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Tony Hadley |
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 The London-based New Romantic group Spandau Ballet was formed in 1979 by brothers Gary (guitar) and Martin (bass) Kemp and friends Tony Hadley (vocals), Steve Norman (guitar/sax) and John Keeble (drums). Quickly gaining a reputation for their flashy clothes and makeup as well as their Roxy Music-inspired soul/pop/dance blend, the band signed to Chrysalis Records in 1980 by establishing their own imprint, Reformation. Spandau Ballet's early singles -- "To Cut a Long Story Short," "The Freeze," and "Musclebound" -- charted in the U.K. Top 20, leading to a full-length 1981 debut album, Journey to Glory. 1982's Diamond was followed by what was to be the quintet's international breakthrough, the 1984 album True, whose title single reached the U.K. Top 5 and the U.S. Top 40. While the group remained popular in Britain, 1984's Parade didn't chart in the U.S., leading Spandau Ballet to leave Chrysalis for Epic, where they hoped to receive better promotion. 1986's Through the Barricades spawned several more U.K. Top 40 singles, but after recording 1989's Heart Like a Sky the group called it quits. Gary Kemp became a professional actor, appearing in movies such as The Krays and The Bodyguard and the TV show "The Larry Sanders Show." Tony Hadley went on to a brief solo career. |