King

King biography

King were a British New Wave pop band of the mid 1980s, from Coventry. Their name comes from the surname of lead singer Paul King. The band recorded two albums for CBS Records (now Sony Music Entertainment); both were produced by Richard James Burgess and certified gold.

Overview

The band was formed from the remnants of Clitheroe rock-ska band The Reluctant Stereotypes plus producer Paul Sampson. Riding on the back of the Two Tone wave, they had two UK Top 10 albums on CBS,

After the Reluctant Stereotypes, singer Paul King formed The Raw Screens, who perfected their act and style to what Paul and his manager Perry Haines called "Multi Tone", a reference to "Two Tone", and then, in 1983, relaunched the group as self-named 1980s band, King.

As lead singer, Paul King wore a 'cockatoo' haircut and spray-painted Doc Marten's Boots - a look described "like the Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. But, hell, the girls loved him;" while Burgess produced and drummed on most of the album tracks.

The band released two UK Top 10 albums on CBS, both produced and mixed by Burgess, who also played drums on most of the debut work Steps in Time (the second LP, which was entitled Bitter Sweet, saw instead Adrian Lillywhite on drums). The CBS albums were both certified gold and produced five hit singles, the most successful being the UK #2 hit, "Love & Pride".

King as a band lasted just a couple of years, from 1984 to 1986, then Paul King went solo with an album titled Joy, produced by American producer Dan Hartman. After that, he briefly worked as a VJ for MTV. From 1988 to the present, though, his TV appearances have become increasingly infrequent.

In 1998, a collection was released, entitled The Best of King - Love & Pride, with 18 tracks, featuring the band's greatest hits and stand-out tracks, including Paul King's one minor solo hit, "I Know".

The only single of the band's to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US was "Love & Pride", which peaked at #55 in September 1985.

Line-up

• Paul King: vocals
• Mick Roberts: keyboards
• Anthony "Tony" Wall: bass guitar
• Jim "Jackal" Lantsbery: guitar
• John Hewitt / Adrian Lillywhite: drums

Albums

• Steps in Time (1984) - King - UK #6
• Bitter Sweet (1985) - King - UK #16
• Joy (1987) - Paul King solo
• The Best of King - Love & Pride (1998) - King & Paul King collection

#"Love & Pride" (3:20)

1. "Don't Stop" (3:29)
2. "Won't You Hold My Hand Now" (3:12)
3. "Fish" (5:12)
4. "Trouble" (4:02)
5. "Soul on My Boots" (3:37)
6. "I Kissed the Spikey Fridge" (4:05)
7. "Alone without You" (3:34)
8. "Crazy Party" (3:25) B-Side of 'The Taste Of Your Tears'
9. "The Taste of Your Tears" (4:03)
10. "I Cringed, I Died, I Felt Hot" (4:56)
11. "These Things" (2:29)
12. "Torture" (3:37)
13. "Groovin' with the Kings" (Dub Mix of 'Torture') Also B-Side of 'Torture' (3:30)
14. "I Know" Paul King solo (3:37)
15. "Love & Pride (Body & Soul Mix)" (5:28)
16. "Won't You Hold My Hand Now (Heavy Times Mix)" (7:50)
17. "The Taste of Your Tears (Breaker Heart Mix)" (6:24)

References

---

Biography from , the free encyclopedia.
It may not have been reviewed by a professional editor, and recent changes may not show up straight away. See the latest version of this article. Used under licence. Subject to disclaimers.