Cutting Crew

In 1985 the pop/rock ensemble Cutting Crew assembled in England, positioning itself for rapid ascent when the single “(I Just) Died in Your Arms” turned the act into a transatlantic success the following year. Guitarist Kevin Scott MacMichael and vocalist Nick Van Eede first connected in Halifax, Nova Scotia, while each was traveling with his own band; the meeting led MacMichael to relocate to England, where the two began writing and recording together at once. After Siren Records signed the project on the basis of early demos, the lineup expanded in 1986 to include bassist Colin Farley and drummer Martin Beadle, enabling the quartet to enter the studio that same year. Although the timeline moved swiftly, the members were already seasoned: Van Eede had circled the globe with his Sussex band the Drivers, MacMichael had served as guitarist for Fast Forward, Beadle had played with Hull, and Farley had logged countless session hours for numerous artists.

The debut album Broadcast arrived in 1986. Critics offered mixed reactions overall, yet the synth-laden track “(I Just) Died in Your Arms” drew unanimous praise and became a major hit, reaching the top of the Billboard singles chart in the United States while enjoying comparable success in the U.K. “One for the Mockingbird” and “I’ve Been in Love Before” also received substantial radio exposure, prompting the group to launch a worldwide tour that featured opening slots for the Bangles, Starship, and Huey Lewis & the News.

The Scattering, the band’s second album, appeared in 1989. A third long-player, Compus Mentus, surfaced in 1992 but failed to restore momentum, and Cutting Crew disbanded the next year. MacMichael subsequently contributed to Robert Plant’s 1993 solo album Fate of Nations, while Van Eede later revived Cutting Crew with an entirely new lineup and released Grinning Souls in 2006.