Tony Hadley

For ten years, the polished vocals and poised presence of Tony Hadley defined Spandau Ballet, steering the former New Romantic outfit toward worldwide acclaim through a series of major successes that included "To Cut a Long Story Short," "True," "Gold," and "Through the Barricades." Born in Islington on June 2, 1960, Hadley claimed victory in a modest 1974 singing contest by delivering Gary Puckett's "Young Girl." He linked up in July 1979 with guitarist Gary Kemp and saxophonist Steve Norman as they assembled the ensemble soon known as Spandau Ballet. The band maintained steady U.K. chart presence, yet American breakthrough remained modest except for the enormous "True," which reached number four in the U.S. during late 1983 following its top position on international lists. By the close of the 1980s, the sequence of hits had tapered off while the musicians turned toward separate endeavors. In 1991, hip-hop duo P.M. Dawn reworked "True" by sampling it for their own hit "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss," and Hadley appeared in the accompanying video. Around this period he secured a contract with EMI, issuing his first solo album, The State of Play, the next year. Three modest singles from that project reached the British charts, with "Lost in Your Love" achieving the strongest placement even though it stayed outside the Top 40. Five years afterward, Hadley resurfaced on the charts via Tin Tin Out's "Dance with Me." He also put out a second solo record that same year, a self-titled collection consisting largely of covers such as Duran Duran's "Save a Prayer," Bryan Ferry's "Slave to Love," and Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'." Though commercial momentum did not return, Hadley kept appearing at European festivals and continued issuing material.