Biography
David Steele, born 8 September 1960 in Cowes on the Isle of Wight, England, and previously the guitarist with the Beat and Fine Young Cannibals, teamed with New Orleans-born vocalist Jonte Short to launch Fried in 2001. Steele had first heard the ex-gospel singer at the New Orleans Jazz Festival and immediately saw her as the missing piece for a project he had been developing for more than five years. Short, who had been raising a family while performing in neighborhood jazz clubs, drew him in with the soulful shading of her untrained voice. They settled on the name Fried in tribute to traditional southern American cooking and tracked their debut album between New Orleans and London. Issued by the London label in 2004, the self-titled collection offered a retro soul and R&B framework that highlighted Short’s soaring vocals. Although the record earned strong notices on both sides of the Atlantic, it failed to connect with buyers. Refusing to quit, Steele and Short cut three additional songs, secured a contract with RCA Records, and saw the project reissued in summer 2007 under the new title Things Change.