As the lead singer of
the Thompson Twins,
Tom Bailey became one of the most influential artists in synth pop. Although
the Thompson Twins were too eclectic to be tagged as synth pop -- the band juggled a stylistic menu that included funk, punk, disco, and rock --
Bailey helped skeptics to realize that not all electronic music was fronted by icy, monotone vocalists.
Bailey was born on January 18, 1956, in Halifax, Yorkshire, England. At the age of two,
Bailey was already being taught how to play piano. Inspired by musicians such as
Can,
Frank Zappa, and
Hawkwind,
Bailey took classes in classical piano, guitar, and clarinet in college; he also became a music instructor at Sheffield Brook Comprehensive.
Bailey formed
the Thompson Twins in 1977 with
Pete Dodd (guitars),
John Roog (guitar), and
Chris Bell (drums). That lineup of
the Thompson Twins was short-lived; the group ended up as a trio with
Bailey on vocals, guitar, bass, and keyboards, his girlfriend
Alannah Currie (percussion, saxophone, and vocals), and
Joe Leeway (percussion and vocals).
The Thompson Twins became fixtures on MTV during the '80s as the videos for "Hold Me Now," "Lay Your Hands on Me," and "King for a Day" were continuously rotated. Although
the Thompson Twins' popularity began to fade in the late '80s, it didn't prevent other artists from imitating their sound and cashing in; for example, in 1988,
Information Society, featuring a singer with a voice remarkably similar to
Bailey's, sprung onto the American charts.
The Thompson Twins released their final LP,
Queer, in 1991. In 1994,
Bailey and
Currie formed the techno-oriented duo
Babble.
–
Michael Sutton, Rovi