Phil Fearon

Phil Fearon (born 30 July 1956,^[1] London, England^[2]) is a British record producer. He was the lead singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist for the 1980s band Galaxy.

Career

This multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and producer moved to Britain in 1962. After running a reggae sound system he joined Hott Wax, (who evolved into Brit Funk pioneers Hi-Tension after he left) and in the late 70s was a mainstay of hit group Kandidate. He set up a studio in his north London house and initially recorded with the group Proton on Champagne. Fearon’s first recording as Galaxy (with assistance from singers Julie and Dorothy) was ‘Head Over Heels’ on Ensign in 1982, which became a club hit. The first success came with the Top 5 hit ‘Dancing Tight’ in 1983 and over the next 15 months they chalked up a further four UK Top 40 singles including Top 10s ‘What Do I Do’ and ‘Everybody’s Laughing’. Their radio-friendly pop/soul debut album Phil Fearon & Galaxy also made the Top 10 in 1984. After a quiet period Fearon returned to the Top 10 for the last time with a revival of Tony Etoria’s ‘I Can Prove It’ in 1986 (also a small US R&B hit). He continued to run a production company from his home making commercial dance records. Similar to the RAH Band, Galaxy was not a true group of musicians but a front for an individual producing all the music in a studio environment, with two female backing singers to supplement the recording sound (Dorothy Galdes & Julie Gore).^{[citation needed]} Galaxy's best known hits were "Dancing Tight", "What Do I Do?", "Everybody's Laughing" and "I Can Prove It", which were all up-beat commercial pop songs, hitting the Top Ten of the UK Singles Chart. Before forming Galaxy, Fearon was a member of the band Kandidate. Galaxy's records were distinctly early 1980s in style, with prominent use of synthesizers, and their version of "Ain't Nothing but a House Party" was produced by Stock Aitken Waterman.^[3] Galaxy's popularity waned in the late 1980s, with the trend moving towards acid house, though the later single, a cover version of The Showstoppers' "Ain't Nothin' But a Houseparty" was an early example of this genre. In 1987, Fearon founded and managed a successful record label called Production House Records .

Fearon returned to performing as a special guest at the Caister Soul Weekender in May 2010, and has since continued to appear at 80s soul nights and various festivals around the UK and abroad.

Personal life

Fearon is married to Dorothy "Dee" Galdes, the vocalist for the Baby D "Let me be your Fantasy" , which reached the No 1 position in the UK Charts. Their daughter Stephanie is an actress and singer, who appeared on the CITV show, My Parents Are Aliens, and was later a semi-finalist on the 2010 BBC talent search Over the Rainbow.

Discography

Singles

• "Head Over Heels" - 1982 - #77 +
• "Dancing Tight" - 1983 - #4 †
• "Wait Until Tonight (My Love)" - 1983 - #20 †
• "Fantasy Real" - 1983 - #41 ‡
• "What Do I Do" - 1984 - #5 ‡
• "Everybody's Laughing" - 1984 - #10 ‡
• "You Don't Need a Reason" - 1985 - #42 ‡
• "This Kind of Love" - 1985 - #70 ¥
• "I Can Prove It" - 1986 - #8 ~
• "Ain't Nothing But a Houseparty" - 1986 - #60 ~
• "Nothing Is Too Good For You" - 1987 ~

Above tracks credited variously as follows:-
+ Galaxy
† Galaxy featuring Phil Fearon
‡ Phil Fearon and Galaxy
¥ Phil Fearon and Galaxy featuring Dee Galdes
~ Phil Fearon^[4]

Albums

• Phil Fearon and Galaxy - 1984 - #8 - Ensign Records
• This Kind of Love - 1985 - #98 - Ensign Records
• The Best Of Phil Fearon & Galaxy - 1991 - Ensign/Chrysalis
• Dancing Tight - The Best Of Phil Fearon & Galaxy - 1992 - Ensign
• The Best Of Phil Fearon & Galaxy - 1994 - Music Club
• Dancing Tight - All The Hits Extended - 1995 - More Music
• Greatest Hits - 1996 - EMI Gold
• Phil Fearon & Galaxy - All The Hits - 2001 - Disky
• Phil Fearon & Galaxy - All The Hits - 2001 - EMI Gold^[4]

See also

• Neo-psychedelia

References