Floy Joy (band)
| Floy Joy | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Sheffield, England |
| Genres | Jazz-funk[1] |
| Years active | 1983–1986 |
| Labels | Virgin Records |
| Associated acts | Everyday People, Carroll Thompson, Desi Campbell |
Floy Joy was an English group formed in Sheffield, England, who recorded two albums and had minor success with a small few singles.
History
The band formed in 1983, consisting of Elana Harris, Michael Ward and Shaun Ward. This line-up released only one single that year titled "Answer Through Me", produced by Andy Hernandez.
By 1984, Elana Harris was replaced by Carroll Thompson. The group released three singles, with two of the three being minor hits in the UK. "Until You Come Back to Me" peaked at No. 91 whilst "Operator" peaked at No. 86.[2] The album which the singles came from was released that year titled Into the Hot, produced by Don Was at The Sound Suite in Detroit. The album peaked at No. 40 in New Zealand.[3]
After the album, Thompson and Shaun Ward subsequently left the band, leaving Michael Ward to draft singer Desi Campbell and bassist/drum programmer/co-writer Robert E. Clarke and put together a new all-male Floy Joy.[4] An album came out in 1986 titled Weak in the Presence of Beauty, which was also produced by Don Was, like the last album.[5] Although the album was overall unsuccessful, the lead single, also called "Weak in the Presence of Beauty" peaked at No. 29 in Australia and No. 85 in the UK.[2] The song was later covered by Alison Moyet which became a large European hit, including reaching the top 10 in the UK.[6]
The group split shortly after due to the commercial failure of the album. By 1990, Desi Campbell and Shaun Ward worked under the name Everyday People with Lloyd T Richards and producer Stewart Levine, releasing one album titled You Wash... I'll Dry.[7] Two singles in 1990, "Headline News" and "I Guess It Doesn't Matter", reached the charts in both the UK and Germany.[8][9] The group released two more singles in Germany and toured Europe extensively.
After the demise of the group Desi Campbell started a solo career which resulted in the release of two self produced singles "Stranger" and "L.O.V.E Poem". Having previously sung backing vocals with Was (Not Was) on the album What Up, Dog? he went on to work with Errol Brown, the dance outfit Fraud Squad, Bludog and Concrete Nation.
Members
1983
1984
1985
- Desi Campbell - vocals
- Michael Ward - horns
- Rob Clarke - keyboards, bass guitar
Discography
Albums
- Into the Hot (1984)
- Weak in the Presence of Beauty (1986)
Singles
- "Answer Through Me" (1983)
- "Burn Down a Rhythm" (1984)
- "Until You Come Back to Me" (1984) #91
- "Operator" (1985) #86
- "Weak in the Presence of Beauty" (1986) #85
- "Friday Night In This Cold City" (1986)
References
- ↑ Zuberi, Nabeel; Stratton, Jon, eds. (2014). Black Popular Music in Britain Since 1945. Ashgate Publishing. p. 80.
- 1 2 "Floy Joy - Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
- ↑ Steffen Hung (2012-05-14). "New Zealand charts portal". charts.org.nz. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
- ↑ "Floy Joy". TrouserPress.com. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
- ↑ "Floy Joy - Weak In The Presence Of Beauty at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
- ↑ "Alison Moyet - Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
- ↑ "Everyday People Discography at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
- ↑ "Everyday People - Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
- ↑ "charts.de". Officialcharts.de. Retrieved 24 October 2014.