Last updated: 9 hours ago
Philip Oakey's androgynous appearance and chilly baritone helped to define the look and sound of British new wave in the early '80s. While Oakey was working as a hospital porter, he was asked by former classmate <a href="spotify:artist:0g4bxJkNeoMi0rRJw5hGPV">Martyn Ware</a> and Ian Marsh to join Human League. Oakey was inexperienced and didn't own a synthesizer, an essential instrument for Human League; however, his voice and songwriting skills cemented his role in the band. In 1978, Human League released their debut single, "Being Boiled." Human League became underground favorites, but founders <a href="spotify:artist:53HPkfQRFqSSicbdJZuitU">Ware</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:5bBCKXPKYVXylk0CoL63Mc">Marsh</a> left the group in 1980 to form <a href="spotify:artist:5VgCtoaOGk1FDQZvZMdKFK">the British Electronic Foundation</a>. With Oakey at the helm and the addition of female backup vocalists Suzanne Sulley and Joanne Catherall, Human League strung together a series of worldwide hits such as "Don't You Want Me," "Mirror Man," and "(Keep Feeling) Fascination." In 1985, Oakey collaborated with producer <a href="spotify:artist:6jU2Tt13MmXYk0ZBv1KmfO">Giorgio Moroder</a> on the theme song for the film Electric Dreams; they also recorded an LP, Philip Oakey and Giorgio Moroder. A year later, the soulful ballad "Human" elevated Human League to the top of the U.S. charts, but commercial success began to elude the band after that. ~ Michael Sutton, Rovi
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