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Kenny Thomas (singer)

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Not to be confused with American country singer Keni Thomas.

Kenny Thomas
Birth nameKenny Thomas
Born (1968-09-12) 12 September 1968 (age 56)
Islington, London, England
GenresSoul,[1] blue-eyed soul,[2][3] R&B
OccupationSinger
InstrumentVocals
Years active1988–present
LabelsCooltempo Records

Kenny Thomas (born 12 September 1968,[4] Islington, London) is an English soul singer[1] who had a successful solo career in the 1990s with eight UK top 40 singles and two UK top ten albums.[5]

Personal life

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Thomas grew up on Hillside Estate, Stamford Hill and attended Cardinal Pole Roman Catholic School in Hackney. He was an amatureboxer and worked for British Telecom before embarking on a career as a professional singer. He now lives in Norfolk.[6]

Career

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Breakthrough and debut album

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Thomas's breakthrough came in 1991 with his debut hit "Outstanding", a cover of the Gap Band song, which went to number 12 on the UK Singles Chart.[5]

He succeeded in having three singles in the UK chart that year including his biggest hit in July, "Thinking About Your Love",[7] which peaked at number four and stayed on the chart for 13 weeks, and "Best of You", which peaked at number 11 and was in the chart for seven weeks.[5] The former hit was produced by Tim Lever and Mike Percy, formerly of the band Dead or Alive. Thomas's debut album Voices (1991) reached number three on the UK Albums Chart,[5] selling over 300,000 copies.[8]

In February 1992 at the annual BRIT Awards, Thomas was nominated for an award in two categories, Best British Male Vocalist and Best British Newcomer.[7]

Second album and further singles

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His second album Wait for Me, released in 1993, was produced by Ian Green and included contributions from Nu Colours and the Young Disciples,[7] and made number 10 in the UK Albums Chart. The lead single from the album, "Trippin' on Your Love", originally recorded by the Staple Singers, made number 17 in the UK Singles Chart.[5]

Later career

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Thomas's career enjoyed a brief revival in 2005, when he took part in the televised singing contest on ITV's Hit Me Baby One More Time. He was joined by other one time big pop stars including Shakin' Stevens and Shalamar; the show was eventually won by Stevens.[citation needed]

Thomas supported Level 42 on their Autumn 2006 tour of the UK. July 2006 also saw the release of a new studio album called Crazy World. In 2010, Thomas completed three years of study graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine and is now a qualified practitioner.[9] He released a new album, Breathe, in September 2011.[10] Producers on the album include the UK-based Mark Jaimes & Danny Saxon, 5AM, Sir Piers and the Drizabone Soul Family.[11]

Thomas's latest album and project was 2013's The Thomas Brown Affair. It is a collaboration with hit songwriter, producer and jazz pianist Wayne Brown who has worked with a diverse array of international artists. The album is a collection of classic songs "performed in their own personal and unique style".[citation needed]

In 2016, Thomas became the lead singer of the band Living in a Box after they reformed, replacing Richard Darbyshire.

Discography

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Albums

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Year Album details UK
[5][10] 		AUS
[12] 		Certifications
1991 Voices
  • Label: Cooltempo, Chrysalis
  • Formats: LP, CD, cassette
 3 133
1993 Wait for Me
  • Released: 13 September 1993
  • Label: Cooltempo, Chrysalis
  • Formats: LP, CD, cassette
 10 —
1999 The Best
  • Label: EMI Gold
  • Formats: CD
 — —
2001 Greatest Hits
  • Released: 8 January 2001
  • Formats: CD
 — —
2006 Crazy World
  • Released: 10 July 2006
  • Label: Curb Records
  • Formats: CD
 — —
2011 Breathe
  • Label: Solus
  • Formats: CD, digital download
 — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Singles

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Year Single Peak chart positions Album
UK
[5] 		AUS
[12][15] 		IRE NED FRA GER
[16] 		SWE NZ
1988 "I Wanna Make Love to You Baby" — — — — — — — — Non-album single
1990 "Outstanding" 79 — — — — — — — Voices
1991 "Outstanding" (reissue) 12 — — — — — — 7
"Thinking About Your Love" 4 125 — — — 50 22 —
"Best of You" 11 197 27 87 23 66 — 31
"Tender Love" 26 — — — — — — —
1993 "Stay" 22 — — — — — — — Wait for Me
"Trippin' on Your Love" 17 — — — — 100 — —
"Piece by Piece" 36 — — — — — — —
1994 "Destiny" 59 — — — — — — —
1995 "When I Think of You" 27 — — — — — — — HIM
2006 "Crazy World" — — — — — — — — Crazy World
2011 "The Show Is Over" — — — — — — — — Breathe
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released.

References

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  1. ^ a b Antcliffe, Scott (26 April 2022). "Gig review: Kenny Thomas at O2 Academy Sheffield". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  2. ^ "Home - Kenny Thomas-Official Website". Kennythomas.info. Archived from the original on 1 May 2012.
  3. ^ "Kenny Thomas: Soul Singer In A Crazy World - Kenny Thomas". Crossrhythms.co.uk.
  4. ^ "nfo.net - Diese Website steht zum Verkauf! - Informationen zum Thema virtual piano chords". nfo.net. Archived from the original on 20 July 2008.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London, UK: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 557. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  6. ^ Wyllie, Sophie (15 December 2021). "1990s hitmaker on the road again after Covid battle". Norwich Evening News. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  7. ^ a b c Colin Larkin, ed. (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Dance Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 338. ISBN 0-7535-0252-6.
  8. ^ "BPI - Certified awards - Kenny Thomas". Bpi.co.uk. Archived from the original on 1 May 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  9. ^ "Kenny Thomas official site". Archived from the original on 3 March 2011. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
  10. ^ a b "Discography". AllMusic.
  11. ^ "Kenny Thomas interview by Pete Lewis". Blues & Soul. August 2011.
  12. ^ a b "Bubbling Down Under Week Commencing 20 April 1992". Bubbling Down Under. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  13. ^ "Kenny Thomas - Voices". bpi.co.uk. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  14. ^ "Kenny Thomas - Wait for Me". bpi.co.uk. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  15. ^ "Bubbling Down Under Week Commencing 27 July 1992". Bubbling Down Under. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  16. ^ "Kenny Thomas - German Chart". Charts.de. Retrieved 28 December 2015.[dead link‍]
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