Tony Hadley

Tony Hadley
Tony Hadley in 2006
Background information
Birth name	Anthony Patrick Hadley
Born	(1960-06-02) 2 June 1960 Islington, London, England
Genres	Pop, pop rock, blue-eyed soul, sophisti-pop, jazz, swing, New Wave, funk, synthpop
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, actor, radio presenter
Instruments	Vocals, synthesizer, drums
Years active	1979–present
Labels	SlipStream Records PolyGram EMI CBS Sony BMG Chrysalis Records
Associated acts	Spandau Ballet, "Reborn in the USA", "Chicago", Virgin Radio
Website	Official website

Tony Hadley (born 2 June 1960) is an English pop singer-songwriter, occasional stage actor and radio presenter who gained celebrity as the lead vocalist for the 1980s band Spandau Ballet. Hadley is recognisable for his powerful blue-eyed soul voice.

Early life

Anthony Patrick Hadley, the eldest of three children (he has a sister, Lee, and a brother, Steve) was born at Royal Free Hospital in the Hampstead area of Inner London. Originally intending to pursue a medical career, he decided to join friends in their band.

Spandau Ballet

See also: Spandau Ballet

The group disbanded in 1989, after their final studio album, Heart Like a Sky, failed to live up to the critical and commercial success of their earlier albums, such as True and Parade. Heart Like a Sky was not released in the United States. In April 1999, Hadley along with fellow band members Steve Norman and John Keeble failed in their attempt to sue Gary Kemp for a share of his royalties, as the band's principal songwriter. However, in recent years Norman is again on good terms with Gary and his brother, Martin Kemp, who used to play bass guitar in the band. In early 2009, newspaper reports claimed that Spandau Ballet was set to reform later that year. On 25 March 2009 it was confirmed that the band had reformed and were embarking on a tour of the UK and Ireland in October 2009.

Solo career

After Spandau Ballet disbanded, Hadley pursued a solo career, signing to EMI and recording his first album, The State of Play, in 1992. After leaving EMI, Hadley formed his own record company, SlipStream Records, and his first release was to be the single "Build Me Up", from the film "When Saturday Comes". Shortly after that, in December 1996, Hadley embarked on an orchestral tour of Europe, along with Joe Cocker, Paul Michiels, Dani Klein and Guo Yue, playing to 500,000 concertgoers in six weeks.

On his return from that tour, Hadley signed a joint deal with PolyGram TV, and released his next eponymous solo album, Tony Hadley, in 1997, which included covers and songs that were chosen to match his voice. The album also featured some of his own self-penned songs, such as "She", which he wrote for daughter Toni.

To plug the gap between studio albums, Hadley also released Obsession (later re-released as Obsession Live), a live album recorded, in just one night, in 1995, at the club Ronnie Scott's, in Birmingham.

He also collaborated, in the past and present, with various dance acts and DJs, such as Tin Tin Out, Eddie Lock, Marc et Claude, Regi Penxten (Milk Inc.) and the Disco Bros, and played alongside people such as Alice Cooper, Paul Young, Jon Anderson, and Brian May. Hadley's permanent band line up nowadays features John Keeble (drums), Phil Taylor (keyboards), Phil Williams (bass guitar), Richie Barrett (guitar), and Dawn Joseph on backing vocals. His early band, with whom he realised his debut album, included instead, besides himself and Keeble, Spandau Ballet's regular keyboard player, Toby Chapman, Jerry Stevenson (guitar), and Kevin Miller (bass guitar).

Tony Hadley (right) performing with Martin Fry in 2005

Hadley was also the subject of some newfound respect in the 2000s, rooted in an "ironic" appreciation for his old group Spandau Ballet; John Darnielle of the indie folk rock group The Mountain Goats wrote about his admiration for Hadley's vocal strengths. In 2000, his solo greatest hits album was issued, entitled Debut, made up of some early solo songs.

In 2003, Hadley was the winner of the ITV reality television series, Reborn in the USA, appearing alongside other singers, such as Elkie Brooks, Peter Cox from Go West and Leee John from Imagination. Capitalizing on his victory of the American reality show, his Debut compilation was re-issued, and his second collection was also released in the same year, True Ballads, including some of his solo tracks, most of the cover songs which were already contained in his second studio album, and historical hits from the Spandau Ballet period.

Hadley has continued with a busy performing schedule, and also toured with both Peter Cox from Go West and Martin Fry from the band ABC. He released a jazz-swing album (music) 2006, entitled Passing Strangers, and travelled on a "by request" tour from March to May 2006. This was followed by a big band tour in late the same year.

In January 2007, Hadley performed in the West End musical Chicago as crooked lawyer Billy Flynn, at the Cambridge Theatre. Hadley took over from ex-Emmerdale actor Ian Kelsey, and featured from 29 January to 14 April 2007. He said: "Three months was long enough, I didn't want to out-stay my welcome. I got a phone call offering me the part. I went to see the show, which I thought was great. While I was in it, I got great reviews. Chicago tied in with my swing album, Passing Strangers, so the whole thing worked well."

Hadley performed a set with other 1980s acts, at Retro Fest, on 1 September 2007, at Culzean Castle, in Ayrshire, Scotland. This appearance included a rendition of "Addicted to Love", with Martin Fry of ABC and Peter Cox of Go West.

In February 2008, he took part in the Italian Sanremo Festival, where he dueted in both English and Italian with contestant Paolo Meneguzzi on Meneguzzi's song, "Grande" ('Big'), during the third day of the contest (where all contestants re-interpreted their songs with guest artists). On 22 February 2008, he performed as an interval act at the semi-final of Dora 2008, the selection of the Croatian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest.

In 2011 he collaborated with the Italian rapper Caparezza for the song "Goodbye Malinconia": as Caparezza said to Radio Deejay (an Italian radio station), Hadley was very happy to work with him and not merely sang his part but wrote some additional lyrics.

In 2013, Hadley and his 1980s chart peers Kim Wilde, Bananarama and Go West set a new world record for Comic Relief when they performed the highest ever gig, singing on a Boeing 767 aeroplane at 43,000ft (13,000m).

Other work

Hadley worked as a radio presenter with Virgin Radio, taking over the "Friday Night Virgin Party Classics" show from Suggs (of the band Madness), in August 2007. In January 2008, he was given the Saturday Night Virgin Party Classics show as well. He left both shows in September 2008.

Hadley appeared, sang and gave advice in Pinoy Dream Academy, a singing reality show in the Philippines. He also appeared in RocKwiz, an Australian TV programme that aired in November 2008.

Hadley also appears in the British short movie Shoot The DJ, in which he plays Eddie Richards. The film also featured Hadley's daughter, Toni.

Personal life

Hadley is the father of five children: Thomas, Toni, and Mackenzie by his first wife, Leonie Lawson, and Zara (born 21 December 2006) by Alison Evers, whom he married in July 2009 at Cliveden House, Berkshire. His fifth child Genevieve was born 6 February 2012. Hadley split from Leonie in 2003, after twenty years of marriage.

Hadley is also an Arsenal fan and plays for the Arsenal ex-Professional and Celebrity XI team. Hadley also runs and enjoys skiing. He lives in Muswell Hill, and is a regular act in The East Festival.

Hadley stated on the television show Loose Women (22 February 2007) that he is 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) and 17 ¹⁄₂ stone (110 kilograms).

Hadley is patron of the UK Huntington's Disease Association and PLOS Theatre Company. PLOS is currently performing the Madness musical Our House.

Political affiliations

Hadley is a supporter of the Conservative Party and an admirer of former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Margaret Thatcher. He has said:

“The fabric of society is torn. I walked through Blackpool and there were gangs walking the back streets and 16-year-old pregnant women everywhere. What we need is for David Cameron to be like Thatcher, to say, "Enough is enough, things have gone too far". Five-year mandatory sentences for carrying a knife and 10 years for carrying a gun. We will build however many prisons we need.”

He reaffirmed his support for the party at the 2010 general election.

Discography

See also: Spandau Ballet

Studio albums

• 1992 – First studio album: The State of Play (debut album)
• 1997 – Second studio album: Tony Hadley (cover album, (also including some self-penned songs)) – UK number 45
• 2006 – Third studio album: Passing Strangers (jazz/swing album (music))

Live albums

• 2000 – First live album: Obsession (subsequently re-issued as Obsession Live)

Compilation albums

• 2000 – First greatest hits collection: Debut (with early solo tracks, as performed live on German TV in 1992)
• 2003 – Second greatest hits collection: True Ballads (including solo tracks, cover songs, and Spandau Ballet's classic hits) – UK number 31

Singles

• 1992 – "Lost in Your Love" / "Why Can't We Fall in Love" / "Theme No. 7" – UK number 42
• 1992 – "For Your Blue Eyes Only" / "Tonight" / "Close-up" – UK number 67
• 1992 – "The Game of Love" / "Fever" (acoustic version) / "On and On" – UK number 72
• 1993 – "Absolution" / "Through the Barricades" / "The Boys of Summer" / "Rock'n'Roll Suicide"
• 1996 – "Build Me Up" / "One to One" / "Jealous Mind" / "Build Me Up" (instrumental) [soundtrack for the film When Saturday Comes]
• 1997 – "Dance with Me" (Tin Tin Out featuring Tony Hadley) – UK number 35
• 1998 – "First of May" (radio edit)/ "The First Cut Is the Deepest" / "Love Affair" / "Maybe You and I" [withdrawn release]
• 1998 – "Save a Prayer" (radio edit) / "She" / "Have You Seen Her" / "Save a Prayer" (album version) [only released in Belgium in early April]
• 1998 – "Dance with Me" / "She" [only released in the Netherlands on 16 February]
• 1998 – "Dance with Me" (radio edit) [only released in Italy]
• 1999 – "Dance with Me" (radio edit mix)/(extended mix)/(angels of love break) [remix CD single only released in Italy]
• 2000 – "Will U Take Me" (single mix)/(Tony Hadley's a cappella)/(DJ Wout's level mix) [techno version only released in Benelux in November]
• 2000 – "Will U Take Me" (single mix)/(extended mix)/(DJ Wout's level mix)/(Tony Hadley's a cappella) [techno version only released in Spain in November]
• 2001 – "Tony Hadley EP": "Get So Lonely", "Beautiful Girl", "Follow Me", "Have I the Right" [released on 17 September]
• 2002 – "Sweet Surrender" (Milk Inc. radio remix) / (Mr. Sam remixes) [released in May]
• 2006 – "The Mood I'm In" [promo released in November]
• 2007 – "Wives & Lovers" [released in January]
• 2007 – "The Good Life" [released in April]
• 2011 – "Goodbye Malinconia" (ft. CapaRezza)

Literature

• Hadley, Tony (2005). To Cut a Long Story Short. London: Pan. ISBN 0-330-42741-5. 

External links

• Official website
• Tony Hadley at the Internet Movie Database