One Hit Wonders

Granata, Rocco Rocco Granata was born in Calabrien, South Italies. At the age of 10 years its parents with him and its sister emigrated to Belgium. Already at this age it was interested in everything that had to do with music. With 18 years it took up its first record. It composed and wrote the text a title to which it believed firmly, believed it can and even a hit had to be. But all producers and record companies rejected it. Thus only the possibility remained producing this title in self-direction. With his “internationally Quintett” he rented a studio and produced its first Song “Marina”. Rocco and its friends accommodated their plate in the music boxes of the neighbourhood and the record dealers of the environment had soon all hands fully to do to master the immense demand. (Read more…)

Donald Wayne “Don” Johnson (born December 15, 1949) is an American actor well known for his film and television appearances. Johnson became a household name as a result of his role in the popular 1980s TV cop series, Miami Vice. He was also popular in the 1990s for another cop series, Nash Bridges.

In 1986 Johnson released the album Heartbeat which featured a hit single of the same name, he registered a Top Five hit.

Video: Heartbeat - Don Johnson
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Chumbawamba were formed in 1982 from two other bands based in Yorkshire, The Passion Killers and Chimp Eats Banana. Inspired musically by The Fall and the radical political stances of Crass, Chumbawamba’s activities in the early years were based around a communal house in Armley, Leeds. Stalwarts of the cassette culture scene, the band was featured on many compilations. Chumbawamba were at the forefront of the 1980s anarcho-punk movement, frequently playing benefit gigs in squats and small halls for causes such as animal rights, the anti-war movement, and community groups. The band shared all touring revenue equally between every member of the band as well as the crew that helps them perform each night, a practice that they still adhere to. The band’s collective political views are often described as anarchist.

After signing to the independent One Little Indian record label, Anarchy (1994) lyrically remained as politically uncompromising as ever, continuing to address issues such as homophobia, the Criminal Justice Act and the rise of fascism in the UK following the election of a British National Party candidate in south-east London in 1993.

Chumbawamba drew criticism from the band’s original following in 1997 when the members signed to the major label EMI in Europe, particularly as much of their earlier output had explicitly attacked this corporation; they had even been involved with a compilation LP called Fuck EMI in 1989. However, the band argued that EMI had severed the controversial link with weapons manufacturer Thorn a few years previously, and that experience had taught them that, in a capitalist environment, almost every record company operates on capitalist principles; “Our previous record label One Little Indian didn’t have the evil symbolic significance of EMI BUT they were completely motivated by profit.” They added that this move brought with it the opportunity to make the band financially viable (all members were up until then working in other jobs to make a living) as well as to communicate their message to a wider audience.

Chumbawambas biggest chart hit, “Tubthumping”, features what, without the context of the accompanying liner notes (removed from the US release of the Tubthumper album for copyright reasons), appears to be one of the most apolitical of any of the band’s lyrics. It was also during this period that Chumbawamba gained some notoriety when male vocalist Danbert Nobacon poured a jug of water over the UK Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott at the 1998 Brit Awards.

Chumbawamba released the album WYSIWYG on EMI in 2000, and parted from the label in 2001.

In 2007, Chumbawamba were confirmed to be playing at the Glastonbury Festival.

Glenn Alan Medeiros (born June 24, 1970) is a singer and songwriter of Portuguese ancestry from the state of Hawai’i. From humble beginnings performing on a tour bus on the island of Kauai, Medeiros’s musical career soared. He is best known for his rendition of George Benson’s “Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You,” which was #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 of 1987 and #1 in the UK as well as in France and Germany (one of his three worldwide #1 hit singles).

His British chart success was brought to an abrupt end following a disastrous appearance on the TV show Juke Box Jury. Unbeknown to the show’s panellists, who gave his single a unanimously scathing review, he appeared at the end of the programme as the regular “mystery guest”. To this day he still blames his manager for accepting the booking and bringing about the death of his career in the UK.

Today, Medeiros performs at the Hale Koa Hotel in Waikiki, and also teaches music at St. Joseph’s School in Waipahu, and teaches 5th grade at Island Pacific Academy in Kapolei.

Men Without Hats are a Canadian pop group from Montreal, Quebec who were popular in the early 1980s. They were characterized by the deep, expressive vocals of their lead singer Ivan and their elaborate use of synthesizers and electronic processing. Their most-remembered single was entitled “The Safety Dance“.
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A popular but unconfirmed tale is that the name originated from a misread announcement to one of their early gigs as “Men Without Hate” by a francophone MC in Montréal.

The band erupted onto the international scene a couple of years later with their hit single “The Safety Dance” from their debut album Rhythm of Youth.
Their 1991 album Sideways, dominated by processed electric guitars instead of keyboards, revealed a dramatically different sound for the band. The album failed to attract an American label, and the band broke up.

Following the break-up, Ivan released a solo album, The Spell, in 1997. Stefan and Mack MacKenzie (of 3 O’Clock Train) released Ride of Glory, a post-modern Western-themed CD.

Stefan and Ivan regrouped to release “No Hats Beyond This Point” in 2003.

Source: Wikipedia

Information Society (also known as InSoc) is a U.S. band originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, primarily consisting of Kurt Larson (aka Kurt Valaquen/Kurt Harland), Paul Robb, and James Cassidy; the latter two reconvened the band in 2006. Their breakout hit was 1988’s “What’s On Your Mind? (Pure Energy)”, a dance hit which included a sample of Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) from Star Trek, saying “pure energy,” and opened with a sample of Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley), also from Star Trek, saying, “It’s worked so far, but we’re not out yet!”

The disc was one of the few to use CD+G, which included digital graphics on the compact disc version in addition to the music. The audio samples from Star Trek were authorized for use on the album partially thanks to the efforts of Adam Nimoy, fan of the band and son of Star Trek’s Leonard. The album sold out it’s initial print in 2 weeks in the US alone and was impossible to find for a month. The album would soon reach gold status after 5 months of it’s release and would eventually turn platinum.

During this time the band released an anonymous single (comprised of 2 tracks from their forthcoming second album) under the name Think Tank. They also had a song - the instrumental track “Hit Me” - placed on the soundtrack to the movie Earth Girls Are Easy.

During the course of the four albums and about a dozen remix singles from them, Information Society’s sound went from more electronic pop music to a darker industrial type, though they will always be remembered for their first hit song and the cardboard guitars they wielded in its music video.

In 2006, it was announced that Paul Robb and James Cassidy are putting the band back together sans Kurt Harland. Kurt Harland will not be participating in the new line-up due to family and work obligations. The new lineup includes Christopher Anton replacing Harland as the lead singer and keyboardist Sonja Myers.

Source: Wikipedia