Former guitarist Ronnie Rogers is currently in the band The Ronaldos. He is a composer, known for Table 19 (2017), Sisters (2015) and Black Mirror (2011). TPaus lead singer, Liverpool-born Carol Decker began as a member of a ska band, The Lazers at Shrewsbury Art College. 6 October 1961, Macclesfield) Percussionist/Drummer, Michael Chetwood (b. This article uses material from the article T'Pau (band) from the free encyclopedia Wikipedia and it is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. Decker still makes appearances on TV shows, including Hit Me, Baby, One More Time; Just the Two of Us; Never Mind the Buzzcocks and The Weakest Link. So what do you do when it seems things cant get any worse? The technology we had access to was incredible. . As the The Virgin Anthology attests, however, Decker and Rogers assurance was well-founded. I had made some money but not tons. "Although Ive had a blessed 30-year run, Im in TPau not the Rolling Stones, so I dont have a private island and I cant just kick back. Carol Decker. The record was not a commercial success, but T'Pau have continued to perform live on a semi-regular basis. Carol, who met Prince Charles and Princess Diana during the late 1980s when her band became the biggest in Britain, said she was proud of her two children. They absolutely had to stop for lunch. T'Pau: Sex Talk: Directed by Brian Grant. T'Pau is a late 1980s pop group led by singer Carol Decker. In 1982 Carol attended a Katz gig where Ronnie threw his guitar into the audience, which hit Carol and cut her finger. The strain of being in a successful band, and the inevitable clashes with the other band members who wanted an ever-increasing slice of the pie took their toll. I didnt start singing professionally until I was 22. On its release in October 1988, there was a discernible cooling of the bands commercial fortunes, with lead single, Secret Garden, failing to break the UK Top 10. Then one day I saw this documentary about Mary Shelley. Paul Jackson. Despite this, the 11-song collection went platinum, and features in its entirety on Disc Three of The Virgin Anthology. [3] It reached number 35 on the UK Albums Chart and remained in the top 100 for two weeks. [3] To promote the album, a radio promo single, "With a Little Luck", was released. The album, which was released in September 1998, was supported by a thirty-six date tour named "The Red Tour". We appeared in the serious music press at first, but then they started to get increasingly snooty about TPau.. Decker re-formed the band with a new line-up in 1998, and T'Pau have in recent years continued to work live regularly. Then I met Ronnie. 1988 saw the release of their second album Rage which produced the hit single "Secret Garden". Although it wasnt noticeable enough to mar the enjoyment of the track, the tempo fluctuated so much that we could not edit the album version successfully for the single, besides which, the record company thought it was too long. "[5] Speaking to Super Deluxe Edition in 2013, she added, "I recorded Red when I was pregnant with my daughter. I was very depressed for several years but I brought myself back from the brink. Ronnie and I are really eclectic writers, which some people think is brilliant, but others especially in America struggled with, says Carol. The short set was a make-or-break moment. In 1997, after finding new management, she formed a new line-up of T'Pau in order to begin touring again. The knock-backs from the labels were never constructive, she says. To me, it was just another song it didnt sound like it had a chorus either. Now we both feel in perfect health. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic. With Carol Decker, Ronnie Rogers, T'Pau. March 13, 1959), keyboard player Michael Chetwood (b. August 26, 1954), bassist Paul Jackson (b. August 8, 1961), and drummer Tim Burgess (b. October 6, 1961). Written by MD Brown/AJ Sansone/RJCalilliVocals Ronnie RogersFrom the T'Pau CD Single I Will Be With You In 2007, marking the 20th anniversary of T'Pau's initial success, Ron Rogers and Carol Decker released the new single, "Just Dream", exclusively as an internet download. We found out while we were on tour with Bryan Adams in Germany. All Rights Reserved. That one has really, really hurt.. I was 26 and my dad was suggesting I try the cruise ships. Listen to The Virgin Anthology right now. Subscribe to our newsletter to get the day's top stories sent directly to you. Our producer, Roy Thomas Baker, went: Well, what else have you got? Id brought my cassette of China and played it to him very unsurely, and that was that. The audience reaction is irreplaceable but putting it bluntly, thats how I earn my money. Discover Heart and Soul: The Very Best of T'Pau [Renaissance] by T'Pau released in 1996. In 2015, freshly reunited professionally with Ronnie, TPau released Pleasure And Pain, which received a strong critical response and solid sales, sparking a ferocious touring schedule that the band maintains to this day. Ronnie Rogers. I still cant believe how huge China got. [6] Prior to deciding on this name, they were called Talking America on early demos sent to record and publishing companies. 10, Main Personnel, Guitar, Guitars, Composer. I Love Mum: The Best Mother's Day Album in the World Ever! Ronnie recalls that one of their US singles was pitched to Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones for a solo contribution. [4] The compilation's title was based on the band's successful debut single "Heart and Soul". Background. We need to find other ways to let people know its out. I wont plead poverty but financially its as good as the deal you sign and we didnt sign a very good deal. Weve definitely recovered from something.. [4], In a 2011 interview with Old School - Back to the 80s, Decker spoke of the album, "I would've loved to have gotten the same level of success again [with Red]. She and fellow founding member Ronnie Rogers had worked with other members of TPau to write a few new songs just before lockdown. We had to watch telly in sleeping bags. 3: The Biggest Club Anthems of All Time, Entertainment Weekly: The Greatest Hits 1985-1989, Entertainment Weekly: The Greatest Hits 1987, Renaissance Records, Inc.: Spring Sampler, 1997, Heart and Soul: The Very Best of T'Pau [Renaissance], In the Air Tonight: Virgin's Greatest Hits, Living in Oblivion: The 80's Greatest Hits, Vol. Taj, who was more of a jazz guitarist, didnt feel comfortable with TPaus rock style, so he left and Dean Howard became his replacement. Flame-haired singer Carol Decker has created a lockdown video to accompany their latest single Be Wonderful, which was filmed by her two children, Scarlett and Dylan, who are media students. Required fields are marked *. Ron and I had been together for five years writing by then, says Carol. Everything was too rushed. Tensions were also mounting with the continued attention on Carol as the face of the band. Discover Bridge of Spies by T'Pau released in 1987. We put the band together around us, says Carol. We were treated like children by our management wed even left our stuff out there, expecting to return! Ronnie doesnt know why they werent involved in the decision, but believes it was just how new bands climbing up the ladder were treated back then. The song would peak at No.4 and, on the back of being picked for a jeans commercial, finally made the same position back home in September 1987. It was re-recorded for the single version and Carol explained to me why: We recorded the song in one passionate take and we were happy with it for the album. We also had a bit of a comedy element to it because people are going stir crazy. We flew back to London to appear on it and were never told we werent going back to the States, she says. In 2007, marking the 20th anniversary of T'Pau's first success, Ron Rogers and Carol Decker released a new single, "Just Dream", exclusively as an Internet download. I got home one day and Carol had this quiet sketch she'd written on the piano. [6] Due to the exposure, the song was re-released in the UK that same month; this time it became a hit, equaling the US peak of No. After meeting guitarist Ronnie on the gigging circuit, the early 80s would see the pair battle to capitalize on a series of promising leads that withered into nothing. Then we got dropped by the record company and everything just ground to a halt. I did a few last year. With each rejection, it was getting a bit much. You have to rely on your social media. Speaking to uDiscover, Carol admits she was starting to get rattled by the relentless round of rejection. Traversing the groups career on Virgin Records, from their quadruple-platinum 1987 debut album, Bridge Of Spies, to 1991s Top 10 outing, The Promise, it reveals a group working at the peak of their powers. It was a bit out on a limb from everything else too, but, picking a song on its merit, it was the obvious one to choose. Radio stations in the States now struggled to categorize the group, who refused to slot neatly into segregated playlist policies. "[11] Heather Phares of AllMusic stated, "The group's smooth pop sounds remain intact on songs like 'With a Little Luck,' 'Now That You're Gone,' 'Giving Up the Ghost,' and 'Let It All Fall.'[10]. When it gets past 8pm, Richard wrestles my phone out of my hand.. In Groups: T'Pau Variations: Viewing All | Ron Rogers (2) R. Rodgers, R. Rogers, R.P. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. You have to roll with the punches, and the big budgets are gone, but I mix those large retro shows with smaller sets and acoustic tours. With Carol Decker, Ronnie Rogers, T'Pau. March 13, 1959), keyboard player Michael Chetwood (b. August 26, 1954), bassist Paul Jackson (b. August 8, 1961), and drummer Tim Burgess (b. October 6, 1961). The record sales started to slump and the band began bickering. "We're Part Of The 80s Fabric": Carol Decker And Ronnie Rogers Talk T'Pau Carol Decker and Ronnie Rogers of T'Pau talk about career highs, overlooked songs, and the eclecticism at the. Another greatest hits release appeared in 1997, and Decker reformed the band with a new line-up in 1998, for the release of a new studio album, Red. 8 August 1961, Telford) Bassist, Taj Wyzgowski (b. The breakdown of the band also coincided with the breakdown of her relationship with Rogers. "The creative side is wonderful but the promotion is harder.. Learn how your comment data is processed. "Heart and Soul" is the debut single by British pop rock ensemble T'Pau, released in 1987 from their debut album Bridge of Spies. 4 after being featured on a Pepe Jeans advertisement; it repeated the feat in the UK Singles Chart some months later. In fact, the classic 80s power ballad was to mark a commercial peak, and the groups US career was already starting to unravel. Scarlett is doing animation production at university in Bournemouth so she created a shooting schedule before we started. 4 in both the US and UK charts. The rap was the idea of Andy Piercy, our then producer. 4 in both the US and UK charts. I was watching a documentary on the whole Mary Shelley and Byron and Keats gang and was enthralled by how, at 19, she outsold both noted poets, revealed Carol. T'Pau: 04:31 : Amazon: 2 : Bridge of Spies. If youre not Beyonce with millions of followers it is hard. Ronnie Rogers was a guitarist with a band called The Katz. Its still a little poignant for me even today to discuss all the potential that was in front of us, says Carol Decker, who fronted TPau with her boyfriend, Ronnie Rogers. We couldnt smell, we had no sense of taste and we had sore throats. This was in part why the bands third set, The Promise, was recorded with each member playing a greater part, and a new producer was hired. T'Pau: 04:15 : Amazon: 2 : I Will Be With You. Later in November and December 1998, T'Pau supported Status Quo on the German and UK leg of their Tour "It's Good to Tour". Named after a Vulcan character from the Star Trek TV series, the pop-anthem band T'Pau formed in 1986 around vocalist Carol Decker (b. September 10, 1957), guitarist Ronnie Rogers (b. T'Pau: China in Your Hand: Directed by Brian Grant. In Groups: T'Pau. I was shell-shocked. It flopped on its first release in the UK, but in the US it started to receive radio play and began a hesitant ascent of the Billboard Hot 100. [2021]. I got interested in her, this 19-year-old girl writing a pulp fiction hit that blew the essays and poetry of her contemporaries, and her husband Percy, out of the water. Carol Decker / Ronnie Rogers. Although wed been signed, I was still working as a telephone engineer. You just dont mess those sorts of people about, says Carol. T'Pau's lead singer, Liverpool-born Carol Decker began as a member of a ska band, The Lazers at Shrewsbury Art College. Hearing China In Your Hands with real strings was emotional. Quickly signed to Virgin's Siren subsidiary, the group released their debut single, "Heart and Soul," in early 1987 with little fanfare. In 1997 she assembled a new TPau and the following year performed China in Your Hand with the BBC Concert Orchestra at the Princess Diana Tribute Concert at Althorp House. | You know the expression polishing the turd? 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