Dollar

In the United Kingdom, Dollar ranked among the most commercially dominant pop duos, moving more than 10 million records across a ten-year run. Thereza Bazar and David Van Day formed the act in 1978 after meeting as members of the cabaret troupe Guys 'n' Dolls, where the two had become romantically involved. Eager to match the freshness and drive of the new wave music then emerging across England, the couple left the group and began recording together as Dollar. Their opening single, “Shooting Star,” climbed straight to Number 14 on the British charts, and the album Shooting Stars appeared the following year. Still in 1979, their version of the Beatles’ “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” entered the U.K. Top Five. By 1980 Bazar and Van Day were engaged; they issued a second album, The Paris Collection, though it failed to equal the impact of their debut. The pair ended their romantic relationship in June 1981 yet kept performing as Dollar, bringing in producer Trevor Horn for the third album, The Dollar Album. The resulting singles “Hand Held in Black and White,” “Mirror Mirror,” and “Give Me Back My Heart” returned them to the British charts. After inconclusive solo attempts, Bazar and Van Day resumed releasing Dollar singles in 1986. A late-’80s cover of Erasure’s “O L’Amour” reached the Top Ten, but subsequent tracks stayed confined to dance-club audiences, and the duo disbanded. Van Day later tried other female singers before forming Bucks Fizz, while Bazar stepped away from music to raise her family.