Judie Tzuke

Judie Tzuke biography

Judie Tzuke (born Judie Myers, 3 April 1956 in London) is an English singer/songwriter. She is most well known for her 1979 hit "Stay With Me Till Dawn", which reached no.16 on the UK Singles Chart.

Life and Career

Early life

Tzuke's family relocated from Poland to England in the 1920s, and changed their surname from Tzuke to Myers. Her mother, Jean Silverside, was a television actress, and her father, Sefton Myers, was a successful property developer who also managed artists and singers—most notably Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice during the writing of Jesus Christ Superstar. When Tzuke embarked on her singing career, she decided to reclaim the family's Polish name as her stage name.

Educated in the visual arts, performing arts, and music, Tzuke performed in folk clubs from the age of 15. Her meeting with Mike Paxman in 1975 was a turning point and they began to collaborate. Under the name Tzuke & Paxo, they eventually secured a recording contract and the duo released a single, "These are the Laws", which was produced by Tony Visconti.

Early success

Tzuke's career as a solo artist began in 1977, when she signed to Elton John's label Rocket Records. Her first single was on Rocket, "For You", was released in 1978. However, her first major success, "Stay with Me till Dawn", was released in 1979. The track, which was co-written by Tzuke with Mike Paxman, became a Top 20 hit in the UK in the summer of 1979 and a #1 hit in Australia and was featured on Tzuke's 1979 debut album, Welcome to the Cruise, which was also a Top 20 hit. In 2002, "Stay With Me Till Dawn" was chosen by the British public in a poll of the 50 Best British Songs 1952-2002 (ranking at number 39). The song was also sampled by Mylo in the song "Need You Tonite", which is taken from his 2004 album Destroy Rock & Roll.

Tzuke's second album, Sportscar (1980), charted higher than her debut album (reaching no.7 in the UK), but did not contain any hit singles. Both albums were certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry in 1981. Tzuke became Elton John's support act for his North American tour, and went on to release one more album on Rocket, I Am the Phoenix (1981), which also made the UK Top 20.

1982 - 1995

In 1982, Tzuke signed to Chrysalis Records and released her fourth album, Shoot The Moon. Although the album reached the UK Top 20, it was Tzuke's last album to do so. Three singles were taken from the album (including a 7" picture disc release for "I'm Not A Loser"), but none were chart hits. Tzuke completed a 57 date tour of the UK, culminating as the headline act at that year's Glastonbury Festival. The performance was recorded for a TV special by ITV. Several performances from the tour were recorded and released at the end of 1982 as a double album, Road Noise: The Official Bootleg.

In 1983, Rocket Records issued a compilation album, The Best of Judie Tzuke, and released the track "Black Furs" as a single (the original version of which was on Tzuke's 1981 album I Am The Phoenix). September 1983 saw the release of Tzuke's fifth studio album, Ritmo (italian for "rhythm"). The album was somewhat a departure from her previous work with a much more electronic feel. The single "Jeannie No" preceded the album and gained radio airplay but did not chart. An edit and extended remix of the track were issued on 7" and 12" single formats (Tzuke's first). The subsequent single "How Do I Feel?" did not fare any better, and the album itself peaked at no.26 in the UK. Neither the album or singles were released internationally. During autumn 1983, Tzuke toured a series of larger (but fewer) venues.

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