Duffy, Stephen

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Contents 1 Information 2 Buy Duffy, Stephen Music on Ebay 3 Member of 4 Duffy, Stephen Biography

Information

Real Name/Full Name: Stephen Anthony James Duffy

Born On: May 30 1960

Genres: Rock

Buy Duffy, Stephen Music on Ebay

Member of

• Duran Duran
• Tin Tin
• Lilac Time, The
• Devils, The

Duffy, Stephen Biography

Stephen Anthony James Duffy, also known as Tin Tin (born 30 May 1960, Alum Rock, Birmingham) is a British songwriter, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist. He has recorded as a solo performer under several different names and is the lead singer for the group, The Lilac Time. He has also co-written many songs with Robbie Williams, and Steven Page of Barenaked Ladies.

Duran Duran and other early work

While attending the School of Foundation Studies & Experimental Workshop Birmingham Polytechnic (now Birmingham City University) he met guitarist and bassist John Taylor. Together they formed the New Romantic group Duran Duran, along with Taylor's non-student friend, Nick Rhodes. Duffy was the lyricist and vocalist, but left both the school and the band in 1979, well before Duran Duran's 1980 signing with EMI.

From there, he formed the band Obviously Five Believers, sometimes known as The Hawks, and made his first four-track recordings. Their only single, "Words of Hope," was released in 1981.

Tin Tin

In 1982, he created the band Tin Tin, with John Mulligan and Dik Davis (both formerly of Fashion), Andy "Stoker" Growcott (of Dexys Midnight Runners) and Bob Lamb (original producer of Birmingham band UB40). The band was signed with WEA Records in the UK, and released the song, "Kiss Me," which went to no. 155 on the UK chart. By 1983, Tin Tin had signed with Sire Records in the US, and "Kiss Me" hit the dance charts there as well. Another single, "Hold It," was also released in 1983, reaching number 55 in the UK.

After a long stint working in the US, Duffy returned to the UK and signed another deal, this time with Virgin 10, and worked on recording his first full album, The Ups and Downs (produced by Stephen Duffy, Booker T. Jones, J.J. Jeczalik, Nicholas Froome and Stephen Street), under the name Stephen "Tin Tin" Duffy. The album reached number 35 in the UK. A re-recorded "Kiss Me" single was released in 1984, this time only in the local West Midlands area, followed by a nationwide release of "She Makes Me Quiver".

At the end of 1984, Duffy recorded a third version of "Kiss Me" with Froome and Jeczalik. The new version of "Kiss Me" was released on 25 February 1985. It debuted at no. 22 and peaked at no. 4, selling 250,000 copies in three weeks and staying in the UK Top 10 for five weeks altogether. It was the last song played on the medium wave service of Radio 1 before it became an FM-only station, at 9 A.M. on 1 July 1994. The final single released from The Ups and Downs album was "Icing on the Cake", which peaked at no. 14 in June 1985.

"Unkiss That Kiss," released in September 1985, was the first single from the album Because We Love You, released in early 1986; additional singles from the album were "I Love You" and "Something Special" (the latter a collaboration with Sandii (of Sandii & the Sunsetz).

Duffy also recorded an album in 1986 called Designer Beatnik with Roger Freeman of Pigbag, released under the name Dr. Calculus. The album's two singles were "Programme 7" and "Perfume from Spain."

The Lilac Time

In 1986, Duffy began writing and recording music that would become The Lilac Time's first album, released on Swordfish Records. The album, entitled The Lilac Time, came out in November 1987, and was subsequently reissued in remixed form by Fontana on 8 February 1988.

The group originally consisted of Stephen Duffy, his elder brother Nick Duffy, and friend Michael Weston, who recorded the first album together; Michael Giri and Fraser Kent joined when the band was ready to go on tour.

In 1991, the band split up (temporarily, as it turned out) and Stephen Duffy subsequently pursued a solo career.

Solo

The 1993 Stephen Duffy album Music In Colors (Parlophone) was recorded with Nigel Kennedy, and featured the singles "Natalie" and "Holte End Hotel."

The next album was called simply Duffy, released August 1995 on Indolent Records. "London Girls" and "Sugar High" went to the top 10 on the UK indie chart, but "Needle Mythology" did not. ("Starfit" was also released as a single in the US.) The album was reissued on CD in 2000 by BMG Fun House.

He participated in a temporary supergroup called Me Me Me, consisting of Duffy, Alex James of Blur, Justin Welch of Elastica and Charlie Bloor. The one-off single, "Hanging Around," was released 5 August 1996, and reached Number 19 on the UK chart.

I Love My Friends was released by Cooking Vinyl Records, who also released the singles "17" and "You Are."

Virgin released a compilation album entitled They Called Him Tin Tin in 1999.

The Devils

In 1999, Duffy found a tape recording of 1978-1979 Duran Duran music in storage; shortly after, he had a chance meeting with Nick Rhodes, Duran Duran's keyboardist. Reminiscences led to a desire to collaborate, and they ended up re-recording the music on the tape. They did not change any of the lyrics, and used only late-70s-era instruments. The result was the quirky album Dark Circles, released under the name The Devils.

Return to The Lilac Time

Finally, Duffy reunited with former Lilac Time members Nick Duffy and Michael Giri, as well as new members Claire Worrall and Melvin Duffy (no relation), releasing Looking For A Day In The Night in 1999, and lilac6 in 2001. Compendium - The Fontana Trinity, a collection of tracks from their first three out-of-print albums, was also released in 2001.

The album Keep Going was released in 2003 under the name 'Stephen Duffy & The Lilac Time'.

In 2007 Stephen released a new album and limited edition (2000 copies) book called "Runout Groove" and held a few rare performances with the full Lilac Time ensemble, notably headlining the Greenman Festival.

In April 2008 Duffy and Worrall got married after several years together and moved to Cornwall.

In 2009 Douglas Arrowsmith releases his documentary Memory & Desire: 30 Years in the Wilderness with Stephen Duffy & the Lilac Time" about Stephen and the Lilac Time. It was filmed over six years and includes vintage Lilac footage, and will be accompanied by a Universal Records album of the same name, bringing together songs from Duffy's thirty years of music making.

Work with Robbie Williams & Steven Page

Duffy's songwriting ability earned him his first Number 1 in October 2004, as the co-writer of the Robbie Williams single "Radio," one of two new tracks recorded for Williams' Greatest Hits album.

In October 2005, Robbie Williams released the album Intensive Care, fully co-written and co-produced by Stephen Duffy. It gained him a great deal of exposure, critical acclaim and went on to sell way over 8 million copies becoming Williams' best selling studio album around the world. Duffy went on to work as the musical director for the Robbie Williams Close Encounters World Tour

In 1987 Duffy was contacted by Steven Page, then of the band Scary Movie Breakfast, and was impressed by his writing and demo tape. Duffy and Page began co-writing songs. Their work together produced popular Barenaked Ladies songs like "Jane", "Alcohol" and "Call and Answer" as well as material on Page's solo album "The Vanity Project".

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