Jules Shear

Possessing a knack for memorable tunes and words that alternate between clever, sharp, and bleak, Jules Shear has built a devoted niche audience through his own recordings while earning wider notice by writing successful tracks for other performers. His composition “All Through the Night” achieved major success when recorded by Cyndi Lauper, “If She Knew What She Wants” appeared on the charts in a Bangles version, and Alison Moyet reached the U.K. Top 20 with her cover of “Whispering Her Name.” Although Shear’s own renditions often highlight the emotional nuances of his material and his reedy voice carries an edge that many cover artists lack, he conveys yearning, envy, empathy, and acceptance with restraint, delivering lyrics with perception and intelligence equal to any reinterpretation. His 1983 solo debut Watch Dog offered a strong collection of clever, literary pop, 1992’s The Great Puzzle contained several of his strongest songs, 2006’s Dreams Don’t Count presented a somber yet forceful series of personal reflections on broken relationships, and 2020’s Slower formed a restrained yet engaging sequence exploring aging.

Born March 7, 1952, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Jules Shear began composing songs during his teenage years. While enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh he joined the Pitt Glee Club and helped establish an acoustic offshoot called Wooden Music. Already performing original material with that ensemble, he departed after three years and moved to Los Angeles seeking a professional career. There he joined fellow singer/songwriters Jack Tempchin and Richard Stekol to form the Funky Kings. Arista released the group’s self-titled debut album in 1976. Despite the country-tinged folk-rock style that belied their name, promotion proved difficult, and although a second album was recorded Arista declined to issue it, leading to the band’s dissolution. Shear next formed the more upbeat and eclectic pop/rock outfit Jules and the Polar Bears. Their 1978 debut Got No Breeding earned strong critical praise despite modest sales; the follow-up, 1979’s Phonetics (also known as Fenêtîks, with the title and liner notes rendered phonetically on the cover), produced a minor hit with “Good Feeling,” though commercial results remained limited. Like their predecessors, Jules and the Polar Bears completed another album that the label shelved, though Bad for Business eventually surfaced in 1996. After being dropped, the group disbanded; keyboardist Stephen Hague later enjoyed success as a producer.

Turning to a solo path after the Polar Bears split, Shear signed with EMI-America Records. Todd Rundgren produced his 1983 solo debut Watch Dog; like the earlier band releases, it appealed more to critics than buyers, yet it featured his own versions of “All Through the Night” and “Whispering Your Name.” The 1984 EP Jules contained the dance track “When Love Surges,” while 1985’s The Eternal Return included “Steady,” a collaboration with Cyndi Lauper that became Shear’s biggest single, reaching number 48 on the U.S. charts. The Eternal Return ended his EMI tenure, but the Bangles’ 1986 breakthrough Different Light featured their rendition of “If She Knew What She Wants,” which reached the Top 30. That same year Enigma issued Demo-Itis, presenting Shear’s original demo of the song alongside work tapes of twelve additional tracks, most previously unreleased. Guitarist Elliot Easton, who had contributed to Watch Dog, formed the Reckless Sleepers with Shear; although Easton later withdrew, the band secured a deal with I.R.S. Records, and with Jimmy Vivino on guitar they released Big Boss Sounds in 1988. The project yielded only that one album. Shear’s next release was the solo album The Third Party, issued by I.R.S. in 1989. Also in 1989 MTV launched Unplugged, with Shear hosting its initial thirteen episodes. He moved to Polydor for 1992’s The Great Puzzle; select pressings included the bonus eight-song acoustic disc Unplug This, which also appeared separately as a promotional item. His second Polydor album, Healing Bones, arrived in 1994 and contained his first recorded cover, a version of the Walker Brothers’ “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore.”

Healing Bones marked Shear’s final major-label release. He then worked with the Windham Hill-affiliated High Street Records for 1998’s Between Us, a duet collection featuring guest vocals from Carole King, Rosanne Cash, Patty Griffin, Margo Timmins, and eleven additional artists. Rounder’s Zoe imprint released 2000’s Allow Me, followed by 2001’s Raisins in the Sun, a one-off studio project uniting Shear with Chuck Prophet, Jim Dickinson, Harvey Brooks, Winston Watson, and others. 2004’s Sayin’ Hello to the Folks became Shear’s first covers album, offering his interpretations of songs by Woody Guthrie, Joe Tex, Roger Miller, Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, and additional writers. 2006’s Dreams Don’t Count formed a moody, downbeat collection; that year Shear also produced The Morning After by Pal Shazar, formerly of Slow Children and Shear’s wife. On 2008’s More he credited himself as Jules Mark Shear; the album appeared on Funzalo Records, an independent label operated by his longtime manager Mike Lembo. He reverted to Jules Shear for the 2013 release Longer to Get to Yesterday. In 2017 he issued One More Crooked Dance, which included a harmonica appearance by Lovin’ Spoonful founder John Sebastian. Sebastian and producer/engineer Lee Danziger both contributed to 2020’s Slower, a set whose songs often touched subtly on the adjustments that accompany advancing age.