| Alison Moyet |
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Alison Moyet (born '''Genevieve Alison Jane Moyet''' on 18 June 1961 ), is an English Pop singer/songwriter noted for her Blues y voice. EARLY LIFE AND CAREER Moyet was born in Billericay , Essex , England to a French father and English mother. She grew up in Basildon , where she attended school. After leaving school at 16, she worked as a shop worker and trained as a Piano Tuner . She was involved in a number of Punk Rock , Pub Rock and Blues bands in the South East Essex area during the late 1970s and early 1980s , including The Vandals and The Screamin' Ab Dabs , The Vicars and The Little Roosters. YAZOO Her mainstream pop career began in 1981 when she formed the Electropop duo Yazoo with former Depeche Mode member Vince Clarke . In the United States , the band became known as Yaz , as there was a record label in the region already operating as Yazoo Records that presented Copyright issues. Yazoo had several hits, including " Only You ", "Don't Go", "Situation" and "Nobody's Diary", and recorded two albums, ''Upstairs At Eric's'' and ''You And Me Both''. The group was notable for melding Clarke's trademark electronic sounds with Moyet's warm, soulful voice. In 1983 Moyet and Clarke decided to disband Yazoo. While Clarke went on to form The Assembly and then Erasure , Moyet signed to CBS (in part because it had been Janis Joplin 's label), and began her solo career. SOLO CAREER In 1984 she released her debut album '' Alf '' (titled after her punk-era nickname). ''Alf'' was produced by the noted UK producing/songwriting team of Swain And Jolley . The album was co-written by the duo and Moyet, with the exception of "Invisible", written specifically for Moyet by Motown legend Lamont Dozier. The record was a huge hit in Britain, reaching #1 in the album charts. ''Alf'' spawned three international hit singles, "Love Resurrection", "Invisible" and "All Cried Out". In the US, "Invisible" was a Top 40 hit (something Yazoo had never achieved). In some European territories, a fourth single, "For You Only", was also released. In 1985 Moyet performed at the historic Live Aid concert alongside Paul Young , later returning unscheduled to the stage (alongside Bob Geldof , David Bowie and Pete Townshend ) to provide emergency vocals on " Let It Be " when the microphone on Paul McCartney 's Piano failed, leaving him unable to be heard. She also released a single not featured on ''Alf'', a cover of the standard "That Ole Devil Called Love." The single went to #2 on the UK singles chart (it remains Moyet's highest-charting UK single.) In 1986 Moyet had another big UK hit with the single "Is This Love?", followed in 1987 by the album '' Raindancing ''. ''Raindancing'' spawned further hit singles, including a cover of Floy Joy's "Weak In The Presence of Beauty" and "Ordinary Girl". In 1987, she scored another cover hit with "Love Letters", which peaked at #4. The video for the song featured comedy duo French & Saunders . Following a period of personal and career evaluation, '' Hoodoo '' was released in 1991. ''Hoodoo'' took several steps away from the glossy pop sheen of ''Raindancing'' and was a far earthier and more personal album. Compared to her earlier releases, ''Hoodoo'' received little label support and only minimal promotion. The album sold respectably in Britain, and Moyet was nominated for a Grammy for the single "It Won't Be Long". However, the release of ''Hoodoo'' marked the beginning of what was to become a long fight for Moyet to secure complete control of her artistic direction. Like many similar artists of Moyet's calibre (including Aimee Mann and the late Kirsty MacColl ), Moyet was reluctant to record a radio-friendly "pop" album simply for the sake of creating chart hits. Moyet's next album, '' Essex '' (1994), was also a source of controversy for her; in order for the album to be released, her label (now Sony ) insisted that certain ''Essex'' tracks be re-recorded and re-produced, and that there be additional material remixed to create a more 'commercial' package. The video for the single "Whispering Your Name" again featured Dawn French . Following the release of ''Essex'', Sony released a greatest hits compilation of Moyet's work. '' Singles '' entered the UK charts at #1 and, following a UK tour, was re-issued as a double CD set which included "No Overdubs", a bonus live CD. Upon re-issue, ''Singles'' charted again, this time in the Top 20. Due to prolonged litigation with Sony, Moyet did not record or release a new studio album for over eight years after the release of ''Essex''. During this time, however, Moyet recorded vocals for Tricky , Sylk-130, Ocean Colour Scene , The Lightning Seeds , and King Britt , and was featured on the British leg of the Lilith Fair tour. 2001 saw the release of '' The Essential Alison Moyet '' CD, and in 2002 ''The Essential Alison Moyet'' DVD. In August 2002, after years of holding out and refusing to compromise, Moyet was finally released from her Sony contract. Moyet signed to Sanctuary Records and released her first studio album in eight years, ''Hometime'', an album which Sony had refused to release. '' Hometime '' was produced by The Insects, who had also produced works by Goldfrapp and Massive Attack . The release of the CD launched Moyet into the top five best-selling female UK artists of 2002 and resulted in a BRIT nomination for Best Female Vocal as well as a nomination for the Mercury Music Prize . Moyet's most recent work, '' Voice '', an eclectic collection of covers, was released on 6 September 2004 and entered the UK charts at #7. Scored and produced by Moyet's neighbour (and Academy Award winner) Anne Dudley , the album was later re-issued with a bonus track, "Alfie". A companion DVD, ''One Blue Voice'', was released in 2006. December 2006 saw Moyet signing a imprint. The deal sees Alison reunited with label head John Williams, who was her A&R man for her last two albums, ''Hometime'' and ''Voice''. Her new Studio album is pencilled in for release in October of 2007. She has already begun recording again with producer, Pete Glenister. The album entitled 'The Turn' will feature an eclectic mix of self-penned songs, including the three numbers she wrote for the stage play, ''Smaller''. Alison Moyet's new studio album 'The Turn' will be released on Monday, 15th October, preceded by the single 'One More Time' on Monday 8th October. To coincide with the launch, Alison will be performing tracks at London's Pigalle Club on 15th and 16th October, with a warm-up gig at The Stables in Milton Keynes on 14th October. Tracks from 'The Turn' are currently being previewed on her official MySpace page. THEATRE Moyet made her critically acclaimed stage debut in the West End production of the musical '' Chicago '' in 2001. She played the part of Matron ‘Mama’ Morton, and although initially planned to be a short run, Moyet enjoyed the experience so much that the run was extended to six months. In 2006, Moyet appeared in the play ''Smaller'', which undertook a regional tour before a West End stint at London's Lyric Theatre . As well as co-starring with Dawn French , Moyet also composed three new songs for the production, which will appear on her next studio album, due for release in 2007. PERSONAL LIFE Moyet's second husband, David, is a social worker. They have three children, aged 21, 18 and 10 (as of 2006). {Link without Title} Alison supports Southend United Football Club and can be occasionally found in the West Stand at Roots Hall . Part of the video for "Is This Love?" was filmed at the ground. In addition, the song "Blue" - originally released as a B-side, but later re-recorded and used as the theme tune of the British TV series Playing The Field - is the singer's ode to her love of football and of Southend United. DISCOGRAPHY Albums Singles SEE ALSO REFERENCES
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