Haysi Fantayzee

Haysi Fantayzee emerged as a quirky '80s pop act whose reputation rested chiefly on an eccentric thrift-shop aesthetic and the breakthrough debut single "John Wayne Is Big Leggy." Paul Caplin, previously of Animal Magnet, served as the ensemble’s guiding force by handling arrangement and production duties while remaining its sole competent instrumentalist. Vocalists Jeremiah Healy and Kate Garner commanded attention as the group’s visual centerpiece, their vivid outfits, prominent leggings, extended dreadlocks, and oversized headwear prompting charges that the look had been lifted from Boy George. Rounding out the lineup were bassist Alfie Agius, session violinist Bobby Valentino, saxophonist Simon Henry, and guitarist Kevin Byrd. Two earlier singles preceded the act’s only album, which climbed to number 11 on the British chart; Battle Hymns for Children Singing arrived in 1983 and moved units at a respectable clip without matching the opening hit’s momentum. The band dissolved soon afterward, after which Healy worked as a progressive trance DJ, Garner issued scattered solo material, and Agius became a member of the Fixx.