Paul Young

The 1980s saw a lot of British male solo singers and none were more bigger than Luton's Paul Young.

He started of the late seventies with several groups and had a major hit with the band Street band and also featured in Q-tips. Following that foray into the music band he decided to go solo and signed a record deal with Columbia records.

He had a new backing band called 'The Royal Family'. He released a couple of singles that didn't make an impression on the charts but at the third attempt he got the success and whatsmore a number one. A cover of the Marvin Gaye classic 'where ever I lay my hat' got himself a number one in the UK single charts.

A debut album followed 'No Parlez' and soon he was making huge sales with his white soul sound. On the back of this a huge tour followed and this proved to be his undoing. In 1984 following a heavy schedule of touring he damaged his vocal chords badly and the rest of the year he had to rest his voice. The rest proved a success and he was able to lead from the front on Band Aid single 'Do they know its christmas'.

He continued with another album and single releases but the throat and vocal chords continued to be a source of problems. He continued with the battle and was rewarded with a number one in America with a Hall & Oates cover 'everytime you go away' and he also managed to play at the Live Aid concert in 1985.

Paul Young would continue his success well into the 1990s and his voice managed to hold up to the rigours of recording and touring.

The 1980s saw Paul Young release 3 albums with 'No Parlez' and the follow up 'the secret of association' both hit number in the UK album charts, the 1986 release 'Between two fires' fared less and peaked at number 4 in the charts.

He also released 13 singles during the 1980s with 6 top 10 hits. Where ever I lay my hat reached number one, and 'love of the common people' reached number 2 in the charts. Other singles to reach the top 10 were 'come back and stay' in 1983, In 1984 saw 2 further top 10s with 'I'm gonna tear your playhouse down' and 'everything must change'. In 1985 saw one futher top 10 with 'everytime you go away'. It would be 1990 before he enjoyed another top 10 single.

His success was rewarded in 1985 when he was awarded a BRIT award for best male singer. He became a household name over night and and a teen idol and also played at some of the biggest events such as Live Aid and the Mandela concert.

His ability to sing soulful songs made people sit up and notice and helped open the doors for the likes of Kenny Thomas. A true talent and a great voice.


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