Genre New wave | Years active 1984–1986 | |
Past members Paul KingMick RobertsAnthony "Tony" WallJim "Jackal" Lantsbery | ||
King were a British new wave band started in 1984. The band achieved chart success in 1985, and are best known for their hit single "Love & Pride", which reached number 2 in the UK. The band had two Top 20 albums (both certified Gold) and five Top 30 singles in the space of a year.
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The band's name comes from the surname of lead singer Paul King.
Overview
The band was formed from the remnants of Coventry rock-ska band The Reluctant Stereotypes along with producer Paul Sampson. After The Reluctant Stereotypes, singer Paul King formed The Raw Screens, who perfected their act and style to what Paul King and his manager Perry Haines called "Multi Tone", a reference to "Two Tone", and then, in 1983, relaunched the group as self-named band King.
As lead singer, Paul King wore a 'cockatoo' haircut and spray-painted Doc Marten's Boots - a look described "like the Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang." The band released two UK Top 20 albums on CBS, both produced and mixed by Richard James Burgess, who also played drums on most of the debut album Steps in Time (the second LP, Bitter Sweet, saw Adrian Lillywhite on drums). Both albums were certified gold and produced five hit singles, the most successful being the UK No. 2 hit, "Love & Pride".
Despite a year of success, the band split up in 1986. In 1987 Paul King released a solo album entitled Joy, produced by American producer Dan Hartman. After that, he briefly worked as a VJ for MTV. From 1988 to the present, though, his TV appearances have become increasingly infrequent.
In 1998, a compilation album was released, entitled The Best of King - Love & Pride, with 18 tracks, featuring the band's greatest hits and stand-out tracks, including Paul King's one minor solo hit, "I Know".
The only single of the band's to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100 was "Love & Pride", which peaked at No. 55 in September 1985.