Biography
Paul Young, the balladeer who dominated the 1980s, first rose to prominence as frontman for the blue-eyed soul group the Q-Tips. In England the band earned greater renown for its energetic stage shows and nonstop road work than for the handful of records it released, drawing its core repertoire from 1960s soul—Motown material especially—while still crafting capable originals in a similar style. The Q-Tips formed from the remnants of the new-wave outfit Streetband after that group folded in late 1979; its members included singer-guitarist Young, guitarist John Gifford, and bassist Mick Pearl. The three musicians regrouped under the Q-Tips banner, redirected their sound toward American soul, and brought aboard drummer Barry Watts, keyboardist Ian Kewley—previously a member of Samson (not the metal band), Strider, and Limey—plus a horn section of trumpeter Tony Hughes, saxophonist Steve Farr, and saxophonist-songwriter Stewart Blandmer. They embarked on an exhaustive touring circuit throughout the United Kingdom and soon released their first single, a reading of Joe Tex’s “S.Y.S.L.J.F.M. (The Letter Song).” Gifford left shortly thereafter and was succeeded by guitarist Garth Watt-Roy. Chrysalis Records took notice, leading to the band’s initial major-label single, a version of Smokey Robinson & the Miracles’ “Tracks of My Tears.” The self-titled debut album arrived in 1980 yet moved few copies, prompting Chrysalis to drop the act. On the smaller Rewind imprint the Q-Tips next offered a cover of “Love Hurts” and, in 1982, issued the concert set Live at Last. Young’s profile as a solo prospect was rising, and he signed with CBS in 1982. The combination of that development and the strain of constant touring led the Q-Tips to disband that autumn, though not before completing an extended farewell trek. Keeping Kewley as a songwriting collaborator, Young achieved stardom in the United Kingdom and reached the top of the American charts in 1985 with “Every Time You Go Away.” Additional archival live albums later surfaced under the Q-Tips name, among them Come Back...Live and Live in Concert. In 1993 Young briefly reassembled the group for a tour.
Albums