Dexys Midnight Runners

With singer/songwriter Kevin Rowland the only constant, Dexys Midnight Runners went through multiple transformations over the years in terms of style, image, and personnel, with driving force Rowland maintaining an uncompromising idiosyncrasy throughout. Rowland, who had previously been part of punk band The Killjoys, started Dexys in 1978 with Killjoys guitarist Kevin "Al" Archer. With a lineup including a three-man horn section, the band crafted a sound heavily influenced by '60s soul, sometimes covering the vintage R&B tunes they loved. They were initially managed by The Clash's notorious manager Bernie Rhodes, who produced their 1979 debut single, "Dance Stance," but soon fired him over that production. Their second single, 1980's "Geno," an homage to '60s soul singer Geno Washington, was a No. 2 U.K. hit. Follow-up "There, There My Dear" hit the Top 10 as well, as did the band's debut album, Searching for the Young Soul Rebels. By 1981 most of the members had left, partly due to Rowland's eccentric, dictatorial ways. His new lineup traded the previous version's suits and ties for hoodies and boxing gear and scored a Top 20 hit with "Show Me." The lineup shifted again by 1982, with Rowland bringing in a string section, changing the band's look to denim overalls, and mixing in a Celtic folk flavor for a sound not unlike a New Wave Van Morrison. The sound connected-1982's Too-Rye-Ay and the single "Come On, Eileen" became huge hits around the world, the latter becoming an era-defining tune. But this lineup too soon splintered, and the next version of Dexys adopted a pinstripe suit image for 1985's Don't Stand Me Down. The torturously assembled album found some critical acclaim but died a commercial death, ultimately leading to the band's dissolution in 1987. An abortive attempt at a solo career followed for Rowland, who finally formed yet another lineup of Dexys in 2003, which began to tour successfully. It wasn't until 2012 that the band, their name now officially shortened to Dexys, released the acclaimed One Day I'm Going To Soar, which reached No. 13 in the U.K. An album of covers, Let the Record Show: Dexys Do Irish and Country Soul, followed in 2016, hitting the Top 10.