Who Were the Members of Spandau Ballet?
Spandau Ballet was an English new wave band that rose to fame in the early 80s. The band was formed in 1979 by vocalist Tony Hadley, guitarist Gary Kemp, bassist Martin Kemp, keyboardist Steve Norman and drummer John Keeble. The band achieved massive commercial success in the UK and Europe during their heyday.
The group got its start when brothers Gary and Martin Kemp met Hadley at school and formed a band called The Cut. After adding Norman and Keeble to the group, they changed their name to Spandau Ballet.
They released their debut album Journeys to Glory in 1981, which featured the hit single “To Cut a Long Story Short”. This was followed by two more albums: Diamond (1982) and True (1983).
The album True, which spawned the hit singles “Gold” and “True”, propelled Spandau Ballet into superstardom outside of the UK. The single “True” topped the UK Singles Chart and reached number 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart—making it one of the few British acts to achieve such success in America at that time.
In 1985, Spandau Ballet released their fourth studio album Parade. While it did not reach the same level of success as its predecessors, it still achieved gold status in both Britain and America. The band went on hiatus shortly after its release due to creative differences between members.
After several years apart, Spandau Ballet reunited for a tour in 2009, but it would be short-lived as internal struggles between members once again caused them to break up later that year. In 2017, Tony Hadley announced his departure from the group for good.
In conclusion, Spandau Ballet were an iconic British new wave band from 1979-2009 whose members included vocalist Tony Hadley, guitarist Gary Kemp, bassist Martin Kemp, keyboardist Steve Norman and drummer John Keeble who achieved massive success with hits like “Gold” and “True”.