City Boy
Encyclopedia
City Boy were a moderately successful English
rock band
in the late 1970s, characterised by complex vocal arrangements and heavy guitars. The band consisted of Lol Mason (lead vocals), Steve Broughton (guitar, lead vocals), Max Thomas (keyboards, guitar), Chris Dunn (bass, guitar), Roger Kent (drums), Mike Slamer
(guitar, bass), and Roy Ward (drums, vocals). Their most popular songs were "5.7.0.5." and "The Day The Earth Caught Fire."
in the Birmingham
area. They toured the clubs of the Midlands
and turned professional towards the end of 1975. They were offered a recording contract
by Phonogram Records
on condition that they change their name from "Back In the Band" and add drums and electric guitar. This prompted them to recruit drummer Roger Kent
(who was later replaced by Roy Ward) and guitarist Mike Slamer
.
City Boy's first five albums were produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange who was recommended to them by Polygram A&R guy Chris Peers....later nicknamed "Crisp Ears" by the lads...and are among the first albums he produced after relocating to the UK from South Africa. Mutt became the seventh member of the band, helping Chris hone his bass guitar skills and assisting with City Boy's amazing vocal harmonies. Their breakthrough came in 1978 with their hit song "5.7.0.5." (Mutt Lange's first hit single outside of his homeland of South Africa....although City Boy's first single, "Shake My Head And Leave" from their first album did receive some airplay there) and the subsequent album Book Early. Comparisons with ELO were inevitable as the string arrangements were handled by Louis Clark who did the same for Electric Light Orchestra. The single
reached the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart
, achieving also a silver
award for 200,000 copies sold, although the album failed to scratch the UK Albums Chart
. The single also made the top 30 in the U.S., peaking at #27 on the Billboard Hot 100
. City Boy toured the USA in 1979 supporting Daryl Hall and John Oates playing a total of 66 concerts.
Their next album, 1979's The Day The Earth Caught Fire, produced a minor UK hit with the title song. This album marked an early recording appearance by Huey Lewis
, who played harmonica on the second track "It's Only the End of the World."
Afterwards, Broughton and Dunn (two of the original members) were supposedly democratically ousted from the band, and City Boy released Heads Are Rolling as a quartet in 1980. The track "Speechless
" made the band briefly popular in the Philippines
. Their final album, It's Personal from 1981, failed to attract any attention. Unable to secure a contract with any of the major companies, the band split up in 1982.
The first four of City Boy's albums were labelled
and distributed by Vertigo Records
, also known as PolyGram
and Polydor
. City Boy signed with Atlantic in 1979 and "The Day The Earth Caught Fire" was released on Atlantic.
and had a moderate hit in the UK with "Heartache Avenue". Mike Slamer
went on to record and work as a session musician and staff composer.
"The Day The Earth Caught Fire" has since been covered twice, once in 1999 by Swedish hardrockers Lion's Share, and again in 2000 by Jørn Lande
with Ronni Le Tekrø on guitar and Sid Ringsby
on bass.
In 2008, several City Boy albums, Book Early, Young Men Gone West, Dinner at the Ritz and the band's eponymous debut, were reissued. In October 2009, City Boy's last studio album, It's Personal, was released for the first time on CD.
Chris Dunn is currently owner of Dreamhire Professional Audio Rentals in New York City, NY, USA
Roy Ward was the lead session singer on the remake of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight
" which was a major hit by Tight Fit
in 1982. He went on to release a remake of Del Shannon
's "Runaway" under his band name Tokyo Charm in 1982.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
in the late 1970s, characterised by complex vocal arrangements and heavy guitars. The band consisted of Lol Mason (lead vocals), Steve Broughton (guitar, lead vocals), Max Thomas (keyboards, guitar), Chris Dunn (bass, guitar), Roger Kent (drums), Mike Slamer
Mike Slamer
Mike Slamer is a British guitarist who started his career playing in the UK prog-rock band City Boy. Since then, he has worked as a staff composer for various movies and TV series, has been a session guitarist for numerous recording artists, and played in several bands:He at different times...
(guitar, bass), and Roy Ward (drums, vocals). Their most popular songs were "5.7.0.5." and "The Day The Earth Caught Fire."
History
In the early 1970s, Lol Mason, Steve Broughton, Max Thomas and Chris Dunn were playing folk musicFolk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
in the Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
area. They toured the clubs of the Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
and turned professional towards the end of 1975. They were offered a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
by Phonogram Records
Phonogram Records
Phonogram Records was started in 1962 as a joint venture between Philips Records and Deutsche Grammophon. In 1972, Phonogram was merged with Polydor Records into PolyGram....
on condition that they change their name from "Back In the Band" and add drums and electric guitar. This prompted them to recruit drummer Roger Kent
Roger Kent
Roger Kent, , was the son of William Kent and Elizabeth Kent. His father served in the U.S. Congress between 1910 and 1917. After his family returned to California, Kent attended Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley beginning in 1919. He then boarded for three years at the Thacher School to...
(who was later replaced by Roy Ward) and guitarist Mike Slamer
Mike Slamer
Mike Slamer is a British guitarist who started his career playing in the UK prog-rock band City Boy. Since then, he has worked as a staff composer for various movies and TV series, has been a session guitarist for numerous recording artists, and played in several bands:He at different times...
.
City Boy's first five albums were produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange who was recommended to them by Polygram A&R guy Chris Peers....later nicknamed "Crisp Ears" by the lads...and are among the first albums he produced after relocating to the UK from South Africa. Mutt became the seventh member of the band, helping Chris hone his bass guitar skills and assisting with City Boy's amazing vocal harmonies. Their breakthrough came in 1978 with their hit song "5.7.0.5." (Mutt Lange's first hit single outside of his homeland of South Africa....although City Boy's first single, "Shake My Head And Leave" from their first album did receive some airplay there) and the subsequent album Book Early. Comparisons with ELO were inevitable as the string arrangements were handled by Louis Clark who did the same for Electric Light Orchestra. The single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
reached the Top 10 of 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 ...
, achieving also a silver
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
award for 200,000 copies sold, although the album failed to scratch the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The 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...
. The single also made the top 30 in the U.S., peaking at #27 on the 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...
. City Boy toured the USA in 1979 supporting Daryl Hall and John Oates playing a total of 66 concerts.
Their next album, 1979's The Day The Earth Caught Fire, produced a minor UK hit with the title song. This album marked an early recording appearance by Huey Lewis
Huey Lewis
Huey Lewis is an American musician, songwriter and occasional actor.Lewis sings lead and plays harmonica for his band Huey Lewis and the News, in addition to writing or co-writing many of the band's songs...
, who played harmonica on the second track "It's Only the End of the World."
Afterwards, Broughton and Dunn (two of the original members) were supposedly democratically ousted from the band, and City Boy released Heads Are Rolling as a quartet in 1980. The track "Speechless
Speechless
Speechless is the ninth studio album from Christian singer Steven Curtis Chapman. It was released on June 15, 1999, by Sparrow Records.It has been certified Platinum as of November 27, 2000, by the RIAA...
" made the band briefly popular in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. Their final album, It's Personal from 1981, failed to attract any attention. Unable to secure a contract with any of the major companies, the band split up in 1982.
The first four of City Boy's albums were labelled
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
and distributed by Vertigo Records
PolyGram
PolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
, also known as PolyGram
PolyGram
PolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
and Polydor
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
. City Boy signed with Atlantic in 1979 and "The Day The Earth Caught Fire" was released on Atlantic.
After City Boy
After the split, Lol Mason formed The MaisonettesThe Maisonettes
The Maisonettes were an English one-hit band formed by Lol Mason and Mark Tibenham. Their debut single, "Heartache Avenue", reached number 7 on the UK Singles Chart in 1982,...
and had a moderate hit in the UK with "Heartache Avenue". Mike Slamer
Mike Slamer
Mike Slamer is a British guitarist who started his career playing in the UK prog-rock band City Boy. Since then, he has worked as a staff composer for various movies and TV series, has been a session guitarist for numerous recording artists, and played in several bands:He at different times...
went on to record and work as a session musician and staff composer.
"The Day The Earth Caught Fire" has since been covered twice, once in 1999 by Swedish hardrockers Lion's Share, and again in 2000 by Jørn Lande
Jørn Lande
Jørn Lande is a Norwegian hard rock and heavy metal singer who has sold over 2 million records worldwide. He is probably best known for being the lead singer of the power metal band Masterplan.-Biography:...
with Ronni Le Tekrø on guitar and Sid Ringsby
Sid Ringsby
Øystein "Sid" Ringsby is a Norwegian bassist best known for playing with TinDrum, The Snakes, TNT, Wild Willy's Gang and Jørn Lande's solo band. He has been playing for many famous Norwegian artists and has taken part in recording more than 2000 music albums so far.He has a unique playing technique...
on bass.
In 2008, several City Boy albums, Book Early, Young Men Gone West, Dinner at the Ritz and the band's eponymous debut, were reissued. In October 2009, City Boy's last studio album, It's Personal, was released for the first time on CD.
Chris Dunn is currently owner of Dreamhire Professional Audio Rentals in New York City, NY, USA
Roy Ward was the lead session singer on the remake of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight
The Lion Sleeps Tonight
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight", also known as "Wimoweh" and originally as "Mbube", is a song recorded by Solomon Linda and his group The Evening Birds for the South African Gallo Record Company in 1939. It was covered internationally by many 1950s pop and folk revival artists, including The Weavers,...
" which was a major hit by Tight Fit
Tight Fit
Tight Fit are a British pop group who had a number of hits in the early 1980s, including a UK No.1 with their cover version of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" in 1982...
in 1982. He went on to release a remake of Del Shannon
Del Shannon
Del Shannon was an American rock and roll singer-songwriter who had a No. 1 hit, "Runaway", in 1961.- Biography :...
's "Runaway" under his band name Tokyo Charm in 1982.
Singles
- "(Moonlight) Shake my Head and Leave" (1975)
- "The Hap-ki-do kid" (1976)
- "Surgery Hours (Doctor, Doctor)" (1976)
- "She's Got Style" (1977)
- "I've Been Spun" (1977)
- "Turn on to Jesus" (1977)
- "5.7.0.5." (1978) UKUnited KingdomThe 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...
#8, U.S.United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
#27 - "What A Night" (1978) UK #39
- "The Day The Earth Caught Fire" (1979) UK #67
- "Speechless" (1980)
- "Heads are Rolling" (1980)
- "Lovers" (1981)
Albums
- City Boy (1976) U.S. #177
- Dinner at the Ritz (1976) U.S. #170
- Young Men Gone WestYoung Men Gone WestYoung Men Gone West was the third album by the band City Boy released in 1977 on Mercury Records in the USA, Polydor in Canada and Vertigo Records in Europe.-Track listing:# "Bordello Night" - 3:04...
(1977) U.S. #207 - Book Early (1978) U.S. #115
- The Day The Earth Caught Fire (1979)
- Heads Are Rolling (1980)
- It's Personal (1981)