| The Kids from "Fame" | |
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Cover of The Kids from "Fame" album |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | United States |
| Genres | Pop |
| Instruments | Vocals, Keyboards |
| Years active | 1982–1984 |
| Labels | RCA Records, BBC Records |
The Kids from "Fame" was the group name of several cast members from the US TV series Fame who had a number of hit singles and albums at the height of the show's success in the UK. This success culminated in tours of the UK where they performed live in concert.[1] A live album was subsequently released.[2]
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The group came to prominence in the summer of 1982 when the series first aired in the UK and a single "Hi Fidelity" reached No.5.[3] Along with this an album was released: The Kids from "Fame", which reached No.1 for 12 weeks.[4][5] A series of singles and albums followed over the next 12 months with songs taken from the show's first three seasons.[6] By the summer of 1983, interest in the show was beginning to wane and the releases abruptly stopped, although the TV series carried on for a number of years.
The main vocalists of the group were Debbie Allen, Valerie Landsburg, Erica Gimpel, Carlo Imperato, Gene Anthony Ray, Lee Curreri, Lori Singer and P.R. Paul.
In 2008, television presenter Justin Lee Collins travelled to America to unite various members of the group in a show titled Bring Back...Fame. They spoke of their success as a group in the UK and their live shows, and revealed that Erica Gimpel quit the group during the tour due to the pressures. Lansburg also talked about her surprise at the success of "Hi Fidelity". Curreri spoke about the music, saying that he was the only member to contribute to the writing of the songs and the only member to play an instrument on the recordings (synthesizer). The show was transmitted on 27 December 2008.[7]
| Release date | Single | Record label | UK Chart position[8] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| August 1982 | "Hi Fidelity" 1 | RCA | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| September 1982 | "Starmaker" | RCA | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| November 1982 | "Mannequin" 2 | RCA | 50 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| February 1983 | "Friday Night (Live version)" 3 | RCA | 13 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| June 1983 | "Body Language" 4 | RCA | 76 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| September 1983 | "Songs" 5 | RCA | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1Lead vocals by Valerie Landsburg. 2Lead vocals by Gene Anthony Ray. 3Lead vocals by Carlo Imperato. 4Lead vocals by Debbie Allen. 5Lead vocals by Jimmy Osmond and Erica Gimpel
| Release date (UK) | Album | Label(s) | UK Chart position[9] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| July 1982 | The Kids from "Fame" | RCA (US), BBC (UK) | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| October 1982 | Again | RCA (UK) | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| February 1983 | Live! | RCA (US), BBC (UK) | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| May 1983 | Songs | RCA (US, UK) | 14 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| August 1983 | Sing for You | BBC (UK) | 28 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1984 | Rock 'N Roll World | RCA (US) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1984 | Best of Fame | RCA (US) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The albums Again and Sing for You were not released in the U.S.
The artist name for the album Rock 'N Roll World is given as Fame, rather than The Kids From "Fame" as was used on the earlier releases.
No separate artist name is given on the album Best of Fame.
CD re-releases: The Kids from "Fame" (RCA ND90427, UK/Europe only) and Best of Fame (RCA PD84961, UK/Europe only).
| Release date | Video | Record label(s) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 1983 | Live at the Royal Albert Hall | MGM/UA(US) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by Fame, Original Soundtrack by Various Artists Love over Gold by Dire Straits |
UK Albums Chart (Kids from Fame) number one album August 7, 1982 – October 1, 1982 October 30, 1982 – November 26, 1982 |
Succeeded by Love over Gold by Dire Straits The Singles: The First Ten Years by ABBA |
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