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Members
6 Mixed
Origin
London, England
Genre
Pop
Style
Rock/Pop
Mood
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Born
6 MixedOrigin
London, EnglandGenre
PopStyle
Rock/PopMood
---
Born
1982
Active
1982 to Present...
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Most Loved Tracks4 users
Amazulu - Too Good to Be Forgotten4 users
Amazulu - Montego Bay4 users
Amazulu - Cairo
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The name Amazulu is taken from the Zulu language word for the Zulu people. The band was started by Sharon Bailey along with Rose Minor, who was the original lead singer. Bailey was also the original manager of the band. All members were female, except for the drummer, Nardo Bailey. Falcon Stuart, the former manager of X-Ray Spex and Adam and the Ants, discovered the act and helped promote their first single, "Cairo" to modest success in the UK, which included airplay from BBC Radio 1's John Peel.
The band started gaining appearances on television, including on The Young Ones (1984) and Top of the Pops (1985), which helped to widen their fame. They achieved hits that included "Excitable" and "Too Good to Be Forgotten". The band achieved a minor success in the United States with "Montego Bay" (a cover of the 1970 song by Bobby Bloom) in 1986. That same year saw the release of their eponymous full length album, on Island Records, although this failed to chart highly.
While initially a six-piece band, the group trimmed down to a trio of Anne-Marie Ruddock, Sharon Bailey and Lesley Beach during 1986 as they were enjoying their greatest success. In 1987 Beach left the band and Ruddock and Bailey continued as a duo for another year, scoring the minor hit "Mony Mony". Later from 1987 to 1989 Amazulu recorded their second album "Spellbound" which was released in designated Asian countries including Hong Kong in audio cassettes format under EMI records. The album contained the singles "Mony Mony", "Wonderful World Beautiful People" and "My Heart Belongs To You" (which was released under Ruddock's name only in 1988). In early 1988 they split.
Ruddock went on to perform in the Alex Cox film Straight to Hell. After travelling the world and living in Brazil and Rome, Sharon Bailey now divides her time between Buckinghamshire and New York. She owns her own business and has worked in social services. She drums from time to time and is still involved in the music industry. The band member who achieved the greatest subsequent success in music was Clare Kenny, who went on to join Coming Up Roses and eventually became a session player with Sinéad O'Connor, Shakespears Sister and Damien Dempsey.
The band are mentioned in the song "Asbestos" by Suede, on their album Head Music.
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