Shy

Birmingham, England, serves as home base for the group Shy, whose sound fuses American influences into melodic heavy rock. Originally operating under the name Trojan, the outfit came together in 1982 with Tony Mills handling vocals, Steve Harris on guitar, Paddy McKenna on keyboards, Alan Kelly on drums, and Mark Badrick on bass. Their first album appeared the next year through the independent Ebony imprint, where strong songwriting and Mills’s silver-throated purr stood out despite the modest production values. Roy Stephen Davis replaced Badrick on bass in 1984, coinciding with the band’s move to RCA Records. Two polished albums of sophisticated pomp-metal resulted, the second of which, 1987’s Excess All Areas, stands as their strongest effort and features a melodramatic heavy-metal reworking of Cliff Richard’s “Devil Woman.” Although the record earned them an opening slot on Meat Loaf’s 1987 UK tour, sales remained modest.

After RCA ended the relationship, MCA Records stepped in with substantial funding and Roy Thomas Baker at the helm for Misspent Youth. The sessions proved unsatisfying, as the band’s inherent aggression was softened to suit Stateside FM radio, leaving their identity buried beneath a clinically sterile mix. Mills departed soon after, with Jon Francis (formerly of After Hours) filling the role briefly while the group temporarily adopted the name Black Cat. In 1993, Los Angeles-based, Birmingham-born John “Wardi” Ward became Shy’s new vocalist. The refreshed lineup signed with the Birmingham-based Granite label and returned in 1994 via a cover of the Rolling Stones’ “It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll,” yet the subsequent release of the lackluster Welcome To The Madhouse prompted another breakup. The classic configuration reunited in 1999 to cut fresh material for Neat Metal, though Kelly exited the year after.