Tony Etoria

Last updated

Tony Etoria (born c.1954) is a Welsh singer, songwriter, music producer and actor of Jamaican descent, [1] best known for his 1977 hit "I Can Prove It".

Contents

Etoria was born in Ely, Cardiff. At the age of 23, he had a top 40 UK hit with the disco song "I Can Prove It". [2] He wrote the song himself and it was later covered by Phil Fearon. [3] He went on to record for EMI and other labels. In 1978 he and his band appeared alongside Racing Cars and Budgie in the first Welsh Rock Festival, presented by John Peel on BBC Wales. [4] He was a member of the 1980s bands Decoupage and Osibisa. [5]

Etoria also opened the "Famous Studios" recording studio in Trade Street, Cardiff, [6] where he recorded and produced some notable acts, including Screaming Lord Sutch, [7] Yr Anhrefn, [8] the Super Furry Animals and the Boo Radleys. [3]

His acting career has included appearances and writing material for the theatre companies "Welsh Fargo" and "On the Edge". [9] He also had a regular role in the Welsh-language TV soap Coleg.

Radio

Television

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bonnie Tyler</span> Welsh singer (born 1951)

Gaynor Sullivan, known professionally as Bonnie Tyler, is a Welsh singer who is known for her distinctive husky voice. Tyler came to prominence with the release of her 1977 album The World Starts Tonight and its singles "Lost in France" and "More Than a Lover". Her 1977 single "It's a Heartache" reached number four on the UK Singles Chart, and number three on the US Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shirley Bassey</span> Welsh singer (born 1937)

Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey is a Welsh singer. Known for her career longevity, powerful voice and recording the theme songs to three James Bond films, Bassey is one of the most popular vocalists in Britain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catatonia (band)</span> Welsh rock band

Catatonia were an alternative rock band from Wales who gained popularity in the mid-to-late 1990s. The band formed in 1992 after Mark Roberts met Cerys Matthews and Kirsty Kennedy. The first major lineup featured Dafydd Ieuan of Super Furry Animals on drums, Paul Jones on bass, and Clancy Pegg on keyboards. With this line-up the band recorded two EPs, For Tinkerbell and Hooked.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Furry Animals</span> Welsh rock band

Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band formed in Cardiff in 1993. For the duration of their professional career, the band consisted of Gruff Rhys, Huw Bunford, Guto Pryce, Cian Ciaran, Dafydd Ieuan. An earlier incarnation of the band featured actor Rhys Ifans on lead vocals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stereophonics</span> Welsh rock band

Stereophonics are a Welsh rock band formed in 1992 in the village of Cwmaman in the Cynon Valley, Wales. The band consists of Kelly Jones, Richard Jones, Adam Zindani, Jamie Morrison and touring member Tony Kirkham (keyboards). The group previously included Stuart Cable (1992–2003) and then Javier Weyler (2004–2012) on drums. Stereophonics have released twelve studio albums, including eight UK number one albums. A successful compilation album, Decade in the Sun, was released in November 2008 and charted at number two on the UK Album Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spandau Ballet</span> English pop band

Spandau Ballet were an English pop 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Specials</span> British ska band from Coventry

The Specials, also known as The Special AKA, were an English 2 tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. After some early changes, the first stable lineup of the group consisted of Terry Hall and Neville Staple on vocals, Jerry Dammers on keyboards, Lynval Golding and Roddy Radiation on guitars, Horace Panter on bass, John Bradbury on drums, and Dick Cuthell and Rico Rodriguez on horns. The band wore mod-style "1960s period rude boy outfits ". Their music combines the danceable rhythms of ska and rocksteady with the energy and attitude of punk. Lyrically, their work presented overt political and social commentary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Young Marble Giants</span> Welsh post-punk band

Young Marble Giants were a Welsh post-punk band formed in Cardiff, Wales, in 1978. Their music was based around the vocals of Alison Statton along with the minimalist instrumentation of brothers Philip and Stuart Moxham. Their early sound was a sharp contrast with the more aggressive punk rock that dominated the underground at the time. Young Marble Giants released just one studio album, Colossal Youth, in 1980. They also released two EPs and recorded a John Peel session.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Edmunds</span> Welsh musician

David William Edmunds is a Welsh singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer. Although he is mainly associated with pub rock and new wave, having many hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, his natural leaning has always been towards 1950s-style rock and roll and rockabilly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Hopkin</span> Welsh singer

Mary Hopkin, credited on some recordings as Mary Visconti from her marriage to Tony Visconti, is a Welsh singer best known for her 1968 UK number 1 single "Those Were the Days". She was one of the first artists to be signed to the Beatles' Apple label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">10cc</span> British art rock band

10cc are a British rock band formed in Stockport in 1972. The group initially consisted of four musicians – Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme – who had written and recorded together since 1968. The group featured two songwriting teams. Many regard Stewart and Gouldman as the predominant pop songwriters, and Godley and Creme as the more experimental half of 10cc. Some have described Godley and Creme’s songwriting as featuring art and cinematically inspired writing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Osibisa</span> Ghanaian-Nigerian-British band

Osibisa are a British-Ghanaian-Caribbean Afro-rock band founded in London in the late 1960s by four expatriate West African and three London based Caribbean musicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scritti Politti</span> British music group

Scritti Politti are a UK band formed in 1977 in Leeds, England by Welsh singer-songwriter Green Gartside, who is the sole remaining member of the original band. The group's most successful album, 1985's Cupid & Psyche 85, produced three UK Top 20 hits. The band returned in the late 1990s after a seven-year break,

Amen Corner were a Welsh rock group formed in Cardiff, Wales. They are best known for their hits "Bend Me, Shape Me" (1967), "High in the Sky" (1968) and the chart-topper "(If Paradise Is) Half as Nice" (1969).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shakin' Stevens</span> British rock and roll singer and songwriter

Michael Barratt, known professionally as Shakin' Stevens, is a Welsh singer and songwriter. He was the UK's biggest-selling singles artist of the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Alarm</span> Welsh rock band

The Alarm are a Welsh rock band that formed in Rhyl, Wales, in 1981. Initially formed as a punk band, the Toilets, in 1977, under lead vocalist Mike Peters, the band soon embraced arena rock and included marked influences from Welsh language and culture. By opening for acts such as U2 and Bob Dylan, they became a popular new wave pop band of the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Get It On (T. Rex song)</span> 1971 single by T.Rex

"Get It On" is a song by the English rock band T. Rex, featured on their 1971 album Electric Warrior. Written by frontman Marc Bolan, "Get It On" was the second chart-topper for T. Rex on the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, it was retitled "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" to avoid confusion with a song of the same name by the group Chase.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lone Star (band)</span> Welsh rock band

Lone Star was a Welsh rock and heavy metal music band formed in Cardiff in 1975. They released two albums on CBS Records before splitting up in 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delilah (Tom Jones song)</span> 1968 single by Tom Jones

"Delilah" is a song recorded by Welsh singer Tom Jones in December 1967. The lyrics were written by Barry Mason, and the music by Les Reed, who also contributed the title and theme of the song. It earned Reed and Mason the 1968 Ivor Novello award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically.

<i>A Crazy Steal</i> 1978 studio album by the Hollies

A Crazy Steal is a UK studio album by English rock/pop group the Hollies. It includes their version of Emmylou Harris' "Boulder to Birmingham", which had been released two years prior, reaching number 10 in the charts in New Zealand. Three other songs from this album were released in 1977, and 1978 as singles, yet failed to chart anywhere.

References

  1. "Tony Etoria And The 'X' Factor". Blues & Soul (July). 1977.
  2. "Tony Etoria - Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  3. 1 2 Ali Stokes (11 February 2001). "'I worked with Michael Jackson - when he had a face' Whatever happened to. . . ? Tony Etoria". South Wales Echo. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  4. "From the music capitals of the world". Billboard. Vol. 90, no. 27. 8 July 1978. p. 63.
  5. Charles Aniagolu (2004). Osibisa: Living in the State of Happy Vibes and Criss Cross Rhythms. Trafford. p. 186. ISBN   978-1-4120-2106-7.
  6. Studio Sound and Broadcast Engineering. Link House Publications. 1991. p. 10.
  7. Gérard Lautrey (July 2012). Dans L'ombre des Shadows (in French). Lulu.com. p. 76. ISBN   978-1-4716-1124-7.
  8. Rhys Mwyn (10 August 2012). Cam O'r Tywyllwch (in Welsh). Y Lolfa. p. 134. ISBN   978-1-84771-582-1.
  9. Karen Price (16 February 2009). "New play inspired by troubled literary giants". WalesOnline. Retrieved 6 June 2020.