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Peter Cox | |
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 Cox performing with Go West, 2008 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Peter John Cox |
| Born | 17 November 1955 Kingston upon Thames, Surrey |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Labels | |
| Member of | Go West |
| Website | petercox |
Peter John Cox (born 17 November 1955) [1] is an English singer-songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the English pop duo Go West. As a solo artist, he scored three top 40 hits on the UK Singles Chart in the 1990s.
Peter John Cox sang in his school choir and later as a chorister at The Chapel Royal, Hampton Court Palace. In his early twenties, he worked in a cover band for the Mecca Organisation.[ citation needed ] In 1978, he joined Terra Nova, a band put together by former Manfred Mann's Earth Band members Chris Slade and Colin Pattenden; they released an album in 1980. [2] [ better source needed ] While in residency in a Sheffield nightclub, Cox began writing with longtime collaborator Richard Drummie, with whom he eventually signed a publishing deal.[ citation needed ]
In 1982, Cox and Drummie formed the band Go West, with Cox as lead vocalist and Drummie on guitar and backing vocals. [3] [4] After Go West signed a deal with Chrysalis Records, "We Close Our Eyes" became a top 5 hit on the UK Singles Chart in 1985. [5] Other Go West singles released that year included "Call Me" (1985) and "Don't Look Down". The following year, Go West was named 'Best Newcomer' at the 1986 Brit Awards. [6]
In 1987, the band reached the top 40 in the US with the single "Don't Look Down – The Sequel". [7] In 1990, Go West had a No. 8 hit in the US with "King of Wishful Thinking" from the film Pretty Woman . [8] In 1992, the duo released their third studio album Indian Summer , which included "Faithful"; the song reached the top 20 in Canada and the United States. [9]
Cox moved to Los Angeles in 1993 to pursue a solo career. [10] His self-titled debut studio album, Peter Cox , was released in 1997 to critical acclaim.[ citation needed ] Subsequent albums include Flame Still Burns (2001), Nine Miles High (2002), Desert Blooms (2002), Game for Fools (2005) and Motor City Music (2006). Cox also teamed up with Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet on the album Tony Hadley vs Peter Cox & Go West, released in 2004.[ citation needed ]
In 2003, Cox replaced Then Jerico's Mark Shaw on the British reality television show Reborn in the USA after Shaw quit the series in the show's first few days. Even though Cox had achieved previous success across the Atlantic as the lead vocalist of Go West, he was able to appear on the show as he was unknown in the US as a solo artist. He was a favourite to win but was voted off in New York after he forgot the lyrics to the Norah Jones hit he was performing. [11]
Other albums by Cox include The S1 Sessions (2010), Riding the Blinds (2012), and Damn the Brakes (2013).[ citation needed ]
Cox's voice has been described as "smooth as silk" with a "gritty underbelly". [12]
Spandau Ballet were an English new wave band formed in Islington, London, in 1979. Inspired by the capital's post-punk underground dance scene, they emerged at the start of the 1980s as the house band for the Blitz Kids, playing "European Dance Music" as "The Applause" for this new club culture's audience. They became one of the most successful groups of the New Romantic era of British pop and were part of the Second British Invasion of the Billboard Top 40 in the 1980s, selling 25 million albums and having 23 hit singles worldwide. The band have had eight UK top 10 albums, including three greatest hits compilations and an album of re-recorded material. Their musical influences ranged from punk rock and soul music to the American crooners Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett.
True is the third studio album by English pop band Spandau Ballet, released on 4 March 1983 by Chrysalis Records. The band's songwriter/guitarist Gary Kemp realised after the release of their second album that the nightclub audience they initially wanted to attract had lost interest in them in part because of the band's transition from dance music to pop. He no longer felt obligated to keep writing music for them and shifted his focus to soul and R&B influences such as Marvin Gaye and Al Green for this album. Kemp thought that bandmate Steve Norman's newfound interest in the saxophone would be well-suited to the sound he was going for, as would the decision to record most of the album at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas.
Anthony Patrick Hadley is an English pop singer. He rose to fame in the 1980s as the lead singer of the new wave band Spandau Ballet and launched a solo career following the group's split in 1990. Hadley returned to the band in 2009 but left again in 2017. Hadley has been noted for his expressive voice and vocal range.
Aswad are a British reggae group, noted for adding strong R&B and soul influences to the reggae sound. They have been performing since the mid-1970s, having released a total of 21 albums. Their UK hit singles include the number one "Don't Turn Around" (1988) and "Shine" (1994). "Aswad" is Arabic for "black". They are three-time Grammy Award nominees.
Paul Antony Young is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Formerly the frontman of the short-lived bands Kat Kool & the Kool Cats, Streetband and Q-Tips, he became a teen idol with his solo success in the 1980s. His hit singles include "Love of the Common People", "Wherever I Lay My Hat", "Come Back and Stay", "Every Time You Go Away" and "Everything Must Change", all reaching the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart. Released in 1983, his debut album, No Parlez, was the first of three UK number-one albums.
Go West are an English pop duo, formed in 1982 by lead vocalist Peter Cox and rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Richard Drummie. At the Brit Awards 1986, they received the Brit Award for British Breakthrough Act. The duo enjoyed popularity between the mid-1980s and the early 1990s and are best known for the international top 10 hits "We Close Our Eyes", "Call Me", "Faithful", and "King of Wishful Thinking"; the last was featured in the American romantic comedy film Pretty Woman (1990).
"True" is a song by English pop band Spandau Ballet, released in April 1983 as the title track and third single from their third studio album. It was written by the band's lead guitarist and principal songwriter Gary Kemp to express his feelings for Altered Images lead singer Clare Grogan. Kemp was influenced musically by songs of Marvin Gaye and Al Green he was listening to at the time, and lyrically by Green and the Beatles. "True" reached number one on the UK singles chart in April 1983 and made the top 10 in several other countries, including the US, where it became their first song to reach the Billboard Hot 100.
Richard Drummie is an English guitarist, songwriter and producer. Drummie and Peter Cox are the founding members of musical group Go West.
"King of Wishful Thinking" is a song by British pop duo Go West, written by Peter Cox, Richard Drummie and Martin Page. It was featured in the film Pretty Woman and appeared on its soundtrack. It was later featured on Go West's third studio album, Indian Summer, in 1992.
Go West is the debut studio album by the English pop duo Go West, released in April 1985 by Chrysalis Records. The album brought the band into the limelight, scoring them a string of top 40 hits in the UK and New Zealand. "We Close Our Eyes" was the most successful single, reaching No. 4 in New Zealand and No. 5 in the UK. The album itself reached No. 8 in the UK.
Diamond is the second studio album by English band Spandau Ballet, released on 12 March 1982 by Chrysalis Records. As with their debut album, Journeys to Glory, all songs were produced by Richard James Burgess and written by band guitarist Gary Kemp. The music was inspired by a variety of genres, including the renewed interest in funk around Soho, American film scores with roots in eastern Europe, the second side of David Bowie's Low album, Pink Floyd records and the mood pieces of another English new wave band, Japan.
"We Close Our Eyes" is a song by the English pop duo Go West, composed by both members Peter Cox and Richard Drummie. Recognisable by its synthesiser hook, it was released as the lead single from the duo's self titled debut studio album, in February 1985. The song charted worldwide, reaching number five on the UK Singles Chart, number 41 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and the top 10 in Australia, Italy, and New Zealand.
"Gold" is a song by English pop band Spandau Ballet, released on 5 August 1983 as the fourth single from their third album, True. The song was written by the band's guitarist/songwriter Gary Kemp as an homage to the film themes of composer John Barry and was especially influenced by his scores for the James Bond series. This was apparent to some music critics, but they were sharply divided in their reviews. Some appreciated the energy and drama behind it, while others found it affected and overwrought. The song peaked at number two on the UK singles chart and made the top 10 in several other countries, but its number 29 showing in the US and the disappointing chart performances of the next two singles released there led to the band's decision to change record labels.
Dancing on the Couch is the second studio album by English pop duo Go West, released in 1987. It reached number 19 on the UK Albums Chart.
Indian Summer is the third studio album by English pop duo Go West, released in 1992. It includes the singles "King of Wishful Thinking", "Faithful", "What You Won't Do for Love" and "Still in Love". "King of Wishful Thinking" had been released as a single more than two years earlier, becoming a worldwide hit after being featured in the 1990 film Pretty Woman.
futurenow is the fourth studio album by the band Go West, released in 2008. It was their first studio album in sixteen years, following Indian Summer in 1992.
"Instinction" is a song by Spandau Ballet whose original version was included on their second album Diamond as produced by Richard James Burgess. The song was written by band guitarist/songwriter Gary Kemp. A remix by Trevor Horn was released on 2 April 1982 as the last single from the album and reached number 10 on the UK Singles Chart. This new version received good reviews but constituted a shift into pop music that did not interest the patrons of trendy London nightclubs that Spandau Ballet originally intended to represent. The band tried continuing their work with Horn on the songs for their next album but came to an impasse with him and moved on to a successful relationship with producers Steve Jolley and Tony Swain.
"I Want to Hear It from You" is a song by British band Go West, which was released in 1987 as the second single from their second studio album Dancing on the Couch. It was written by Peter Cox and Richard Drummie, and produced by Gary Stevenson. "I Want to Hear It from You" reached No. 43 in the UK and remained on the charts for four weeks. A music video was filmed to promote the single.
"True Colours" is a song by British band Go West, released in 1986 as the lead single from their second studio album Dancing on the Couch. It was written by Peter Cox and Richard Drummie, and produced by Gary Stevenson. "True Colours" reached No. 48 in the UK and No. 22 in Ireland.
"She Loved Like Diamond" is a song by the English new wave band Spandau Ballet, released on 11 January 1982 as the third single from what would be their second album, Diamond. The music video and cover art for the single focused on the sexual themes in the lyrics and the allure of the title character. In writing the song, their guitarist/songwriter Gary Kemp was influenced by American Jewish music with an eastern European flavour that he had heard in movie themes and musicals. Most reviews singled out lead singer Tony Hadley's performance as the main problem with the recording, which only mustered a number 49 peak position on the UK Singles Chart. The poor showing prompted the idea to release another song from the album, but the band realized that getting a new single to succeed would require a remix of the disappointing work of their current producer and decided to discontinue their association with him in doing so.
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