Richard Darbyshire, whose distinctive husky delivery marked him as the lead singer of Living in a Box, long carried the “one-hit wonder” tag despite its inaccuracy. His former band notched several British chart entries, yet its reputation in the United States rests almost entirely on a single radio breakthrough. Born on March 8, 1960, in Stockport, Cheshire, England, Darbyshire first encountered the soul stylings of Marvin Gaye and Al Green through a U.S. military broadcast while enrolled at an American school in Japan. He briefly played in a band alongside American classmates before returning to England in the early 1980s and assembling Zu Zu Sharks. The group secured an EMI contract and issued three singles; “Love Tumbles Down” reached number one in Spain, yet Darbyshire grew dissatisfied with the pop direction and exited. He continued composing material for himself and vocalist Tessa Niles, one of which, “Put Your Foot Down,” was later cut by the Temptations, and he supplied session vocals for both Polygram and EMI. In 1985 Virgin Records offered him a solo deal, but Chrysalis instead recruited him as vocalist and guitarist for Living in a Box after the members overheard him performing his own songs during shared studio time. He accepted a five-year agreement with the band. Their self-titled debut album appeared in 1987, and its funky title track quickly dominated American airwaves and MTV. Although U.S. interest waned, the 1989 follow-up Gatecrashing yielded two British Top Ten singles, “Blow the House Down” and “Room in Your Heart.” The following year EMI acquired Chrysalis; new executives urged a softer approach during sessions for a third album, prompting Darbyshire to depart before its completion. Throughout the 1990s he wrote and co-wrote tracks for Marie Claire D’Ubaldo, Level 42, Jennifer Rush, Bing Abrahams, and Lisa Stansfield. His solo album How Many Angels surfaced in 1994 and was later reissued in 1999 under the title Love Will Provide with two additional tracks.
