
  34. ↑ Savage, Mark (12 July 2018). "Bucks Fizz star 'positive' after surgery". BBC News.
  35. 1 2 "Bucks Fizz's Jay Aston 'nearly lost' daughter, 18, after she was put in coma with meningitis". ITV News . 18 April 2022.
  36. ↑ "Bucks Fizz singer to stand as Brexit Party MP". BBC News. 27 August 2019.
  37. ↑ "UK: Bucks Fizz singer Jay Aston fails to get elected for the Brexit Party in general election". wiwibloggs. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  38. ↑ "Kensington parliamentary constituency - Election 2019 - BBC News" . Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  39. ↑ "Jay Aston discography". Raffem. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
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