Musical Artist - Roxy Music

Roxy Music circa 1973

Roxy Music was an English band originally formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry and Graham Simpson. Simpson left the band in 1972, and the group has had many other members come and go over the years. The most consistent lineup for the band appears to have consisted of Ferry, Andy Mckay, Paul Thompson, and Phil Manzanera, with a revolving door that saw a total of at least eighteen other musicians join the group for at least some period of time. A pioneer of glam-rock with punk sensibilities, Roxy Music seems to have been one of those bands that had a huge impact on popular music without being a dominant force on the singles charts.

The group first had success following the release of their eponymous debut album in 1972, which contained the hit single Virginia Plain. In 1973, the band released their second album For Your Pleasure, which was oddly promoted with the non-album single Pyjamarama. The band quickly released two more albums titled Stranded and Country Life. In 1975, they released their fifth album Siren, which contained their only U.S. hit single Love Is the Drug. After five albums in five years followed by tours in support of those albums, the band temporarily broke up in 1976.

The band reformed in 1978 and recorded a few more albums to a fair amount of success, including the hit singles Angel Eyes and Dance Away. In 1981, the band recorded the non-album single Jealous Guy, a cover of a John Lennon song which became the band's only number one hit in the U.K. In 1982, the band recorded their final studio album Avalon, which contained the single More Than This, and then broke up more or less for good.

The band reunited in the 2000s for anniversary tours, but this reunion was kind of short-lived. Group members have toured together intermittently since then, but trying to describe the band as having been "back together" or "broken up" at any point during the period of 2001 through 2011 is something of a quixotic pursuit. The band appears to have been declared dead as of the end of 2011.

The band has an official webpage named Roxy Music.

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03/25/19: Jealous Guy

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