Paul Hardcastle
| Paul Hardcastle | |
|---|---|
| Born | 10 December 1957 |
| Origin | Aldershot, United Kingdom |
| Genres | Synthpop, freestyle, electronica, ambient, electro house, breakstep, smooth jazz |
| Occupation(s) | |
| Instruments | Synthesizer, keyboards, piano, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussion, programming |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Labels | Chrysalis, Motown, V2, Profile |
| Website |
paulhardcastle |
Paul Hardcastle (born 10 December 1957) is a British composer, musician, producer, songwriter, radio presenter, and multi-instrumentalist. Although he specialises mainly in synthesizer and programming, he is able to play multiple instruments. He is best known for his song 19 which went to number 1 in 13 different countries in 1985.
Career
Hardcastle started his career in 1982, when he, along with singer Derek Green, formed a duo called First Light. Their partnership was short; they released 2 studio albums and around half a dozen singles. However, there was not much success. They had no chart entries in the US, and only a couple of obscure entries in the UK. Because of this, Hardcastle and Green parted ways in early 1984. Paul decided to start his own solo career not long after.
His first single in April 1984 was "You're The One For Me (A.M.Daybreak)" which hit number 41 in the UK charts. This track had samples of two instrumental tracks which he had recorded while in First Light (Daybreak and A.M). The songs lyrics were cover by a new featured vocalist called Kevin Henry, who would provide vocals on Hardcastle's future works.
He achieved some acclaim for his other early singles, notably in 1984, the electro-funk/freestyle/instrumental track, "Rain Forest", which along with the track "Sound Chaser", hit number two on the dance chart.[1] "Rain Forest" also hit number five on the soul chart and number fifty-seven on the Billboard Hot 100.[2]
Hardcastle is best known for the 1985 single "19", which had huge international success in the charts; it went to No.1 in the UK (for five weeks), a number of other countries worldwide, and reached number 15 in the US Pop Charts and number 1 in the US Dance and Club charts. "19" became the top-selling single in 13 countries. This was helped by the fact that versions of the song, spoken by well-known local news anchors, were recorded in French, Spanish, German and Japanese. The song received the Ivor Novello Award for Best-selling single of 1985.
Later in 1985, he teamed up with singer Carol Kenyon, who had previously been the backing vocalist on the Heaven 17 song "Temptation". They released "Don't Waste My Time" which reached number 8 in the UK in early 1986. The same year, Hardcastle released the single "The Wizard" which became the new Top Of The Pops theme tune (1986-1991).
In 1986, Hardcastle released a remix to "One Wish" by Hiroshima.[3]
Hardcastle has also recorded several synth jazz albums, alternating releases under the pseudonyms Kiss The Sky (with Jaki Graham) and The Jazzmasters, as well as under his real name Paul Hardcastle.[4]
Hardcastle also released two house music singles ("Keep This Frequency Clear" and "Listen To This") in 1988 under the name "The DTI".
In 2015, he re-released 19 to raise funds for British soldiers. This was determined after one of his son's close friends lost his life in military combat in Afghanistan.
Personal life
Hardcastle is married to Dolores Baker, and they have three children:[5] Maxine (born April 1986[6][7]), Paul Jr. (born August 1990[8]), and Ritchie (born May 1997).
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Daybreak (by First Light) | |
| 1985 | Zero One (feat. Universal Funk) | EMI Music Distribution [9] |
| 1985 | Rainforest | |
| 1985 | Paul Hardcastle | |
| 1988 | No Winners | |
| 1990 | Sound Syndicate | A/K Music / K-tel International |
| 1993 | Time For Love | Fast Forward Records (import) [10] |
| 1993 | The Definitive | |
| 1997 | First Light | |
| 1997 | Cover to Cover: A Musical Autobiography | JVC 1997, Trippin 'N' Rhythm/Push Records 1999 [11] |
| 2003 | Very Best: Paul Hardcastle 1983–2003 | |
| 2009 | Paul Hardcastle: The Collection | Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records [12] |
| 2009 | Zero One | |
| 2011 | Desire | Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records [13] |
| 2012 | Perceptions of Pacha VIII | P&C Pacha Recordings / Pacha Multimedia |
| 2012 | 19 Below Zero | Hardcastle Music, Universal Music |
| 2013 | Electrofied 80s: Essential Paul Hardcastle | Music Club Deluxe (division of Demon Music Group) |
| 2014 | Movin & Groovin | Trippin 'N' Rythmn Records |
| 2015 | 19: The 30th Anniversary Mixes | NUA Entertainment |
Smooth jazz albums
Hardcastle series
| Year | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Hardcastle | JVC Musical Industries |
| 1996 | Hardcastle II | JVC Musical Industries |
| 2002 | Hardcastle III | Hardcastle Records |
| 2005 | Hardcastle 4 | Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records |
| 2008 | Hardcastle 5 | Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records |
| 2011 | Hardcastle VI | Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records |
| 2013 | Hardcastle VII | Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records |
| 2016 | The History of Paul Hardcastle | Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records |
The Jazzmasters series
| Year | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | The Jazzmasters | Fast Forward Records, ltd., JVC Musical Industries, Inc |
| 1995 | The Jazzmasters II | JVC Musical Industries |
| 1999 | The Jazzmasters III | Hardcastle Records, Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records |
| 2000 | Jazzmasters: The Greatest Hits | Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records |
| 2004 | The Jazzmasters 4 | Hardcastle Records, Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records |
| 2004 | JazzMasters: The Smooth Cuts | Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records [14] |
| 2006 | The Jazzmasters V | Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records |
| 2010 | The Jazzmasters VI [15] | Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records |
| 2014 | The Jazzmasters VII | Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records |
Kiss The Sky series with Jaki Graham
| Year | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Kiss The Sky | Motown Records |
| 1994 | Millennium sky way | JVC Musical Industries |
The Chill Lounge series
| Year | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | The Chill Lounge, vol.1 | Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records |
| 2013 | The Chill Lounge, vol.2 | Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records |
| 2015 | The Chill Lounge, vol.3 | Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records |
Singles
| Title[17] | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK |
US |
US Dance |
US Jazz |
IRE |
SWI |
NOR |
GER |
NLD |
SWE |
ATR |
ITL |
FR |
NZ | |||
| "You're the One For Me – Daybreak – A.M." | 1984 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Daybreak |
| "Guilty" | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Eat Your Heart Out" | 59 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Rain Forest | |
| "King Tut" | — | — | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Rain Forest" | 1985 | 41 | 57 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "19" | 1 | 15 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 1 | ||
| "19 (German Version)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Paul Hardcastle | |
| "Just for Money" | 19 | — | — | — | 15 | 27 | — | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Don't Waste My Time" | 1986 | 8 | — | 31 | — | 15 | 9 | — | 15 | 12 | — | — | — | — | 20 | |
| "Foolin' Yourself" | 51 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Definitive Paul Hardcastle | |
| "The Wizard" | 15 | — | — | — | 10 | — | — | 51 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Walk in the Night" | 1988 | 54 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | No Winners |
| "40 Years" | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Are You Ready" | 1989 | 90 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Sound Syndicate |
| "Galaxy Of Love" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Rain Forest" / "What's Going On" | 2011 | — | — | — | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Hardcastle VI |
| "Easy Come, Easy Go" | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "No Stress (At All)" | 2013 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Hardcastle VII |
| "Easy Street" | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Echoes Rising" | 2016 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The History Of Paul Hardcastle |
See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
- List of 1980s one-hit wonders in the United States
- List of performers on Top of the Pops
- List of Euro disco artists
- List of smooth jazz performers
- List of synthpop artists
- List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart
References
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974–2003. Record Research. p. 117.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 244.
- ↑ Chin, Brian (May 10, 1986). "Dance Trax" (PDF). pp. 39–40. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
- ↑ "Biography by Steve Huey". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 18 March 2009.
- ↑ Paul Hardcastle @ Discogs Retrieved 23 August 2009.
- ↑ Maxine Hardcastle @ Discogs Retrieved 23 August 2009.
- ↑ "I'll never work in TV again, howls Playboy model at judge as she's convicted of battering pop star's daughter in nightclub toilet". Daily Mail. London. 24 December 2009.
- ↑ Paul Hardcastle, Jr. @ Discogs Retrieved 23 August 2009.
- ↑ "Zero One - Paul Hardcastle - Releases - AllMusic".
- ↑ "Time for Love" – via Amazon.
- ↑ "Cover to Cover - Paul Hardcastle - Releases - AllMusic".
- ↑ 5 cuts from Hardcastle Series, 5 cuts from Jazzmasters series, http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-collection-mw0000816835
- ↑ "Desire - Paul Hardcastle - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic".
- ↑ "Jazzmasters: the Smooth Cuts - Paul Hardcastle - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic".
- ↑ "chatterboxworldwide.com - This website is for sale! - chatterboxworldwide Resources and Information.".
- ↑ "Paul Hardcastle - Biography & History - AllMusic".
- ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 243. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.