Too-Rye-Ay Trivia Quiz

Answer:

Kevin Rowland's childhood was split between London, Ireland and then Birmingham, which saw him influenced by both Irish folk music and the Northern soul sounds that were popular in the Midlands. He and Kevin Archer were founding members of the Birmingham punk rock band the Killjoys. The band disintegrated as a result of Rowland's enforced eight-hour practice sessions, however, by this time, Rowland was also seeking a new musical direction.

Rowland and Archer then put together the first model of Dexys Midnight Runners. It was a large outfit that, along with the standard guitars and drums, also included a trombonist, two saxophonists and a keyboard player. Keeping such a formidable group together proved to be financially difficult and, legend has it, Rowland would organize shop-lifting days as a means to keep the band afloat.

They released their first single "Dance Stance" in 1979, which, despite its title, was a protest song against anti-Irish discrimination. The song only flirted with the UK singles charts, but it was their follow-up single, "Geno" (1980), that rocketed them to the top of the charts and brought them to public notice. It was at this point that Rowland identified that distribution of the single's profits was not equitable and the band was receiving what amounted to a pittance. Rowland's light-fingered shoplifting days came in handy at this point, stealing their debut album's master tape and then using it to ransom a better deal out of their record label, EMI.

That album, "Searching for the Young Soul Rebels" would create a storm when it was released in 1980, with the British press hailing the band's organic soul sound. The single "There, There, My Dear" consolidated the band's fortunes but, as quickly as their stocks rose, so too did they fall away. Once again it was on Rowland's shoulders. Despite calls from the band and advice from EMI, he insisted that the third single from the disc should be "Keep It Part 2". The single bombed and, at the same time, took away any momentum the album had.

Disgruntlement soon turned to departure and the band dissolved. The core of the band, Pete Williams (bass), Geoff Blythe (tenor saxophone), Steve Spooner (alto saxophone), Andy Stoker (drums) and Mick Talbot (keyboards) would form the soul group The Bureau, who would be best known for their debut single "Only for Sheep" (1981), a song that reached number five on the Australian charts. The biggest name to leave Rowland was his longtime bandmate, Kevin Archer, who would form the Blue Ox Babes. Several years later they would have a minor hit with "There's No Deceiving You" (1988) but it was their folk influenced soul sound that caught the attention of Rowland. Much to Archer's chagrin, Rowland would steal the idea, along with his fiddle player Helen O'Hara, and use these as the foundation for his re-incarnation of Dexys Midnight Runners.

What arose from this collaboration was the album "Too-Rye-Ay" (1982). Now signed with Mercury, the first four singles did not showcase what was to come. Only "Show Me" (1981) made the UK Top 20 and "The Celtic Soul Brothers" (1982) managed to tease the Top 40 without ever entering it. Then came "Come on Eileen" (1982) and the spark became a blaze. The Irish folk influence added to the soul sound made the song easily accessible and the buying public fell in love with it, turning it into a global smash hit. The album's continued success was supported by the rise of the next single, a cover of Van Morrison's "Jackie Wilson Said" (1982), however, spot-fires were once again emerging within the band. Generally, these revolved around Rowland and his controlling nature and, once again, membership within the group became a revolving door. Soon the core of the line-up was down to Rowland, fiddle player O'Hara and guitarist Kevin "Billy" Adams.

Rowland's quest for perfection and his own stubbornness would shackle the band's next effort, the album "Don't Stand Me Down" (1985). The LP would take 18 long months to complete, at which point Rowland insisted that it stood on its own two feet... in other words, it would not be supported by a single. Without this assistance, the album flopped. In an attempt to revive the album's fortunes, Mercury eventually released the singles "This is What She's Like" (1985) and "Because of You" (1986), but it was far too late, and the life support system for the album was turned off.

Yet again the band dissolved. Rowland slipped into depression and a cocaine addiction. He attempted a solo career which yielded two albums, "The Wanderer" (1988), a blend of folk, rock country and electronica, and "My Beauty" (1999). The latter was a stable of cover songs to which Rowland had changed several of the lyrics to reflect his bouts with substance abuse. It sold abysmally.

Rowland cobbled together a new version of the Runners in 2003, this time with the name stripped back to merely Dexys. In the process, he pieced together two new songs, "My Life in England" and "Manhood", to support the compilation album "Let's Make This Precious". Then came the exercise of a new album and this proved to be a painstaking journey. It wouldn't be until 2012 before the album "One Day I'm Going to Soar" saw the light of day. Supported by the singles "Incapable of Love" and "She Got a Wiggle" the disc was met with positive reviews and hailed as a second coming for the band. However, it would be another eleven years before the band's next album of original songs "The Feminine Divine" would be released. This was a concept album that showcased Rowland's growth over three decades, from being a sexist to a champion for women's causes. To this end, the 2003 single "Manhood" was re-worked for the LP and included as "It's Alright Kevin (Manhood 2023)".

The band, however, had not been entirely idle during this time. They released the LP "Let the Record Show: Dexys Do Irish and Country Soul" in 2016 which provided the Dexy spin on a number of Irish folk songs and other covers, such as Joni Mitchell's 1969 classic "Both Sides Now". For the 40th anniversary of "Too-Rye-Ay", after permission from Mercury, Rowland collaborated with Helen O'Hara to re-mix the album they way they'd originally intended. In many ways this re-working has provided Rowland with a full circle or, more to the point, some closure on what has been a tempestuous career for him and his band.