I-Ten

In the early 1980s the renowned pop songwriting partnership of Billy Steinberg on guitar and vocals alongside Tom Kelly on guitar, keyboards, and vocals launched the brief hard rock and AOR outfit i-Ten. At the time the pair had secured modest credits composing for other performers without yet securing widespread commercial breakthroughs. They recruited an array of veteran session musicians that encompassed Toto members Steve Lukather, Steve Porcaro, and David Paich, Journey drummer Mike Baird, Richard Page who later joined Mr. Mister, and further contributors. The sole i-Ten album, Taking a Cold Look, appeared in 1983 with Lukather and Keith Olsen sharing production duties. Although the record failed to generate any hit singles and most players resumed their regular session commitments, Honeymoon Suite later covered the title track while Heart carried the ballad "Alone" to the top of the charts in 1987. Steinberg and Kelly had by then become established pop hitmakers responsible for Madonna's "Like a Virgin," Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors," Whitney Houston's "So Emotional," and the Bangles' "Eternal Flame."