Paul Young

Paul Antony Young (born 17 January 1956) is an English musician, singer and songwriter.

In the late 1970s, he joined Streetband, who had one top 20 hit in the UK, with the humorous, novelty track "Toast".

In December 1979, Streetband disbanded.

The ex-Streetbanders added new recruits Dave Lathwell on guitar and Baz Watts on drums and became Q-Tips.

In addition, a four piece brass section was created.

Q-Tips's first rehearsals took place in November 1979.

Their first concert was on 18 November 1979 at the Queens Arms Hotel in Harrow.

This gig was followed by another at the Horn of Plenty in St Albans.

Formerly the frontman of the short-lived bands Kat Kool & the Kool Cats, Streetband and Q-Tips, he became a teen idol with his solo success in the 1980s.

His hit singles include "Love of the Common People", "Wherever I Lay My Hat", "Come Back and Stay", "Every Time You Go Away" and "Everything Must Change", all reaching the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart.

By 1 April 1980, the band had recorded two tracks, "SYSLJFM (The Letter Song)", and "Having a Party", both recorded at the Livingstone Studios in Barnet.

In August 1980, the British music magazine NME reported that Q-Tips had released their debut, eponymous album.

The band toured with After the Fire and supported the Who on their 12-date UK tour in 1980.

Constant touring and concert appearances had built a strong fan base by mid-1981.

The professionalism of the band had attracted the attention of several record labels, with the late Mickie Most (RAK Records) confirming on BBC Radio 1's Round Table programme that Q-Tips "...are easily the best live band working at the moment".

Q-Tips appeared on BBC Television's In Concert, Rock Goes to College and The Old Grey Whistle Test in the latter part of 1981.

Q-Tips also opened for the J. Geils Band, the Knack, Thin Lizzy, Bob Marley and the Average White Band.

In 1981, Q-Tips played the Montreux Jazz Festival.

With poor record sales after the release of two albums and seven singles, Q-Tips broke up in early 1982 when Young signed a solo recording contract with CBS.

Released in 1983, his debut album, No Parlez, was the first of three UK number-one albums.

Young's smooth yet soulful voice belongs to a genre known as "blue-eyed soul".

His first two singles, "Iron Out the Rough Spots" and a cover of "Love of the Common People", had no success, but the third, a cover of the Marvin Gaye song "Wherever I Lay My Hat", reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in the summer of 1983.

It was the first of Young's 14 British Top 40 singles.

Similar success followed all over Europe.

In the UK, follow-up single "Come Back and Stay" reached No. 4, and a re-release of "Love of the Common People" made it to No. 2 and even received radio airplay in the United States (thanks to its soundtrack inclusion in John Hughes's film Sixteen Candles), and his debut album No Parlez was certified platinum in various countries.

Performing on the 1984 charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" which included singing the opening lines, Young played Live Aid held at Wembley Stadium, London in July 1985.

The year 1984 was difficult for Young.

His first heavy promotional and live concert tour of America strained his vocal cords to the extent that he was forced to rest his voice and did not sing for much of the year.

He recovered sufficiently to become involved with the Band Aid single "Do They Know It's Christmas?", an all-star charity project put together by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure for Ethiopian famine relief.

Young sang the opening lines of the song as a replacement for David Bowie.

He won a Brit Award for Best British Male in 1985, and his hit "Every Time You Go Away" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and won Best British Video at the 1986 Brit Awards.

He sang the Crowded House track "Don't Dream It's Over" at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute in 1988.

Since the mid-1990s, Young has performed with the band Los Pacaminos.

Paul Young was born in Luton, Bedfordshire, England, the middle child of three.

The first group for which Young became lead singer was Kat Kool & the Kool Kats.

In 1992, he sang "Radio Ga Ga" with the surviving members of Queen at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert.

Young briefly teamed up again with Q-Tips for a reunion tour in 1993.

Young was signed by Columbia Records as a solo performer.

Together with ex-Q-Tips member Ian Kewley, Young began writing and recording songs for his debut album, the breakthrough No Parlez.

Young's new backing band, The Royal Family, included keyboardist Kewley, fretless bass player Pino Palladino, guitarist Steve Bolton, drummer Mark Pinder, and backing singers Maz Roberts and Kim Leslie a.k.a. The Fabulous Wealthy Tarts.