The Belle Stars
Encyclopedia
The Belle Stars were an all female
British
rock
band
, founded in London
in 1980 by former members of the 2 Tone
ska
revival band
, The Bodysnatchers
.
s Stella Barker and Sarah-Jane Owen, saxophonist
Miranda Joyce, keyboardist
Penny Leyton, and drum
mer Judy Parsons decided to form a new band, recruiting bass
player Lesley Shone and lead vocalist
Jennie Matthias (also known as Jenny McKeown and Jenny Bellestar). Their first performance was on Christmas Day, 1980, before they had chosen a name.
Within a short time, the group became well known around London, notably appearing on the front cover of Sounds
magazine early in 1981. Shortly thereafter, they were signed by Stiff Records
, then highly successful due to its star act, Madness
.
The band's debut single
, "Hiawatha" was released in the late spring of 1981, produced by Madness producer
s Clive Langer
& Alan Winstanley
. The band promoted the single by playing support for ska acts The Beat
and Madness. However, the single failed to chart, despite continuing media attention.
The same production team was responsible for "Slick Trick", the second single. It too failed to chart. Keyboard player Penny Leyton left the band late in the year, to be replaced on saxophone
and keyboards
by Clare Hirst. Leyton later joined The Deltones.
When the third single, the radio
friendly "Another Latin Love Song" again failed to break into the charts, the band tried cover versions instead, with some success. "Iko Iko
", a cover
of The Dixie Cups
' 1965 hit (later featured in the 1988
movie Rain Man
), was The Belle Stars' long-hoped-for UK Singles Chart
debut, peaking at a modest number 35 in June 1982. The Belle Stars furthered this with "The Clapping Song
" (their first top 20 hit), a remake of the 1965 Shirley Ellis
hit, and then "Mockingbird", a hit for Inez and Charlie Foxx
in 1969 and James Taylor
and Carly Simon
in 1974.
In January 1983 the Belle Stars released what would be their signature single, "Sign of the Times", peaking at number three, and a chart success throughout Europe
. The song's music video
, showing the Belle Stars in tuxedos, was also played frequently by MTV
in the United States
. The song went on to become the 30th best selling single of 1983 in the UK.
It was followed a month later by the band's eponymous debut album, which reached number 15 on the UK Albums Chart
. As with the band's singles, it was a mix of original songs and cover versions, including Bob and Earl's "Harlem Shuffle
" (covered three years later by the Rolling Stones on Dirty Work) and Al Wilson
's "The Snake".
However, "Sign of the Times" proved to be the peak of the band's success. Each follow-up single was less successful than its predecessor: "Sweet Memory", reached number 22 in the charts in April 1983; "Indian Summer" number 52 in August; whilst "The Entertainer" did not chart. It took another year before the band had a minor hit, "80's Romance", which made number 71 in August 1984 before it dropped out after a week. Despite this, the band continued to tour throughout Europe. However, the lack of success took its toll, and McKeown left the band, followed by others, until the band was down to Owen, Joyce, and Shone.
By 1984, Stiff Records was ailing, and it merged with Island Records
; in July 1985 it was liquidated and bought by ZTT, the label owned by the husband and wife team of producer Trevor Horn
and Jill Sinclair. Under Horn's supervision, the three remaining members recorded a new Belle Stars album with the 4th & Broadway production team in New York City
. However, the only tracks to be released were the single "World Domination", a flop in Britain but peaked at number two for two weeks on the Billboard Dancefloor charts in the U.S. Following this release the band broke up.
However, in 1989, the Belle Stars finally had a big U.S. chart hit, when "Iko Iko
" reached number 14 on the Billboard Top 100 in March, after it was included on the soundtrack of the film
Rain Man
, starring Tom Cruise
and Dustin Hoffman
. The song had been a favourite of Hoffman's. Matthias toured the U.S. to promote the song.
Leyton went on to join the all girl ska band The Deltones in 1984, and they released an album on Unicorn Records in 1989. Matthias has recently guested on the 1973 and Decadent albums by Skaville UK, and has more recently formed a new ska band with Lee Thompson from Madness called The Dance Brigade
, and is currently performing in her new band 1-Stop-Experience, with Skip McDonald, Paget King and Chico Chigas.
All-women band
An all-female band is a musical group composed of female musicians exclusively. A distinction is made here with a girl group, in which the members are solely vocalists, though this terminology is not universally followed.-1920s-1940s:In the Jazz Age and during the 1930s, "all-girl" bands such as...
British
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...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
, founded in 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...
in 1980 by former members of the 2 Tone
2 Tone
2 Tone is a music genre created in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s by fusing elements of ska, punk rock, rocksteady, reggae, and New Wave. It was called 2 Tone because most of the bands were signed to 2 Tone Records at some point. Other labels associated with the 2 Tone sound were Stiff...
ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
revival 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...
, The Bodysnatchers
The Bodysnatchers (band)
The Bodysnatchers were a seven-piece all-female band involved in the British 2 Tone ska revival of the late 1970s and early 1980s.-Career:Formed in London by Nicky Summers in 1979, in the aftermath of the punk rock scene, The Bodysnatchers released two ska/rocksteady singles on 2 Tone Records...
.
Career
After The Bodysnatchers broke up, guitaristGuitarist
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...
s Stella Barker and Sarah-Jane Owen, saxophonist
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
Miranda Joyce, keyboardist
Musical keyboard
A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the...
Penny Leyton, and drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
mer Judy Parsons decided to form a new band, recruiting bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
player Lesley Shone and lead vocalist
Lead vocalist
The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
Jennie Matthias (also known as Jenny McKeown and Jenny Bellestar). Their first performance was on Christmas Day, 1980, before they had chosen a name.
Within a short time, the group became well known around London, notably appearing on the front cover of Sounds
Sounds (magazine)
Sounds was a long-term British music paper, published weekly from 10 October 1970 – 6 April 1991. It was produced by Spotlight Publications , which was set up by Jack Hutton and Peter Wilkinson, who left "Melody Maker" to start their own company...
magazine early in 1981. Shortly thereafter, they were signed by Stiff Records
Stiff Records
Stiff Records is a record label created in London in 1976, by entrepreneurs Dave Robinson and Andrew Jakeman , and active until 1985. It was reactivated in 2007....
, then highly successful due to its star act, Madness
Madness (band)
In 1979, the band recorded the Lee Thompson composition "The Prince". The song, like the band's name, paid homage to their idol, Prince Buster. The song was released through 2 Tone Records, the label of The Specials founder Jerry Dammers. The song was a surprise hit, peaking in the UK music charts...
.
The band's debut 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...
, "Hiawatha" was released in the late spring of 1981, produced by Madness 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...
s Clive Langer
Clive Langer
Clive Langer is a British record producer active from the mid 1970s onwards. He usually works with Alan Winstanley. He composed the music for the films Still Crazy and Brothers of the Head. Prior to his record producing career he was a guitarist with the British cult band Deaf SchoolLanger...
& Alan Winstanley
Alan Winstanley
Alan Kenneth Winstanley is a British record producer active from the mid-1970s onwards. He usually works with Clive Langer.-Notable studio albums produced by Alan Winstanley and Clive Langer:* One Step Beyond... – Madness...
. The band promoted the single by playing support for ska acts The Beat
The Beat (band)
The Beat are a 2 Tone ska revival band founded in England in 1978. Their songs fuse ska, pop, soul, reggae and punk rock, and their lyrics deal with themes of love, unity and sociopolitical topics....
and Madness. However, the single failed to chart, despite continuing media attention.
The same production team was responsible for "Slick Trick", the second single. It too failed to chart. Keyboard player Penny Leyton left the band late in the year, to be replaced on saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
and keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
by Clare Hirst. Leyton later joined The Deltones.
When the third single, the radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
friendly "Another Latin Love Song" again failed to break into the charts, the band tried cover versions instead, with some success. "Iko Iko
Iko Iko
"Iko Iko" is a much-covered New Orleans song that tells of a parade collision between two "tribes" of Mardi Gras Indians. The song, under the original title "Jock-A-Mo", was written in 1953 by James "Sugar Boy" Crawford in New Orleans. The story tells of a "spy boy" or "spy dog" "Iko Iko" is a...
", a cover
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...
of The Dixie Cups
The Dixie Cups
The Dixie Cups are an American pop music girl group of the 1960s. They are best known for their 1964 million selling disc, "Chapel of Love".-Career:...
' 1965 hit (later featured in the 1988
1988 in film
-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:* Act of Piracy* Action Jackson, starring Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson, Vanity, Sharon Stone* The Adventures of Baron Munchausen* Akira* Alice...
movie Rain Man
Rain Man
Rain Man is a 1988 drama film written by Barry Morrow and Ronald Bass and directed by Barry Levinson. It tells the story of an abrasive and selfish yuppie, Charlie Babbitt, who discovers that his estranged father has died and bequeathed all of his multimillion-dollar estate to his other son,...
), was The Belle Stars' long-hoped-for 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 ...
debut, peaking at a modest number 35 in June 1982. The Belle Stars furthered this with "The Clapping Song
The Clapping Song
"The Clapping Song" is an American song, written by Lincoln Chase, originally arranged by Charles Callello and recorded by Shirley Ellis in 1965. The song was released shortly after Ellis had released "The Name Game"...
" (their first top 20 hit), a remake of the 1965 Shirley Ellis
Shirley Ellis
Shirley Ellis is an American soul music singer and songwriter of West Indian origin. She is best known for her novelty hits "The Nitty Gritty" , "The Name Game" and "The Clapping Song"...
hit, and then "Mockingbird", a hit for Inez and Charlie Foxx
Inez and Charlie Foxx
Charlie Foxx and his sister Inez Foxx were an African-American rhythm and blues and soul duo from Greensboro, North Carolina. Inez sang lead vocal, while Charlie sang back-up and played guitar.Their most successful record was with their novelty composition, "Mockingbird"...
in 1969 and James Taylor
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
and Carly Simon
Carly Simon
Carly Elisabeth Simon is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records, and has since been the recipient of two Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award for her work...
in 1974.
In January 1983 the Belle Stars released what would be their signature single, "Sign of the Times", peaking at number three, and a chart success throughout 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...
. The song's 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...
, showing the Belle Stars in tuxedos, was also played frequently by MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The song went on to become the 30th best selling single of 1983 in the UK.
It was followed a month later by the band's eponymous debut album, which reached number 15 on 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...
. As with the band's singles, it was a mix of original songs and cover versions, including Bob and Earl's "Harlem Shuffle
Harlem Shuffle
Harlem Shuffle can refer to:* "Harlem Shuffle" * Harlem Shuffle...
" (covered three years later by the Rolling Stones on Dirty Work) and Al Wilson
Al Wilson (singer)
Al Wilson was an American soul singer best known for the million-selling #1 hit, "Show and Tell". He is also remembered for his Northern soul anthem, "The Snake".-Career:...
's "The Snake".
However, "Sign of the Times" proved to be the peak of the band's success. Each follow-up single was less successful than its predecessor: "Sweet Memory", reached number 22 in the charts in April 1983; "Indian Summer" number 52 in August; whilst "The Entertainer" did not chart. It took another year before the band had a minor hit, "80's Romance", which made number 71 in August 1984 before it dropped out after a week. Despite this, the band continued to tour throughout Europe. However, the lack of success took its toll, and McKeown left the band, followed by others, until the band was down to Owen, Joyce, and Shone.
By 1984, Stiff Records was ailing, and it merged with Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
; in July 1985 it was liquidated and bought by ZTT, the label owned by the husband and wife team of producer Trevor Horn
Trevor Horn
Trevor Charles Horn CBE is an English pop music record producer, songwriter, musician and singer. He was born in Houghton-le-Spring in north-east England....
and Jill Sinclair. Under Horn's supervision, the three remaining members recorded a new Belle Stars album with the 4th & Broadway production team in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. However, the only tracks to be released were the single "World Domination", a flop in Britain but peaked at number two for two weeks on the Billboard Dancefloor charts in the U.S. Following this release the band broke up.
However, in 1989, the Belle Stars finally had a big U.S. chart hit, when "Iko Iko
Iko Iko
"Iko Iko" is a much-covered New Orleans song that tells of a parade collision between two "tribes" of Mardi Gras Indians. The song, under the original title "Jock-A-Mo", was written in 1953 by James "Sugar Boy" Crawford in New Orleans. The story tells of a "spy boy" or "spy dog" "Iko Iko" is a...
" reached number 14 on the Billboard Top 100 in March, after it was included on the soundtrack of the film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
Rain Man
Rain Man
Rain Man is a 1988 drama film written by Barry Morrow and Ronald Bass and directed by Barry Levinson. It tells the story of an abrasive and selfish yuppie, Charlie Babbitt, who discovers that his estranged father has died and bequeathed all of his multimillion-dollar estate to his other son,...
, starring Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
and Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Lee Hoffman is an American actor with a career in film, television, and theatre since 1960. He has been known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and vulnerable characters....
. The song had been a favourite of Hoffman's. Matthias toured the U.S. to promote the song.
Leyton went on to join the all girl ska band The Deltones in 1984, and they released an album on Unicorn Records in 1989. Matthias has recently guested on the 1973 and Decadent albums by Skaville UK, and has more recently formed a new ska band with Lee Thompson from Madness called The Dance Brigade
The Dance Brigade
The Dance Brigade are a ska band from London. Founded by Keith Finch and Lee "Kix" Thompson in late summer 2007, they were soon joined by Jennie Matthias...
, and is currently performing in her new band 1-Stop-Experience, with Skip McDonald, Paget King and Chico Chigas.
Personnel
- Jennie Matthias: lead vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
- Sarah Jane Owen: lead guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Stella Barker : rhythm guitar
- Penny Leyton: keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
(1981–1982) - Miranda Joyce (born 26 July 1962): alto saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
- Clare Hirst: tenor saxophone, keyboards (1982–1984)
- Lesley Shone: bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Judy Parsons: drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Singles
- "Hiawatha" (Stiff Records) 1981 - UK
- "Slick Trick" (Stiff Records) 1981 - UK
- "Another Latin Love Song EP" (Stiff Records) 1982 - UK
- "Iko IkoIko Iko"Iko Iko" is a much-covered New Orleans song that tells of a parade collision between two "tribes" of Mardi Gras Indians. The song, under the original title "Jock-A-Mo", was written in 1953 by James "Sugar Boy" Crawford in New Orleans. The story tells of a "spy boy" or "spy dog" "Iko Iko" is a...
" (Stiff Records) 1982 - UK #35, 1989 US #14 - "The Clapping SongThe Clapping Song"The Clapping Song" is an American song, written by Lincoln Chase, originally arranged by Charles Callello and recorded by Shirley Ellis in 1965. The song was released shortly after Ellis had released "The Name Game"...
" (Stiff Records) 1982 - UK #11, AUS #4 - "Mockingbird" (Stiff Records) 1982 - UK #51
- "Sign of the Times" (Stiff Records) 1983 - UK #3, AUS #45, US #75
- "Sweet Memory" (Stiff Records) 1983 - UK #22
- "Indian Summer" (Stiff Records) 1983 - UK #52
- "The Entertainer" (Stiff Records) 1983 -UK #95
- "80's Romance" (Stiff Records) 1984 - UK #71
- "World Domination" (Stiff Records) 1986 - US Dance #2
- "Iko Iko" (Stiff Records) 1989 - US #14, AUS #7, UK #98
Albums
- The Belle StarsThe Belle Stars (album)The Belle Stars is the only studio album by the all-female band of the same name released in 1983 .-Track listing:All songs by The Belle Stars unless noted.#"Sign of the Times" - 2:52#"Ci Ya Ya" - 2:40...
(Stiff Records) 1983 - UK # 15, AUS # 76 - The Very Best (Stiff Records) 1994
- 80's Romance: The Complete Belle Stars (Salvo) 2010