Nick Heyward

Nick Heyward (born 20 May 1961 in Beckenham, Kent)^[1] is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for being the frontman of the early 1980s band Haircut One Hundred, and also had a briefly successful solo career after he left the band in 1983.

Haircut One Hundred

Nick Heyward and bassist Les Nemes had played in several bands together since 1977. First known as Rugby, they then became known as The Boat Party, then as Captain Pennyworth, and then as Moving England before finally becoming Haircut One Hundred.^[2] The band signed with Arista Records in 1981 and had four UK Top 10 singles between 1981—82. Their debut album, Pelican West (1982), primarily written by Heyward, reached No. 2.

Work on the band's second album commenced in October 1982, but was hindered by Heyward who was refusing to attend recording sessions. By January 1983, a statement was issued confirming that Heyward had left the band, who continued without him with percussionist Mark Fox taking over vocal duties. At the time of the announcement, Heyward told Smash Hits magazine that he had been contemplating going solo for a while and had already recorded some tracks with session musicians.^[3] However, many years later, Heyward stated that he had been struggling with stress and depression at the time after a year of constant work and pressure which led to him being, in effect, sacked by the other members of the band.^[4]

Solo career

Heyward's solo career took off in March 1983 with the single 'Whistle Down The Wind', which reached No. 13. Two further Top 20 hits followed: "Take That Situation" (#11) and "Blue Hat For A Blue Day" (#14). His debut solo album, North of a Miracle, was released in October 1983 and peaked at No. 10 in the UK. In 1984, he released two new singles, "Love All Day" and "Warning Sign", which were both minor Top 40 hits.

The 1984 singles featured on his second solo album, 1986's Postcards From Home. By 1988, he had moved to Warner Bros. Records^[5] and released his third album, I Love You Avenue. For the next four years, Heyward concentrated on his second career as a graphic artist, until returning to music in 1993 with a new album for Epic Records and tour dates alongside Squeeze and Paul Weller.^[5] Over the next two years, he toured regularly, particularly in the US, where he supported Belly, The Lemonheads, Mazzy Star and Therapy?.^[5]

Heyward released From Monday to Sunday in 1993, which featured a more classic rock style.^[6] The album yielded a US hit with "Kite", which reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart.^[6]

In 1995, Heyward released the album Tangled on the Epic label, which provided him with his first UK Top 40 single in twelve years when "Rollerblade" reached No. 37 on the UK Singles Chart. After being 'discovered' by Alan McGee performing at an Ed Ball gig, The Apple Bed was released in 1998 on Creation Records.^[5] However, his 1990s albums received little attention outside of his loyal fanbase,^[6] and he was dropped by Creation the same year.^[6]

Heyward has released new music less frequently in recent years. Open Sesame Seed (2001), a collaboration with British actor/singer Greg Ellis, featured Ellis reading Heyward's poetry to the accompaniment of Heyward's musical backing.^[6] An album of songs recorded with singer/actress India Dupre, The Mermaid and the Lighthouse Keeper, was released in 2006.^[7]

Discography

Albums

• North of a Miracle (1983) (UK No. 10, US No. 178)^[8]
• Postcards from Home (1986)
• I Love You Avenue (1988)
• From Monday to Sunday (1993)
• Tangled (1995)
• The Apple Bed (1998)
• Open Sesame Seed (2001) with Greg Ellis
• The Mermaid and the Lighthouse Keeper (2006) (with India Dupre)

Singles

• "Whistle Down the Wind" (1983) No. 13 UK,^[9] No. 20 US AC^[10]
• "Take That Situation" (1983) No. 11 UK
• "Blue Hat for a Blue Day" (1983) No. 14 UK
• "On a Sunday" (1983) No. 52 UK
• "Love All Day" (1984) No. 31 UK
• "My Pure Lady" (1984) Japan only
• "Warning Sign" (1984) No. 25 UK
• "Laura" (1985) No. 45 UK
• "Over the Weekend" (1986) No. 43 UK
• "Goodbye Yesterday" (1986)
• "You're My World" (1988) No. 67 UK
• "Tell Me Why" (1989)
• "He Doesn't Love You Like I Do" (1993) No. 58 UK
• "Kite" (1993) No. 44 UK, No. 4 US Modern Rock,^[10] No. 107 US
• "The World" (1995) No. 47 UK
• "Rollerblade" (1996) No. 37 UK
• "The Man I Used to Be" (1997)
• "Today" (1997)
• "The Stars in Her Eyes" (1998)

See also

• List of performances on Top of the Pops
• List of Never Mind the Buzzcocks episodes
• Creation Records discography
• List of people from Beckenham

References

External links

• Official Nick Heyward website
• Portrait on vh1.com