Frankie Goes to Hollywood

Frankie Goes To Hollywood (FGTH) was one of the biggest, most controversial and most marketed UK pop acts of the 1980s. The band was fronted by Liverpudlian singer Holly Johnson, and was supported by Paul Rutherford along with Peter Gill, Mark O'Toole and Brian Nash. Its debut single "Relax" was famously banned by the BBC and subsequently topped the UK singles chart. Along with "Two Tribes" and "The Power of Love", FGTH became only the second band in the history of the UK charts to reach number one with their first three singles.

Background

Emerging from the late 1970s Liverpool punk movement (key member Paul Rutherford had previously been in bands including The Spitfire Boys), FGTH are said to have taken their name from a newspaper headline referring to either Frank Sinatra or, more likely, Frankie Vaughan. Both names were mentioned in early interviews, though the Sinatra explanation is the one that has stuck. (This could be seen as meaning that the famous "Frankie Say..." quotes are from Vaughan, or Sinatra, although they obviously are not from either).

Related Topics:
1970s - Liverpool - Punk - Paul Rutherford - The Spitfire Boys - Frank Sinatra - Frankie Vaughan

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Lead singer Holly Johnson, a fellow Liverpool punk veteran from the band Big In Japan (which also featured future Lightning Seeds frontman Ian Broudie), recruited Rutherford as co-singer. Local musicians Peter Gill (drums), Jed O'Toole (bass) and Jed's cousin Brian Nash (guitar) then joined. The band set out playing shows around the locality. O'Toole quit shortly afterwards but supplied the band with a replacement — his younger brother Mark O'Toole, whom Jed had taught how to play (Jed also taught Nash the guitar).

Related Topics:
Holly Johnson - Big In Japan - Lightning Seeds - Ian Broudie - Peter Gill - Drums - Jed O'Toole - Bass - Cousin - Brian Nash - Guitar - Mark O'Toole

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FGTH were signed up to Trevor Horn's new ZTT record label after a raw video for the song "Relax" was shown on music programme The Tube. With a brief from the band to make them sound like "a cross between Donna Summer and KISS", Horn set to work on their debut single.

Related Topics:
Trevor Horn - ZTT - The Tube - Donna Summer - KISS - Debut

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