John Waite | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | John Charles Waite |
Born | Lancaster, Lancashire, England | 4 July 1952
Origin | London, England |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Singer, musician, songwriter |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, bass |
Years active | 1975–present |
Labels | |
Formerly of | |
Website | johnwaiteworldwide |
John Charles Waite (born 4 July 1952) [1] is an English rock singer and musician. As a solo artist, he has released ten studio albums and is best known for the 1984 hit single "Missing You", which reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and the top ten on the UK singles chart. He was also the lead vocalist for the rock bands the Babys and Bad English.
Waite was born and raised in Lancaster, Lancashire, [2] and was educated at Greaves Secondary Modern and Lancaster Art College (The Storey Institute).
As a performer, Waite first came to attention as the lead singer and bassist of the Babys, a British rock band that had moderate chart success. The band achieved two pop hits that each peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, "Isn't It Time" (1977) and "Everytime I Think of You" (1979), [3] and a solid following of their concert tours. Over the course of five years, the band produced five albums ending with the final album On the Edge in October 1980, after which the group disbanded. [4] [ better source needed ]
Waite subsequently launched his solo career with his 1982 debut album Ignition , which produced the hit single "Change". [5] The Chrysalis 45 failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 during its initial release (May 1982) but was a top track on AOR radio stations, as well as a very popular music video on MTV as the 'new' cable channel celebrated its first full year of operation. The song was originally recorded in 1981 (with slightly different lyrics) by the American rock band Spider (which featured Amanda Blue, Holly Knight, and Anton Fig) and in 1985 was included on the platinum-selling Vision Quest soundtrack. When the single was reissued, it reached the Top 50 on the Hot 100. "Going to the Top" was released as the original follow-up single to "Change".
In 1984, Waite guest-starred on three episodes of the TV series Paper Dolls . The shows featured his songs "Missing You" and "Tears".
Waite's next album, No Brakes , resulted in international success. [5] It was a Top 10 Billboard album in the US due to the smash hit "Missing You" which went to No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. [6] It knocked Tina Turner's "What's Love Got To Do With It?" out of No. 1. For that very reason, Turner later recorded and released Waite's smash song herself. (Turner's single peaked at No. 84 on Billboard's Hot 100 in 1996). "Missing You" also hit No. 1 on Billboard's Album Rock Tracks as well as the Top 10 of Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. No Brakes sold over a million and a half US copies, yet has never been certified above the RIAA Gold standard (a record company must apply to the RIAA for such certification). Two more singles from No Brakes followed, including "Tears" which was a Top 10 hit on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.
The next album Mask of Smiles followed in 1985, [5] featuring the hit single "Every Step of the Way". Another single, "If Anybody Had a Heart", was released from the soundtrack of the 1986 film About Last Night... . In 1987, Rover's Return was released with the single "These Times Are Hard for Lovers". Waite would have another soundtrack appearance in 1990 from Days of Thunder with "Deal for Life".
In 1988, Waite joined former Babys bandmates Jonathan Cain and Ricky Phillips, along with Neal Schon and drummer Deen Castronovo from Journey, to form the supergroup Bad English. [5] In 1989, the Bad English ballad "When I See You Smile" (penned by Diane Warren) went to No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 and earned a Gold-certified single. Its parent album reached Billboard's Top Five and sold nearly two million copies in the United States alone. Bad English released two albums before tensions amongst the members led to the band's dissolution by 1992. [5]
Waite then returned to solo work. He released the album Rough and Tumble. He has continued to tour, such as in 2003 with Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band.
In 2006, "Missing You" was released as a duet with Alison Krauss and reached the Top 40 on the Country Charts in the United States. Waite appeared with Krauss on The Tonight Show on 5 February 2007 to perform the song. Waite's songs have reappeared in other media as well: 2013 saw "Missing You" featured heavily in the movie Warm Bodies , and "Change" is on the soundtrack of the US movie Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues .
On 5 February 2019, Waite and Joe Ely filed a class-action lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) claiming the company had violated their right to terminate grants of copyright. On 3 May 2019, UMG filed a motion to dismiss the case. [7] [8] In January, 2023 a federal judge ruled that Waite and hundreds of other artists cannot join forces to sue UMG to regain control of their masters, saying the case raised big questions about “fairness” but that it was ill-suited for class-action litigation. [9]
Waite was the subject of 2022 biographical documentary John Waite: The Hard Way. [10]
Previously a longtime resident of New York City, since 2014 Waite has made his home in Santa Monica, California. [11]
Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales threshold) | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UK [12] | AUS [13] | SWE [14] | US [2] | ||||||
1982 | Ignition
| — | — | — | 68 | ||||
1984 | No Brakes
| 64 | 27 | — | 10 | ||||
1985 | Mask of Smiles
| — | — | — | 36 | ||||
1987 | Rover's Return
| — | 99 | 30 | 77 | ||||
1995 | Temple Bar
| — | — | — | — | ||||
1997 | When You Were Mine
| — | — | — | — | ||||
2001 | Figure in a Landscape
| — | — | — | — | ||||
2004 | The Hard Way
| — | — | — | — | ||||
2007 | Downtown: Journey of a Heart
| — | — | — | — | ||||
2011 | Rough & Tumble
| — | — | — | — | ||||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart |
Year | Album | Label |
---|---|---|
2001 | Live & Rare Tracks | One Way |
2010 | In Real Time | Frontiers Records |
2013 | Live – All Access | No Brakes Records |
Year | Album | Label |
---|---|---|
1992 | The Essential John Waite | Chrysalis |
1996 | Complete | Capitol |
2014 | Best | No Brakes Records |
2017 | Wooden Heart – Acoustic Anthology, Volume 2 | No Brakes Records |
Year | Album | Label |
---|---|---|
2014 | Wooden Heart – Acoustic, Volume 1 – EP | No Brakes Records |
Year | Single | Peak chart positions [12] | Certifications | Album | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UK | AUS [13] | CAN | NZ | SWI | US [15] | US Main | US AC | US Dance | US Country | ||||||||||
1982 | "Change" | — | — | — | — | — | — | 16 | — | — | — | Ignition | |||||||
"Going to the Top" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
1984 | "Missing You" | 9 | 5 | 1 | 18 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 27 | — | No Brakes | |||||||
"Tears" | — | — | 45 | — | — | 37 | 8 | — | — | — | |||||||||
"Dark Side of the Sun" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
1985 | "Restless Heart" | — | — | — | — | — | 59 | 28 | — | — | — | ||||||||
"Change" (re-release) | — | — | — | — | — | 54 | — | — | — | — | Vision Quest (soundtrack) | ||||||||
"Every Step of the Way" | 160 | — | 39 | — | — | 25 | 4 | — | — | — | Mask of Smiles | ||||||||
"Welcome to Paradise" | — | — | — | — | — | 85 | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
1986 | "If Anybody Had a Heart" | — | — | — | — | — | 76 | 24 | — | — | — | About Last Night... (soundtrack) | |||||||
1987 | "These Times Are Hard for Lovers" | 77 | 59 | — | — | — | 53 | 6 | — | — | — | Rover's Return | |||||||
"Don't Lose Any Sleep" | — | — | — | — | — | 81 | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
1990 | "Deal for Life" | 80 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Days of Thunder | |||||||
1993 | "In Dreams" | — | — | — | — | — | 103 | — | — | — | — | True Romance (soundtrack) | |||||||
"Missing You" (re-entry) | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Essential John Waite | ||||||||
1995 | "How Did I Get By Without You?" | — | — | — | — | — | 89 | — | 20 | — | — | Temple Bar | |||||||
2001 | "Fly" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 27 | — | — | Figure in a Landscape | |||||||
2005 | "New York City Girl" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 23 | — | — | The Hard Way | |||||||
2006 | "Missing You" (with Alison Krauss) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 34 | Downtown: Journey of a Heart | |||||||
2011 | "Shadows of Love" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Rough & Tumble | |||||||
"If You Ever Get Lonely" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart |
Bad English was an American/British hard rock supergroup formed in 1987. It reunited Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain with singer John Waite and bassist Ricky Phillips, his former bandmates in the Babys, along with Journey guitarist Neal Schon and drummer Deen Castronovo. The band is known for their hit single "When I See You Smile", which peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1989.
The Babys are a British rock group best known for their songs "Isn't It Time" and "Every Time I Think of You". Both songs were composed by Jack Conrad and Ray Kennedy, and each reached No. 13 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No. 8 on the Cashbox chart in the late 1970s. "Back on My Feet Again" also reached the U.S. Top 40 in 1980. The original Babys line-up consisted of founding member keyboardist/guitarist Michael Corby, and, in order of joining the group, vocalist/bassist John Waite, drummer Tony Brock and guitarist Wally Stocker.
"Hey Joe" is an American song from the 1960s that has become a rock standard and has been performed in many musical styles by hundreds of different artists. The lyrics tell of a man who is on the run and planning to head to Mexico after shooting his unfaithful wife. In 1962, Billy Roberts registered "Hey Joe" for copyright in the United States.
Will to Power is an American dance-pop group that originated in South Florida in the mid-1980s, founded by Miami producer Bob Rosenberg. The group recorded a number of hit singles on the Billboard dance and pop charts in the late 1980s and early 1990s, most notably "Baby, I Love Your Way/Freebird Medley", a medley of 1970s hits by Peter Frampton and Lynyrd Skynyrd that reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1988. A second hit was "I'm Not in Love", a cover of 10cc's 1975 hit: number 7 on Billboard Hot 100 in 1990.
"Don't You (Forget About Me)" is a song by the Scottish rock band Simple Minds, released as a single in 1985. It was written and composed by the record producer Keith Forsey and the guitarist Steve Schiff for the film The Breakfast Club (1985). Simple Minds initially declined to record it, preferring to record their own material, but accepted after several other acts also declined.
"Easy" is a song by American band Commodores from their fifth studio album, Commodores (1977), released on the Motown label. Group member Lionel Richie wrote "Easy" with the intention of it becoming another crossover hit for the group given the success of a previous single, "Just to Be Close to You", which spent two weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart and peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1977.
"All I Have to Do Is Dream" is a song made famous by the Everly Brothers, written by Boudleaux Bryant of the husband-and-wife songwriting team Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, and published in 1958. The song is ranked No. 141 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song is in AABA form.
"Baby It's You" is a song written by Burt Bacharach (music), Luther Dixon, and Mack David (lyrics). It was recorded by the Shirelles and the Beatles and was a hit for both. The highest-charting version of "Baby It's You" was by the band Smith, who took the track to No.5 on the US charts in 1969.
"Soul to Squeeze" is a song by the American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers that was originally recorded during the production of their fifth studio album, Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991). Although it was not featured on the record and was used as a B-side on the singles "Give It Away" and "Under the Bridge", "Soul to Squeeze" was later released as a single in 1993 by Warner Bros. Records. The song was included in the Coneheads film soundtrack. "Soul to Squeeze" was eventually re-released for the 2003 Greatest Hits album. It can also be found on the band's Live Rare Remix Box and The Plasma Shaft.
Russell Glyn Ballard is an English rock singer, guitarist, songwriter and producer. Originally rising to prominence as the lead singer and guitarist of the band Argent, Ballard became a prolific songwriter and producer by the late 1970s. His compositions "New York Groove", "You Can Do Magic", "Since You Been Gone", "I Surrender", "Liar", "Winning", "I Know There's Something Going On", "Can't Shake Loose", "So You Win Again" and "God Gave Rock and Roll to You" became hits for other artists during the 1970s and 1980s. He also scored several minor hits under his own name in the early and mid-1980s.
"Missing You" is a song co-written and recorded by English musician John Waite. It was released in June 1984 as the lead single from his second album, No Brakes (1984). It reached number one on Billboard's Album Rock Tracks and on the Hot 100, as well as number 9 on the UK Singles Chart. "Missing You" was the only record in 1984 to spend only a single week at the top of the Hot 100. The song was nominated for the 1985 Best Pop Vocal Performance Male Grammy Award.
"Love Hurts" is a song written and composed by the American songwriter Boudleaux Bryant. First recorded by the Everly Brothers in July 1960, the song is most well known in two hit versions by UK artists; by Scottish hard rock band Nazareth in 1974 and by English singer-songwriter Jim Capaldi in 1975.
"Sweet Dreams" or "Sweet Dreams (of You)" is a country ballad, which was written by Don Gibson. Gibson originally recorded the song in 1955; his version hit the top ten of Billboard's country chart, but was eclipsed by the success of a competing recording by Faron Young. In 1960, after Gibson had established himself as a country music superstar, he released a new take as a single. This version also charted in the top ten on the country chart and also crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at No.93. The song has become a country standard, with other notable versions by Patsy Cline and Emmylou Harris.
"Every Time I Think of You" is a song written by Jack Conrad and Ray Kennedy and released in December 1978 as the lead single from The Babys' third studio album Head First; John Waite provided lead vocals, featuring female vocals by Myrna Matthews. The track was a worldwide hit, and became their last top 20 in the United States.
"Born to Be My Baby" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi. It was written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and Desmond Child. It was released on November 24, 1988 as the second single from their fourth studio album New Jersey. It peaked the following year at number 2 on the Cash Box Top 100, 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 7 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, number 22 in the UK, and number 30 in Australia.
"Love to Love You Baby" is a song by American singer Donna Summer from her second studio album (1975). Produced by Pete Bellotte, and written by Italian musician Giorgio Moroder, Summer, and Bellotte, the song was first released as a single in the Netherlands in June 1975 as "Love to Love You" and then released worldwide in November 1975 as "Love to Love You Baby". It became one of the first disco hits to be released in an extended form.
"Rock Your Baby" is the debut single by American singer George McCrae. Written and produced by Harry Wayne Casey and Richard Finch of KC and the Sunshine Band, "Rock Your Baby" became an early landmark recording of disco. It was the only international hit for McCrae. The song spent two weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in July 1974, and three weeks at number one on the UK Singles Chart that same month. The song also topped the Billboard R&B chart. The single has sold over 11 million copies, making it one of fewer than forty singles to have sold 10 million physical copies worldwide.
No Brakes is the second solo album by British musician John Waite, released in 1984. It features Waite's biggest hit single "Missing You" which hit number 1 on the US Billboard's Album Rock Tracks and the Billboard Hot 100. No Brakes was certified Gold in September 1984 – three weeks prior to breaking into the Top 10 of Billboard's album chart.
"Lisztomania" is a song by the French band Phoenix from their fourth album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. It is their second single from the album, although a music video of the song was released before "1901". The music video shows them walking around Bayreuth, Germany, inside and outside the Franz Liszt Museum, Wahnfried, the Bayreuth Festspielhaus, sitting inside the Festspiel Theatre, performing live and going outside to find a blimp like the one shown on the album cover. The song helped the album to be their most successful following their previous hit, "1901".
"Price of Love" is a song by American/British band Bad English, released as the third single from their 1989 self-titled debut album of the same name. The power ballad reached number five on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in March 1990. It also charted in the top 40 of the Billboard Adult Contemporary and Mainstream Rock charts. In Australia, the song reached No. 44.