Description

They never broke big in the States, but Glasgow, Scotland's Texas were one of the most popular band's in the U.K. and Europe during the 1990s. Though firmly rooted in the Britpop tradition, Texas maintained a distinct sound that nodded to everything from soul and R&B to hip-hop and shimmering slide-guitar country.The group continued to score hits in the U.K. well into the 2000s, and even collaborated with the Wu-Tang Clan's Method Man on the remix for "Say What You Want.".

Biography

The Scottish guitar pop band with the American name originally consisted of Italian-descended Sharleen Spiteri (b. Glasgow, Scotland; vocals/guitar), Ally McErlaine (guitar), Johnny McElhone (b. 21 April 1963; bass) and Stuart Kerr (drums, ex-Love And Money). The band were formed in 1986 around McElhone who formerly played bass in Altered Images and Hipsway, though Spiteri and McErlaine quickly became the focal point, partly owing to McErlaine's fluent guitar playing and their joint mastery of Ry Cooder-inspired slide guitar. It was the latter style that distinguished February 1989's UK number 8 single, "I Don't Want A Lover', the very first song main songwriters Spiteri and McElhone had written together. It helped to break them nationwide as one of a clutch of Scottish bands occupying a slightly awkward space between commercial rock and pop. The band had made its live debut at Dundee University in March 1988, signing to Phonogram subsidiary Vertigo Records through McElhone's former connections with Hipsway. Their first album, 1989"s Southside, continued to explore the theme of doomed relationships, though the original sessions with Chic's Bernard Edwards were abandoned as "too heavy handed". When eventually released it sold over two million copies worldwide, peaking at number 3 in the UK album charts.
Richard Hynd replaced Kerr on drums in 1991 and the band was also augmented by the presence of Eddie Campbell on keyboards. Mother's Heaven failed to repeat the success of their debut, though by now the band had established itself as a strong concert attraction throughout Europe. The band achieved their second Top 20 hit in April 1992 when a version of Al Green's "Tired Of Being Alone" reached number 19. Ricks Road was completed with new producer Paul Fox after the band stated their fondness for his work with 10,000 Maniacs and the Wallflowers. It included backing vocals from Rose Stone, sister of Sly Stone, and was recorded at Bearsville Studios in Woodstock. In 1997, after another lengthy hiatus, they returned in style with the UK Top 10 hit "Say What You Want". Their dramatic comeback continued with the remarkable UK success of White On Blonde, an album which demonstrated the band's mastery of a number of musical styles. The oriental-styled "In Our Lifetime" debuted at UK number 4 in April 1999, and was followed by the chart-topping The Hush, another bestselling collection of note-perfect white soul. Mykie Wilson replaced Hynd shortly afterwards. The following year's compilation included several new tracks.
DISCOGRAPHY: Southside (Mercury 1989)***, Mother's Heaven (Mercury 1991)**, Ricks Road (Vertigo 1993)***, White On Blonde (Mercury 1997)****, The Hush (Mercury 1999)****, Be Careful What You Wish For (Mercury 2003)***.
COMPILATIONS: The Greatest Hits (Mercury 2000)****, I Don't Want A Lover (Spectrum 2004)***.
VIDEOGRAPHY: Texas, Paris (Mercury 2001).

Encyclopedia of Popular Music
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