Paul Hardcastle
| Paul Hardcastle | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Pauli Hardcastle |
| Born | 10 December 1957 Kensington, London, England |
| Genres | Synthpop, freestyle, smooth jazz, ambient, electro, house |
| Occupations | Musician, producer, songwriter, radio presenter (in US) |
| Instruments | Synthesizer |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Labels | Chrysalis, Motown, Hardcastle, Trippin' 'n' Rhythm, V2 Records, Profile Records |
| Website | [1] |
Paul Hardcastle (born 10 December 1957, London, England[1]) is an English composer and musician, specialising in the synthesizer.
Contents |
Career [edit]
In the early 1980s, Hardcastle played the keyboards on several singles on the Oval record label by the dance music groups Direct Drive and First Light, before going solo.
He achieved some acclaim for his early singles, notably in 1984, the electro-funk/freestyle/instrumental track, "Rain Forest", which along with the track, "Sound Chaser" hit number two on the dance chart.[2] "Rain Forest" also hit number five on the soul chart and number fifty-seven on the Hot 100.[3] In 1985, he came to greater prominence with the international hit "19", a song about America's involvement in the Vietnam War and the effect it had on the soldiers who served, using sampled dialogue from an American television documentary about the post-traumatic stress disorder suffered by veterans.
Hardcastle enjoyed several further hits in the UK, including "Don't Waste My Time" (with vocals by Carol Kenyon) (UK No. 8) and "The Wizard", a UK No. 15 hit that became the theme tune for BBC Television's music chart show Top of the Pops from April 1986 until September 1991. He also had a hit with "Just For Money", which reached No. 19 in the UK and featured Bob Hoskins and Laurence Olivier. Earlier, he had cut a cover version of D-Train's most influential hit "You're the One For Me", segued with his own compositions "Daybreak" and "A.M." Hardcastle also wrote the theme tune for Saturday Live, a popular entertainment show which ran from 1985-1987.
He also made the hit single "The Voyager", which was used for the BBC One programme Holiday. Paul now acknowledges he was behind the "N-N-Nineteen Not Out" track with Rory Bremner.
After 1986, Hardcastle started to specialise in television soundtracks and remixed work, for artists as such as Five Star, Barry White, Third World, Sinitta, Johnny Logan, Hiroshima and Ian Dury.
In 1988, Hardcastle released the concept album, No Winners, which focuses on the potential negative effects of the Cold War arms race. In 2000, he released Hardcastle III, which included a remake of "Rainforest" and a hit single, "Desire."
Hardcastle has also recorded several synth jazz albums, alternating releases under the artist names Kiss The Sky (with Jaki Graham), The Jazzmasters, and Paul Hardcastle.[1] Working regularly with vocalists such as Helen Rogers, Becki Biggins, and Margo LeDuc, Hardcastle has recruited several saxophonists including Gary Barnacle (on the first album), Snake Davis, Phil Todd, Tony Woods, and Rock Hendricks. All these albums have been played on smooth jazz radio in the United States, where some of the most played tracks include "Northern Lights", "Lost in Space", "Desire", "Shine", and "Serene". He won the Billboard Smooth Jazz Artist Of The Year award in 2008.
2010's The Jazzmasters VI track "Touch and Go", featuring his son Paul Jr. on saxophone, reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Jazz songs chart, becoming his tenth number one on the Smooth Jazz chart in total.
His most recent album, Hardcastle VI, released in September 2011, features yet another remake of "Rainforest"—this time mixed with R&B legend Marvin Gaye's signature song, "What's Going On."
Personal life [edit]
Hardcastle is married to Dolores Baker, and they have three children:[4] Maxine (born April 1986[5][6]), Paul Jr. (born August 1990[7]), and Ritchie (born May 1997).
Discography [edit]
Albums [edit]
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1984 | Daybreak |
| 1985 | Zero One |
| 1985 | Paul Hardcastle |
| 1988 | No Winners |
| 1990 | Sound Syndicate |
| 1993 | The Definitive |
| 1997 | First Light |
| 1999 | Cover To Cover: A Musical Autobiography |
| 2003 | The Very Best of Paul Hardcastle 1983-2003 |
| 2009 | Zero One |
| 2012 | Perceptions Of Pacha VIII |
| 2012 | 19 Below Zero |
Smooth jazz albums [edit]
Hardcastle series
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1994 | Hardcastle |
| 1996 | Hardcastle 2 |
| 2002 | Hardcastle III |
| 2005 | Hardcastle 4 |
| 2008 | Hardcastle 5 |
| 2009 | Paul Hardcastle: The Collection |
| 2011 | Hardcastle VI |
| 2013 | Hardcastle VII |
The Jazzmasters series
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1993 | The Jazzmasters |
| 1995 | The Jazzmasters II |
| 1999 | The Jazzmasters III |
| 2000 | Jazzmasters: The Greatest Hits |
| 2004 | The Jazzmasters 4 |
| 2004 | The Smooth Cuts |
| 2006 | The Jazzmasters V |
| 2010 | The Jazzmasters VI[8] |
Kiss The Sky series
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1992 | Kiss The Sky |
| 1994 | Millennium sky way |
Singles [edit]
- 1984: "You're the One For Me - Daybreak - A.M." (UK No. 41)
- 1984: "Guilty" (UK No. 55)
- 1984: "Rainforest" (UK No. 41)
- 1984: "Eat Your Heart Out" (UK No. 59)
- 1985: "19" (Switzerland No. 1 (7 Weeks) ; Norway No. 1 (7 Weeks) ; Germany No. 1 (6 Weeks) ; UK No. 1 (5 Weeks); Netherlands No. 1 (5 Weeks); New Zealand No. 1 (4 Weeks); Sweden No. 1 (2 Weeks); Austria No. 1; Italy No. 1; Ireland No. 1; US Dance Club Play Chart No. 1 (2 Weeks); France No. 15; U.S. No. 15)
- 1985 "N-N-Nineteen Not Out" as producer of Rory Bremner's parody single recorded under the name of the Commentators (UK No. 13)
- 1985: "Rainforest" (re-issue) (US No. 57 / UK No. 53)
- 1985: "Just for Money" (UK No. 19; Ireland No. 15)
- 1986: "Don't Waste My Time" (UK No. 8; Ireland No. 15)
- 1986: "Foolin' Yourself" (UK No. 51)
- 1986: "The Wizard" (UK No. 15; Ireland No. 10)
- 1988: "Walk in the Night" (UK No. 54)
- 1988: "40 Years" (UK No. 53)
- 1989: "Are You Ready" as Paul Hardcastle Sound Syndication (UK No. 90)
- 2011: "Rainforest"/"What's Going On" - Smooth Jazz Indicator Chart (#16)
- 2011: "Easy Come, Easy Go - Smooth Jazz Indicator Chart (#1)
Complete Chart from 1981 to 2011 can be seen here.... http://www.paulhardcastle.com/charts.html [9]
See also [edit]
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
- List of 1980s one-hit wonders in the United States
- List of performers on Top of the Pops
- List of Euro disco artists
- List of smooth jazz performers
- List of synthpop artists
- List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart
References [edit]
- ^ a b "Biography by Steve Huey". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 18 March 2009.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 117.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 244.
- ^ Paul Hardcastle @ Discogs Accessed 8-23-2009.
- ^ Maxine Hardcastle @ Discogs Accessed 8-23-2009.
- ^ "I'll never work in TV again, howls Playboy model at judge as she's convicted of battering pop star's daughter in nightclub toilet". Daily Mail (London). 24 December 2009.
- ^ Paul Hardcastle, Jr. @ Discogs Accessed 8-23-2009.
- ^ The holidays are coming and so is Jazzmasters 6 – Paul Hardcastle
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 243. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
External links [edit]
- Official website
- European website
- Trippin 'n' Rhythm Records
- [2]
- Paul Hardcastle at the Internet Movie Database
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