Stephen Duffy

Stephen Duffy could have been the <a href="spotify:artist:41ZUI3a7yx5P3nfzkUZlDr">Pete Best</a> of the '80s. Just as <a href="spotify:artist:41ZUI3a7yx5P3nfzkUZlDr">Best</a> was no longer a member of <a href="spotify:artist:3WrFJ7ztbogyGnTHbHJFl2">the Beatles</a> when the Fab Four became household names, <a href="spotify:artist:37NqXwtb6nIEqRt4EJSoIO">Duffy</a> departed from <a href="spotify:artist:0lZoBs4Pzo7R89JM9lxwoT">Duran Duran</a> before that group exploded on MTV. However, <a href="spotify:artist:37NqXwtb6nIEqRt4EJSoIO">Duffy</a> was able to carve an audience for himself, releasing numerous albums that ventured into various forms of pop music. In 1978, <a href="spotify:artist:37NqXwtb6nIEqRt4EJSoIO">Duffy</a> formed <a href="spotify:artist:0lZoBs4Pzo7R89JM9lxwoT">Duran Duran</a> with John Taylor (guitar) and <a href="spotify:artist:64d5sXMEazhDXh9vFp1C92">Nick Rhodes</a> (keyboards) in Birmingham, England; <a href="spotify:artist:37NqXwtb6nIEqRt4EJSoIO">Duffy</a> sang and played bass. A year later, <a href="spotify:artist:37NqXwtb6nIEqRt4EJSoIO">Duffy</a> left the band for a solo career. While <a href="spotify:artist:0lZoBs4Pzo7R89JM9lxwoT">Duran Duran</a> conquered the charts in England and America, <a href="spotify:artist:37NqXwtb6nIEqRt4EJSoIO">Duffy</a> started writing songs. In 1982, <a href="spotify:artist:37NqXwtb6nIEqRt4EJSoIO">Duffy</a> collaborated with other musicians as <a href="spotify:artist:3hn8qZA78Q0t3sd2tTznML">Tin Tin</a>. <a href="spotify:artist:37NqXwtb6nIEqRt4EJSoIO">Duffy</a>'s first single with <a href="spotify:artist:3hn8qZA78Q0t3sd2tTznML">Tin Tin</a>, "Kiss Me," was only a minor hit in England, peaking at No. 155 on the chart. In America, though, "Kiss Me" became a club favorite and a staple on alternative radio stations. In 1984, <a href="spotify:artist:37NqXwtb6nIEqRt4EJSoIO">Duffy</a> released his first album, The Ups and Downs, on Virgin 10 Records in the U.K. While much of <a href="spotify:artist:37NqXwtb6nIEqRt4EJSoIO">Duffy</a>'s earlier work embraced the wistful synth-pop of <a href="spotify:artist:6aq8T2RcspxVOGgMrTzjWc">Soft Cell</a>, he explored British folk rock and jangle pop when he helped create <a href="spotify:artist:1cMcFL2NdeUDYg0OtD1GeA">the Lilac Time</a> in 1987. In 1988, <a href="spotify:artist:1cMcFL2NdeUDYg0OtD1GeA">the Lilac Time</a> signed with Mercury Records in the U.S. and released their self-titled debut LP. The Lilac Time attracted a college radio following and produced a few albums before breaking up in 1991. <a href="spotify:artist:37NqXwtb6nIEqRt4EJSoIO">Duffy</a> released a solo effort in 1998 called I Love My Friends and a year later he recorded Looking for the Day in Night with <a href="spotify:artist:1cMcFL2NdeUDYg0OtD1GeA">the Lilac Time</a>. ~ Michael Sutton, Rovi