Tony Hadley in 2006
Tony Hadley (right) performing with Martin Fry in 2005
Tony Hadley (born Anthony Patrick Hadley, 2 June 1960, Islington, London) is an English pop singer who fronted
the 1980s New
Romantic band Spandau
Ballet.
The group disbanded in 1989, after their final studio
album, Heart
Like a Sky, failed to live up to the critical and commercial
success of their earlier albums, such as True.
As a matter of fact Heart Like A Sky was not even released in the
United States. In April 1999 Hadley, along with fellow band members Steve
Norman and John Keeble failed in their
attempt to sue Gary Kemp for a share of his royalties,
as the band's principal songwriter.
After Spandau Ballet disbanded, Hadley pursued a solo
career with considerably less success, signing to EMI and recording his first
album The State of Play. After leaving EMI, Hadley
formed his own record company SlipStream Records and his first release
was to be the single "Build Me up" from the film When Saturday Comes.
Shortly after that, in December 1996 Hadley embarked on an orchestral tour of Europe along with Joe
Cocker, Paul Michiels, Dani Klein and Guo Yue,
playing to 500,000 people in six weeks.
On his return from that tour, Hadley signed a joint deal with PolyGram TV
and released his next solo album which included covers
and songs
that were chosen to match his voice. The album also featured some of
his own self penned songs such as "She", the song that Hadley wrote for
his daughter, Toni. He is the father of four children: Thomas, Toni and
Mackenzie by his wife, Leonie, and Zara (born 21 December 2006) by his
girlfriend, Alison Evers. Hadley split from Leonie in 2003 after twenty
years of marriage.
To plug the gap between studio albums, Hadley also released a live album
recorded in just one night at the club Ronnie
Scott's in Birmingham, called Obsession.
He also collaborated in the past and present with various
dance acts and DJs such as Tin
Tin Out, Eddie Lock, Marc et Claude, Reggie Penxton (Milk Inc.)
and the Disco Bros., and played alongside musicians such
as Alice
Cooper, Paul
Young, Jon Anderson, and Brian
May. Hadley's permanent band line up features John Keeble (drums), Phil Taylor (keyboards),
Phil Williams (bass guitar), Richie Barrett (guitar), and Angie
Grant on backing vocals.
Hadley was also the subject of some newfound respect in the 2000s, rooted in an
"ironic" appreciation for his old group Spandau Ballet; John
Darnielle of the indie folk rock group The
Mountain Goats wrote about his admiration for Hadley's vocal strengths.
In 2003, Hadley was the winner of the ITV reality
television series, Reborn in the USA
appearing alongside Elkie Brooks, Peter Cox
and Leee
John.
Hadley recently had a busy performing schedule and recently
toured with both Peter Cox (Go West) and Martin Fry
(ABC).
He released a jazz-swing
album in 2006, and travelled on a "by request" tour from March to May
2006. This was followed by a big band tour in late the same year.
In January 2007 Hadley performed in the West End musical "Chicago"
as crooked lawyer Billy Flynn at the Cambridge
Theatre. Hadley took over from ex-Emmerdale actor Ian Kelsey, and featured from 29 January
to 14 April 2007. He said: "Three months was long enough, I didn't want
to out stay my welcome.I got a phone call offering me the part. I went
to see the show, which I thought was great. While I was in it I got
great reviews.Chicago tied in with my swing album 'Passing Strangers',
so the whole thing worked well."
Hadley stated on the television show Loose
Women (22 February 2007) that he is 6'4" and 17
and a half stone..
He has a new role as radio presenter with Virgin Radio, taking over
from Suggs
in August 2007.
Reference
-
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2007000789,00.html
