T'Pau (band)
Encyclopedia
T'Pau was a 1980s British
Rock
group led by singer Carol Decker. They had a string of Top 40 hits in the UK
, and several hits in the United States and Europe
. Decker still occasionally performs under the name T'Pau at solo
shows
and 1980s nostalgia
concerts.
, taking their name from a Vulcan priestess of the same name in the 1960s sci-fi series Star Trek
. Prior to deciding on this name, they were called Talking America on early demos
sent to record and publishing companies.
Their first hit was the 1987 release "Heart and Soul
". Initially a flop in the UK, it first became a hit in the U.S.
Billboard Hot 100
chart
, reaching #4 after being featured on a Pepe Jeans
advertisement; it repeated the feat in the UK Singles Chart
some months later. Their next single, "China in Your Hand
", was their biggest UK hit, spending five weeks at Number 1
. It also reached the top spot in several European
countries, but made little impact in the United States.
Their debut album, Bridge of Spies (the album was simply called T'Pau in the U.S.)[], was also a UK no.1 and went quadruple platinum there. The album produced a total of five hit singles including "Valentine
" (UK #9), "Sex Talk" (a new recording
of early flop single, "Intimate Strangers") (UK #23), and "I Will Be With You
" (UK #14).
1988 saw the release of their second album Rage
, which peaked at #4 in the UK and reached Platinum status in the UK, it failed to come close to the level of success of the band's debut album the year before. It produced the UK Top 20 single "Secret Garden
", though chart returns were diminishing by this point. A third album The Promise
followed in 1991, which peaked at #10 in the UK and earned a Silver disc. It included one Top 20 hit, "Whenever You Need Me", but the band's commercial peak had now passed and they split up following its release.
Decker re-formed the band with a new line-up in 1998, and T'Pau have continued to perform live on a semi-regular basis in recent years.
Decker still makes appearances on TV
shows, including Hit Me, Baby, One More Time; Just the Two of Us; Never Mind the Buzzcocks
and The Weakest Link. Former guitarist
Ronnie Rogers is currently in the band The Ronaldos. Guitarist Dean Howard has toured and recorded with Deep Purple
vocalist Ian Gillan
. Paul Jackson is currently in the band Dawson.
In 2007, marking the 20th anniversary of T'Pau's initial success, Ron Rogers and Carol Decker released the new single, "Just Dream", exclusively as an internet download. In 2008, as part of the "Here and Now
" 80s tour, Decker performed at her home town of Shrewsbury for the first time since the 1980s in front of a crowd of over 9,000.
' "I'm a Believer
", Petula Clark
's "Downtown
" and The Left Banke
's "Walk Away Renée
", all with lead vocals by rhythm guitarist Ron Rogers. These cover version
s originally formed part of the band's live set to enable Decker to leave the stage to change her costume, and were subsequently released as CD single
bonus tracks.
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
Rock
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
group led by singer Carol Decker. They had a string of Top 40 hits in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and several hits in the United States and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Decker still occasionally performs under the name T'Pau at solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
shows
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
and 1980s nostalgia
Nostalgia
The term nostalgia describes a yearning for the past, often in idealized form.The word is a learned formation of a Greek compound, consisting of , meaning "returning home", a Homeric word, and , meaning "pain, ache"...
concerts.
Career
The band formed in 1986 in ShropshireShropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, taking their name from a Vulcan priestess of the same name in the 1960s sci-fi series Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
. Prior to deciding on this name, they were called Talking America on early demos
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
sent to record and publishing companies.
Their first hit was the 1987 release "Heart and Soul
Heart and Soul (T'Pau song)
"Heart and Soul" is a song by British pop band T'Pau. Featuring vocalist Carol Decker performing overlapping lyrics, the song was released as a single record in 1987, taken from the 1987 album Bridge of Spies. Following its inclusion in a Pepe Jeans advert, the single reached #4 in both the US and...
". Initially a flop in the UK, it first became a hit in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
, reaching #4 after being featured on a Pepe Jeans
Pepe Jeans
Pepe Jeans London is a denim and casual wear jeans brand that was established in the Portobello Road area of London in 1973. From its origins as a tiny market stall to more than half a US billion dollar brand, Pepe has transformed itself into a jeanswear label found throughout Europe...
advertisement; it repeated the feat in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
some months later. Their next single, "China in Your Hand
China in Your Hand
"China in Your Hand" is a song by British band T'Pau, released from their album Bridge of Spies. A re-recorded version was released as a single in October 1987, spending five weeks at number 1 in the UK and is arguably the song for which the group is best known in their native Britain, though...
", was their biggest UK hit, spending five weeks at Number 1
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
. It also reached the top spot in several European
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
countries, but made little impact in the United States.
Their debut album, Bridge of Spies (the album was simply called T'Pau in the U.S.)[], was also a UK no.1 and went quadruple platinum there. The album produced a total of five hit singles including "Valentine
Valentine (T'Pau song)
"Valentine" is the second of six singles of 1988 from the British band T'Pau.-Background:The single was the band's third top 10 single in the UK, peaking at #9 for a total of eight weeks. Although the band would continue to release big hits, no following singles reached the top ten, making...
" (UK #9), "Sex Talk" (a new recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
of early flop single, "Intimate Strangers") (UK #23), and "I Will Be With You
I Will Be With You (song)
"I Will Be With You" is a song by British band T'Pau, released from their debut album Bridge of Spies. A music video was created to promote the single....
" (UK #14).
1988 saw the release of their second album Rage
Rage (T'Pau album)
Rage is the second album by late-1980s British pop group T'Pau. It reached Number Four on the UK album chart and gave the group three hit singles - "Secret Garden" , "Road to Our Dream" and "Only the Lonely" .- Release background :The Canadian release came out later than the UK version with four...
, which peaked at #4 in the UK and reached Platinum status in the UK, it failed to come close to the level of success of the band's debut album the year before. It produced the UK Top 20 single "Secret Garden
Secret Garden (T'Pau song)
"Secret Garden" is a 1988 single from British band T'Pau's album Rage, released the same year.-Chart information:This was one of the group's last significant chart hits in the UK, peaking at #18 in the UK Singles Chart.-Music video:...
", though chart returns were diminishing by this point. A third album The Promise
The Promise (T'Pau album)
The Promise is the third album by British pop group T'Pau. It was released in 1991.-Overview:The album reached #10 on the UK Albums Chart and gave the group two charting singles - "Whenever You Need Me" and "Walk on Air"...
followed in 1991, which peaked at #10 in the UK and earned a Silver disc. It included one Top 20 hit, "Whenever You Need Me", but the band's commercial peak had now passed and they split up following its release.
Decker re-formed the band with a new line-up in 1998, and T'Pau have continued to perform live on a semi-regular basis in recent years.
Decker still makes appearances on TV
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
shows, including Hit Me, Baby, One More Time; Just the Two of Us; Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks is a comedy panel game television show with a pop music theme, currently without a permanent presenter. It stars Phill Jupitus and Noel Fielding as team captains. The show is produced by Talkback Thames for the BBC, and is usually aired on BBC Two...
and The Weakest Link. Former guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Ronnie Rogers is currently in the band The Ronaldos. Guitarist Dean Howard has toured and recorded with Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
vocalist Ian Gillan
Ian Gillan
Ian Gillan is an English rock music vocalist and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist for Deep Purple. During his career Gillan also fronted his own band, had a year-long stint as the vocalist for Black Sabbath, and sang the role of Jesus in the original recording of Andrew Lloyd...
. Paul Jackson is currently in the band Dawson.
In 2007, marking the 20th anniversary of T'Pau's initial success, Ron Rogers and Carol Decker released the new single, "Just Dream", exclusively as an internet download. In 2008, as part of the "Here and Now
Here and Now Tour
The Here and Now Tour is a series of concert tours, which began in 2001, featuring groups and singers famous in the 1980s. The Tour takes in arenas and theatres around the UK and still runs today. The tours are organised by Tony Denton Promotions...
" 80s tour, Decker performed at her home town of Shrewsbury for the first time since the 1980s in front of a crowd of over 9,000.
Band members
- Carol Decker (born 10 September 1957, LiverpoolLiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
) – Vocalist/SongwriterSongwriterA songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer... - Dean HowardDean HowardDean Howard is a guitarist who was part of Ian Gillan's backing band on the Deep Purple frontman's U.S. solo tour in August and September 2006...
(b. 7 May 1961, GreenwichGreenwichGreenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
, London) – Lead GuitaristGuitaristA guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely... - Ronnie Rogers (b. 13 March 1959, ShrewsburyShrewsburyShrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
) – Rhythm Guitarist/Songwriter - Tim Burgess (b. 6 October 1961, MacclesfieldMacclesfieldMacclesfield is a market town within the unitary authority of Cheshire East, the county palatine of Chester, also known as the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The population of the Macclesfield urban sub-area at the time of the 2001 census was 50,688...
) – PercussionistPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
/DrummerDrummerA drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a... - Michael ChetwoodBand of JoyThe Band of Joy are a rock band from England. Various lineups of the group performed from 1965 to 1968 and from 1977 to 1983...
(b. 26 August 1954, TelfordTelfordTelford is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, approximately east of Shrewsbury, and west of Birmingham...
) – KeyboardistKeyboardistA keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more... - Paul Jackson (b. 8 August 1961, Telford) – BassistBassistA bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
- Taj Wyzgowski (b. 24 November 1959, BoltonBoltonBolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
) – Lead GuitaristGuitaristA guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
on Bridge of Spies
Albums
- Bridge of Spies (1987, UKUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
#1) - RageRage (T'Pau album)Rage is the second album by late-1980s British pop group T'Pau. It reached Number Four on the UK album chart and gave the group three hit singles - "Secret Garden" , "Road to Our Dream" and "Only the Lonely" .- Release background :The Canadian release came out later than the UK version with four...
(1988, UK #4) - The PromiseThe Promise (T'Pau album)The Promise is the third album by British pop group T'Pau. It was released in 1991.-Overview:The album reached #10 on the UK Albums Chart and gave the group two charting singles - "Whenever You Need Me" and "Walk on Air"...
(1991, UK #10) - Heart and Soul - The Very Best of T'Pau (1993, UK #35)
- The Greatest Hits (1997)
- RedRed (T'Pau album)Red is the fourth original album by British pop/rock group T'Pau.The group originally gained success in the late 1980s and split in the early 1990s. In 1997 original lead singer Carol Decker reformed the band with a completely new line-up and released a brand new version of their original hit...
(1998) - Greatest Hits Live (2003)
Singles
- "Heart and SoulHeart and Soul (T'Pau song)"Heart and Soul" is a song by British pop band T'Pau. Featuring vocalist Carol Decker performing overlapping lyrics, the song was released as a single record in 1987, taken from the 1987 album Bridge of Spies. Following its inclusion in a Pepe Jeans advert, the single reached #4 in both the US and...
" (1987, UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#4, US #4) - "Intimate Strangers" (1987)
- "China in Your HandChina in Your Hand"China in Your Hand" is a song by British band T'Pau, released from their album Bridge of Spies. A re-recorded version was released as a single in October 1987, spending five weeks at number 1 in the UK and is arguably the song for which the group is best known in their native Britain, though...
" (1987, UK #1) - "Bridge of Spies" (1988, U.S./GermanGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
release only) - "ValentineValentine (T'Pau song)"Valentine" is the second of six singles of 1988 from the British band T'Pau.-Background:The single was the band's third top 10 single in the UK, peaking at #9 for a total of eight weeks. Although the band would continue to release big hits, no following singles reached the top ten, making...
" (1988, UK #9) - "Sex Talk (Live)" (1988, UK #23)
- "I Will Be With YouI Will Be With You (song)"I Will Be With You" is a song by British band T'Pau, released from their debut album Bridge of Spies. A music video was created to promote the single....
" (1988, UK #14) - "Secret GardenSecret Garden (T'Pau song)"Secret Garden" is a 1988 single from British band T'Pau's album Rage, released the same year.-Chart information:This was one of the group's last significant chart hits in the UK, peaking at #18 in the UK Singles Chart.-Music video:...
" (1988, UK #18) - "Road to Our DreamRoad to Our Dream"Road to Our Dream" is the last single of 1988 from the British band T'Pau. The single was the second of three singles from the band's second album "Rage"....
" (1988, UK #42) - "Only the LonelyOnly the Lonely (T'Pau song)"Only the Lonely" is the first and only single of 1989 from the British band T'Pau.The single was the third and final single from the band's second album "Rage"...
" (1989, UK #28) - "Whenever You Need MeWhenever You Need Me (T'Pau song)"Whenever You Need Me" is a song by British band T'Pau, released from their album The Promise. The single peaked at #16 in the UK and became the band's last top 40 hit to date there...
" (1991, UK #16) - "Walk on AirWalk on Air"Walk on Air" is a song by British band T'Pau, released from their album The Promise. A music video was created to promote the single.The single peaked at #62 in the UK for a total of two weeks despite the fact that previous single "Whenever You Need Me" charted at #16.The b-side "Hold on to Love"...
" (1991, UK #62) - "Soul Destruction" (1991)
- "Only A Heartbeat" (1991, U.S./JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
release only) - "Valentine" (re-issue) (1993, UK #53)
- "Heart and Soul '97" (1997)
- "With a Little Luck" (1998, Promo release only)
- "Giving Up the Ghost" (1999)
Other songs
T'Pau also recorded rock versions of The MonkeesThe Monkees
The Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
' "I'm a Believer
I'm a Believer
"I'm a Believer" is a song composed by Neil Diamond and recorded by The Monkees in 1966 with the lead vocals by Micky Dolenz. The single, produced by Jeff Barry, hit the number one spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week ending December 31, 1966 and remained there for seven weeks,...
", Petula Clark
Petula Clark
Petula Clark, CBE is an English singer, actress, and composer whose career has spanned seven decades.Clark's professional career began as an entertainer on BBC Radio during World War II...
's "Downtown
Downtown (Petula Clark song)
"Downtown" is a pop song composed by Tony Hatch which, as recorded by Petula Clark, became an international hit – No. 1 in the US and No. 2 in the UK – at the end of 1964.-Original recording:...
" and The Left Banke
The Left Banke
The Left Banke is an American baroque pop band that formed in New York City in 1965 and disbanded in 1969. They are best remembered for their two U.S. hit singles, "Walk Away Renée" and "Pretty Ballerina"...
's "Walk Away Renée
Walk Away Renee
"Walk Away Renée" is a song made popular by the band The Left Banke in 1966 , composed by the group's then 16-year-old keyboard player Michael Brown and Tony Sansone...
", all with lead vocals by rhythm guitarist Ron Rogers. These cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s originally formed part of the band's live set to enable Decker to leave the stage to change her costume, and were subsequently released as CD single
CD single
A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s...
bonus tracks.