Simon Le Bon

Simon John Charles Le Bon (born October 27, 1958) is the lead singer and lyricist of the pop band Duran Duran. He was born in Bushey, Hertfordshire, England and was raised in and around London.

Duran Duran

Duran Duran had been founded with singer/songwriter Stephen Duffy in 1978, but Duffy left a year later, convinced they weren't going anywhere. The band had been through a long succession of lineup changes since, but had recently settled on a guitarist and drummer and built a powerful pop sound flavored with disco, funk and electronics but built on a solid rock rhythm section. All they needed was a charismatic singer with a distinctive voice.

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Le Bon's ex-girlfriend Fiona Kemp (a barmaid at the Rum Runner nightclub where Duran Duran was rehearsing) introduced him to the band in May of 1980, recommending him as a potential vocalist. As band legend has it, he turned up for the audition wearing pink leopard-print trousers, carrying a book of poetry he had written. He tried out some of the songs the band had already composed together, then spent some time fitting one of his poems ("Sound of Thunder") to one of the band's instrumentals, and found they had a good match. Simon agreed to "try them out for the summer"; within six weeks the band was playing steadily around Birmingham and London, and a national tour supporting Hazel O'Connor led to a record deal with EMI Records in December. Le Bon never returned to his acting career.

Related Topics:
Barmaid - Rum Runner nightclub - 1980 - Hazel O'Connor - EMI

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The band's first album, Duran Duran, was released in 1981, and they quickly shot to fame as part of the New Romantic movement. Three more albums followed in quick succession: Rio (1982), Seven and the Ragged Tiger (1983) and Arena (1984). Each album release was accompanied by heavy media promotion and a lengthy concert tour. By mid-1984, the band was ready for a break. Duran Duran's only other work that year was an appearance on the 1984 Band Aid charity single, "Do They Know It's Christmas".

Related Topics:
Duran Duran - 1981 - New Romantic - Rio - Seven and the Ragged Tiger - Arena - 1984 - Band Aid - Do They Know It's Christmas

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