London Boys
Encyclopedia
London Boys were a British
/German
dance pop duo
composed of Edem Ephraim (1 July 1959, London
– 21 January 1996, Austria
) and Dennis Fuller (19 June 1959, Jamaica
– 21 January 1996, Austria
). They were both killed in an Alpine
car accident in Austria
on 21 January 1996.
, Germany
since 1981, the pair had actually met when they were at school in Greenwich
, London
. They were formed in 1986 as a vehicle for songwriter
and record producer
Ralf-René Maué. Their musical style was a mix of soul
and dance music
or eurobeat
dance music
. Spinning on their heads was combined with choreography
acquired during their experience as Rollerblade
dancers prior to forming the duo. (Dennis Fuller was a former member of the Roxy Rollers rollerskating
disco
act, who released a single called "I Need A Holiday" in May 1979.) Their early releases were marketed towards the Eurodisco scene.
The duo's most notable song
s were "London Nights" and "Requiem", which were initially released in 1988. The record "Requiem" eventually became their breakthrough single
in April 1989, reaching No.4 on the UK Singles Chart
. Subsequently, the re-released "London Nights" and the album The Twelve Commandments Of Dance, both peaked at No.2 in the UK singles and album charts
, respectively. Another single, "Harlem Desire", reached No.17. A fourth single from the album, a remix
ed version of their 1987 release "My Love", also reached No. 46. After that their last two UK Singles Chart entries were with "Chapel of Love
" (#75) in 1990 and "Freedom" (#54) in 1991. The music video
s for their singles were largely based around dance sequences and relationship/love storylines.
After this, their later recordings
had little commercial success, with no further UK chart
entries. However, in total, the London Boys sold 4.5 million records worldwide.
After being dropped by their record label
, the band
effectively split up. In 1995, shortly before their deaths, a reformed version of the group made a crossover album
called Hallelujah Hits, which incorporated Eurodance arrangements into traditional religious compositions.
n Alps
on a mountain road on their way to a skiing holiday and along the route met a car driven by an inebriated driver who was trying to pass on the opposite side of the road. The Swiss driver had reportedly been overtaking other cars in dangerous places along the road for a couple of miles beforehand, in bad weather conditions, until he finally hit their car head on. Fuller, Ephraim, Ephraim's German wife Bettina, a Hamburg DJ (who was their mutual friend) and the Swiss driver all died in the accident. Ephraim and his wife were survived by a son, Stevie, who was 3 years old at the time. Fuller had a daughter, Laura, who was 10.
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...
/German
Germany
Germany , 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...
dance pop duo
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
composed of Edem Ephraim (1 July 1959, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
– 21 January 1996, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
) and Dennis Fuller (19 June 1959, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
– 21 January 1996, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
). They were both killed in an Alpine
Eastern Alps
Eastern Alps is the name given to the eastern half of the Alps, usually defined as the area east of the Splügen Pass in eastern Switzerland. North of the Splügen Pass, the Posterior Rhine forms the border, and south of the pass, the Liro river and Lake Como form the boundary line.-Geography:The...
car accident in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
on 21 January 1996.
Musical career
Although they had lived near HamburgGlinde (Stormarn)
Glinde is a town in Germany in southern Schleswig-Holstein, approximately 20 km east of Hamburg.-History:The name Glinde was first mentioned in a document dated from March 25, 1229. In the document Graf Adolf IV. of Schauenburg and Holstein gave the village to a Cistercian convent....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , 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...
since 1981, the pair had actually met when they were at school in Greenwich
Greenwich
Greenwich 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
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. They were formed in 1986 as a vehicle for songwriter
Songwriter
A 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...
and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Ralf-René Maué. Their musical style was a mix of soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
and dance music
Electronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
or eurobeat
Eurobeat
Eurobeat is a form of italo-disco/hi-NRG music that developed in the late 1980s.In the United States, Eurobeat was sometimes marketed as Hi-NRG and for a short while shared this term with the very early freestyle music hits....
dance music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
. Spinning on their heads was combined with choreography
Choreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
acquired during their experience as Rollerblade
Rollerblade
Rollerblade is a brand of inline skates owned by Nordica, part of the Tecnica Group of Trevignano, Treviso, Italy.The company was started by Scott Olsen and Brennan Olson in Minneapolis as Ole's Innovative Sports; when they sold the company, it became Rollerblade, Inc...
dancers prior to forming the duo. (Dennis Fuller was a former member of the Roxy Rollers rollerskating
Roller skating
Roller skating is the traveling on smooth surfaces with roller skates. It is a form of recreation as well as a sport, and can also be a form of transportation. Skates generally come in two basic varieties: quad roller skates and inline skates or blades, though some have experimented with a...
disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
act, who released a single called "I Need A Holiday" in May 1979.) Their early releases were marketed towards the Eurodisco scene.
The duo's most notable song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s were "London Nights" and "Requiem", which were initially released in 1988. The record "Requiem" eventually became their breakthrough 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...
in April 1989, reaching No.4 on 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 ...
. Subsequently, the re-released "London Nights" and the album The Twelve Commandments Of Dance, both peaked at No.2 in the UK singles and album charts
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...
, respectively. Another single, "Harlem Desire", reached No.17. A fourth single from the album, a remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ed version of their 1987 release "My Love", also reached No. 46. After that their last two UK Singles Chart entries were with "Chapel of Love
Chapel of Love
"Chapel of Love" is a song written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector, and made famous by The Dixie Cups in 1964, spending three weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. There have also been many other versions of this song...
" (#75) in 1990 and "Freedom" (#54) in 1991. The music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s for their singles were largely based around dance sequences and relationship/love storylines.
After this, their later recordings
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...
had little commercial success, with no further UK 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....
entries. However, in total, the London Boys sold 4.5 million records worldwide.
After being dropped by their record label
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,...
, the band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
effectively split up. In 1995, shortly before their deaths, a reformed version of the group made a crossover album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
called Hallelujah Hits, which incorporated Eurodance arrangements into traditional religious compositions.
Death
Ephraim and Fuller both died in a car accident on 21 January 1996. They were travelling in the AustriaAustria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
on a mountain road on their way to a skiing holiday and along the route met a car driven by an inebriated driver who was trying to pass on the opposite side of the road. The Swiss driver had reportedly been overtaking other cars in dangerous places along the road for a couple of miles beforehand, in bad weather conditions, until he finally hit their car head on. Fuller, Ephraim, Ephraim's German wife Bettina, a Hamburg DJ (who was their mutual friend) and the Swiss driver all died in the accident. Ephraim and his wife were survived by a son, Stevie, who was 3 years old at the time. Fuller had a daughter, Laura, who was 10.
Albums
- The Twelve Commandments Of DanceThe Twelve Commandments Of DanceThe Twelve Commandments of Dance is the debut album by the London Boys, a British dance pop duo . It was released in 1989, and reached number 2 in the UK charts...
(1988/89) (#2 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...
) - Sweet Soul MusicSweet Soul Music (London Boys album)Sweet Soul Music is the second studio album by the London Boys, a British dance pop duo . It was released in 1991 and reached number 22 in Austria. It did not chart in the UK unlike the previous album The Twelve Commandments Of Dance. Five singles were released Chapel Of Love, Freedom, Is This...
(1991) (#22 Austria) - Love 4 UnityLove 4 UnityLove 4 Unity is the third studio album by the London Boys, a British dance pop duo . It was released in 1993. Both 'Moonraker' and 'Baby Come Back' were released as singles in Germany. Baby Come Back peaked at #27 in Austria....
(1993) - Hallelujah HitsHallelujah Hits (London Boys album)Hallelujah Hits is the fourth and final album by the London Boys although it was titled to the New London Boys. It was released in 1995. The album consists of the traditional religious anthems in Eurodance arrangements....
(1995) as "New London Boys" - The Twelve Commandments Of Dance (Special Edition)The Twelve Commandments Of DanceThe Twelve Commandments of Dance is the debut album by the London Boys, a British dance pop duo . It was released in 1989, and reached number 2 in the UK charts...
(2009)
Singles
- 1986 - "I'm Gonna Give My Heart"
- 1986 - "I'm Gonna Give My Heart" (remix)
- 1987 - "Dance Dance Dance"
- 1987 - "Harlem Desire"
- 1987 - "My LoveMy Love (London Boys song)"My Love" is a single from europop duo London Boys. It was originally released in Germany in 1987 to very limited success. As a result the single was released again in 1989 and featured on the album The Twelve Commandments of Dance. The single was written and produced by Ralf René Maué. The single...
" - 1987 - "Supermix"
- 1988 - "RequiemRequiem (London Boys song)"Requiem" is europop duo London Boys' first hit single, released in 1988 from the album The Twelve Commandments of Dance. The single was written and produced by Ralf René Maué...
" (#4 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 ...
, #11 Austria) - 1989 - "Harlem Desire '89" (#17 UK)
- 1989 - "London NightsLondon Nights (song)"London Nights" is europop duo London Boys' biggest hit single, released in 1989 from the album The Twelve Commandments of Dance. The single was written and produced by Ralf René Maué. The single artwork features photography from Andy Knight...
" (#2 UK, #9 Switzerland) - 1989 - "Megamix"
- 1989 - "My Love '89My Love (London Boys song)"My Love" is a single from europop duo London Boys. It was originally released in Germany in 1987 to very limited success. As a result the single was released again in 1989 and featured on the album The Twelve Commandments of Dance. The single was written and produced by Ralf René Maué. The single...
" (#46 UK) - 1990 - "Chapel of LoveChapel of Love (London Boys song)"Chapel of Love" is europop duo London Boys' first single of 1990 from the album Sweet Soul Music. The single was written and produced by Ralf René Maué. The single peaked at #75 in the UK. The single wasn't available on 7" vinyl in the UK but 12" and CD instead...
" (#75 UK) - 1990 - "FreedomFreedom (London Boys song)"Freedom" is europop duo London Boys' last charting single in the UK of 1990 from the album Sweet Soul Music. The single was written and produced by Ralf René Maué. In the UK, the single fared at #54, better than the previous Chapel of Love which peaked at #75...
" (#54 UK, #29 Switzerland) - 1991 - "Sweet Soul MusicSweet Soul Music (London Boys song)"Sweet Soul Music" is a single from europop duo London Boys which also featured Soul Kitchen. The single was written and produced by Ralf René Maué. The single was the first since the duo's rise to fame not to be released in the UK....
" (feat. Soul Kitchen) (#11 Austria) - 1991 - "Is This Love?"
- 1991 - "Tonight! Tonight!"
- 1992 - "Moonraker"
- 1993 - "Baby Come Back" (#27 Austria)
- 1995 - "Gospel Train to London"
- 1995 - "Kumbaya"