Formed in England in 1978 by John Taylor and Nick Rhodes, Duran Duran started out as the house band at the Rum Runner Club in Birmingham.  Simon Colley was their bass player, and they recruited Stephen Duffey as their lead vocalist.  Duffey left shortly, and they added Andy Taylor, Roger Taylor, and vocalist Simon Le Bon.

Duran Duran

You listen to a piece of music and it will remind you of something-it might make you happy, it might make you sad, but it is very emotive. And I think that Duran Duran have always understood that.

Building a Band

Formed in England in 1978 by John Taylor and Nick Rhodes, Duran Duran started out as the house band at the Rum Runner Club in Birmingham.  Simon Colley was their bass player, and they recruited Stephen Duffey as their lead vocalist.  Duffey left shortly, and they added Andy Taylor, Roger Taylor, and vocalist Simon Le Bon.  The group released it first demo, with this lineup in 1980.   Also in 1980, they toured as the opening act for Hazel O'Connor, and attracted the attention of EMI Recording Company, and they signed a contract.

They released their first album, Duran Duran, in 1981.  The album spawned several singles, but the one that caused the most buzz was Girls on Film, primarily because of the video, which depicted topless models mud wrestling, pillow fighting, and engaging in other activities related to sexual fetishes.  The unedited video was played on pay channels, and an edited version showed up on MTV only two weeks after the inception of the channel.  The album certified platinum in the UK and the US.  

Climbing to the Top

In 1981, Duran Duran embarked on their first US tour, playing clubs and moderate-sized venues.  They followed this with concert dates in Germany and the United Kingdom.  Their 1982 double-platinum album, Rio, spawned five singles, three of which peaked in the Top Ten.  The band had become an international sensation, with the help of heavy airplay on the radio and MTV, and at the dance clubs.  On 2003, Rio was listed on the NME 100 Greatest Albums of All Time, at #65.

The rest of the 1980s were almost dreamlike for the members of Duran Duran.  At an autograph signing in Times Square in 1983, in police had to close down the block because of the crowd that had gathered.  Their 1983 release, Seven and the Ragged Tiger, spawned The Reflex, their first #1 hit in the United States.  In 1984, they launched a world tour, this time playing in large arenas.

Present and Future

With the public movement toward grunge and gansta rap in the early 1990s, Duran Duran saw a drop in record sales.  In 1991, the band was just completing another tour.  Six more studio albums were released, but did not see the enormous response their preceding albums had enjoyed.  They embarked on their largest tour in their history, including stops in the Middle East.  

Duran Duran disbanded in 1999, but reunited in 2001.  They signed a four-album contract.  Now, in 2010, there is one album left on the contract.  The band has indicated that their new album is due to be released in mid-2010, on CD and digitally; the album will be available for mp3 download.

Did you know . . .

1. Duran Duran was named “The Prettiest Band in Rock and Roll by Rolling Stone Magazine.

2. Princess Diana named Duran Duran as her favorite band.

3. They received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the MTV Video Music Awards and from Q Magazine in 2003.

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