Neil Tennant

The <a href="spotify:artist:2ycnb8Er79LoH2AsR5ldjh">Pet Shop Boys</a> -- vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe -- navigated the constantly shifting landscape of modern dance-pop with rare grace and intelligence, moving easily from disco to house to techno with their own distinctive image remaining completely intact. Satiric and irreverent -- yet somehow strangely affecting -- the British duo transcended the seeming disposability of their craft, offering wry and thoughtful cultural commentary communicated by the Morse code of au courant synth washes and drum-machine rhythms. Tennant was born July 10, 1954, in North Shields, England, as a teen pursuing an interest in theater before fronting the little-known band Dust. He later served as an editor at Marvel Comics before earning notoriety as a journalist for Smash Hits magazine. Tennant co-founded <a href="spotify:artist:2ycnb8Er79LoH2AsR5ldjh">Pet Shop Boys</a> in London in August 1981 after first meeting Lowe at an electronics shop; discovering a shared passion for dance music and synthesizers, they immediately decided to start a band. The duo's career first took flight in 1983 when Tennant met producer <a href="spotify:artist:3fgjWC4A04tkp22JrGpPBe">Bobby "O" Orlando</a> while on a writing assignment. <a href="spotify:artist:3fgjWC4A04tkp22JrGpPBe">Orlando</a> produced their first single, 1984's "West End Girls"; the song was a minor hit in the U.S. but went nowhere in Britain and its follow-up, "One More Chance," was also unsuccessful. Upon signing to EMI, the <a href="spotify:artist:2ycnb8Er79LoH2AsR5ldjh">Pet Shop Boys</a> issued 1985's biting "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)"; when it too failed to attract attention, the duo's future appeared grim, but they then released an evocative new <a href="spotify:artist:1PNOAWuRRAfd7MTaFzE5Ae">Stephen Hague</a> production of "West End Girls," which became an international chart-topper. Its massive success propelled the <a href="spotify:artist:2ycnb8Er79LoH2AsR5ldjh">Pet Shop Boys</a>' 1986 debut LP Please into the Top Ten and when "Opportunities" was subsequently reissued, it too became a hit. In 1987, the duo resurfaced with the superb Actually, which launched three more Top Ten smashes: "It's a Sin," a lovely cover of the perennial "Always on My Mind," and "What Have I Done to Deserve This?," a duet between Tennant and the great <a href="spotify:artist:5zaXYwewAXedKNCff45U5l">Dusty Springfield</a>. A year later, <a href="spotify:artist:2ycnb8Er79LoH2AsR5ldjh">Pet Shop Boys</a> issued their third studio LP, the eclectic Introspective; the single "Domino Dancing" was their final Top 40 hit in the U.S. The duo next collaborated with a variety of performers, most notably <a href="spotify:artist:3lQpSzdPxoF1FYk7ilbe37">Liza Minnelli</a>, for whom they produced the 1989 LP Results. They also produced material for <a href="spotify:artist:5zaXYwewAXedKNCff45U5l">Springfield</a>, and Tennant joined <a href="spotify:artist:0yNLKJebCb8Aueb54LYya3">New Order</a> frontman <a href="spotify:artist:0JLWCJW5fXlpK5FujWv1N3">Bernard Sumner</a> and ex-<a href="spotify:artist:3yY2gUcIsjMr8hjo51PoJ8">Smiths</a> guitarist <a href="spotify:artist:2bA2YuQk2ID3PWNXUhQrWS">Johnny Marr</a> in the group <a href="spotify:artist:3xYNGCooNIzKMAtJYKSOyq">Electronic</a>, scoring a hit with the single "Getting Away With It." The <a href="spotify:artist:2ycnb8Er79LoH2AsR5ldjh">Pet Shop Boys</a> reconvened in 1990 for the muted, downcast Behavior, while 1991 saw the release of their hit medley of <a href="spotify:artist:51Blml2LZPmy7TTiAg47vQ">U2</a>'s "Where the Streets Have No Name" and <a href="spotify:artist:3CDKmzJu6uwEGnPLLZffpD">Frankie Valli</a>'s "Can't Take My Eyes Off You." It was followed in 1993 by Very, lauded among the duo's finest efforts to date. After a three-year absence, the <a href="spotify:artist:2ycnb8Er79LoH2AsR5ldjh">Pet Shop Boys</a> resurfaced with Bilingual, a fluid expansion into Latin rhythms; Nightlife followed in 1999. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi