David & David

The California duo David Baerwald and David Ricketts, performing together as David + David, produced some of the strongest mainstream pop of the 1980s even though they issued only a single album. Their 1986 effort Boomtown balanced glossy production and sharp hooks that concealed stories of disillusionment and failed ambitions during the Reagan years. That same year the pair notched an unexpected success with the single "Welcome to the Boomtown," their lone track to appear on the charts. Baerwald launched a solo career in 1990 that drew consistent critical acclaim, while Ricketts has issued no further recordings since Boomtown.