Paul Louis Hardcastle | |
---|---|
Birth name | Paul Louis Hardcastle [1] |
Also known as | Deff Boyz [2] |
Born | [1] | 10 December 1957
Origin | Kensington, [1] London, England, United Kingdom |
Genres | Synth-pop, freestyle, electronica, ambient, electro house, breakstep, smooth jazz, new age |
Occupation(s) |
|
Instrument(s) | Synthesizer, keyboards, piano, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussion, programming |
Years active | 1981–present [3] |
Labels | Chrysalis, Motown, V2, Profile, Trippin 'N' Rhythm |
Website | paulhardcastle |
Paul Louis Hardcastle [1] (born 10 December 1957) [4] is a British composer, musician, producer, songwriter, radio presenter and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known for his song "19", which went to number 1 in the UK Singles Chart in 1985. [5]
Born in Kensington in London on 10 December 1957, [4] he is the son of Joyce (née Everett, 1930–1991) and Louis Hardcastle (1915–2000). [1]
Hardcastle began his career in 1981 when he became the keyboard player for British soul band Direct Drive. [3] [2] In 1982, Hardcastle and lead vocalist Derek Green left the band to form a duo under the name First Light. They achieved some minor success in the UK charts, but the project was abandoned after two years and Hardcastle pursued a solo career. [3]
He achieved some success with his early singles, including the 1984 electro-funk/freestyle/instrumental track, "Rain Forest", which along with the track "Sound Chaser", reached number two on the dance chart. [6] "Rain Forest" also hit number five on the soul chart and number fifty-seven on the Billboard Hot 100. [7] Rain Forest , the album both tracks were released on, was nominated for Best R&B Instrumental Performance (Orchestra, Group or Soloist) in the 28th Annual Grammy Awards. Musician by Ernie Watts would win the award that year. [8] [9]
Hardcastle is best known for the 1985 single "19", which went to No. 1 in the UK (for five weeks), [10] as well as several other countries worldwide. It also reached number 15 in the U.S. Pop chart and number 1 in the U.S. Dance charts. The song received the Ivor Novello Award for Best-selling single of 1985. [11] The follow-up single to "19" was "Just for Money", which reached No. 19 in the UK. It also charted in several other European countries. [5]
In 1986, Hardcastle released a remix to "One Wish" by Hiroshima. [12] In the same year, Hardcastle's "The Wizard" was adopted as the theme tune for the BBC's Top of the Pops weekly chart show. The theme tune was used from 3 April 1986 to 26 September 1991.
The song "Don't Waste My Time" became Hardcastle's second UK top ten in March 1986. [5] It featured singer Carol Kenyon, a backing vocalist of Heaven 17. In late 1986, Hardcastle collaborated with the supergroup Disco Aid (later rebranded as Dance Aid in 1987) co-producing the charity single "Give Give Give". [13]
In 1989, Hardcastle resumed working on First Light, collaborating with vocalist Kevin Henry, whom he had worked with on previous recordings. [14]
Using his alias Deff Boyz, [2] he released the single Swing in 1990. It reached number 84 on the UK charts, [15] number 27 in Germany, [16] and number 18 in the US Dance charts. [17]
Since the 1990s, Hardcastle has recorded several synth jazz albums, alternating releases under the pseudonyms Kiss the Sky (with Jaki Graham) and the Jazzmasters, as well as under his real name. [3]
Hardcastle married Dolores Baker in 1985, [18] and they have three children including British DJ and singer Maxine as well as musician Paul Hardcastle Jr. who both contributed vocals to Hardcastle's Transcontinental, a 2011 collection of new music recorded with Ryan Farish.
Year | Title | Label | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UK [5] | US [19] | US R&B [20] | US Jazz [21] | ||||
1985 | Zero One (with Universal Funk) | Bluebird/10 Records, EMI Music [22] | — | — | — | — | |
Rain Forest | Profile Records | — | 63 | 30 | — | ||
Paul Hardcastle | Chrysalis Records | 53 | — | — | — | ||
1988 | No Winners | — | — | — | — | ||
1989 | Sound Syndicate (also known as Are You Ready...) | AJK Music, K-Tel International | — | — | — | — | |
1993 | Time for Love | Fast Forward Records, JVC [24] | — | — | — | — | |
1994 | Feel the Breeze | JVC | — | — | — | — | |
1996 | Look to the Future | — | — | — | — | ||
1996 | Star of the Story | — | — | — | — | ||
1997 | First Light | Connoisseur Collection | — | — | — | — | |
2009 | Zer01 | Hardcastle Music | — | — | — | — | |
2012 | Perceptions of Pacha VIII (remixed by Nacho Marco) | Pacha Recordings | — | — | — | — | |
2012 | 19 Below Zero | Hardcastle Music, Universal Music | — | — | — | — | |
2014 | Moovin & Groovin | Trippin 'N' Rythmn Records | — | — | — | 7 | |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |
Year | Title | Label | Peak chart positions | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [19] | US R&B [20] | US Jazz [21] | |||||
1994 | Hardcastle | Hardcastle Records, JVC, Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records | 182 | 35 | 2 | ||
1996 | Hardcastle II | — | — | 7 | |||
2002 | Hardcastle III | Hardcastle Records, Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records | — | — | 9 | ||
2005 | Hardcastle 4 | — | — | 2 | |||
2008 | Hardcastle 5 | Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records | 176 | — | 5 | ||
2011 | Hardcastle VI | — | — | 4 | |||
2013 | Hardcastle VII | — | — | 3 | |||
2018 | Hardcastle VIII | — | — | 6 | |||
2020 | Hardcastle IX | — | — | 17 | |||
2022 | Hardcastle X | — | — | 14 | |||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart. |
Year | Title | Label | US Jazz [21] | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1993 | The Jazzmasters | Fast Forward Records, Hardcastle Records, JVC, Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records | 16 | ||||
1995 | The Jazzmasters II | Hardcastle Records, JVC, Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records | — | ||||
1999 | The Jazzmasters III | Hardcastle Records, Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records | 5 | ||||
2004 | The Jazzmasters 4 | — | |||||
2006 | Jazzmasters V | — | |||||
2010 | Jazzmasters VI [25] | Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records | — | ||||
2014 | Jazzmasters VII | 1 | |||||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart. |
Year | Title | Label | US Jazz [21] |
---|---|---|---|
2012 | The Chill Lounge, Volume 1 | Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records | 12 |
2013 | The Chill Lounge, Volume 2 | 10 | |
2015 | The Chill Lounge, Volume 3 | 11 |
Year | Album | Label |
---|---|---|
1991 | Kiss the Sky | JVC, Motown Records [3] |
1994 | Millennium Skyway (also known as Kiss the Sky II) | Hardcastle Records, JVC [3] |
Year | Album | Label |
---|---|---|
2011 | Transcontinental (6-song EP) | Rytone Entertainment [26] |
Year | Title | Label | US Jazz [21] | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1993 | The Definitive Paul Hardcastle | Connoisseur Collection | — | ||||
1996 | The Very Best (The Gold Collection) | EMI Music | — | ||||
1997 | P.H. (Paul Hardcastle Works) | JVC | — | ||||
1997 | Cover to Cover: A Musical Autobiography | Hardcastle Records, JVC, Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records [27] | 12 | ||||
2000 | Jazzmasters: The Greatest Hits | Hardcastle Records, Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records | 5 | ||||
2003 | The Very Best of Paul Hardcastle 1983–2003 | Jazz FM Records | — | ||||
2004 | Jazzmasters: The Smooth Cuts | Hardcastle Records, Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records [28] | 17 | ||||
2009 | Paul Hardcastle: The Collection | Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records [29] | 8 | ||||
2011 | Desire: The Ultimate Seductive Album | Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records [30] | 6 | ||||
2013 | Electrofied 80s: Essential Paul Hardcastle | Music Club Deluxe (division of Demon Records) | — | ||||
2015 | 19: The 30th Anniversary Mixes | Nusic Sounds, Caroline International | — | ||||
2016 | The History of Paul Hardcastle 1984–2016 | Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records | — | ||||
2023 | Nineteen and Beyond: 1984–1988 | Chrysalis Records [31] | — | ||||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart. |
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UK [5] [32] | US [33] | US Dance [33] | US Jazz [34] | US R&B [33] | IRE | SWI | NOR | GER | NLD | SWE | ATR | ITL | FR | AUS [35] | NZ | ||||
"You're the One for Me / Daybreak / A.M." | 1984 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Definitive Paul Hardcastle | |
"Guilty" | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
"Eat Your Heart Out" | 59 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Rain Forest | ||
"King Tut" | — | — | 10 | — | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
"Rain Forest" | 1985 | 41 | 57 | 2 | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"19" | 1 | 15 | 1 | — | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 10 | 1 | Paul Hardcastle | ||
"19 (German Version)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
"Just for Money" | 19 | — | — | — | — | 15 | 27 | — | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
"Don't Waste My Time" | 1986 | 8 | — | 31 | — | 65 | 15 | 9 | — | 15 | 12 | — | — | — | — | 66 | 20 | ||
"Foolin' Yourself" | 51 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Definitive Paul Hardcastle | ||
"The Wizard" | 15 | — | — | — | — | 10 | — | — | 51 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
"Walk in the Night" | 1988 | 54 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | No Winners | |
"40 Years" | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
"Are You Ready" | 1989 | 90 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Sound Syndicate | |
"Galaxy of Love" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
"Serene" | 2005 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Hardcastle IV | |
"Marimba" | 2008 | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Hardcastle V | |
"Lucky Star" | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
"The Circle" | 2009 | — | — | — | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Hardcastle VI | |
"Rain Forest" / "What's Going On" | 2011 | — | — | — | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"Easy Come, Easy Go" | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
"No Stress (At All)" | 2013 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Hardcastle VII | |
"Easy Street" | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
"Unlimited Love, Pt. 1" | 2014 | — | — | — | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Moovin & Groovin | |
"Rhythm of Life" | 2015 | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Jazzmasters VII | |
"Echoes Rising" | 2016 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The History of Paul Hardcastle | |
"Cut Loose" | 2018 | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Hardcastle VIII | |
"Amber Skies" | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
"Happy Go Lucky" | 2019 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"Dancing Galaxies" | 2020 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"Latitude" | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Hardcastle IX | ||
"Welcome to the Beach" | 2021 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"Tropicool" | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
"Wavelength" | 2022 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Hardcastle X | |
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
This is a list of several unreleased tracks that were made by Paul Hardcastle that were originally intended to have been used to promote the Lego Bionicle toyline in 2001.
These tracks were originally meant to have been included with the Bionicle Power Pack CD package that was later released in the same year.
Title | Year | Album | Label |
---|---|---|---|
Bionic Age (also referred to as the Bionicle Age) | 2001 | Extreme Global Hardcore | Warner Chappell Music (division of Warner Music Group) |
Killing Machines (also known as the original full version of The Bionicle Music track that was cut following the final release of the CD & later uses in commercials for the toyline) | 2001 | Extreme Global Hardcore | Warner Chappell Music (division of Warner Music Group) |
Earth, Wind & Fire is an American band whose music spans the genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, Latin, and Afro-pop. They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million records worldwide.
Lisa Jane Stansfield is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. Her career began in 1980 when she won the singing competition Search for a Star. After appearances in various television shows and releasing her first singles, Stansfield, along with Ian Devaney and Andy Morris, formed Blue Zone in 1983. The band released several singles and one album, but after the success of Coldcut's "People Hold On" in 1989, on which Stansfield was featured, the focus was placed on her solo career.
Dorothy Moore is an American blues, gospel, and R&B singer best known for her 1976 hit song, "Misty Blue".
"Let's Stay Together" is a song by American singer Al Green from his 1972 album of the same name. It was produced and recorded by Willie Mitchell, and mixed by Mitchell and Terry Manning. Released as a single in 1971, "Let's Stay Together" reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and remained on the chart for 16 weeks and also topped Billboard's R&B chart for nine weeks. Billboard ranked it as the number 11 song of 1972.
52nd Street were a British jazz-funk and R&B band formed in Manchester in late 1980. Throughout the 1980s the group enjoyed success not only in the UK but also on the Billboard chart in the United States. Their biggest and best-known hit single was "Tell Me ", released in 1985 by the 10 Records subsidiary of Virgin Records in the UK, and then months later on in 1986 on MCA Records in the US.
Maurice White was an American musician, best known as the founder, leader, main songwriter and chief producer of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, also serving as the band's co-lead singer with Philip Bailey.
"End of the Road" is a song by American R&B group Boyz II Men for the Boomerang soundtrack. It was released in June 1992 by LaFace, Arista and Motown, and is written by Babyface, Antonio L.A. Reid and Daryl Simmons. The song achieved domestic and international success. In the United States, it spent a then record breaking 13 weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, a record broken later in the year by Whitney Houston's 14-week number one hit "I Will Always Love You"; Boyz II Men would later match Houston's record with "I'll Make Love to You", which spent 14 weeks at number one in 1994, and then reclaim the record with "One Sweet Day", which spent 16 weeks at number one from 1995 to 1996.
Jacqueline Graham is a British singer-songwriter. Following her hit version of "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" with David Grant in 1985, Graham scored a further five UK top 20 hits over a two-year period. In 1994, her cover version of Chaka Khan's hit "Ain't Nobody" reached number one on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs.
"I'll Make Love to You" is a song by American R&B group Boyz II Men for the Motown label. Written by Babyface, it was released in July 1994 as the lead single from their second album, II (1994). The song was a commercial success, spending 14 weeks atop the US Billboard Hot 100. It was also the third best performing song in the 1990s on Billboard, as well as ranking on Billboard Greatest of All-Time chart. "I'll Make Love to You" won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and was nominated for Record of the Year. Its accompanying music video was directed by Lionel C. Martin.
D Train was an American duo that had hits on the Billboard magazine Dance and R&B charts during the first half of the 1980s. Three of their singles also reached the top 30 in the UK Singles Chart.
"You Are Everything" is a soul song written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed and originally recorded by the Philadelphia soul group The Stylistics.
"19" is a song by British musician Paul Hardcastle, released as the first single from his self-titled fourth studio album Paul Hardcastle (1985).
"Insomnia" is a song by British musical group Faithless. Released as the band's second single, it became one of their most successful. It was originally released in 1995 and reached number 27 on the UK Singles Chart, topping the UK Dance Chart in the process. When re-released in October 1996, the song achieved a new peak of number three in the United Kingdom and topped the charts of Finland, Norway, and Switzerland, as well as the American and Canadian dance charts. It also featured on Faithless's 1996 debut album, Reverence.
"Kiss You All Over" is a 1978 song performed by American group Exile, written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn. It was included on the band's third album, Mixed Emotions (1978), and featured lead vocalist Jimmy Stokley and guitarist J.P. Pennington on vocals. On the American Top 40 broadcast of May 26, 1979, Casey Kasem reported that Chapman stated his source of inspiration for "Kiss You All Over" was "It's Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next to Me" by Barry White. The song was a number one single in the United States, but proved to be Exile's only big hit in the pop market.
British rapper and singer M.I.A. has released six studio albums, two extended plays, three mixtapes, forty singles and twenty-nine music videos. Born Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam, M.I.A. began her career as a visual artist and film-maker, and moved into making music after filming a documentary on the band Elastica in 2001. The band's lead singer, Justine Frischmann, lent her a Roland MC-505 sequencer/drum machine which she used to make a demo tape that secured her a contract with British label XL Recordings.
"Now That We Found Love" is a song written by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff and originally recorded by American R&B/soul vocal group The O'Jays for their seventh album, Ship Ahoy (1973).
"You Make Me Feel Brand New" is a 1974 single by the Philadelphia soul group The Stylistics. An R&B ballad, the song was written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed.
New Boyz were an American hip hop duo consisting of rappers Earl "Ben J" Benjamin and Dominic "Legacy" Thomas They debuted in the spring of 2009 with their viral hit "You're a Jerk" taken from their 2009 debut studio album Skinny Jeanz and a Mic. The song peaked in the top thirty of the Billboard Hot 100, and it was the first song to bring the jerkin' style to the national forefront. A second single, "Tie Me Down" featuring Ray J, was also successful and peaked in the top thirty in Early 2010. In May 2011, their second and final studio album, Too Cool to Care, was released. It includes the top 40 hits "Backseat", featuring The Cataracs and Dev, and "Better with the Lights Off" featuring Chris Brown. The New Boyz have also been featured on Hot Chelle Rae's song "I Like It Like That", which peaked at No. 28 on the Hot 100.
Helen Rogers is a British singer/songwriter who has been active since 1978. She has been featured vocalist with Brit funk bands Direct Drive and 7th Heaven. She has also been a session singer for Paul Hardcastle.
First Light was an English funk project of Paul Hardcastle.