The band General Public formed after the 1983
break-up of The Beat (known as The
English Beat in North America). Ex-Beat vocalists Dave
Wakeling and Ranking Roger joined up with
keyboardist Mickey Billingham (Dexys Midnight Runners),
bassist Horace Panter (The
Specials) and drummer Stoker
(Dexys Midnight Runners/The
Bureau) to form the new band. Guitarist Mick Jones of The
Clash was also originally announced as a band member.
General Public
General Public signed to I.R.S. Records and released All
the Rage (1984). However, by the time the album was
released, Jones was no longer a member of General Public, although he
did play guitar on the majority of the album's tracks. Kevin White (who
also played on the album) was now the group's official guitarist and
sixth member.
In Britain, General Public had a minor hit with the eponymous
track called "General Public", which reached # 60. The band fared
better in North America, where their second single "Tenderness"
was a top 40 hit in the US and Canada, reaching #27 on the U.S. charts,
thanks in part to heavy play from MTV and Los Angeles-based modern rock station KROQ. (Ironically, The
Beat never had any top 40 hits in North America (Chart info cited from:
The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, Billboard Books (2004).
For the follow-up album, White and Stoker were replaced by
brothers Gianni and Mario Minardi on guitar and drums, respectively.
Unfortunately, despite featuring a track from the soundtrack to Weird
Science, Hand to Mouth (1986)
was significantly less successful than the debut album, and the band
soon split up.
Roger and Wakeling worked on various solo projects for the
next few years, before reuniting in 1994 to perform a cover of The
Staple Singers hit "I'll Take You There" for the Threesome
soundtrack.
The song, credited to General Public, was a surprise top 40 hit in the
US and Canada, and a minor hit (#73) in the UK.
The duo (now the only members of General Public) stayed
together to release the album Rub It Better
in 1995,
recorded with the aid of producer Jerry Harrison. But sales were
dismal, and Roger was tired of the grind of touring, so they soon broke
up again.
Beginning in 2000, Dave Wakeling began calling his
backing band alternately either General Public or The English Beat. He
then toured (mostly in North America) as either "The English Beat
featuring Dave Wakeling" or
"Dave Wakeling & General Public". Aside from Wakeling, this new
backing band featured no original members of The (English) Beat or
General Public, although reportedly Ranking Roger and other Beat
members turned up as guest performers at a handful of shows.
Wakeling and Roger reunited again in 2005
when The Beat officially reformed.
Filmography
See also
- List
of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List
of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
