Duran Duran

Duran Duran biography

Duran Duran are an English rock band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States. Since the 1980s, they have placed 14 singles in the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart and 21 in the Billboard Hot 100, and according to the Sunday Mercury, they have sold more than 100 million records.

While they were generally considered part of the New Romantic scene along with bands such as Spandau Ballet when they first emerged, they later shed this image. The band worked with fashion designers to build a sharp and elegant image that earned them the nickname "the prettiest boys in rock." The band has won a number of awards throughout their career, including two Grammy Awards, two Brit Awards-receiving the award for Outstanding Contribution to Music, an MTV Video Music Award-the Lifetime Achievement Award, and were awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The band's controversial videos, which included partial nudity and suggestions of sexuality, became popular in the early 1980s on the then-new music video channel MTV. Duran Duran were among the first bands to have their videos shot by professional directors with 35 mm film movie cameras, which gave their videos a much more polished look. In 1984, the band were early innovators with video technology in their live stadium shows.

The group was formed by Nick Rhodes and John Taylor, with the later addition of Roger Taylor, and after numerous personnel changes, Andy Taylor and Simon Le Bon.

The group has never disbanded, but the line-up has changed to include American guitarist Warren Cuccurullo from 1986 to 2001 and American drummer Sterling Campbell from 1987 to 1991, both from New York City. The reunion of the "original" five members in 2001 created a major stir among the band's fans and the music media. Andy Taylor left the band once again in mid-2006, and London guitarist Dom Brown has since been working with the band as a session player and touring member.

1978-1980: Formation and early years

John Taylor and Nick Rhodes formed Duran Duran in Birmingham in 1978, where they would become the resident band at the city's Rum Runner nightclub. At the club they were doing jobs such as John working the door and with Nick deejaying for £10 a night. They began rehearsing and regularly playing at the venue. There were many nearby nightclubs, and the one "significant" one, where bands such as The Sex Pistols and The Clash played gigs, was called Barbarella's. They would go on to name the band after the villain from Barbarella, Roger Vadim's French science-fiction film. The villain, played by Milo O'Shea, is named "Dr. Durand Durand".

The band's first singer was Stephen Duffy. Simon Colley soon joined Taylor, Rhodes and Duffy. Colley was the band's original bass player, as John Taylor was the guitarist at this point. This was the first complete line-up of the band that played live shows. For drums and percussion, an electronic drum machine belonging to Rhodes was used. Colley left the band prior to the addition of Andy Taylor. A few guitarists were subsequently auditioned (for the most part, unsuccessfully) as well as handful of vocalists after Duffy left Duran Duran early in 1979. Among the handful of vocalists they had prior to Simon Le Bon was Andy Wickett, who had a major part in the writing of "Girls on Film" during his tenure with the band, according to Andy Taylor's autobiography. (Wickett is also featured on some of the demos that were presented to EMI.) According to both Wickett's and John Taylor's websites, Wickett co-wrote an early version of the song that came to be known as "Rio". Upon Colley and Wickett's departures, the band enlisted singer Jeff Thomas and guitarist Alan Curtis, each for only a relatively brief period, before finally settling on Andy Taylor for lead guitar and Le Bon for vocals in 1980.

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