Erasure biography
Erasure is an English synthpop duo, consisting of songwriter and keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell.
Erasure entered the music scene in 1985 with their debut single "Who Needs Love Like That". Following the release of their fourth single, "Sometimes", the duo established themselves on the British charts and became one of the most successful artists of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
From 1986 to 1997, Erasure achieved twenty-four consecutive Top 20 hits in the UK. By 2007, 34 of their 37 singles have made the UK Top 40, with 17 climbing into the Top 10. Labeled "the definitive synthpop superstars", the duo is most popular in their native Britain, but has also achieved great success in Europe, the US, Japan, and Latin America. To date, Erasure has sold over 25 million albums worldwide.
The band also enjoys popularity within the LGBT community, with openly gay Andy Bell regarded a gay icon.
History
Vince Clarke was a founding member of Depeche Mode and sole writer of their first three singles (including the breakthrough Top 10 hit "Just Can't Get Enough"). After leaving the band in 1981, Clarke forged an equally successful career with the duo Yazoo (known as
Yaz in the U.S.). After two hit albums in as many years, he split with Yazoo partner Alison Moyet and briefly formed The Assembly with producer Eric Radcliffe. The project spawned a UK number four hit single, "Never Never," featuring Feargal Sharkey on vocals. Clarke then released another single with vocalist Paul Quinn, "One Day." It flopped, leading Clarke to place an advertisement in
Melody Maker looking for a vocalist for a new musical project. He selected Andy Bell, who was the 36th to audition (and whose voice would often be compared to Moyet's).
Erasure's first three singles were commercial failures in the UK, although the third, "Oh L'amour", charted well in Australia and some European countries (especially in France, where it still remains Erasure's only hit to date). It was with the release of their fourth single, "Sometimes", that Erasure finally received recognition in the UK in late 1986. This song peaked at number 2 and spent many weeks in the UK Top 40, marking the beginning of a long string of hits for the duo.
« previous 1 2 3 4 next » 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.