Everything but the Girl

Everything But The Girl are a British two-person band formed in Hull, England in 1982 by lead singer and bassist Tracey Thorn (born September 26, 1962) and guitarist Ben Watt (born December 6, 1962). They were separately signed to Cherry Red records as solo artists, with Thorn also forming one-third of the Marine Girls trio, and just happened to be attending the University of Hull at the same time. The band's name came from the slogan of an old-fashioned furniture shop on Beverley Road, Hull (now demolished).

After a one-off single, a cover version of Cole Porter's Night and Day, their first hit single, "Each and Every One", had a jazzy sound, and EBTG was considered part of a jazz/pop movement that included other British acts like Sade, Matt Bianco, and The Style Council, on whose Cafe Bleu album they guested. Their first album was released in the UK as "Eden" and in the United States eponymously.

Subsequent released underscored EBTG's versatility and range. 1985's "Love Not Money" featured a shimmering pop sound with jangly guitars, and featured a cover of The Pretenders song "Kid". The following year, they released "Baby The Stars Shine Bright"", an album of Bacharach-esque songs recorded with an orchestra. In 1998, EBTG released "Idlewild", a collection of mellow pop songs that began a trend towards middle-of-the-road, adult contemporary music that they would continue with subsequent releases "The Language of Life" (featuring the single "Driving"), "Worldwide" and "Acoustic".

The band was on hiatus for several years, partly due to Watt having contracted Churg-Strauss syndrome (an autoimmune disease). (He subsequently wrote a memoir, "Patient", about his ordeal.) The next work of original music was not until 1994, when EBTG released "Amplified Heart". Although most of the music was still acoustic-based, it had a much more contemporary feel. Producer Todd Terry re-mixed the track "Missing", and when EBTG released the remix as a single, it became a huge international hit. It hit the top of nearly every chart around the world, and charted in the US, a feat that had previously eluded the band. The track reached #2 and stayed in the US Top 100 for well over a year.

The success of that track, along with a collaboration Thorn did with the bands Massive Attack and Deep Dish, influenced them and helped usher the band into a more electronic sound. Their subsequent albums Walking Wounded and Temperamental, showed the band's musical progress as well as established Ben Watt as a master DJ with an innate understanding of musical landscaping.

The band has been on hiatus for a few years. Watt has concentrated on being a DJ, and the couple, intensely private about their relationship and personal life, have a strong desire to raise their 3 children outside of the spotlight. In late Spring 2005, Thorn recorded her first vocals in three years, on a song called Damage for the German band Tiefschwarz, for which she also wrote the lyrics and melody. Their fan base is still very active, as messages on the band's website confirm. Most recently, the band released a double disc of remixes highlighting the best of their eclectic electronica influenced music including a trio of newly commissioned remixes.

See also

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

External link

• Official site